IBS Symptoms?

Posted By Sylly on July 02, 1998 at 00:34:50:







A few questions about sysmptoms please:
1.  If I have a malabsorption problem, would it necessarily be accompanied by a malodorous stool?
2.  If I have celiac disease, does the accompanying rash always have blisters?  I have a rash, but it looks and acts more like hives than blisters.
3.  Could a severe unexplained weight loss be caused by IBS, or do I need to look for a more serious cause?  I started out weighing 215 lbs and I now weigh about 150 lbs over the last two years without dieting.  Diabetes has been excluded as a possible cause.
4.  If I have IBS, what will the prognosis be if I continue to consume wheat and dairy products?  I am lactose intolerant and no longer drink whole milk;  I do eat low- or no-fat yogurt however.  I chew sugarless gum sweetened with sorbitol and Nutrasweet.  I am on a number of cardiac medications, and until recently, I took an aspirin a day along with my Coumadin.
5.  I have had chronic diarrhea for several years.  This problem has gotten somewhat better since I stopped drinking milk.