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Hello, I Am 18 Year Old Male Who Is Overweight
Question: Hello, I am 18 year old male who is overweight, About 2 days ago now I was experiencing some bloating and abdominal discomfort after a fast food meal and thought nothing of it. The next day I tried to eat breakfast and felt full very quickly and experienced the same symptoms as well as now I was going to the bathroom frequently but passing very little, I thought I was experiencing some constipation due to change in diet because I am trying to take my health more seriously and have started eating better and working out. So I bought Ducolax to take before bed so I would have a solid bowel movement and the next day I had woken up and immediately went to the bathroom with diarrhea (very watery) and that lasted about 2 hours before returning to the same symptoms as before, loss of appetite, early satiety and the cramping discomfort. I have been trying to eat high fiber meals and taking probiotics and the pain and cramping are better than they were a day ago but I'm still having problems in the bathroom. Lastly, this was quite gross but I believe I also have mucus within my stool and it smells quite foul, as well as indigestion and regurgitation. I'm sorry if this is confusing i'm just super stressed about this and i'm trying to figure out what to do.
I forgot to add that the symptoms get better after using the bathroom and get worse after eating as well, so generally indigestion as well
Brief Answer:
Foul smell is suggestive of infection. Taking laxatives would do the opposite.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for being on 'Ask A Doctor' service,
The symptoms you are describing are mostly suggestive of Bacterial gastroenteritis (commonly called food poisoning), which is the bacterial infection of the intestine.
Stool analysis and culture are required to confirm the diagnosis. Management is with antibiotics (usually a combination of Ciprofloxacin and Metronidazole) for which you will need a prescription. So please be advised to follow up with the urgent care.
Meanwhile, drink plenty of water and electrolyte-containing drinks like Gatorade. Follow the soft diet, i.e. BRAT (Banana, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast) diet will be easier on your tummy.
No laxative, for now, it would just do opposite work.
You can also take Buscopan 10 mg thrice daily for abdominal cramps.
Keep taking probiotic.
Hope this answers your query
Please let me know if you need further clarification
Regards
Foul smell is suggestive of infection. Taking laxatives would do the opposite.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for being on 'Ask A Doctor' service,
The symptoms you are describing are mostly suggestive of Bacterial gastroenteritis (commonly called food poisoning), which is the bacterial infection of the intestine.
Stool analysis and culture are required to confirm the diagnosis. Management is with antibiotics (usually a combination of Ciprofloxacin and Metronidazole) for which you will need a prescription. So please be advised to follow up with the urgent care.
Meanwhile, drink plenty of water and electrolyte-containing drinks like Gatorade. Follow the soft diet, i.e. BRAT (Banana, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast) diet will be easier on your tummy.
No laxative, for now, it would just do opposite work.
You can also take Buscopan 10 mg thrice daily for abdominal cramps.
Keep taking probiotic.
Hope this answers your query
Please let me know if you need further clarification
Regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
Thank you for the input, I just have a few more questions. I should of stated earlier that the abdominal pain is upper abdominal pain and it started Tuesday night and now continues into today. I also have been experiencing the need to use the bathroom but nothing comes out. With the brat diet I have been still experiencing indigestion with the abdominal cramping, is this a concern or is it normal in these cases?
Brief Answer:
Gastroenteritis typically. Very common.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
See, you have got infection in your gut.If not treated properly this would cause inflammation in intestine which leads to spasms causing pain. This inflammation includes other part of intestine also as bacteria multiplies at a very fast rate unless antibiotic is given.
The symptoms you are experiencing are typical for Gastroenteritis and it's a very common disease.3 days course of medicine and you would be fine.
Diet alone won't help at this point of time.
Hope I was helpful.
Thank you
Gastroenteritis typically. Very common.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
See, you have got infection in your gut.If not treated properly this would cause inflammation in intestine which leads to spasms causing pain. This inflammation includes other part of intestine also as bacteria multiplies at a very fast rate unless antibiotic is given.
The symptoms you are experiencing are typical for Gastroenteritis and it's a very common disease.3 days course of medicine and you would be fine.
Diet alone won't help at this point of time.
Hope I was helpful.
Thank you
Note: For further follow up on digestive issues share your reports here and Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
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