Colon Infection Symptoms and Treatment

Colon infection symptoms sometimes don't show up for weeks or even months after Clostridium difficile - the bacteria that causes most colon infections - gets into your digestive system. Once symptoms begin to appear, you can expect any or all of the following.  

• Abdominal cramping, along with tenderness and discomfort in the lower digestive tract.
• Watery diarrhea that continues for more than two days, with at least ten trips to the bathroom daily.
• Colitis, which is a type of severe stomach inflammation.
• Pieces of raw tissue may appear in the stool, along with blood or pus..
• Fever and nausea.
• Loss of appetite followed by loss of weight..
• Symptoms of dehydration.

If these symptoms persist for several days, call your physician.

Colon Infection Treatment

Once a diagnosis of a C. difficile infection in the colon has been made, your doctor will usually take you off the antibiotic that led to the infection. Symptoms will probably improve, but further treatment for your infection of the colon may be necessary.

Fortunately, antibiotics are available that will kill C. diff without harming beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract. The most frequently prescribed among these are known as metronidazole and vancomycin. Side effects like nausea are possible with both, and they may also leave a bitter taste. Be sure never to take metronidazole at the same time as you drink alcohol.

Your doctor may also suggest taking certain probiotics that have been proven to help restore your intestinal tract. A type of yeast known as Saccharomyces boulardii can also help when combined with a range of other medications.

Surgery isn't often needed. It is only done in the most severe cases.

Colon infection treatment is not always successful. This happens becausethe C. difficile bacterium was never totally removed from the digestive tract in the first place, or because the patient has been exposed to a new strain. 

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