Medical question to people working in medical?

Question

I have a real problem ,first let me start by saying I cant go to doctor right now I have no Insurance, ok I have esph.Barrettes diease of the stomach ,and colitis of the bowels .My 8 year old came home sick with a stomach virus ,he had both diaherra and vomiting ,then my 15 year old got it just bad diaherra ,now I have it ,ok with them it was a 24 hour bug I have been sick for 6 days ,not vomiting serious diaherra 15-20 times a day no lie .I dont know what I can do I took anti -diaherra medicine but then that made my tummy worse grumbling and nausea .I have already been 6 times this morning and its just 8 ,I have been drinking 7-up ,not eating much .what do you think is going on why mine is still here and it has really been a traumia to my bowels .Please no rude remarks I am very sick .and I know this is personal but I need some advise as to what may be going on and what to do .Thank you ahead of time .

Yes the kids are all better ,my tummy just dont feel good not pain but disconfort.

Answer 1

The Barettes esophagus, as I understand it, is not a major concern and should not cause you any trouble- aside from increasing your risk slightly for esophogeal cancer, and that only slightly. The collitis probably hasn't been helped by the virus, but it should be relieved by treating the cause of the diarrhea. First of all, an anti-diarrhea medication should be a last ditch effort to stop diarrhea, when all else has failed. Diarrhea is a natural protective device the body uses to remove harmful viruses and bacteria from the bowels before they can really make you ill. If you take the medications before the body has eliminated everything and most of the troublemaker, you simply bottle it all up inside. The gaseous feeling, bloating and cramping could well be related to that, and of course the already irritable colon isn't made to feel any better either. So, the first step will be to quit eating, everything. For the next 24 hours, you should drink only water and clear liquids such as the 7-Up, though ginger ale is actually better. Ginger has a natural antibiotic action, and also soothes upset tummys. It's safe for babies, so you should have no problem with it. After the 24 hours is up, you can have the BRAT diet, meaning bananas, white rice, apples/applesauce, and toast or white bread. Nothing else. These items digest fairly easily with little residue left to feed bacteria. For drinking, stick to the water and clear liquids. You can add Coke and pepsi products, as well as other sodas, preferably caffeine free types, and no sugar free stuff. No tea, no coffee, and no milk or dairy products. With luck, the diarrhea will disappear sometime the second day, if not sooner. Stick with the BRAT diet until the diarrhea stops. If you get sick to the stomach or have gassy cramps, lay off all the food and go to strictly liquids. After a full day of the BRAT diet, with no diarrhea, you can go to a bland diet. That means you can have lean meats, any veggies except lettuce. Starchy things like potatos are fine. Avoid fat and oil, and stay away from all dairy products- milk,butter, cream, yogurt, ice cream, etc. After 3 or four days of this, you should have a fairly normal bowel movement, and at that point, roughly a week after you started with all liquids, you should eat a small carton of live culture yogurt. That will help replace some of the normal bacterial flora to your intestines, and should be the only dairy you eat that day. The next day, have another carton. After this you can gradually return to a regular diet.
I don't know if you can tolerate PeptoBismol, but that's a good soothe for innards which are irritated by diarrhea and helps with the gas and cramping. If you can't take that, use the Anti-gas drops made for infants, it's Symethicone and won't hurt you either.
Folks with irritable bowel troubles always have worse trouble with the stomach bugs than other people who don't. But the treatment for everyone is the same. Quit eating, so you don't feed the bug, drink liquid for 24 hours, do the BRAT for 24 hours, then ease back into a regular diet as you are able. If the diarrhea comes back, go back to the liquids only diet. If the diarrhea is still hanging in there after 2-3 days on liquids, then you need to visit the ER. Even without insurance, they will still see you and treat you. At that point they will likely give you a powerful broad spectrum antibiotic and a really dose of anti-diarrheal. The problem with that is it kills off everything in the gut, good and bad bacteria, and will mess up your digestion for days afterwards. So it really isn't the first choice treatment. Diarrhea is not usually an enemy, it really is the body's best friend to clean house of the unwanted guest. In the future, try to fight the urge to stop it. Work with the body, and it should pass faster. I'm sorry you feel this way with Christmas so close, but with some luck, you may be able to pick at some of the feast anyway. Just skip on the eggnog. But maybe Santa will bring you some peppermints, and those are good as well- and allowable! Not chocolate exactly, but at least it will be something. Hope you feel better soon.

Answer 2

It sounds to me like you're having a flareup of your colitis brought on by what your children had. You didn't say whether it was Crohn's colitis or Ulcerative colitis. Either way, if you're having a flareup, sometimes the only cure is to get some meds, possibly some antibiotics, and - as bad as it sounds, treatment with steroids. Sometimes it can be controlled by a steroid enema (Rowasa enema).

If you're looking for a natural remedy some literature has supported fish oil pills, though this is mainly for maintaining a healthy steady state, and not usually for controlling the severe symptoms you report.

There is a slight chance that this is just a bad bug that needs clearing and not related to your colitis but don't take that chance.

Despite the fact that you don't have health insurance, I highly recommend you see a doctor ASAP. If it is colitis, without proper treatment it could progress into some really bad stuff that will lead to death (toxic megacolon, massive bleeding, etc.). Regardless, if you keep going 15 - 20 times per day you will lose too much fluid and electrolytes which will also be life threatening.

In the meantime, switch to half strength gatorade instead of 7-Up.

Answer 3

Barrett's esophagus is a serious enough disorder but you are also suffering from colitis, or inflammation of the large bowel. Despite your insurance situation you need medical attention. Seek your local medically indigent service to obtain financial assistance during this difficult time.

Diarrhea as you describe it requires increased fluid intake and bland foods. An over the counter preparation called Lomotil will probably help as much as anything a physician will prescribe.

You're probably in the throes of a severe gastroenteritis, probably viral.

from the Merck Manual:

Usually the only treatment needed for gastroenteritis is to drink an adequate amount of fluids. Even a person who is vomiting should drink as much as can be tolerated, taking small frequent sips. If vomiting or diarrhea is prolonged or the person becomes severely dehydrated, intravenous fluids and electrolytes may be needed. Because children can become dehydrated more quickly, they should be given fluids with the appropriate mix of salts and sugars. Any of the commercially available solutions designed to replace lost fluids and electrolytes (rehydration solutions) are satisfactory. Carbonated beverages, teas, sports drinks, beverages containing caffeine, and fruit juices are not appropriate. For adults, a doctor may give a drug, either as an injection or as a suppository, to control severe vomiting. These drugs usually are not given to young children.

Answer 4

I can't really tell you how to help your stomach, but I do know that 7-up isn't what you should be drinking. If you're vomiting and having diaherra, you must be dehydrated. Drink plenty of water and gatorade, stay away from sugary sodas. Although, I've heard that flat Coca Cola can settle a person's stomach a bit, just go easy on it though.

Answer 5

You seem to be very emotional person, always brooding over personal insults and other issues. You get nervous about things that might happen in future. YOu take tension of any important event that is going to happen soon. Your tension has caused this nervous stomoach. Not to worry. Go for easily available and very inexpensive homeopathic medicines.
1) Argentum Nitricum 1m (6-8 pills twice a day)
2) China 200 (once a day 6 pills)
3) Ipecac 200 (twice a day 6 pills)
pills means those small globules in homeopathy. Ok

Answer 6

do u have stomach ache
r the kids ok?
take lots of fluids
eat something
try antibiotics-
metronidazole 400 mg 3 times for5 days
norfloxacillin 500 mg 3 times for 5 days

half the goses if children betwwen 5 - 11 years

Answer 7

STOP 7up and that kind of drinks immediately, tie your stomach and belly warm. Eat POWDER rice pudding for 2 days, then have a mixture of plain low fat yogurt with that rice pudding the next days. Drink dark strong tea which can give you constipation. DON'T EAT VEGETABLES AND FRUIT these days. Don't mess up with food. Keep eating the same food ( potato soup) for 2 days. Have tetracycline.