Extensive work-up, no answers

[sarikate]

I am a 26-year-old Jewish female who is headed off to medical school next year.  My doctors and I are stumped as to what may be causing these problems!

Symptoms experienced since January 2005:

35-pound weight loss
Frequent diarrhea (~60-75% of the time)
- Usually voluminous, watery, without blood
- Occasional mucous
- Can be up to 25x/day; usually between 3-10x/day
- Generally resolved with Lomotil, but some episodes haven

[sarikate]

Well, the doc did order an abdominal ultrasound after I told him about the URQ pain that's been bothering me.  Sure enough, I have gallstones.  He doesn't seem to think that is related to all of my other symptoms...but that GB is coming out, probably next week.

[kendagoo2]

Hi Sarikate!
I finally received some good news - my fecal sample showed 'abundant e-coli', so now I on an antibiotic once again.  Hopefully my gut will get back to normal, but after three months of re-curring problems I am starting to wonder.
Let me know what they find out with you! I can't imagine that I've been infected with e-coli three times in the past three months, but that is hopefully all it is.

[sarikate]

Oh man, I totally feel your pain!  I've thought for a while that my repeated parasite infections could have messed me up for life even if I don't currently have a parasite...have you been treated with metronidazole (Flagyl)?  

I love Bolivia, even though I got sick as a dog there!  I'd love to e-mail/chat with you, maybe we could be detectives together.

[kendagoo2]

You sound just like me!  I am an American currently living in Bolivia, and in May I was hospitalized for severe diarrhea/cramping/dehydration.  The bacterial culture came back negative, as did the parasite/amaeba test.  I did have blood in my stool, and my white blood cells were very high.  It took longer than normal for the cipro to take effect, but finally it did and for 20 days I was fine.  Then the diarrhea/night sweats came back and it felt like my insides were alive.  I had and endoscopy which showed mild gastritis (h-pylori negative) and my colonoscopy was clear.  For a week after the colonoscopy my stools were wierd - very infected looking and lighter than normal, plus soft.  Then, suddenly, I was fine.  Last week the night sweats came back as did the diarrhea and 'alive' feeling in my insides.  I go tonight to find out my test results, which I am sure will show that once again I do not have a bacterial infection.  The only thing I can think this sounds like is Crohn's, and that is very depressing.  I hope we both get some answers soon.

[SamTheMan]

sorry this got cut off before..

Saritake,
   I feel for you as i have had an eerily similar history and work up as you. (see my post dated 7/27). i never heard of osmotic/secretory diahrrea. as the dr. mentioned, it seems like an IBD blood workup is the major thing missing from your history. theres only one lab in the country- prometheus, that performs the depth of tests for all IBD disease that can diagbnose or rule out what you may have. i personally have not gotten approved for the prometheus tests from my Health insurancem but i have had ASCA, ANCA and gall bladder tests. you really need to have your ASCA and ANKA checked. if these are positive, you may have crohn's or UC or even both. these diseases can take a LONG time to diagnose (my dr. says avg of 2.6 yrs!) and biopsies are not always reliable.....
good luck and if you have reciprocal advice for me (im damned depressed about this too!) i'd love to hear that too.
best,
sam

[SamTheMan]

Saritake,
   I feel for you as i have had an eerily similar history and work up as you. (see my post dated 7/27). i never heard of osmotic/secretory diahrrea. as the dr. mentioned, it seems like an IBD blood workup is the major thing missing from your history. theres only one lab in the country- prometheus, that performs the depth of tests for all IBD disease that can diagbnose or rule out what you may have. i personally have not gotten approved for the prometheus tests from my Health insurancem but i have had ASCA, ANCA and gall bladder tests. you really need to have your ASCA and ANKA checked. if the