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Covid Recovery: How can I manage GI issues?
It has been 5 weeks since my COVID symptoms began. I am well past the isolation date. I had nausea and diarrhea during COVID along with the usual symptoms of cough, fatigue, rapid heartbeat and sinus issues. I have felt like I was over this, but I began having GI pain in the last week. I feel as if my intestines are sore on the inside. I guess it is inflammation. Has anyone else had this and is there anything I can do to help it? Probiotics maybe?
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Thank you!
Hi everyone..me too..I just got out of the hospital today after being there since tuesday August 16..I was sick and tired and tired of being sick and tired so I went to the emergency room on tuesday. Today is nine months since I was diagnosed with Covid and it has been a journey. I have had the digestive issues since december 19,2021..Nine months too long. I was told on monday there is something called SIBO, bacterial overgrowth in the intestines caused by Covid, it has also caused my Ulcerative Colitis flare that I have been dealing with for nine long months. Anyone else out there with this? Any comments or suggestions on this issue. Thank you
Any medication the doctor prescribed for SIBO, bacterial overgrowth? Because I think I'm having the same symptoms, like upset stomach. And I feel like it's bloated & full of air. I alway discharge air(fart). Everytime I feel bad, I feel like I'm shaking, like being hungry & starving even if I just ate a meal. And because of this, I noticed that my speech has become slurred
Try famotidine 40 mg, also known as Pepcid. Research seems to indicate that it works on GI inflammation caused by covid. He may need a two week dose of the IBD antibiotic which helped me. Research also indicates that probiotic pills can be harmful. Try food with probiotics instead like yogurt, kombucha, kefir, etc. Pepcid is really helping me. I had months of intestinal cramps and terrible heartburn that were not helped by antacids or meds like Nexium, but famotidine works differently.
Hi..before I was admitted to the hospital I had a consult on the phone with a GI physician that practices in Orlando Florida that was set up by my health insurance nurse. He was the one that thought that SIBO bacterial overgrowth was part of my problem along with Ulcerative Colitis. Hes suggested having my doctor here in my state test me for the problem. He said they do a breath test and run a stool fecalcalprotectin lab, which indeed was positive. He said that the treatment they use is Xifaxan an antibiotic and flagyl, also Uceris ( Budesonide) oral, hydrocortisone enemas and have found that a probiotic called VSL # 3 is good , that can be ordered on Amazon. When I was admitted to the hospital, they had me NPO..nothing by mouth and Intervenous running my entire stay. They did not treat me with the above drugs. They then introduced food back and had me on a low fiber/ low residue diet. They also told told me to take Imodium up to 4 times a day and canasta suppositories once a day a bedtime which is an RX. I also had another CT of my abdomen when I was admitted. This has been a real journey , but the Imodium is somewhat helping slow down things a bit. There is a lot of information on SIBO online. The doctors at the hospital were pretty convinced the long haul covid brought this on.Let me know if I can do anything else to help you.
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1 ReactionHi..what was the IBD antibiotic they used on you. Did a doctor at Mayo give it to you? I am sure looking for any help I can get. Thanks so much..Kitty2
Did they do a cat scan on your tummy or any labs? I heard on monday that there is something called SIBO..an overgrowth of bacteria in the gut. This can be brought on from Covid. I just spent four days in the hospital myself. What Covid did to all of us is unreal..I hope someday they can come up with something that will help all of us. Kitty2
They did do a CAT scan and labs.
My folate is elevated, my b-12 was 1627 and my HOMOCYSTEINE was over 22, absolute lymphocytes are low 477, 6TG high at 505, and my creatinine is always high and EFGR is always low
None of this makes any sense to me. I know that if your folate is high your B-12 should be low?
I'm not taking vitamins any longer bc they were getting stuck in my esophagus.
Hoping oncology might have more info for me?
Thanks, I'll ask about your suggestion
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Xifaxan 550 mg, 3 times a day for two weeks. No alcohol or probiotics including yogurt, kombucha, kefir, sauerkraut, etc. for four weeks while taking it and for two weeks after. Must talk with a GI MD about this. It is expensive but worth it. I had no side effects while taking it, unlike most antibiotics. It reorders the bacteria in your gut.
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1 ReactionMy 8 year old daughter had Covid in December. Since that time she has experienced extreme bloating every day. We tried dairy free and gluten free diets to see if that was the cause and it was not . We went to a pediatric GI where they did multiple X-rays, an ultrasound and endoscopy. Everything was normal. They told us at one point it was constipation and we did multiple cleanouts and rounds of miralax, however the problem persists. I am trying to figure out if this could be due to long term Covid and what else we can try to give her relief.