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What Causes Severe Diarrhea?
Question: In the last six months or so, I have had a lot of diarrhea. Watery and urgent, every few minutes for a few hours a couple of times a week. Yesterday, I had another episode. This time, my feces looked very strange. Small pellets in clear liquid but also there was chunks of undigested food; clearly identifiable green onions, carrots, bell peppers, and chopped yellow onions that looked exactly the same as it did when I ate it. I've never seen that before. Is it anything to worry about?
Brief Answer:
Acute Enteritis
Detailed Answer:
Hello
Thanks for the query
It looks like you are suffering from acute enteritis. Undigested food particles are commonly seen in enteritis as the passage of food is fast and this limits the digestive process.
However I need more details in order to help you better to rule out other conditions causing recurrent diarrhea
1. How often do you get episodes of diarrhea in a month
2. Are there periods when you don't have diarrhea at all?
3. Is it foul smelling ?
4. Does it contain mucous ?
5. Do you have pain abdomen ?
6. Are you at risk of getting HIV ? If yes have you got tested for it ?
The last question could have been alarming but I only asked because HIV positive individuals often have recurrent loose stools
Please get back to me
Regards
Acute Enteritis
Detailed Answer:
Hello
Thanks for the query
It looks like you are suffering from acute enteritis. Undigested food particles are commonly seen in enteritis as the passage of food is fast and this limits the digestive process.
However I need more details in order to help you better to rule out other conditions causing recurrent diarrhea
1. How often do you get episodes of diarrhea in a month
2. Are there periods when you don't have diarrhea at all?
3. Is it foul smelling ?
4. Does it contain mucous ?
5. Do you have pain abdomen ?
6. Are you at risk of getting HIV ? If yes have you got tested for it ?
The last question could have been alarming but I only asked because HIV positive individuals often have recurrent loose stools
Please get back to me
Regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you for your response. To your last question, I do not believe I have been exposed to HIV, although I have had a surgical procedure in the last year, and I am a social worker who comes into contact with people who have HIV more frequently than the general population does. No exchange of bodily fluids or sharing of needles.
1. I get episodes of diarrhea at least twice a week which last a couple of days.
2. This is followed by about three or four days of normal bowel movements.
3. It can be quite foul smelling, although the episode where there was undigested food had surprisingly little smell at all.
4. I often see yellow mucous, sometimes tinged with blood (I am pretty sure I have hemorrhoids from all of this).
5. This is almost always accompanied with bloating, fatigue, and painful abdominal cramping which gives me a sense of urgency. There is no way I can wait once I feel it coming on.
Hope this helps.
1. I get episodes of diarrhea at least twice a week which last a couple of days.
2. This is followed by about three or four days of normal bowel movements.
3. It can be quite foul smelling, although the episode where there was undigested food had surprisingly little smell at all.
4. I often see yellow mucous, sometimes tinged with blood (I am pretty sure I have hemorrhoids from all of this).
5. This is almost always accompanied with bloating, fatigue, and painful abdominal cramping which gives me a sense of urgency. There is no way I can wait once I feel it coming on.
Hope this helps.
Brief Answer:
Infective diarrhea
Detailed Answer:
Hello
Thanks for getting back to and answering all my questions in detail.
The fact that you have diarrhea which is foul smelling it is indicative of diarrhea of infective cause. Here is what you should do
1. I recommend that you get a course of antibiotics, preferably a combination antibiotic like ciprofloxacin and tinidazole for 5 days but before that I would like you to get a stool routine to test for ova, cyst and culture
2. The bloating, fatigue and pain is part of the enteritis
3. Avoid milk and milk products
4. Replenish the good bacteria by taking tab sporolac 2 tablets three times daily
5. Avoid caffeine
If the problem continues even after antibiotics then I strongly recommend that get a colonoscopy and thyroid test done
I hope I was of help, if you have any further queries please get back to me
Regards
Infective diarrhea
Detailed Answer:
Hello
Thanks for getting back to and answering all my questions in detail.
The fact that you have diarrhea which is foul smelling it is indicative of diarrhea of infective cause. Here is what you should do
1. I recommend that you get a course of antibiotics, preferably a combination antibiotic like ciprofloxacin and tinidazole for 5 days but before that I would like you to get a stool routine to test for ova, cyst and culture
2. The bloating, fatigue and pain is part of the enteritis
3. Avoid milk and milk products
4. Replenish the good bacteria by taking tab sporolac 2 tablets three times daily
5. Avoid caffeine
If the problem continues even after antibiotics then I strongly recommend that get a colonoscopy and thyroid test done
I hope I was of help, if you have any further queries please get back to me
Regards
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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