u/Lucid-Emphasis825

Hi, I’ve been dealing with some severe gut problems following antibiotic use.

My main symptom is severe burning stomach pain. It’s mainly in the lower side below the belly, but it also feels centralized to the entire lower stomach. I think the pain is similar to colitis. Also sometimes diarrhea, weird smell and nausea/fatigue. I can’t even eat food right now. The burning pain increases immediately afterwards. It just doesn’t make sense to have colitis if it’s not from c. Diff.

My first thought was c. Diff as it was triggered by antibiotics. I was almost 100% convinced it was c. Diff. I went to the ER and they thought it was c diff too. They did a rectal swab but apparently the test was NEGATIVE which was a huge surprise to me. I almost couldn’t believe it, and I’m worried the test was done wrong or falsely negative.

Could Diverticulitis explain my symptoms:? Severe burning lower constant stomach pain (like a very bad sunburn), loss of appetite, nausea, almost can’t eat food, sometimes diarrhea and smelly stool, worsens after eating.

My symptoms was 70% better last week, but I stupidly ate a large bag of candy for two days (I know stupid decision) and ever since that candy, my symptoms have gotten 10x worse.

My symptoms align perfectly with c diff, so it doesn’t make sense it’s negative, and I’m trying to find other answers. I understand I need a CT scan for this, and it’s annoying the ER didn’t do it.

I went to the ER for severe stomach burning pain, diarrhea and nausea. I was almost convinced it was c diff as it came immediately after multiple rounds of antibiotics. But apparently my test was negative. It wasn’t a stool sample but they used a rectal swab at the hospital. Is this as reliable?

I was relieved at first when they said my tests were negative, but the stomach burning pain and diarrhea persists two week after I was at the hospital. From reading my symptoms, it mimics colitis. The doctor even mentioned I could have colitis for “unknown reason”. It just seems strange I have colitis without an ongoing bacterial infection? Especially since it came right after an antibiotic course.

My symptoms were a bit better two days ago, and then I ate (I know I’m fucking stupid) a big bowl of candy sweets. Because the test was negative, I started getting careless with food/sweets. Now pain is 10x worse, diarrhea worse, smell worse.

I’m starting to think they didn’t test me properly or the test was falsely negative. They never specified “toxin A+B test”. I don’t have the test in my doctor app for some reason, only my blood work. It just says in my journal “we tested for virus, bacteria and c. Diff.

I have CONSTANT and I mean constant stomach burning in my lower stomach. It sounds and feels like colitis. But having colitis without an infection just seems strange. Even after this test they did at the hospital, I still suspect I have c. Diff. I just don’t understand what can cause these symptoms if not for c diff?

I’m not sure what to do now. I don’t understand how my test could be negative when my symptoms are: diarrhea, bad smell, horrible burning stomach pain, nausea, severe brain fog. I was on 3 different antibiotics in a span of 3 weeks. I truly suspect they didn’t test properly for it but I can’t go back to the hospital now.

I’m 23. So from baby to 23 I’ve built my microbiome from scratch. Then it got nuked by antibiotics completely.

So wouldn’t it be possible to fully rebuild all that back in about 23 years? Even get back those lost strains that some studies claim can’t be recovered.

Why do some recover their microbiome and some are lost forever?

I have to get something off my chest. I can’t deal with being thrown around in the medical system anymore. I can’t deal with no one taking me serious, people gaslighting me, doctors telling me it’s psychosomatic. Currently dealing with an ongoing infection I know I have, but due to my history of multiple health issues, my GP straight up refuses to take me serious and test me. She yelled at me on the phone. ER will tell me to go my GP. I don’t have energy to fight anymore.

I can’t describe how all of this makes me feel. I try to stand up for myself and continuously I fail, and feel worse after. My entire family look at me like some psychosomatic freak when I’m horribly ill and bedridden.

I’ve developed severe PTSD now and can’t stomach going to the doctor to get help. Even when I’m now in a technical moderate emergency, I feel paralyzed and unable to call the ER due to knowing that I will be dismissed and not taken serious. I can’t fight anymore. I hate this entire medical system.

I have an atypical case. Due to taking a lot of florastor I think it’s masking the diarrhea. They refuse to test unless it’s diarrhea. I have severe nausea, fatigue and colitis. My entire lower stomach burns like hell. I had watery diarrhea two days ago but now not anymore…

Do I go to the ER? What if I can’t make a stool here and it’s too solid? My GP doesn’t care to help.

Ive recently had back to back antibiotics during a 3 week window. One I was allergic to, another one gave me severe intracranial hypertension, then I had to switch to another broad spectrum antibiotic. So I was on cefuroxime, doxycycline and amoxicillin during a 3 week window. This has COMPLETELY destroyed my gut and I’m obviously worried about the long term effects. I didn’t realize the risk of back to back antibiotic courses before it was too late. I think I have c diff infection too that the doctor won’t test me for.

Reading about the micro biome scar is quite worrisome. Due to my misuse of 3 different classes of antibiotics I likely caused permanent eradication of certain strains of bacteria.

If the gut now has lost permanently lost certain strains of bacteria, how can it ever recover to full? Can a functional recovery still feel like normal self despite having permanently lost those groups of good bacteria that you can’t get back?

Like can 70-80% restoration of good bacteria still feel like a full recovery or will this always have permanent consequences. In my country I need two cases of confirmed c. Diff to be able to get FMT, which sucks.

Sorry if this post is triggering but I don’t think have anywhere else to write. This has been the most traumatic month of my life and I’m just done now. From doctor incompetence to unlucky side-effects.. I’m just done.

I had an horrible reaction to doxycycline that made me switch to Cefuroxime. Doxy gave me IIH symptoms that still haven’t passed. Thinking back I should probably have pushed through it. Taking cefuroxime was the worst mistake of my life as it gave me c. Diff. Now I won’t be able to treat for months. I’m even terrified of taking herbs or oils. I won’t be able to treat during the curable phase. Taking cefuroxime was the worst fucking mistake I could’ve ever done.

I felt better for a few weeks and now after stopping all symptoms have come back even worse. Feet, hands and legs are burning and feel numb. Can’t think due to brain fog. Muscles and joints hurts and aches. Stiff neck. Terrifying gut problems.

I’m afraid my treatment was too short and the I’d develop Bell’s palsy, meningitis among other symptoms over the next months, and there’s literally nothing I can do about it.

I can already see my future.. being stuck in this bed with horrible pain for years unless I manage to find a way to stop breathing. I feel so stupid. I managed this in the most stupid way and now have to pay life-long consequences. My Lyme/Bartonella will only progress and become less treatable now. My gut is fucked. I fucked up, badly. Full of regret. I wish Dignitas would accept me but im only 23. Sorry for the rant.

So it seems I’ve gotten fucking c. Diff from cefuroxime. Now I’m basically unable to treat Lyme/Bartonella with antibiotics/herbs?

Has anyone here gotten c. Diff from treatment. What did you do afterwards?

I have Lyme and a co-infection called Bartonella. This is almost only treated through antibiotics or herbs that act similar to antibiotics.

Now I don’t know what to do. If I take antibiotics, I risk c. Diff. If I don’t take it, the Lyme will spread and become more difficult to treat. Even the herbs seem risky to take.

Genuinely this situation seems objectively hopeless. There’s no good options to take. A bartonella infection usually requires month long antibiotics - usually with doxycycline, Azithromycin or rifampin. Which is extremely risky after c. Diff. Any antibiotic is.

Has anyone here been in a similar situation?

The last thing I wanna do right now is take Vancomycin and destroy my gut further. I haven’t had a test yet but I’m fairly convinced it’s what I’m dealing with after a cefuroxime course.

Not making this post for medical advice, but more if anyone has experienced c. Diff and didn’t take antibiotics for it?

I’m bedbound due to other issues so managing and eating food is extremely difficult. I just recently been eating a lot of almonds cause it’s an easy snack. Turns out that has high calcium which is terrible for c diff apparently. I also wanted to drink Kefir as an probiotic but apparently you shouldn’t eat dairy. I feel like I’m doing everything wrong.

What food content specifically should I try to eat and what to avoid? Water kefir is so expensive. I don’t even know where to buy other fermented foods.

I have workers that make food for me since I’m bedbound, but they often just make whatever. Can someone please tell me what long-term safe foods I should try to eat daily and what to strictly avoid?

I’ve been taking cefuroxime and doxycycline for a tick bite. About 5 days in I noticed severe stomach pain. Not fleeting or relief after bowel movement, but constant. I have this constant burning, ache, inflammation like discomfort feeling. It’s like my stomach is being eaten inside out.

I also suspect c. Diff but I don’t have 3x daily diarrhea, so my doctor won’t test me. I know this is definitely more than just antibiotics side-effects. I never experienced this level of constant stomach pain.

I also have extreme fatigue/tiredness and nausea.

The stomach pain first really became constant and very painful after switching to doxycycline.

As I understand, you can be fully infected with Lyme +co infections, yet never show symptoms.

How do we become so sick to the point of being bedbound and others immune system can keep the disease in check indefinitely?

Just curious how bartonella impacts your dreams. Do you have vivid, memorable, lucid dreams or nightmares? Or can’t you dream at all?

I have quite severe insomnia right now.. it’s hell

I have lyme and a co-infection called Bartonella, which I haven’t been able to treat. The bartonella infection causes severe insomnia, psychiatric symptoms, anxiety, night terror. (And a lot of physical pain).

These two infections can bring havoc on sleep, including frequent night awakenings, REM sleep disruption. On the other hand, many Lyme sufferers report extremely vivid or lucid dreams (though often gory/nightmare dreams).

I’m so fascinated and interested in lucid dreaming, but I’m afraid having this disease would make impossible to truly master.

I’m currently bedbound due to this disease, so lucid dreaming would be an amazing escape. Do you think it’s possible despite the neuro inflammation, insomnia and disrupted sleep cycles?

Seriously what is this disease? It’s almost untreatable and giving some of the most nightmarish symptoms. Physical symptoms is one thing. But the psychological torture and insomnia is too much. I don’t even care about Lyme at this point. I just don’t want to have Bartonella.

Has anyone successfully treated it? How?

No LLMD in my country at all. There was one small clinic, but 6+ month waiting time.

The doctor gaslit me and lied to me, not giving me treatment in time. I saw the ticks and demanded antibiotic but was refused. Eventually I got treatment too late.

I have a condition called PSSD which makes me completely intolerant to most herbs used in Lyme treatment. Anything that involves receptor changes in the brain like serotonin or hormones, can make me horribly sick. Same with antibiotics, I couldn’t tolerate doxycycline as it made so sick as it’s an SNR. I’m very sensitive to everything and also have MCAS. Even most supplements have ingredients in them that makes me sick.

So, I missed the early window for treatment. There’s no LLMD that can prescribe me the antibiotics I might need. I cant do 90% of the herb treatment which obviously won’t be enough. What options do I have?

What happens if I just stop all treatment and just let the Lyme and bartonella slowly wither me away to a point where I’d be qualified for MAID?

I know this sounds very pessimistic and a defeatist mindset, but it’s true when I say have extreme sensitivities.

Can someone tell me point blank, what happens if you simply do NOTHING? Just leaving it alone doing no treatments.

Is it possible to get better without herbs or antibiotics? With more a nervous system approach? I presume but no figured I’d ask.

I thought this was supposed to be extremely rare? Right ear just dropped 30dB just like my left ear. They’re almost identical in the hearing loss and tinnitus.

AI thinks extreme stress due to worry and the prednisone has starved oxygen to the other ear now. Or severe adrenaline has blocked blood flow in both ears.

I’m trying not to panic but I don’t know what to do.

I woke up this morning with tinnitus in my right ear too. Did a home hearing test and it shows +20db from last week.

wtf is going on😭 I’m already on the meds, can this just Suddenly affects the other ear too while on meds?

My left ear was the only one affected. Now right too?

I’m currently on steroids for SSHL. I took 80mg propranolol because of severe adrenaline and stress. It was in the moment decision cause I felt so bad.

Tinnitus has gotten so much worse. Did I just permanently ruin my ear? Now I read propranolol can cause tinnitus and inner ear damage.