4 Weeks of Diarrhea

GNC stores carry chewable strawberry acidopholous. I've been giving this to my children for years now. Starting when they were 1 year! It's helped with every loose bowel issue and helps keep them regular too without going overly loose.

ESPECIALLY give it after antibiotics! You are probably right about that being the cause! Good job! You know what is going on with your child-listen to that inner voice. :) It will also help to limit juices and sugary foods. Just diluting the juices can help.

Just be sure to keep him hydrated well in this hot weather. His body should adjust quickly. :) If you're concerned with the lactose in the chewable acidopholous or the strawberry flavor-exposure at that age- you can get adult acidophulus and grind up the pill and stir it into his formula/other drinks and snacks.

Hope this helps!

1 mom found this helpful

A.,

This is quite common after a round of antibiotics. Antibiotics means "anti-life" so it doesn't discriminate against only the bad bacteria, it kills everything in its path. You need to put your son on some probiotics. Look in the refrigerated area in the vitamin section of Whole Foods for a good one. Ask the person assigned to the section which one would be good for your son's age. I give my son, who's 3 (will be 4 in July)the Jarrow Yum Yum Dophilus and he loves it. He gets it everyday along with an Omega-3 and a whole food multi-vitamin. He gets adjusted regularly as well. He has never had to go on antibiotics nor has he ever had an ear infection or anything of the sort. I always recommend that these are the 3 things that every child/adult needs to be on if they aren't taking anything at all. A Centrum a day won't do squat! Getting him on this daily will help him tremendously and deal with the diarrhea. A good way to deal with any lost electrolytes would be coconut juice (not milk). Pedialyte is filled with artificial sweeteners and just not good for anyone. The coconut juice contains the electrolytes that is needed to replenish what has been lost. Any questions just email me directly at ____@____.com Bless!

My 4 yr old daughter just got over this. BRAT diet wasn't working, the pharmacist suggested Culturelle probiotics since she won't eat yogurt these days. I mixed it in her applesauce starting Monday and today (2 days later) she's fine!

Good luck!

Hi A.,

Sorry to hear about your little guy. If you suspect this is caused by antibiotics, try giving him plain or vanilla yogurt (not one with a bunch of added sugar). Or you can buy powdered acidophilus and add it to applesauce or juice.

Going forward, let me know if you'd like some info on some yummy gummie treats made from real fruits and veggies that will help strengthen his immune system and prevent any future ear infections.

Good luck!

M.

P.S. I am building a team of 5 financially free champions
over the next 2-5 years. Want to be one of them? Email me through Mamasource if you are ready for change!

Our story is an extreme example but one that is currently on-going. We started with diarrhea in our then 12 month old Easter weekend. Well, two weeks later, we were also told it was a virus. After 3 weeks, we did stool culture, all negative. Took him off dairy and put him on soy.

Our boy had several ear infections from Oct - March and was on various antibiotics so that was also considered. Then, we did a food allergy skin test. All negative. I have now heard that the skin test can sometimes be inaccurate.

Spoke with a pediatric GI specialist. Told us to take him off all dairy, all soy and to drink rice or almond milk. We chose rice and he's adjusted well to that. At that appointment, the MD suggested that it could be a bacterial imbalance in the gut and to put him on 10 days of specific antibiotic and then we'll reassess. We did that and his diarrhea cleared up, surprisingly, while on the antibiotic but came back after 3 days of being off. During this time, MD did blood test for celiac disease. Son has lost weight and has fallen off his growth chart. Blood test can be inconclusive and low and behold it was. It did say that Adam is low for the IGA antibody which can make children more prone to infections of the mucus membrane, specifically ear infections and chronic diarrhea.

MD called back to tell us this and to ask about the diarrhea. When we told him it went away for 10 days and then came back, he suggested doing an upper GI endoscopy to biopsy small intestine. This is the only way to accurately diagnose Celiac. We did this last week and found out today it was negative for Celiac - praise Jesus! However, it did show that Adam has reflux which was a surprise - no outward symptoms to suggest this. MD also biopsied to test for some enzyme problems and we won't hear back on those until next week. At this time he wants us to start Prilosec for the reflux and to wait until we hear back on the enzyme tests.

I am frankly unsure where to turn next because we are still having 3 or more diarrheas a day despite the fact that we are on no dairy/no soy/ and gluten free diet. Let me stop here and say that if anyone starts mentioning wanting to test for Celiac, do not go to a gluten free diet before the test. Wait until after the test. If you switch ahead of the test, you can cause inconclusive test results and then you would have gone through all that mess for no good reason.

Well, there is our saga. Maybe not what you were looking for but know that you are not alone and we too are struggling through this. We have lifted Adam and his MD's up to the Lord and just pray for patience and knowledge and guidance.

Good luck and God bless to you and yours,
J.

Try feeding him yogurt a couple of times a day - if it's the bacteria problem, that should help.

My son had a very similar situation. He was on antibiotics and then afterwards had diarrhea for weeks. He was 11 months old. Our ped said that antibiotics can cause these kinds of problems and to start taking probiotics. We picked up a bottle of probiotics at Walgreens and he has been fine since.

Does the child like yogurt? That can replace the good bacteria. What's the child's favorite flavor? Just an idea...

I'll assume they will check his stool for C. Difficile. My son got this after having to take antibiotics for a month due to a chronic ear infection and my daughter has gotten it as well. www.cdiffsupport.com/aboutcdiff.html
Hope it's not that and just a matter of getting him back regular again!

You could try giving him whole milk yogurt or kefir, or get a probiotic from the health food store to add to his food. Also, eliminating juice temporarily sounds like a good idea. You might try vitamin water instead to help avoid him getting dehydrated. Blessings

I am a nurse and have seen these symptoms before. He may have what we call C-Diff toxin, which you were right about the antibiotics and the cause. The good news is that it is treatable and the bad news is that it is very contagious. Be careful with laundry and wash your hands every chance you get. Good luck with your little guy.

Get him started on probiotics, they can be purchased just about anywhere. Whole Foods carries a formula especially for babies and small kids. Antibotics destroy good and bad bacteria. You can get it in Yogurt but you also get tons of sugar and not enough of probioctics. I have been taking them daily now for 5 years and haven't even had a cold, upset stomach, flu, nothing, no problems since I started. They build up your immune system so you can fight off infections. In Monday's Star Telegram in Dr Oz's colum there was an article about pregnant women taking probot's and the benfits to Mother and child. As a woman they also help to fight yeast infections as well. Good luck. L.

A.,

Your instincts are VERY GOOD! The antibiotics destroyed his system. Get a bottle of probiotics (I like Da Vinci and Xymogen brands but there are others) and put SEVERAL in some applesauce. Do this 2-3 times per day for a few days. It should knock it out.

"Several" means like 10-12. You decide. You can't overdose on them.

Good luck.

Have him also tested for lead poisoning. This happened to me

After the doctor treating my nephew for diarrhea for 17 weeks, a friend told us to try Pepto-Bismal. In 2 days he was fine.

I had the same problem for 7 months (forgetting about Pepto) and tryed all the antis that the doc suggested. Finally he told me to try it. Often works where other things don't.

I make a point of taking acidopholous when I am on a antibiotic.

Good luck and God bless.

I second the opinions that it is probably C-Diff. Load him up with probiotics/acidolphilus and maybe try Rice Milk for awhile. This too shall pass!

A.,
It may be worth asking your pediatrician about testing him for Celiac disease. I have 2 boys with it. I don't want to freak you out about it, but take a look at this website to see if any of it sounds familar. http://northtexasgig.com/symptoms.htm
M.

make sure to offer him yogurt and other probiotic sources. It could be a food intolerance or allergy... is he on whole milk? Maybe lactose intolerant?

You may also want to try the BRAT diet to help...Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast. I know it is boring, but it definitely helps.

A friend of mine's son had it for awhile. Not 4 weeks, but like 2 weeks or something without any other symptoms. She took him in and they said it was a virus and it eventually cleared up. I always give my daughter a powdered probiotic mix in her milk/water (it's white and completely tasteless) after antibiotics. I actually also give it to her throughout the winter when colds and flus are strong. I buy mine at Central Market in the medicine/vitamin section. There is one part that has refrigerated (no door on this section, it's just a cold section) mecicines/vitamins. I forget the name of it, but it's not horribly expensive (some are around $20 in that section), it's more like $12 and states that it's for children on the front label. It lasts a long time, and like I said, great for getting that good bacteria up in general- even to stay healthy from colds.

Yes, we have run across this before. You may try taking him off all dairy and using the BRAT diet. Bananas, rice, applesauce (NOT juice) and toast. It should clear up in a few days.

Apple juice will cause it, if he's drinking any stopping that should help. Also we give our son the good bacteria in his milk (Acidophilous). They sell a children's powder version at Whole Foods by Nature's Way-it's in the refrigerator in the vitamin section. Also apple sauce helps firm up the stool.

antibiotics wreck the stomache.....Give him yogurt...the real stuff...no kiddie yogurt.

When my son was little the same thing happened and you are right it caused him to lose the "good" bacteria. The doctor gave us a powder to sprinkle on his food and we were told to feed him yogurt.

My son had this when he was 18 months old. It about sent me over the edge! It was constant diarrhea for about 4 weeks (maybe a little longer). They tested him for everything and he was fine. They could find nothing. I did make sure he had yogurt daily to put good bacteria back in his body and that did help. It disappeared as fast as it came. He also had no other symptoms and other than a searing read hiney he never seemed bothered by it. Good Luck!

Has your doctor discussed the possibility of maybe lactose intolerance?

We've had this problem with both kids. I think that the antibiotic probably kicked it off. When this happened to my daughter, I switched her to soy milk for awhile and she's actually still on it. When I try to re-introduce skim milk, it kicks up again however, she's fine when she has ice cream or other dairy products, so for now we are just sticking with the soy, it's an easy solution, just give it a shot and see. Good luck!

My daughter had diarrhea for a long time too. What worked for me was increasing the starchy foods she ate. I gave her more rice and potatoes and such, and backed off the fruits and juices a little bit. It cleared right up. You might try that and see if it helps. Good Luck!!

Has your child been swimming lately? There are lots of nasty parasites that can hang-out in swimming pools that aren't kept a sanitary as they should. Since it was 2 weeks AFTER the antibiotic, I can't imagine that is the cause. My husband got a parasite from our old apartment pool and his intestinal issues lasted 4-6 weeks.

I would do BRAT diet, get the stool tested for possible C-Dif and talk to the Pediatrician about a Probiotic (or get the pharmacist to recommend one that would best suit the weight of your child). I would avoid high yeast foods such as sugar, soft drinks & juice and fruits that have high mold.

My daughter has never had it for more than 2 weeks, but here are some suggestions:
Buy Florastor for Kids. At your pharmacy but you don't need a prescription - just ask for it. You mix it in water twice a day. Helps restore the good bacteria. We keep it on hand all the time. Also good for keeping the diarrhea away when on antibiotics.
Limit juice and all sugar. They just make it worse.
Keep a food diary.

Good luck!

Have you recently switched him to milk? My daughter couldn't handle milk and had to go to soy. Milk gave her diarrhea. Good luck.

My son did this, and after lots of testing, it was as simple as needing a probiotic. Less than 5.00 from the health food store. If it doesn't work, then def get some testing done. My son was better in 2 days.

Highly recommend getting him on probiotics. You can find some at Central Market. You will see results in 24 hours.

Hi A.,

My 18 mo. old son just got over 3 weeks of diarrhea. We too took him to the dr. and came up with nothing. We took out all juice and milk. He only drank pedialyte and water. Also, we put him on a heavy starch diet. For breakfast - oatmeal. Lunch and dinner was a meat and starch; snack applesauce and bananas. It was pretty boring for him. But his stool slowly started to thicken and he was having less bowel movements a day. I think once the bowels get loose, its easy for them to spasm and produce diarrhea. Whatever you do stay away from sugar, this produces even more diarrhea. And, do good handwashing.

Good luck. I know how tiring and scary it is!!!

Go to walgreens and ask the pharmacist for the probiotic sprinkles. Put it in the bottle.

I had the same problem with my son. We went to a GI dr and she suggested that we give him some probiotics mixed in his bottle. Sure enough, that cleared it up right away.

Hi A.,

It is quit possible that he is lactose intolerant, please check with your doctor first before getting to worried. Try low fat milk and see what happens. He might not be able to digest milk product,to include cheese, ice cream and such. Yes, my son and I both had this problem, change the diet to low fat and see what happens. Are you feeding him peanut butter, that also caused issues for my son, at an older age, but some mom's might give it to them younger and it's hard for their little tummy's.

Love and Light,
Rev. G. Hudson, Reiki Master.
www.reikigailhudson.com

That's a long time. My son has a really hard time with antibiotics and has stomach issues for at least one month after.

Try acidophilus tablets. My son's Ped recommends Culturelle since there was a study finding that many of the acidophilus tabs didn't work well. You can open the caplet and put it in his drink or food. This will help the good bacteria to grow back. Also get him to eat yogurt with live cultures...it has acidophilus in it as well. Make sure it has the live cultures, though.

Culturelle is found at CVS for sure but I'm sure you can find it in other drugstores as well.

Good luck! E-mail me if you have any other questions.

Try watching his diet too. For example apple juice gives all 3 of mine diarrhea every time they drink it. Definitely get some good bacteria in with yogurt and eating a good amount of cheese may help it ease too.

Hi A.,
Well, right off I see Food intolerance issues that most pedi's don't address. It is different from allergies. 95% of ear infections, yes, 95%, are due to food intolerances. The diarrhea is either due to antibiotics or the food intolerance as well. I HIGHLY recommend you have him tested through Immuno Laboratories for food intolerances, including the egg/milk sub fractions, the gluten essay, and the 115 or so most common food allergies. I love my pedi and she is who has changed our course of health care...I can not praise God enough for sending me a doctor that listens to moms and looks at things holistically. She is a MD so RX are no problem if needed, but she offers SO much more. I gladly drive from McKinney.

www.healthykidspediatrics.com

Let me know if you need more info....my daughters are now ear infection/eczema free. Can't encourage this enough.

If you don't want to switch pedi's.....
http://mountainhealthchiropractic.com/
Dr. Shepherd can order the testing....that is who I went through.

I had a PA friend who suggests giving kids a mixture of 7-up and yogurt. Mix it together and have the child drink it. You need to make sure it's the Dannon (or equivalent- the yogurt with the live cultures in it). Hope that helps!

lactose intolerant is what im thinking like some of the other responses. my son is on lactaid milk because of the same problem. we started him on soy milk but that ended up causing other problems with his skin and digestive system so we switched to lactaid milk!! its a little expensive and i have only been able to find lactaid milk in 1/2 gallon but it has been great. hope this help and i hope everything is just fine.