estria

Sandie,

Antibiotics kill bacteria ... ANY and ALL bacteria including the good bacteria in your colon. They may have killed off the e-coli bacteria that caused your urinary tract infection but they may also have screwed up the balance of good and bad bacteria in your digestive tract since the pills have to go through your colon and intestines.

PROBIOTICS are your best bet under these circumstances. You can get these in capsule form at any health food store (be sure they are refrigerated otherwise you are paying for dead bacteria which will do nothing for you) or they can be found in yoghurt or kefir and in some cheeses. For example, Activia is a yoghurt that is advertised for its probiotic properties. I personally don't like all of the sugar and gelatin in Activia and have opted for a natural yoghurt or kefir from the health food store (normally yoghurts contain Acidophilus and L. Casei bacterial cultures and Activia has a special one which is actually patented by them which supposedly survives the stomach better than the traditional bacteria ... after all, those little guys have to make it past all of that stomach acid in one piece if they are to be effective in the gut). Probiotics are also used in many hospitals in Europe to ward off C-difficile. C-difficile is a bacteria that lives in our gut which in certain numbers can cause digestive difficulties. This often happens when patients are on antibiotics which disrupt the balance of good and bad bacteria (it's like an entire kingdom in there). Probiotics are used to help repopulate the gut with good bacteria and to restore the floral balance of your colon.

If your bowel movements are normal then you are probably not too badly off. People with serious problems often have diarrhea which causes dehydration. Still, why wait until something like that happens when a regular probiotic regime will restore things back to normal ?

Take care and all the best.

Estria