ostomy and diarreha

Posted By thomas wright on February 27, 1999 at 16:46:43:







Hello. I have had an ostomy for twenty years with little problems. eight months ago, I started having diarreha with no
explanation for it. I had drunk some well water, and thought it might be parasitical in nature. I then went to the VA and had an
upper G.I., 72 hour fat absorption test, endoscopy, blood tests, parasite tests, and all other sort of tests all of which proved negative.
I lost ten pounds which is a lot for me, and since then have been drinking Ensure Plus, and so have put all my normal weight back on. All the doctors
say to me `you're sick? you don't look sick.' I have no symptoms except the diarreha now. In the beginning I was initially tired all the time for
about two weeks, or more, I had to sleep all the time, and now I am not so tired, but still don't have the energy I used to. My bowel movements were like toothpaste after the ostomy
for twenty years and then all in one day they changed. At first they were quite smelly and black, very liquid, and now they don't smell so much, but the
diarreha is still there. What more tests should I do and what could be causing this? Other than this one single symptom I feel great most of the time.
Thank you very much for your time. Tom Wright. (ostomy/complete colectomy)