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Suggest Treatment For Acute Gastroenteritis

Posted on Sat, 19 Apr 2014

Question: My wife got a stomach bug and about a week later I seemed to get it. We both noticed large amounts of mucus when wiping and mucus on stool. Time passed and my bowels seemed to recover but I noticed a clear translucent film on the water after a BM. My stool was normallay formed and brown( sometimes darker sometimes lighter). This had been a few months so I went to my doctor who did labs, all normal. I saw my gastro and said i did have some gastritis ( which i've show for 15 years) but lower scope totally normal. all biopsies normal. So in the end I was told the film was likely mucus and that my hyper acidity probably irritates my small intestine a bit so it increases mucus production. Well it's been 6 months and I saw my GI yesterday. I explained that I don't feel bad but I still noticed the film( sometimes less sometimes more). She weighed me and I actually gained a lb. she looked at my labs and said still diagnoses stress IBS/ gastritis type issue. I did have a doctor tell me when I first had my sx that he thought it was giardia. I mentioned this to my GI as well and she said that because i have basically gotten back to normal she didn't think a drug to treat a possible parasite was neccesary but that some altered bowel symptoms can linger for months and even years and take a long time to totally return to normal. So she told me she was sure it was nothing severe because of time passed normal labs and testing and no weight loss. She said to stop worrying about it and to try to eat healthier then sent me on my way.

Answered by Dr. Dr.Albana Sejdini (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: Possible acute gastro-enteritis (stomach bug)... Detailed Answer: Hi, I have gone through your medical history and feel sorry for the situation you are in. From what you are describing, it is viral acute gastroenteritis (stomach bug). It will be settled by time. The most important thing is to prevent dehydration. I advise to: - drink plenty of water - take otc tasectan to stop diarrhea - take otc O.R.S to replace electrolytes lost during diarrhea If no improvement within a week, should run stool tests for ova/parasites and culture. Wish fast recovery! Dr.Klerida P.s. Let me know if you need further assistance!

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr.Albana Sejdini (6 hours later)

I think I may have confused you. I've seen several doctors including a gastroenterologist. I've had several labs done, endoscopy, colonoscopy and fecal occult blood test. Though my symptoms improved 75% I have been dealing with the bowel changes for 6 months. On my last appointment with my GI which was 2 days ago, she said she still felt it was due to hyper acidity and rapid transit which she labeled as stress related IBS/ gastrointestinal symptoms. She said the film is very likely mucos since I do occasionally see mucus on my stool and lots of mucus was noticed when wiping when all this first started, the mucos when wiping is no longer a symptom. She said with normal labs and actually gaining weight she had no other concerns. My concern was the lingering bowel issues like the very clear film on the toilet water( very hard to see if light isn't just right), gas, occasional urgency. My stool is basically normal( solid, brown - light brown). I wondered if hyper acidity could irritate my small intestine or if the affect of a parasite like giardia could cause me to have symptoms for this long. No one seems concerned except me but maybe in not accepting what I'm being told.I have no diarrhea

Answered by Dr. Dr.Albana Sejdini (15 hours later)

Brief Answer: Following answer... Detailed Answer: Hi, It is normal to pass mucus in stool while having stomach bug. It will take some time until the bowel will be back to its normal function. However, you are referring to be experiencing mucus in stool for the last months (already becoming chronic). You are also reporting that the - stool analysis resulted normal (no ova/parasites, no pathogenic bacteria) - upper endoscopy resulted normal too (no sign for gastritis or GERD) If this is true, then, mucus in stool might be related to IBS (if it is confirmed). Hyper acidity of the stomach would irritate small intestines, however, your upper endoscopy resulted normal. Next, giardia or other intestinal parasites can also alter the intestinal function; but, you are reporting that the stool exams were normal. It is also true that parasites like giardia are difficult to get detected sometimes. There are some of my patients going untreated due to non-well diagnosis of giardia. In these cases, I have requested to repeat stool analysis of 3 different samples (3 consecutive days) preserved in formalin 10%. In this way, I was able to determine if my patients were totally free of giardia or other parasites. I would also advise to be careful with foods you eat. Food intolerance/malapsorption can also cause such problems. Certain foods (citrus, spicy, chilly, coffee, etc) can increase acidity of the stomach leading to mucus in stool. Starting probiotics together with controlling stress are also advised. Hope it was of help! Let me know if you have other queries!

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr.Albana Sejdini (1 hour later)

I did have gastritis? I think I might need someone else to look at what I wrote

Answered by Dr. Dr.Albana Sejdini (2 days later)

Brief Answer: If need other doctor's advice,close this thread... Detailed Answer: Hi, To look for the opinion of other doctor, you can close this thread and open a new fresh one. Thank you!

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar