Hi,
There are a few things to consider:
- Is your sister using a drug known as a Biguanide that is
Metformin or
Glucophage (can have other trade names but the active ingredient is metformin), to treat her diabetes?
- If so, consider the onset of symptoms, if it correlates with the use of the drug then inform your doctor, who will substitute it. Diarrhea and bowel symptoms are a common side effect of this medication.
If she is not on this type of medication, I would suggest sending off a stool sample to the laboratory to look for microscopic bacteria, fungi and protozoa. If present she would need a course of antibiotics that is Ciprobay or Flagyl. A course of probiotics will also benefit her especially if the diarrhea is not caused by Metformin. A good strain would be LP299v, this is usually taken once daily until symptoms resolve.
If your sister has blood in the
loose stool, is losing weight, has decreased appetite, has a family history of cancer or if the stool sample comes back as negative, i would recommend that she visits a gastroenterologist for a
colonoscopy to rule out any serious conditions such as a
food intolerance,
ulcerative colitis, Crohns disease or a
bowel cancer.
Hope this helps. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Felicia Manickam