u/RichhGetMoney_

Me vs Doxycycline

Hey everyone. Looking for insight from people who have dealt with severe post-antibiotic GI dysfunction / dysbiosis / IBS-C / SIBO-type symptoms because this has become debilitating.

About 3-4 weeks ago I took doxycycline for roughly 3 days. Shortly afterward I started developing:
\- severe abdominal pain/cramping
\- bloating/fullness
\- intense gas pain
\- constipation sensations/incomplete evacuation feeling
\- appetite loss
\- pressure around the belly button/lower abdomen
\- extreme intestinal hypersensitivity (“glass/raw” feeling inside stomach/intestines)

Things escalated hard over the following weeks and eventually I ended up hospitalized because I felt severely backed up/full of stool. They did multiple bowel interventions including enemas/bowel regimens/etc.

I eventually underwent full colonoscopy + endoscopy.

Colonoscopy findings:
\- structurally normal colon
\- normal terminal ileum
\- no inflammatory bowel disease seen
\- no obstruction/masses
\- moderate sigmoid colon spasm
\- biopsies taken throughout colon/ileum

Endoscopy:
\- visually reassuring overall
\- biopsies taken for H pylori / celiac / microscopic pathology
\- currently waiting on biopsy results

The weirdest part is that even after being completely cleaned out from the colonoscopy prep, I STILL had severe abdominal pain/fullness/gas pain afterward. It almost feels like my intestines are hypersensitive/spasming constantly rather than simply “being full.”

Other details:
\- passing gas changes the pain a lot
\- certain foods massively flare symptoms (for example a plum destroyed me)
\- positional changes can release huge amounts of trapped gas
\- bowel movements are currently small/pellet-like
\- no major nausea/vomiting
\- pain fluctuates a lot
\- GI doctors mentioned gut-brain axis / IBS-C / visceral hypersensitivity possibilities
\- I also have diagnosed hypertonic pelvic floor dysfunction/dyssynergia which may be interacting with the GI symptoms

At this point I’m trying to understand:

1. Has anyone had severe post-doxycycline dysbiosis/SIBO/IBS-C symptoms after only a short antibiotic exposure?
2. Can visceral hypersensitivity/spasm really create this level of constant “glass/raw” abdominal pain?
3. Did anyone have severe gas trapping/spasm AFTER colonoscopy prep despite being cleaned out?
4. What actually helped calm the system down?

Not looking for catastrophic diagnoses mainly trying to understand whether people have experienced severe gut dysregulation/spasm/hypersensitivity like this after antibiotics and what recovery looked like.

Hey everyone. Looking for insight from people who have dealt with severe post-antibiotic GI dysfunction / dysbiosis / IBS-C / SIBO-type symptoms because this has become debilitating.

About 3-4 weeks ago I took doxycycline for roughly 3 days. Shortly afterward I started developing:
- severe abdominal pain/cramping
- bloating/fullness
- intense gas pain
- constipation sensations/incomplete evacuation feeling
- appetite loss
- pressure around the belly button/lower abdomen
- extreme intestinal hypersensitivity (“glass/raw” feeling inside stomach/intestines)

Things escalated hard over the following weeks and eventually I ended up hospitalized because I felt severely backed up/full of stool. They did multiple bowel interventions including enemas/bowel regimens/etc.

I eventually underwent full colonoscopy + endoscopy.

Colonoscopy findings:
- structurally normal colon
- normal terminal ileum
- no inflammatory bowel disease seen
- no obstruction/masses
- moderate sigmoid colon spasm
- biopsies taken throughout colon/ileum

Endoscopy:
- visually reassuring overall
- biopsies taken for H pylori / celiac / microscopic pathology
- currently waiting on biopsy results

The weirdest part is that even after being completely cleaned out from the colonoscopy prep, I STILL had severe abdominal pain/fullness/gas pain afterward. It almost feels like my intestines are hypersensitive/spasming constantly rather than simply “being full.”

Other details:
- passing gas changes the pain a lot
- certain foods massively flare symptoms (for example a plum destroyed me)
- positional changes can release huge amounts of trapped gas
- bowel movements are currently small/pellet-like
- no major nausea/vomiting
- pain fluctuates a lot
- GI doctors mentioned gut-brain axis / IBS-C / visceral hypersensitivity possibilities
- I also have diagnosed hypertonic pelvic floor dysfunction/dyssynergia which may be interacting with the GI symptoms

At this point I’m trying to understand:

1. Has anyone had severe post-doxycycline dysbiosis/SIBO/IBS-C symptoms after only a short antibiotic exposure?
2. Can visceral hypersensitivity/spasm really create this level of constant “glass/raw” abdominal pain?
3. Did anyone have severe gas trapping/spasm AFTER colonoscopy prep despite being cleaned out?
4. What actually helped calm the system down?

Not looking for catastrophic diagnoses mainly trying to understand whether people have experienced severe gut dysregulation/spasm/hypersensitivity like this after antibiotics and what recovery looked like.

Hey everyone. I’m honestly exhausted and looking for insight/support from people who’ve dealt with severe gut + pelvic floor issues because the last few weeks have been brutal.

This all started after taking doxycycline for 3 days. Shortly after, I developed intense bloating/fullness, stomach pain centered around my belly button, constipation feelings, gas pain, appetite loss, weight loss, and severe pelvic floor tension/spasms. I ended up hospitalized at one point because the pressure/pain got so bad. CTS revealed full of stool everywhere no blockage follow up with GI.

The weirdest part is I constantly feel constipated/full of stool even when things are moving. Sometimes I’ll barely eat and still feel incredibly bloated and pressured. Straining and bowel movements started causing pelvic/testicular pain and burning sensations too. Pelvic floor PT found hypertonic pelvic floor/dyssynergia.

I finally went through with a colonoscopy + endoscopy because I was terrified something serious was being missed. The good news is both scopes were visually normal. Colon prep was perfect, terminal ileum normal, no IBD/masses/etc. The one thing they did note was “moderate colonic spasm” in the sigmoid colon. Biopsies were taken throughout and I’m waiting on pathology.

One GI is leaning toward gut-brain axis dysfunction / IBS / motility dysfunction / pelvic floor interaction. They even mentioned the colon spasming and the nervous system connection between the gut and brain. Another GI mentioned possibly trying Linzess or Amitiza later.

What confuses me is:
- I still get severe gas pain/fullness after eating even small amounts
- I still feel “constipated” despite the colonoscopy prep clearing everything out
- Symptoms fluctuate a lot
- Valium noticeably calms both the pelvic pain AND the abdominal tightness/fullness

I know some people online immediately jump to SIBO/SIFO after antibiotics, and I’m considering testing eventually, but I’m trying not to spiral into self-diagnosing everything either.

Has anyone dealt with:
- post-antibiotic gut dysfunction
- colon spasms / IBS-type pain
- pelvic floor dysfunction causing GI symptoms
- feeling severely bloated/full despite clean scopes
- hypersensitive gut/pelvic nerve symptoms

And if so, what actually helped you start recovering?

Right now it honestly feels like my gut and pelvic floor are stuck in some horrible feedback loop and I’m trying to figure out how people break out of it.

Hey everyone, I’m a 21M and honestly at a loss right now and wondering if this sounds familiar to anyone here.

This entire mess seemed to start after taking about 3 days of doxycycline. Shortly after that my stomach started feeling completely off and over the next couple weeks things spiraled hard.

I developed severe constipation very suddenly along with:
- intense bloating/fullness
- stomach cramping/tightness
- trapped gas feeling
- rectal pressure
- loss of appetite
- feeling “full of stool” constantly

It eventually got bad enough that I ended up in the hospital where they gave me laxatives, enemas, rectal exams, and attempted manual stool removal/disimpaction.

After the enemas/manual removal I developed severe pelvic/rectal burning and nerve-like pain that honestly scared the hell out of me. Since then my pelvic floor has felt completely different.

Now I’m stuck in this weird state where:
- I AM having bowel movements
- sometimes even watery stools/diarrhea
- but I still feel extremely full/bloated like stool is trapped
- my stomach cramps badly
- my bowel movements smell horrible
- I’ve lost around 8-10 pounds very quickly because I barely want to eat

I also have a history of IBS-type symptoms for years:
- bloating after meals
- random diarrhea flares
- mucus sometimes
- bowel instability

At the same time, pelvic floor PT diagnosed me with:
- hypertonic pelvic floor
- dyssynergic constipation
- severe delayed pelvic floor relaxation

so now I genuinely can’t tell what’s GI vs pelvic floor vs nervous system anymore.

The frustrating part is that GI mainly wants to do a colonoscopy first, but after how much nerve pain and pelvic pain I had from the enemas/manual stool removal, I became terrified of doing the prep/procedure and cancelled it. I don’t know whether I’m making a mistake by delaying it, but I’m honestly scared of massively flaring the pelvic pain again.

Part of me wonders if this could be SIBO or some sort of dysbiosis/motility issue from the doxycycline and constipation spiral, but I don’t know how long it’ll take to actually get doctors to explore that instead of immediately pushing the colonoscopy.

I’m wondering:
- does this sound familiar to anyone with confirmed SIBO?
- can SIBO cause severe fullness/bloating even when barely eating?
- can it cause constipation AND diarrhea/overflow diarrhea?
- did anyone have rapid weight loss/appetite loss like this?
- did antibiotics seem to trigger everything for anyone else?
- did anyone also develop pelvic floor dysfunction/tension alongside GI symptoms?

Honestly I’m exhausted and pretty scared at this point and would really appreciate any insight from people who’ve been through something similar.

Hey everyone, I’m a 21M and honestly having a really hard time mentally with all of this and hoping maybe someone here has gone through something similar.

About 2 weeks ago I suddenly developed really severe constipation. I was straining hard and started getting this intense stomach tightness/fullness, rectal pressure, bloating, and pelvic tension. It got bad enough that I ended up in the hospital.

While there they gave me laxatives, enemas, rectal exams, and attempted manual stool removal/disimpaction. After that, I developed this horrible burning/spasm feeling in the rectal/pelvic area that only really calmed down with rectal diazepam.

Ever since then my pelvic area has felt completely different.

The main thing now is constant 24/7 penile tingling/hypersensitivity (shaft/glans). It feels like buzzing/pins and needles almost all the time. I also get pelvic/rectal tightness, coccyx soreness, lower abdominal tightness/fullness, and symptoms seem to worsen with sitting, bowel movements, and clenching.

The weird part is I am going to the bathroom now. I’m on MiraLAX and sometimes even having watery stools/diarrhea, but I still feel full of stool and get the same stomach tightness that originally sent me to the hospital. I also have a long history of IBS-type symptoms in general (bloating after meals, random diarrhea flares, mucus sometimes, bowel instability, etc.) so now I’m wondering if there’s some IBS/SIBO/pelvic floor combination going on.

I started pelvic floor PT and they diagnosed:
- hypertonic pelvic floor
- severe delayed relaxation
- dyssynergic constipation
- pelvic hypersensitivity

Urology exam was structurally normal.

Honestly what’s scaring me most is how sensitized my nervous system feels now. Every flare makes me panic that I permanently damaged something or developed pudendal neuralgia. I even accidentally bruised my tailbone yesterday and completely spiraled thinking I ruined my recovery.

I also have a colonoscopy scheduled soon and I’m honestly terrified of doing it because of how much pain the enemas and attempted manual stool removal caused me in the hospital. I’m scared the prep/procedure is going to massively flare everything again and I genuinely feel lost about what the right move is.

Right now I’m basically trying to:
- avoid straining
- stay hydrated
- use MiraLAX
- reduce clenching/guarding
- wait for a new pelvic floor PT evaluation Monday

I guess I’m mainly asking:
- Has anyone had penile tingling/hypersensitivity from a hypertonic pelvic floor?
- Did pelvic floor treatment eventually help the bowel symptoms/fullness?
- Did anyone flare badly after constipation/rectal interventions and later calm down?
- Has anyone with pelvic floor dysfunction done a colonoscopy without permanently worsening things?

Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been through something similar because right now this whole thing feels endless and overwhelming.

Does being able to sit without an increase in pain or discomfort versus just laying down / standing indicate just a hypertonic PF or some other form? This is what confuses me the most. I relate to some things here, with the tingling and stuff and super tight pelvic floor/ bowel troubles pain after defecation etc etc, painful orgasms but I want to make sure I am covering all grounds But I can sit without an excess in pain.

Thanks for your input and as of now I’m waiting to see doctors, doing good PFPT, avoiding strenuous activities, cut out sugar/alcohol/caffeine, 2.5 Liter water day, going out for walks. I’m dealing with alot of strange new sensations and my mind jumps to PN because of the pain I experienced from the rectum to the penis when I was in the hospital, but that’s sort of calmed down and now it’s more like rectal fullness sometimes and tingling in the genitals. It’s just very hard to gauge, because the sitting aspect truely does not increase or spike symptoms.

Thank you for your input. I’m stretching aswell (4 legged chair thing, child’s pose) bc i’m sure that will be helpful if it’s just hypertonic anyways. Any input is appreciated. And I mean no disrespect to those who are suffering greatly here, I hope that everyone in here recovers irregardless of the extent of there suffering.

Confused with Reverse Kegals - Hypertonic PF with Terrible Pain M 21

Hello, I am waiting to be evaluated by a new PFPT after hospitalization with intense pain caused by constipation, not sure if my hypertonic PF caused it or my hypertonic PF was exasperated by it. I’m at home just trying to relax dealing with all sorts of trouble that happens more specifically now after bowel movements. (Pain in the penis, Pain in the rectum, Tingles in the penis, Bad pain after straining the bowels or sore penis after straining the bowels)

I’m not sure if my hospitalization made stuff worse but what I am having trouble with is the reverse kegel. I feel that when I try to breathe with my belly under the ribs and expand, and then let the air out with my mouth slowly, the rectum or butthole is still clenched and tight. Months ago when symptoms were very minor I was able to unclench the area, now I just feel like I can’t and it’s locked. Obviously it’s not locked because although it’s painful gas and stool is still exiting but what until my therapy session what do I do? I am very miserable right now and I missed my colleges graduation unfortunately I’ve just been at home under the care of my family and I feel very bad for them. Should I do daily walks and stretches like childs pose, nerve glide etc while I wait for the new therapist to help me out? Additionally, the hospitalization put all sorts of shit in my rectum that created this terrible hell on earth pain including (enemas, suppositories, pre colon cleanse diarrhea from colon cleanse), so when I do go to the new PFPT should I chill with the internal exam? I didn’t know these things would cause as much pain as they did, and I can’t blame the hospital bc they were trying to get rid of the stool, but I am in such discomfort and pain. Im a grown ass man but I spend so much time crying to my self because I have responsibilities and people I need to care for but I can’t.

I’m beginning to wonder if I have more then just nerve irritation and if this may be PN trouble, because of the blasting pain from the rectum to the penile area during hospitalization bc of the constipation relief methods they were doing but I’m sure the thinking about this isn’t helpful. I struggle to eat, but I have been sleeping well, and I don’t have any additional pain from sitting down so I’m not sure. I can be having a fairly alright day then one bowel movement and some straining sends me over the edge. If anyone has had a similiar experience and has advice or things for me to try please feel free to reach out. All I I have been doing is walking a mile or so to prevent complete sedentary ness, eating a small healthy home cooked amount, stretching and breathing when I can, and just trying to relax.

Another thing is I believe I have lower cross syndrome. My butt goes backwards and my stomach droops out probably bc of all the constipation so I have that strange tilt. Idk if that’s helpful for any one to point me in the right direction or if anyone has the same thing.

Irregardless, I have met a lot of great people from this forum that have been very helpful, and I will continue to keep trying everyday irregardless of the pain. Thank you all.

Hello, I am waiting to be evaluated by a new PFPT after hospitalization with intense pain caused by constipation, not sure if my hypertonic PF caused it or my hypertonic PF was exasperated by it. I’m at home just trying to relax dealing with all sorts of trouble that happens more specifically now after bowel movements. (Pain in the penis, Pain in the rectum, Tingles in the penis, Bad pain after straining the bowels or sore penis after straining the bowels)

I’m not sure if my hospitalization made stuff worse but what I am having trouble with is the reverse kegel. I feel that when I try to breathe with my belly under the ribs and expand, and then let the air out with my mouth slowly, the rectum or butthole is still clenched and tight. Months ago when symptoms were very minor I was able to unclench the area, now I just feel like I can’t and it’s locked. Obviously it’s not locked because although it’s painful gas and stool is still exiting but what until my therapy session what do I do? I am very miserable right now and I missed my colleges graduation unfortunately I’ve just been at home under the care of my family and I feel very bad for them. Should I do daily walks and stretches like childs pose, nerve glide etc while I wait for the new therapist to help me out? Additionally, the hospitalization put all sorts of shit in my rectum that created this terrible hell on earth pain including (enemas, suppositories, pre colon cleanse diarrhea from colon cleanse), so when I do go to the new PFPT should I chill with the internal exam? I didn’t know these things would cause as much pain as they did, and I can’t blame the hospital bc they were trying to get rid of the stool, but I am in such discomfort and pain. Im a grown ass man but I spend so much time crying to my self because I have responsibilities and people I need to care for but I can’t.

I’m beginning to wonder if I have more then just nerve irritation and if this may be PN trouble, because of the blasting pain from the rectum to the penile area during hospitalization bc of the constipation relief methods they were doing but I’m sure the thinking about this isn’t helpful. I struggle to eat, but I have been sleeping well, and I don’t have any additional pain from sitting down so I’m not sure. I can be having a fairly alright day then one bowel movement and some straining sends me over the edge. If anyone has had a similiar experience and has advice or things for me to try please feel free to reach out. All I I have been doing is walking a mile or so to prevent complete sedentary ness, eating a small healthy home cooked amount, stretching and breathing when I can, and just trying to relax.

Another thing is I believe I have lower cross syndrome. My butt goes backwards and my stomach droops out probably bc of all the constipation so I have that strange tilt. Idk if that’s helpful for any one to point me in the right direction or if anyone has the same thing.

Irregardless, I have met a lot of great people from this forum that have been very helpful, and I will continue to keep trying everyday irregardless of the pain. Thank you all.

Hello, I was recently hospitalized with the worst pain I have ever experienced. I was diagnosed with hypertonic pelvic floor recently. I had constipation and poop stuck in my colon that was very full. They did enemas, rectal exams, all sorts of things that sent me out of whack. Eventually after a colon cleanse the poop came out, but I had terrible, terrible burning pain in the rectum and penis for days. They tried ativan, morphine, magnesium IV, all these things. Nothing stopped the spazzing pain until they used a diazapem suppository. I will be doing therapy but I was wondering how safe these are to use until things settle in? Is a few times a week dangerous? Is everyday a big No no? Are there alternatives to this suppository that can stop spazzing? I have no idea.

Additionally, I think that I just have a hypertonic pelvic floor exasperated by constipation and that feedback loop coupled with the irritation from how the hospital tried to remove the stool is the reason why I had all this pain and it’s not PN, but I am a bit scared and wanted to ask what people thought here. I’m aware you guys aren’t doctors but I wanted to see if anyone else had some trouble like this.

I’m going to a good pelvic floor physical therapist soon, and Im following up with a colonoscopy to rule out any colon cancer or intestinal trouble.

I was doing alright today till I had a bowel movement and unintentionally strained. My penis jumped foward 2-3 times and this happens when I strain sometimes, it’s been worse lately. It is a miserable like sort of sore achey feeling in the Penis that started a bit after. It doesn’t feel end of worldish but it feels terrible. Thank you for your help and advice.

Due to constipation I had wrongly associated with Pelvic floor pain I am in the hospital admitted. They’re trying different things and yesterday two enemies and manual removal, all three didn’t work and left me in excruciating pain bc the enemas caused unintentional straining. My penis was burning as if i lit it on fire, and my rectum was aswell. The stinging pain was also in my abdomen but that is constipated related most likely. I just need the muscles to calm down so I can get the poop out, but the methods to do this made things worse. I’m sitting in the hospital in terrible pain and they have no idea what to do. I’m getting no sleep. What kind of medications should I ask for to get over this slump and calm the pain and muscle spasms so I can shit and go home? I was diagnosed with hypertonic pelvic floor recently, I think there may be some nerve irritation after the level of pain yesterday. It’s dropped down slightly but it’s still terrible and I have no idea what to do because they need to get the poop out. Should I ask for muscle relaxers or something of that sort from the hospital doctors ? Morphine did not do jack so I’m not trying that again. I feel like someone has a flame thrower to both sides of my body:

Please if anyone has some wisdom here, I would greatly greatly appreciate it.

Recieved a hypertonic pelvic floor diagnosis and trouble. Went to ER with really bad stomach pain, had no idea but I was badly constipated according to CT scan with no other issues. ER sent me home and said miralax, i’m having so much stomach pain and cramping yet I can barely get anything out. I had three bowel movements the day after all limited by straining. Now I woke up today and still nothing. I feel like my pelvic muscles are so flared up and tight I can’t open up and release any stool. I’m miserable loosing weight yet I feel so full. Please if anyone can help thank you. I started PT recently so i’m not sure if the rectal exam made things worse. I just want to poop and clear out my system at this point.