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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Friday, February 10, 2012
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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Friday, February 10, 2012
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Digestive Disorders |
IBS Concern01/13/2003 |
I have suffered from what I am told is IBS. When I was 16 I frequently had pain in my lower left side and constipation which went away as I got older. Then later when I was overseas in the Military I became deathly ill. I began vomiting and having diarhea continously for almost 4 hours till I became unconcious. I was unconscious for 3 days and barely conscious for 3 more. The doctor treating me said she didn`t know what caused me to be ill but diagnosed it as acute colitis - which I believe is a childrens disease. Since then I have had diarhea every time I exercise or am physically or emotionally stressed. Is there anything I can do about this? I currently take atropine and often immodium just to get through a normal day.
It would have been helpful to know your current age to determine how long your symptom of diarrhea has been occurring. Although the symptoms of abdominal pain and constipation that you had at age 16 could be consistent with IBS, the severe gastrointestinal illness you had while in the military certainly was some other disease, likely an infection. The only way to be certain that the chronic diarrhea you have been experiencing is due to IBS would be to have a proper diagnostic evaluation by a physician, preferably a gastroenterologist in your case. You might need some blood tests, a stool analysis, and depending on your age some type of endoscopy exam of your colon (large bowel). Until these tests are done, I would avoid or at least limit the use of medications such as atropine and Imodium.
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John D Long, MD Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine Division of Digestive Diseases Department of Internal Medicine College of Medicine University of Cincinnati |
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