Can we all be real for a few minutes and talk about Flagyl??

Okay, let me start by saying, let's try to  drop the veil and be very open here.  I'm always so scared to be downright open about poop sometimes because of lurkers from other surgeries looking to bookmark **** about our ****  I've been open about everything else, and now I'm coming out in the open about this too. 

I know there are people that only go poop once or twice a day, and some who even have been living with constipation after the DS.  I don't know WHY we are all so different, but we are.  That said, guys, I'm a pooper. (I don't have dhr, I just go a lot).   I was before the DS and I REALLY am now.  It's not affecting me much because I am a stay at home Mom.  My schedule is horribly flexible, and with a toddler at home I'm often here.  Bathroom issues have gotten worse now that I'm further out.  I've started getting some extremely painful gas in the evenings from foods that didn't affect me this way in the past.  I'm to a point now where eating any kind of vegetables is killing me, whole wheat is pretty bad too, and even my protein shakes that have not bothered me in a long time are now giving me gas.  I mean, none of these things ever bothered me, and now my body is all sensitive to EVERYTHING.  I'm seriously contemplating  going on a maintenance dose of Flagyl.  I am on a second round of it now (within one month and prescribed by my surgeon) because after going off of the first round, I started bloating up bigger than a balloon after 4 pm and had painful gas that was too much to tolerate.  Dr. Inman has me on another 10 day course of Flagyl along with Diflucan (it's an antifungal something or other).  (Yes, that's very medically knowledgeable of me isn't it?)  I ordered the fish zole 2 nights ago b/c my surgeon won't agree to put me on a maintenance dose. (I have not decided to go on it yet, but I want it to be here if I choose to do it).   WHY won't surgeon's do this?  What do they know that we don't? 

I know this should probably be no biggie, but to be honest, I'm scared.  I have read what we've all talked about here on the boards...but I'm a big *****  I don't want to buy myself trouble by going on a maintenance dose of a broad spectrum antibiotic for the long term.  HOWEVER, my bathroom habits improve by 100%  when I'm on the Flagyl as far as bathroom habits go.  When on Flagyl, I go 2-3 times a day, mostly morning. When I'm off of flagyl I can go 6 times before noon and another 2-4 times after 8pm. (Not always, but I do go a lot).   When I'm on Flagyl, no gas.  Off of Flagyl...well, I said it before, it's bad.  This has not affected me socially, my house doesn't stink, I don't have diarrhea, my husband still loves me, (see how I'm doing that for the trolls), I'm just at a loss about what to do.  I don't want to go back to the painful gas I experienced this last time going off of Flagyl.  The fish zole will arrive before my prescription runs out.  Do I go against my surgeon's orders and just do this? (I already take Egads amounts more vitamins than she suggests, why am I worried about surgeon's orders now?)  Or do I try ONE more time to figure out what is causing me problems?  Again, the things that are causing me gas and numerous poops didn't treat me this way before, it seems to be an all of a sudden thing.....what do I do?

It's okay to tell me to stop being a wimp and just start taking the fish zole, but I'd really like to hear from those who are taking it and their experience, as well as hearing from those who choose not to go on it, and why have you chosen this?  I promise to bookmark this to help others in the future.  I need your help guys. 

(If you actually read all of this, don't you wish I was one of those people that didn't talk so much?  Gah, I'm so annoying!!)    Sorry I'm so long-winded!

So...tell me what you think, okay?  Cause I'm scared ****less of the repercussions of going on this for the long term...I mean, we're talking 60 years if I live until 93.  (Which I fully intend to do! )



Lori 

ETA:  I just want to point out that just because I "go" to the bathroom a lot, doesn't mean that I'm in there all day long.  I'm in, out and done in under 2 minutes flat.  I hate sitting on the throne!  (I edited this b/c of Kerry...I promise I don't spend all day on the John!)

Lori-
You know what you have to do.  You have to eliminate some things from your diet and then start adding them back in one at a time to see what triggers this.  I know that you recently added more protein shakes to the mix, could this be the culprit?  If it turns out it is nothing that you are consuming then fish zole it is.  Has the doc ran any tests on your poop to see if you have C-dif or some other specific bug.  You talk about eating raw fish -- could you have picked up something exotic?

Red

Hmmm, maybe I've gotten something nasty from my habit of raw fish, good point!  Is there a test to figure that out? 

I know that I should eliminate and try adding things back in one at a time...but I suck at that.  Maybe I should do my round of Flagyl and Diflucan, and start back on my potent probiotics, and then try eliminating things from my diet.  I think that's a good plan.

I don't think this is c-diff, isn't that usually dhr issues?  I don't have dhr.

Thanks

Lori

Ask your surgeon or PCP there has to be a way to test for this stuff.  Just think about the stuff travelers pick up.

red

Sheesh Lori, now you tell me!

That's one thing I cannot have for the life I want to lead. I'm planning on another 30 years or so and I sure don't want to spend half of that time sitting on the white castle throne!

Kerry

Kerry,

This is a different journey for ALL of us.  This is just a speed bump in the road for me, and I'm working it out.  Most people on the boards don't have this issue at all, and the ones that do turn to Flagyl.  I hope I don't sound like I'm miserable, because that is not true.  Some people are lucky to poop every third day after the DS...our mileage varies from person to person. I'm sorry if I'm scaring you kerry, I'm not trying to.  I'm just being very open about something that I'm going through right now.

Lori

No worries Lori, my post was half tongue in cheek and half probably because I'm a bit stressed about how soon this is coming on.

Kerry

Oh, good!  I'm glad!  Like I said...we all have VERY different experiences post op....as I'm sure you've already seen!

Lori

As I've said before, Kerry -- have a look at my profile to see just how horrible life is with a DS!

I've looked....Oh the horror!