Strange Digestion Problem!!

[Troy__0]

  Hi, I have a friend who is concerned about a digestive problem,
  but plans on waiting a week or more to find out if the problem
  goes away.  For the past  two days she  has noticed  that
  anything she eats goes straight through her system, just as
  if it had  never been digested.  Although these aren't the
  prettiest examples she had some bean and bacon soup, it came
  out looking like it was straight of the can... and some chips she
  ate came out looking like a bunch of chewed up chips, other than
  that she  hasn't eaten because she is worried.
  She has a burning sensation in the back of her mouth and a pain
  in her throat and a lot of pain in her stomach and pain all
  the way down to her intestines.  There is a lot of stomach
  activity, gurgling and whatnot, she is bloated, and also burps
  alot.  I thought it may be hypochlorhydria, but i am not sure
  if that can make sense considering the food was not digested
  at all.
  I would appreciate a very quick response.  I'm worried about
  her, but I can't exactly force her to do anything.
  Thank you very much.
  Troy
________
Dear TRoy,
The frequency of bowel movements, duration of the diarrhea, previous bowel pattern, the other characteristics of the stool (e.g. presence of blood, grease), the type of abdominal pains experienced and whether there has been weight loss are all important factors that determine the degree of alarm for the symptom that you describe. Some foods such as corn, beans are nit well digested and may appear relatively intact in the stool.  If your friend has not lost weight, does not have abdominal pain, does not have fever and in general feels well, I would not be alarmed at this time.  If the symptoms persist, however, workup may be needed.
This information is presented for educational purposes only.  Always consult your personal physician for specific medical questions.
HFHSM.D.-rf
*keywords: abdominal pain, maldigestion
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