What Can I Do About My Colon Infection?
The words “colon infection” can cover a range different colon problems.
However, when medical professionals use the term, they’re most often referring to a disorder caused by a certain type of bacteria known as Clostridium difficile (commonly called C. difficile or simply C. diff).
Most C. diff colon infections are experienced by older adults who are in a hospital or living in a nursing home or other long term care facility. This is due to the fact that they’re usually taking antibiotics.
The problem occurs because antibiotics not only kill bacteria that cause sickness – they also kill bacteria in our intestines which help us digest our food properly. Without enough of these “good” types of bacteria, C. diff runs rampant in your digestive tract. Once C. diff gets established, it causes an infection by producing a toxic substance that attacks the lining of the cells and intestines. The resulting inflammation causes abdominal pain and discomfort.
Sometimes a colon infection caused by C. diff is mild. If so, your infection may subside when you stop taking the antibiotic. But if you have a more severe infection, you may have to get a prescription for an entirely different type of antibiotic that will counteract C. diff.
Colon infections are more likely to occur when you’re taking one of several kinds of antiobiotics. These are fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins, clindamycin and penicillin.
C difficile bacteria is common in nature. It can be found in abundance in dirt and water, and also on plants. This bacteria floats in the air and can also be found in the metabolic wastes of humans and animals. Therefore it prospers in area where there’s poor sanitation.
The best means of avoiding C. diff germs involves keeping surfaces in your environment clean and washing your hands often.If you’ve been taking antibiotics and want to protect yourself against a colon infection, there are two critical procedures you must follow. Wash your hands frequently and keep all surfaces in your environment clean. C diff produces spores that spread readily and can live on surfaces for months. When you touch a surface that has C diff germs on it, and then touch your mouth, they can work their way down your digestive tract and start a colon infection.
It’s possible for C. difficile can reside in your system without ever making you sick. But anyone who has C. diff can spread the germs to other people.
In the course of the last few years, many more cases of colon infections caused by C. diff have been reported than in previous years. Scientists tell us that a newer, more aggressive strain of Clostridium difficile germ has mutated and is spreading. This strain resists previous medications, and there have been several serious outbreaks as a result in the last decade.
It may take months for a colon infection to develop and symptoms to appear after C. difficile germs invade your digestive tract. Once symptoms begin to present themselves, you can expect one or more of the following.
* Mild abdomen pain and tenderness, or stomach cramps.
* A bout of diarrhea that continues for a period of at least two days, with bathroom visits reaching 10-15 times a day.
* Colitis, which is a type of severe stomach inflammation.
* You might also experience patches of raw tissue that can bleed or produce pus or blood in the stool.
* A fever and some accompanying nausea.
* A decrease in the desire to eat, and a corresponding weight loss..
* Signs of dehydration
It’s time to call a doctor if you have these symptoms for 2-3 days or more.
Once your doctor has established that you have a colon infection caused by C. diff, he or she will probably recommend that you discontinue the antibiotic that contributed to the problem. This will almost certainly reduce the intensity of your colon infection symptoms, but further treatment treatment may be needed nonetheless.
The good news is this. There are other antibiotics you can take that will kill Clostridium difficile without destroying the helpful bacteria in your system. The most frequently antibiotics for a colon infection are metronidazole and vancomycin. Both these medications may have side effects like nausea, and they sometimes leave a bitter taste in your mouth. You may get an especially bad reaction if you mix metronidazole and alcohol.
Your doctor may also suggest taking certain probiotics that have been proven to help restore your intestinal tract. There’s a type of yeast – Saccharomyces boulardii – which can also be effective when combined with certain other medications.
Surgery is not usually performed, but may be done in severe cases.
Not all colon infection treatments mentioned above will work every time. This happens becausethe C. difficile germs was never totally removed from the digestive tract in the first place, or because the patient has been exposed to a new strain.
Click on infection in the colon and treatment of colitis to learn more about the colon. Neal Kennedy is a former radio and television talk show host with a special interest in health and fitness topics.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Leave a Reply