Sister suffering w/ bowel problems....

Hi,

My 20 year old sister who is in relatively good health, and is a college student, has become quite ill the past 6 months. About 6 months ago, she developed chronic diarrhea. One day after eating she noticed she had to go to the bathroom shortly after. She said that she had diarrhea, and thought that she must have ate something that didn't agree with her. For the next several weeks she noticed the symptoms continued, and thought she may have a food allergy or something. She thought that she may be lactose intollerant, and began avoiding dairy products. She thought her symptoms were improving, but they returned, and she had the diarrhea even without dairy.

She went to her local family doctor who ran some routine blood work, which came back normal. Her family doctor also tested her for food poisoning and checked her stool for blood & cancer cells, which also came back normal. Her family doctor prescribed her some prescription diarrhea medication, but it doesn't seem to be working well for her.

So for the past 6 months, my sister has kept a diarrhea that comes on a little while after she eats... probably around 30 min. - 2 hours later. She is not passing blood in the stools, and said she has only had a few episodes of where she felt constipated instead of having the diarrhea.... but she wasn't sure if the diarrhea medication might have caused the constipation or not. Her local family doctor referred her to a gastroenterology doctor whom she has not seen yet. Her family doctor hasn't given her a diagnosis yet either... Do these symptoms sound indicative of IBS? Or something more serious? My sister is a college student, and the symptoms are greatly affecting her. She is having up to 8 diarrhea bowel movements a day and doesn't know what to do. Over the counter meds don't seem to help much, and makes her feel bad as well. She says the symptoms seem to occur even when she is not under stress. She is a happy person. Thank you....

[Kevin Pho, MD]

I agree with the GI consults.  Chronic diarrhea needs to be evaluated further before settling on a diagnosis fo IBS.

A colonoscopy is needed, which can evaluate for masses, lesions, and inflammation in the colon.

I would also send to stool off for analysis and culture.  Blood tests should be done to exclude celiac disease.

I'm sure that her GI physician will recommend these tests.  If the symptoms continue despite negative testing, a second opinion can be obtained.

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.

Kevin, M.D.
www.kevinmd.com