Discussions By Condition: I cannot get a diagnosis.

diarrhea all the time for 20 years

Posted In: I cannot get a diagnosis. 7 Replies
  • Posted By: Anonymous
  • August 30, 2008
  • 05:39 PM

I have been trying to get an answer to this and it seems like pulling teeth.I get diarrhea 4 times a week i had every test done last year my gastro doc said there is for testing this i had a colonoscopy found one small polyp it was normal thank god,blood tests normal,stool analysis normal,Upper endoscopy said i have 2 things that look like small ulcers but wasnt sure not sure if they were or not.not what that means and a barium swallow x ray said i have inflamed intestines and maybe there inflamed from taking so much imodium im not sure why he would say that ?i know its not from taking imodium i get diarrhea 4 times a week for over 20 years i have no choice i have to take imodium so i can go out.thats the only answer i ever got and i wanst sure what he meant until i started searching the web.Does having inflamed intestines mean I have Colitis or ibs?theres no blood thank god just diarrea but theres always alot of mucus. I guess ill have to make an appot and go back and talk to the gastro doc. its just not normal to get diarrhea 4 times a week and its making it very hard to work and have a normal life.it doesnt matter what i eat i get it from everything i eat although some things seem to make it worse like fast food so i dont eat that anymore but i still get diarrhea 4 times a week.anyone?

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7 Replies:

  • I have several suggestions for you:Please get copies of your stool analysis and make SURE they tested you specifically for clostridium difficile infection. This is not included in a regular stool exam, and the docs must specifically ask for this test to be done - many don't pay attention to c. difficile infection and the horrible colitis it can cause! Please just rule this out. Docs often miss this and it will cause all of your symptoms. Also, I would suggest you may have celiac disease, which is hard to test for and often misdiagnosed. Look into celiac and try to go on a strict no-gluten diet for several months and see if your symptoms improve. If not celiac you may have another food intolerance causing your symptoms. Look into a treatment called NAET to help diagnose and treat allergies of all kinds. You should be taking a non-dairy based multiple strain PROBIOTIC to help with your intestinal flora. This is essential for good intestinal health and strong immunity. I like the ones by Jarrow, and there is also a product called FLorastar, expensive but very effective. Lastly, please consider trying acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine to help with your symptoms. Traditional Chinese Medicine is over 4,000 years old and very effective for gastrointestinal problems. There are several effective chinese herbal formulas to help with diarrhea with mucus. Visit www.acufinder.com and www.nccaom.org to find a practitioner who is also a certified Chinese herbalist. I cannot recommend this therapy highly enough! I had pseudomembranous colitis from a c. difficile infection over 5 years ago with severe diarhhea up to 20 times a day. The docs wanted to put me on more antibiotics, but instead I went to my TCM doc who prescribed two weeks of herbs. I was completely symptom free in two weeks time. BTW the imodium is not helping your condition and is only masking your symptoms temporarily. You need to get to the root cause of this problem. Best wishesDOM
    acuann 3,080 Replies
    • August 30, 2008
    • 06:33 PM
    • 0
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  • This is my exact problem as well. Only in my case they found ulcers in my colon 2 years ago, but they have cleared up now. I have diarreah all the time and I never have a normal bowel movement (always more water in them then normal). Anyhow... I have been told that if I do have colitis (in my case chrons, it can take years to get a diagnose. I was therefor put on a trial dose of asacol to treat what they called mild colitis of unknow origin. I found very little help in the meds and choose to stop taking them, but you should ask your doctor if that could be an alternative in your case. The asacol helps with fewer BM's and it forms the stool. Best wishes... Kiera
    Anonymous 42,789 Replies
    • August 30, 2008
    • 07:30 PM
    • 0
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  • I take 28 Imodium tablets a day to stop my diarrhea that I've been having over 24 years. The diarrhea started out slow but now it is killing me. I've had ever test in the book but only a couple stool tests that I believe were improperly done and came out with false negatives. Tried acupuncture, didn't work. Tried special diet meat and vegies and water. Slowed down temporary. I have not tried a fecal infusion yet only because I can't find a clean donor. I will die in less than a year if I do not get a diagnosis and cure. My acupuncturist gave me a parasite resin called the Lee Man Shan Pill. He tells me that it gives all his clients constipation but I get more severe diarrhea from it. He doesn't know why. Does any have an idea as to why this herbal supplement would increase my diarrhea? Would it be parasite die off? Would the microorganism feed off this and increase?This pill contains these herbs:Cassia barkPhellodendron stem barkClove flower budTangerineChinese licorice rootMentholPlease email answer back to cmartino_741@hotmail.comBy the way, my diarrhea started right after I had taken antidepressants which were high in fluoride. I couldn't understand why I had the shakes so bad when I took them. The doctor said just ignore that symptom. When I stopped taking the antidepressant I got chronic diarrhea. I had never had diarrhea in my life before that. Now I find out that fluoride, in high enough amounts kill the natural flora in the digestive tract. At that time, probiotics were not available. In fact this was the first release of the antidepressant. Lucky me.Carol
    cmartino 2 Replies
    • August 30, 2008
    • 11:50 PM
    • 0
    Flag this Response
  • I have been trying to get an answer to this and it seems like pulling teeth.I get diarrhea 4 times a week i had every test done last year my gastro doc said there is for testing this i had a colonoscopy found one small polyp it was normal thank god,blood tests normal,stool analysis normal,Upper endoscopy said i have 2 things that look like small ulcers but wasnt sure not sure if they were or not.not what that means and a barium swallow x ray said i have inflamed intestines and maybe there inflamed from taking so much imodium im not sure why he would say that ?i know its not from taking imodium i get diarrhea 4 times a week for over 20 years i have no choice i have to take imodium so i can go out.thats the only answer i ever got and i wanst sure what he meant until i started searching the web.Does having inflamed intestines mean I have Colitis or ibs?theres no blood thank god just diarrea but theres always alot of mucus. I guess ill have to make an appot and go back and talk to the gastro doc. its just not normal to get diarrhea 4 times a week and its making it very hard to work and have a normal life.it doesnt matter what i eat i get it from everything i eat although some things seem to make it worse like fast food so i dont eat that anymore but i still get diarrhea 4 times a week.anyone?I would advise a test (blood) for Celiac disease - it presents in many different ways, and is very difficult to diagnose............
    Anonymous 42,789 Replies Flag this Response
  • Thats exactly how i am and i cant find know answers. It reallly sucks.
    Anonymous 42,789 Replies Flag this Response
  • Food allergies! You may not have celiacs and tests will be negative. You may still have a gluten intolerance that produces the same symptoms. The only way to tell is to go on a strict gluten free diet. You should notice a difference within 2 weeks. Most doctors do not understand food allergies. They will go to extremes - cut out body parts, dangerous medications, etc. They have no clue. Very very sad. Seems like a waste of money spent on medical school. BTW - don't they teach doctors about food allergies in med school? Anyway, take your health into your own hands. Put the money save on unnecessary doctors visits and tests into your pocket. You will need it because gluten free foods are more expensive. No wonder our health insurance costs are so high - so many unnecessary testing and, in my opinion, unnecessary doctors. Good luck!
    Anonymous 42,789 Replies
    • September 23, 2010
    • 04:43 PM
    • 0
    Flag this Response
  • Food allergies! You may not have celiacs and tests will be negative. You may still have a gluten intolerance that produces the same symptoms. The only way to tell is to go on a strict gluten free diet. You should notice a difference within 2 weeks. Most doctors do not understand food allergies. They will go to extremes - cut out body parts, dangerous medications, etc. They have no clue. Very very sad. Seems like a waste of money spent on medical school. BTW - don't they teach doctors about food allergies in med school? Anyway, take your health into your own hands. Put the money save on unnecessary doctors visits and tests into your pocket. You will need it because gluten free foods are more expensive. No wonder our health insurance costs are so high - so many unnecessary testing and, in my opinion, unnecessary doctors. Good luck!I believe you about these doctors start by the most invasive tests, then they still not sure, but hey they still collect their money, for no outcome and almost killed me with the stress of having been told the worst, there are home tests we can buy to find out exactly what we shouldn't be eating food intolerant test can anyone help
    Anonymous 42,789 Replies
    • August 15, 2011
    • 09:01 AM
    • 0
    Flag this Response
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