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Father's Medical Problem
powerss
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
My father has had severe Diarrhea for the past week and a half. Last night, he had an accident where he couldn't get to the bathroom fast enough. Not good.
He's been to the doctor three times and the 2nd time they gave him some anti-Diarrheal medication that hasn't done anything. My mother and I are very worried - he's been eating nothing but bannanas and drinking gatoraide. It's worsening I believe, but no blood was found in his stool when he took a sample in.
Does anyone have any insight? We're all very worried and I believe that my father is very stubborn and won't tell the doctor his true symptoms and feelings when he goes in. I'm taking him in tomorrow; we've contemplated the emergency room tonight.
When does Diarrhea become a large medical concern?
He's been to the doctor three times and the 2nd time they gave him some anti-Diarrheal medication that hasn't done anything. My mother and I are very worried - he's been eating nothing but bannanas and drinking gatoraide. It's worsening I believe, but no blood was found in his stool when he took a sample in.
Does anyone have any insight? We're all very worried and I believe that my father is very stubborn and won't tell the doctor his true symptoms and feelings when he goes in. I'm taking him in tomorrow; we've contemplated the emergency room tonight.
When does Diarrhea become a large medical concern?
powerss on
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First concern is dehydration. Gatorade is a good choice. If he's lived with this for a week and a half, there is a good side and a bad side.
Good side is that it doesn't sound like something catastrophic will happen to him overnight.
The bad side is that this has lasted for a WEEK AND A HALF. Dear goodness, isn't shitting yourself uncontrollably cause for serious concern??
See a GI specialist ASAP. Your Dad lying to that person (or refusing to see a doctor) is idiocy. Especially if things are worsening, the ER may not be a bad idea.
Agreed. When i had some medical problems of my own a few years ago. I couldn't keep anything down except water for over a week. The doctors at the ER told me that water is good for keeping you hydrated, but once you hit dehydration, water is bad for you. All it does at that point is flush out your system. Washes out all the electrolytes and other important things.
Is the medication he was given called Flagyl or metronidazole?
They cast a shadow like a sundial in the morning light. It was half past 10.
No, no anti-biotics.
Ok, so he hasn't been throwing up, and no he's not on metronidazole. Hmmm.... Honestly, it could be giardia (beaver fever) Has he drank untreated water (like from a well or a stream) recently?
They cast a shadow like a sundial in the morning light. It was half past 10.
A couple weeks isn't unusual for diarrhea (though it's damn unpleasant), but if it's not getting any better they should really do a stool culture to figure out what this is.
Yeah, see a specialist. A week and a half isnt terrible, but if its to the point where he cant hold it to even make it to the washroom, there might be a problem. Were you serious when you said hes eating only bananas though? Dont bananas have a lot of fiber in them? I know theyre supposed to back you up, but i think thats if you eat them in conjunction with real food. If he cant stomach food though, then there may be something wrong. Or it could just be the flu, or something like that. Only a doctor will know.
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For his fluid loss, Pedialyte is better than Gatorade.
Watery stools could mean alot of things. Plenty of different bacteria or parasites that could cause that. The doctors should be abe to figure it out, provided they run some damn tests.
The absence of blood in the stool sample is reassuring as it makes some of the more unpleasant possibilities alot less likely.
Also, don't let him get fobbed off with any anti-diarrhoeal medications, all these do is prevent any infection that's present from being cleared properly, prolonging the illness. And get him to eat properly as well. It's good he's keeping himself hydrated, but bananas and Gatorade do not a good diet make.