My digestive system has been completely messed up ever since visiting China while on antibiotics and getting diarrhea there (7 months ago).

I had been taking doxycycline as well as amoxicillin, the doxy i had on hand from a year prior for acne, and just decided to take some during china due to noticing Acne resurfacing and the amoxicillin i was prescribed without even an examination, i just said i'd been having sinus pain for a few weeks and boom she prescribed it and i was out.

So I was on those, each for about 10ish days only, and I visited China at this time and got briefly sick for a week. It was jsut diarrhea (perhaps a parasite? or just something else in contaminated water). After the diarrhea went away, my digestive system has never been the same. Constipaion was my main issue in the beginning, and I must have gained 15 lbs from all the stored up feces and was holding tons of water the next few months. Was only going once every 5-7 days whereas before this all happened I could easily go 3-6 times a day and completely evacuate. It's been 7 months, and I take a bunch of fiber supplements (bran fiber from food, 50+g which really helps me go a lot actually, metamucil, psyllium husk) which has gotten my frequency back to like 3-5 times a day, but the thing is I'm not emptying out nearly as completely as I used to and also I can almost never go in the morning anymore, it takes like until the afternoon for me to even get in a bowel movement and that is with the entire mroning spent drinking tons of water (probably drink 1.5-2 gals a day) and taking in fiber supps, coffee, etc.

And i wake up every morning extremely bloated, both from water retention and gas im assuming, which lasts for quite a while until I've managed to pass bowele movements and urinate a few times. Even then I still notice i'm holding abnormal amounts of water in my face, abdomen, lymph nodes, etc. I'm extremely low bodyfat (into bodybuilding) and diet-conscious, so this water retention reflects something going on internally, most likely my digestive problems/constipation. Also I developed severe Acne that coincided with developing constipation, which I know are related. I was literally completely over my Acne and had been for a while (I was on the doxy just randomly at the time just because I noticed a small pimple, which was dumb)

I've been to several GIs, and it seems clear to me they don't really care nor do they know very much about these specific concerns.

I had a SIBO breath test (after I asked for it) which came back negative.

I'm currently taking Now food's Wormwood complex in the hopes that it can rid me of any parasites I may have caught in China. I'm also taking diatomaceous earth, modifying my diet. However I notice I've been having lots of cravings for sweet junk food, which I could easily control before.
Also I should mention that 3-4 months ago, I see a new GI briefly, who prescribed two Antibiotics (Flagyl and Cipro) after hearing me talk for all of 1 minute and he sent me on my way, saying that these would kill parasites if i had them. I must say while I was on those, my symptoms nearly completely went away. My bloated abdomen disappeared, I was going like 6-8 times a day (which I like btw, i felt very empty) and I noticed my thinking felt so much clearer while on those. It was a 10 day course, after I was done, my symptoms gradually returned, although granted they are significantly better than immediately after the China incident.


My understanding of my situation is that doctors would diagnose this "post-infection ibs (constipation dominant)" if they can't find anything else. I'm aware that Antibiotics must have eliminated many beneficial strains of bacteria and that my gut flora must be all messed up now. I'd like to know which gut bacteria gets wiped out from doxy, cipro, amoxicillin, and flagyl?
Or even better, if these GI stool tests (like GI Effects) can tell me which bacteria I'm lacking, which harmful ones are overabundant, etc. then i can supplement the correct probiotics.

I'm not sure which would be the main issue in my case, lacking bacteria? or having something type of pathogen that is still affecting me (protiotic, candida, fungus, yeast, or something).

Also, I started to eat kimchi and raw potato flour for fermented foods and resistant starch, respectively, as I've read these are good for the gut.


I'd really appreciate some help on this
Thanks a lot! Tweet