… Metronidazole 400 mg plus Diloxanide Furoate 500 mg, three times per day for ten days. That’s what my doctor said when she called me and told me the stool sample came back positive for Entamoeba histolytica, which had caused Dysentery. Amoebic Dysentery normally presents with these symptoms: “eggy” burps, frequent passage of watery stool, fever and, in some cases, associated vomiting of blood or blood in the stool. (I had a suspicion it might be this, seeing as I, since late December, have regularly experienced all but the blood) What the doctor did NOT mention, was that the most common side effects of Metronidazole are nausea and diarrhea, while Diloxanide presents itchy rashes, excessive intestinal gas and vomiting as it’s most common side effects. Here’s a beautiful picture for you, try to visualize it happening to yourself: Diarrhea + excessive gas = explosive diarrhea.
Brings to mind an old saying… something about frying pans and fire… Oh, well, at least the treatment is not fatal, while dysentery can (and usually will be) fatal if untreated.
Grossed out yet?
No?
Then YOU’RE gross!!! 😀
PS: I found a picture on Flickr which could be a good illustration to this post, but I decided not to post it here… You can look at it if you want, though…