Gastrointestinal Issues: Symptoms, Causes, and Solutions - Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Gastrointestinal issues

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I have been coughing up yellow phlegm for two weeks.
On Thursday, October 11, I visited the ENT department at Zhongxiao Hospital.
The doctor took an X-ray and diagnosed me with mild pneumonia.
Since everyone in my household has been coughing for nearly a month, the doctor suggested it might be a mold infection.
He prescribed erythromycin antibiotics and some cold medications for me.
I did not have a bowel movement on Thursday and Friday, but on October 13, I had six bowel movements in one day, which were ribbon-like.
On Sunday, October 14, I had three bowel movements, the last of which was solid.
I felt dizzy and unwell on Sunday, so I stopped taking the antibiotics and cold medications.
On Monday, October 15, I thought I was just passing gas, but I ended up soiling my pants, having two bowel movements.
I had two more on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, I consulted my liver transplant surgeon at National Taiwan University Hospital, who told me that erythromycin antibiotics were not suitable for me due to interactions with my anti-rejection medication, and I was fortunate to have stopped taking them.
He advised me to see an infectious disease specialist on Wednesday.
On October 17, I visited the infectious disease department at National Taiwan University Hospital.
The doctor told me to monitor my cough and phlegm to see if they improved, and did not prescribe any medication.
I mistakenly thought my irregular bowel movements were due to the medications, so I did not mention this to the infectious disease doctor.
On Wednesday, I also saw the ENT specialist, who prescribed me six medications, including an antibiotic and cough medicine.
I did not have a bowel movement on Wednesday and Thursday.
On Friday, October 19, at 1 AM, I felt the urge to defecate but could not.
After an enema, I had five ribbon-like bowel movements.
On Saturday, October 20, I experienced dizziness and blackouts, with mild hand tremors.
I had five very thin bowel movements that day, and the sixth was diarrhea.
On Sunday, October 21, I had three bowel movements, with dizziness persisting.
On Monday, October 22, after one bowel movement in the morning, I experienced five brief episodes of blackout, which resolved quickly.
My hand tremors were severe, so I went to the emergency department at National Taiwan University Hospital in the afternoon.
They drew blood, which came back normal.
I was likely dehydrated from diarrhea, so they administered IV fluids and gave me two anti-diarrheal pills.
After two bags of IV fluids, I went home with anti-diarrheal medication and was advised not to take it if I was not having bowel movements.
On Monday, I had no diarrhea after that morning.
On Tuesday, I did not have a bowel movement but was passing gas.
On Wednesday, I had three bowel movements and one diarrhea, totaling four.
On October 25, I noticed swelling below my thumb and saw an orthopedic doctor, who diagnosed me with mild cellulitis and prescribed antibiotics.
That evening, I visited a gastroenterologist, who suggested I might have a viral infection, as many people were affected recently, and prescribed anti-diarrheal medication.
On October 25, I had two bowel movements, which were formed but disintegrated in water.
On October 26, I had two bowel movements with similar results.
On Friday, October 27, I had one ribbon-like bowel movement in the morning, followed by a soft, mushy one at 11:30 PM, and then another mushy one shortly after.
My stomach started to feel strange, and during the fourth bowel movement, I experienced severe abdominal pain.
I remained on the toilet due to persistent urges to defecate, resulting in my fifth and sixth bowel movements, which were painful, something I had never experienced before.
I asked my husband to take me to the emergency department at National Taiwan University Hospital, where the doctor ordered a stool test.
During the stool test, my abdominal pain subsided, and I was given medication to relieve the pain caused by intestinal motility.
I also took anti-diarrheal medication.
On Saturday, I spent the entire day in the emergency department, having approximately 17 to 18 bowel movements, which started to resemble white phlegm with minimal mucus.
Each time, it was just a little bit.
Whenever I drank water or ate congee, my stomach would start churning within two minutes, leading to bowel movements that often came out as gas, sometimes just a few drops resembling white phlegm.
On Sunday, I had two bowel movements overnight, with one drop resembling white phlegm.
The second time, it was gas with bubbles floating on the water, forming small circles.
On Sunday morning, my stomach felt strange, and my stool had bubbles around it.
The stool was very thin, only two strands, and I had another bowel movement that was more formed, with three small segments, including seaweed I had eaten on Friday, which also had bubbles.

This morning, Monday, I had my first bowel movement at 8:30 AM, which was three small strands.
The second at 10 AM was mushy and disintegrated in water, floating with bubbles.
The third at 1 PM was also mushy, floating with many bubbles.
On Saturday morning, I went to the emergency department, where they drew blood and tested my stool.
An X-ray indicated intestinal inflammation and bloating.
The blood test results and stool test results are as follows: WBC (k/uL) 10.27, RBC (M/uL) 3.68, HB (g/dL) 11.1, HCT (%) 32.1, MCV (fL) 87.2, MCH (pg) 30.2, MCHC (g/dL) 34.6, PLT (k/uL) 231, RDW-CV (%) 15.3, PS () - Blast (%) 0.0, Promyl (%) 0.0, Myelo (%) 0.0, Meta (%) 0.0, Band (%) 0.0, Seg (%) 76.3, Eos.
(%) 1.6, Baso (%) 0.5, Momo (%) 6.0, Lym (%) 15.6, Aty.
Lym (%) 0.0, Plasma Cell (%) 0.0, Normobl.
() 0, PSO AutoDC eGFR (mL/min*1.73m^2) 98.0, CRE (mg/dL) 0.7, Na (mmol/L) 135, K (mmol/L) 3.2, AST (U/L) 21, Lactic Acid (mmol/L) 0.63, pH 7.333, Pco2 40.9, Po2 36.7, Hco3 21.2, Base Excess -47, Occult Blood (stool) 4+, Stool WBC (/HPF) Not found, Sugar (OneTouch) 981.
I would like to ask the doctor: 1.
Before October 11, I had normal bowel movements every day.
Why did they suddenly change? 2.
Could the antibiotics I have been taking cause intestinal inflammation and abnormal bowel movements? 3.
Although I had a normal colonoscopy in June 2016, I am now worried about the presence of blood in my stool.
Is there really a problem with my intestines? 4.
Why did I have mucus resembling white phlegm in my stool on Saturday, and I also noticed green phlegm while wiping? Why do my stools have bubbles now? 5.
I have been eating plain congee with pickles and white toast since Saturday.
Why am I still having diarrhea today? 6.
The abdominal pain I experienced on Friday night lasted for two hours without stopping, which felt different from the urge to defecate.
It was a deep pain in my lower abdomen, and after one bowel movement, the pain went away.
Why did that happen? I am really worried that there is a serious issue with my intestines.
Thank you, doctor.
I have an appointment with my usual gastroenterologist on Wednesday.

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Chen Huiwen, 40~49 year old female. Ask Date: 2018/10/29