Upset stomach and Diarrhea

[Oh I'm Alright]

I have noticed that my son has stomach problems often, but he   continues to say, "Oh I am alright". I keep telling him that it is not normal for him to have stomach problems as often as he does. He sometimes has to quickly return to the house after he walks outside because his stomach is bothering him. He quickly runs to the bath room, after a short while (30 minute - 1 hr) he takes a shower and changes underware.  He takes showers often and says it is because of diarreha.  I also noticed several months ago that we kept running out of pepto bismol, but I did not really know why.  I recently purchased 2 large (12 oz bottles) and gave him one to keep incase of an upset stomach again, and after a few weeks it was all gone.  I questioned him and tried to observe how often he had stomach cramps.  He seems to have sudden,painful stomach cramps and sudden diarrhea approximately every 3 days and he usually has to shower aftwards. He changes his underware almost every time he has a bowel movement, even when he is not having painful cramps and diarrhea. He says he wants to ensure his body is clean of waste so he has to shower.  I am concerned, but he continues to say that he is alright and he does not want to go to the doctor.  This sounds like a serious intestinal problem, do you have any ideas what his could be?  What can I tell him about his condition that may help him to realize that he should get this checked out?

[riohpatra]

i have a constantly running stomach,this started hapening after i went 2 a doctor,i had an sti so she gave me some pills,two days after that ma stomach started running what could be the problem?

[Biotechnologist]

What is jedi jedi in english?

[bhawna2]

A related discussion, stomach problem was started.

[senbel]

what causes stomach upset without the usual diarhhoea and nausea or vomiting?

[chey101]

this is probably all off but is your son gay, i was just thinking that, that could be the reason he doesn't want to go to the doctor's maybe ne's afraid if he goes you guys we find out.
and like i said i could probably be tatolly off topic 'cause i do not you, your husband or your son.
good luck in finding out what's going on.
chey

[DB47]

With such an inconvenient problem, he must have a very strong reason not to go have it checked and resolved.

Does he know maybe what is causing it but doesn't want you to know, if the reason for it is something he thinks you may find objectionable, or afraid that something else may come to light at a doctor's visit?

When something doesn't make sense, I start to look for less common motives/reasons, just in case, always keeping in mind that there is a simple explanation for most situations, even strange ones.

Seems that he needs some more motivation to act.
Would he be more amenable to go for a doctor's visit if you mentioned to him that it could be something like Giardia or such an infectious disease, that tends to reoccur unless treated and can best be cured with the proper medication, if that is what is diagnosed?

That would only be a good idea if he is reasonable about such talks, not cause him more real fear, worry and anxiety, especially if he still will not go get it checked out.

You say he is 16? If so, does any teacher or the school nurse/counselor know about this and are already helping him, maybe? He must be missing some school from that.
They may help you with this, if you mention it.
If it is contagious, others may be at risk.

[Kevin Pho, MD]

Most common causes of stomach pain (dyspepsia) can include ulcers, inflammation of the esophagus or stomach, or GERD.  There are a variety of causes of chronic diarrhea, including inflammatory bowel disease, infectious causes of diarrhea, anal sphincter problems, or irritable bowel syndrome.

The most comprehensive study to evaluate the upper GI tract is an upper endoscopy.  A less invasive test would be an upper GI series, but this isn't as comprehensive.

To evaluate the lower GI system, a flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy can be considered to evaluate for the causes listed above.

In any case, I would suggest a visit to your personal physician or a gastroenterology referral.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Thanks,
Kevin, M.D.

[Oh I'm Alright]

My son is 16 years old.  His dad also says that he is alright, but I am not so sure.  I have had a very long talk with both of them.  My son seems to be somewhat agreeable about going to the doctor but wants to try some other over the counter stomach medicne first to help with his problem and he dad agrees with him.

[Caroline5]

You haven't mentioned how old your son is. If he is an adult, he needs to take responsiblity for himself. You can't force him to go to a doctor. He could have something as simple as irritable bowel disease to something way more serious. I wish him the best of luck.

[megalith]

You might want to get him checked by a doc quick.  Those symptoms are common signs of borderline psuedomembernouscollitis, or to say it in plain words, he might have a shortage of acidophilus or "those good bacteria" in his stomach.  You should feed him yogurt with live cultures, or just purchase the live cultures in a pill form. And always remember BRAT....Bananas, Rice, Apples and Toast.