fred replied: "This is not an easy problem to sort out. First, you should be getting better slowly. If you start getting worse, or see blood in your stools, then go back to your doctor because you may have serious problems. If you are getting better hopefully things will turn out well and the gastroenterologist is there to make sure nothing is being missed. Now, what could be the problem? I will assume it is probably associated with your antibiotic use, but this is a guess. The most likely problems are adverse effects of antibiotics, deranged bowel bacteria balance, irritable bowel, or incompletely cleared Clostridium difficile infection. Other possible problems could be; coincidental colonic problems including diverticulitis or another type of colon inflamation like ulcerative colitis. Rarely antibiotics can cause pancreatitis with upper abdominal pain and liver inflamation with aches in the right upper abdomen. Many other things are possible but you need to have a doctors evaluation to decide if those things are even likely. see explanation below. The antibiotic azithromycin, which is in the Z-pac, has adverse effects that include diarrhea, abdominal pains with cramps, nausea and vomiting. Sometimes azithromycin will also allow an infection with Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) to develop. C. difficile infection can also be made worse by other antibiotics and can be treated with Flagyl. Medications that prevent diarrhea (like Immodium) can make the C. difficle infection worse because they prevent you from getting rid of the toxins in your colon that the C. difficile poisons you with. The C. difficle infection can return after flagyl treatment in up to one quarter of the people, and has to get retreated. If you had a bowel infection with C. diffile this can cause the bowel to become irritable and can cause persistent discomfort. This can last for weeks but should be always be getting better. Other problems have to be ruled out. All antibiotics can upset the balance between the different kinds of bacteria in your bowels. If the antibiotic kills off certain bacteria then other more resistant bacteria will temporarily greatly increase in numbers. These, now, more numerous bacteria can upset your bowels causing mild inflamation with bloating, diarrhea and cramps. C. difficile is one of those bacteria that can increase in numbers if its competitors are killed by the antibiotics you had taken. The gastroenterologist you are to see has to make sure that you do not have another problem that by coincidence developed at the same time as you took the antibiotics. Things like colon inflamation for other reasons, like ulcerative colitis or other bowel problems that may have flared like diverticulosis and diverticulitis. Also he has to make sure that you are not taking other medications that could be contributing or prolonging your problem. Other illnesses you may have can have abdominal symptoms and this has to get investigated. there are many (hundreds) of possible causes of abdominal discomfort that can be sorted out by getting a more thorough medical and medication history and doing a proper physical exam and perhaps some tests depending on your symptoms that persist when you see your gastroenterologist."

where is everybody? replied: "diverticulitis isn't leukemia. you have problems with your bowels. it could cause your white cell count to lower but that doesn't mean you have leukemia. i'm sure the doctors would have told you."