Hi,

I am a 38 year old male.  For the last 10 or so years I have been
suffering from diarrhea.  I seem to suffer at least 25 or so days a
month with it.

It usually comes on very quickly after a meal, if I eat "soft" type
meals e.g rice / pork etc it occurs almost 100% of the time, if I eat
more solid meals e.g meal + vegatables it is less likely to occur.

Until Nov last year I had a stressful job, but I have changed role now
and my stress levels are much reduced etc.  But the symptoms continue.

I am in good health otherwise and drink only moderately, and usually
just at the weekends.

I have been reluctant to go to the doctors etc but will probably do so
in the next few weeks etc.

Is this likely to be dietary related etc?

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks

Adrian

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Request for Question Clarification by cynthia-ga on 09 Jan 2005 05:48 PST

Just a question.  How much milk do you drink?

There are many conditions that can cause persistent diarrhea. I urge
you to consult a physician to obtain a proper diagnosis and treatment.
Please don't try to diagnose yourself.

You'll find some useful general information here:

http://gastroresource.com/GITextbook/En/chapter1/1-11.htm

Thanks,

I have no symptoms of weight loss, travelled in the far east about 15
years ago but no much recently.  I am heterosexual.  The Stool is
watery and occassional foul smelling etc.

Mark

I can truly sympathize with your problem, since I suffered a similar
condition many years ago. I was an impoverished college student, and I
put off going to the doctor for quite a while. If I had sought medical
attention promptly, I might have been treated with medication and/or a
bowel resection. As it was, I had to have all of my colon and part of
my small intestine removed.

I'm not just trying to scare you, but I would like to emphasize that
it's important to go for help sooner rather than later.

You do not mention any other symptoms and I assume that your condition
is not progressive. A steady chronic diarrhea without significant
other complaints is unlikely to be inflammatory (inflammatory bowel
disease and others) or infectious (mostly parasites/HIV) because these
conditions will usually produce more symptoms and change/worsen over
time

Irratable bowel syndrome is a significant possibility, especially
since it is quite common. I would also most probably consider a
malabsorptive condition (including pancreatic insufficiency), some of
which are common. The differential diagnosis from this point on should
definitely include some laboratory investigations and it is quite hard
to make a meaningful guess without further clinical/lab data.

If you can take some serious reading, you may want to read
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/332/11/725 (you'll need to
pay for the full version!). I'm sure there are some more recent
sources, but NEJM has an outstanding reputation for quality.

Anyway, this is not a substitute for a thorough investigation and
advice. You should really see a doctor. I'm amazed by the fact that
you have tolerated this for 10 years!

PKT

Milk - Hi, I stopped drinking milk when I was in my late 20's.

I also don't take sugar or salt in my food or drink.

Mark

Hello clawrence,

Caffeine is a common diarrhea trigger -- any chance you consume large
amounts? Just a possibility - I definitely second pinkfreud's
suggestion that you consult a physician.

Emjay

You may also want to be tested for food allergies - allergies to
gluten and wheat,  for example, can cause some pretty intense
digestive reactions.

Emjay

I drink 5 or 6 cups of tea a day.  But not much coffee.

The wife has persuaded me to see the doctor, so I will try and go in
the next few weeks.

Mark