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What Causes Diarrhea After I Eat Food?
Question: Are any gastroenterologists that can answer questions about cancer?
I need to speak about my symptoms. I have diarrhea that started gradually in mid May 2014. The diarrhea was once per week for approximately 3 weeks.
It then went away for about 2 weeks.
Around the 3rd week of XXXXXXX it started coming back but gradually almost every morning. Now it's all the time. No matter what I eat, I get diarrhea shortly after. The only thing I'm able to eat is bananas and oatmeal.
I have had blood work 3 times, everything is normal. I have had two CAT scans (one was with IV contrast) of my abdomen and pelvis. CAT scans were normal. I have also had an ultrasound of right abdomen. That was normal. I had a stool sample taken yesterday. Negative for fecal occult blood. Negative for giardia and some various other things they tested. The rest I was told have to wait to see if they grow.
I also have strange alternating pain that started out on the left side mid abdomen area and then went away and started on the right side. The right side pain was about two inches to the right of my belly button. Now the left side pain is more on my side. My stomach makes many loud noises that it did not make before. I have stringy mucus in my diarrhea most of the time. I have been to the gastro. doctor and I am having a colonoscopy next week.
I am very scared this is either pancreatic cancer or colon cancer. Is typical of how both cancers show up?
I need to speak about my symptoms. I have diarrhea that started gradually in mid May 2014. The diarrhea was once per week for approximately 3 weeks.
It then went away for about 2 weeks.
Around the 3rd week of XXXXXXX it started coming back but gradually almost every morning. Now it's all the time. No matter what I eat, I get diarrhea shortly after. The only thing I'm able to eat is bananas and oatmeal.
I have had blood work 3 times, everything is normal. I have had two CAT scans (one was with IV contrast) of my abdomen and pelvis. CAT scans were normal. I have also had an ultrasound of right abdomen. That was normal. I had a stool sample taken yesterday. Negative for fecal occult blood. Negative for giardia and some various other things they tested. The rest I was told have to wait to see if they grow.
I also have strange alternating pain that started out on the left side mid abdomen area and then went away and started on the right side. The right side pain was about two inches to the right of my belly button. Now the left side pain is more on my side. My stomach makes many loud noises that it did not make before. I have stringy mucus in my diarrhea most of the time. I have been to the gastro. doctor and I am having a colonoscopy next week.
I am very scared this is either pancreatic cancer or colon cancer. Is typical of how both cancers show up?
Brief Answer:
wait for the colonoscopy
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXX,
Welcome back to HealthcareMagic.
I have read your query and understand your concern.
I am a general surgeon, and i am preparing for my gastro and onco MCh exams.
Your symptoms are not classical of cancer. In colon cancer there is usually diarrhoea alternating with constipation. And pancreatic cancer also doesn't present with diarrhea. Also both these cancers cause significant weight loss before any symptoms appear. And also your CT scan is normal with no occult blood in stools. These all findings go against the diagnosis of cancer. And if you believe that the cancer is too small to be detected in these tests, then its too small to cause any symptoms too. Presence of pain in the abdominal also goes against cancer as they are usually painless.
Your symptoms are more that of inflammatory bowel diseases as your pain is sometimes on right side and sometimes on left, and you have mucus in stools too.
Colonoscopy is diagnostic for this condition and will also help to rule out presence of any cancer. So wait for it to be done.
Hope i have been helpful.
Regards,
Dr. Ashish Verma
wait for the colonoscopy
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXX,
Welcome back to HealthcareMagic.
I have read your query and understand your concern.
I am a general surgeon, and i am preparing for my gastro and onco MCh exams.
Your symptoms are not classical of cancer. In colon cancer there is usually diarrhoea alternating with constipation. And pancreatic cancer also doesn't present with diarrhea. Also both these cancers cause significant weight loss before any symptoms appear. And also your CT scan is normal with no occult blood in stools. These all findings go against the diagnosis of cancer. And if you believe that the cancer is too small to be detected in these tests, then its too small to cause any symptoms too. Presence of pain in the abdominal also goes against cancer as they are usually painless.
Your symptoms are more that of inflammatory bowel diseases as your pain is sometimes on right side and sometimes on left, and you have mucus in stools too.
Colonoscopy is diagnostic for this condition and will also help to rule out presence of any cancer. So wait for it to be done.
Hope i have been helpful.
Regards,
Dr. Ashish Verma
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Thanks for your response.
I wanted to mention weight loss. I lost 17 pounds in 7 weeks but that was because I was trying really hard to lose weight and was working out and have been on a diet where I cut out carbs. As the diarrhea has gotten worse, I'm now scared to eat as of this week and I've lost 6 pounds this week (5 days).
Is it correct to say IF this were colon cancer and I had symptoms like I'm having now with the increasing diarrhea, this would likely be late stage colon cancer which would also show some metastasis on my CAT scan or maybe the CAT scan might show some thickening areas in the colon and surely I'd have some occult fecal blood?
What I believe is worrying me the most, is the fact that this diarrhea has gradually gotten worse. If for example, it happened suddenly, I could tell myself I caught a really bad bug but because it has happened gradually, would that not point to something more sinister (cancer) or can other inflammatory bowel diseases present with this same type of gradual onset?
I'm 39 years old, am I too old for new onset of something like colitis or Crohn's?
I have really bad health anxiety because I had CML (leukemia) and had a bone marrow transplant at age 19 in 1994 with relapse after BMT. I've been in total remission since 2001. I keep thinking this diarrhea is onset of a new cancer.
I wanted to mention weight loss. I lost 17 pounds in 7 weeks but that was because I was trying really hard to lose weight and was working out and have been on a diet where I cut out carbs. As the diarrhea has gotten worse, I'm now scared to eat as of this week and I've lost 6 pounds this week (5 days).
Is it correct to say IF this were colon cancer and I had symptoms like I'm having now with the increasing diarrhea, this would likely be late stage colon cancer which would also show some metastasis on my CAT scan or maybe the CAT scan might show some thickening areas in the colon and surely I'd have some occult fecal blood?
What I believe is worrying me the most, is the fact that this diarrhea has gradually gotten worse. If for example, it happened suddenly, I could tell myself I caught a really bad bug but because it has happened gradually, would that not point to something more sinister (cancer) or can other inflammatory bowel diseases present with this same type of gradual onset?
I'm 39 years old, am I too old for new onset of something like colitis or Crohn's?
I have really bad health anxiety because I had CML (leukemia) and had a bone marrow transplant at age 19 in 1994 with relapse after BMT. I've been in total remission since 2001. I keep thinking this diarrhea is onset of a new cancer.
Brief Answer:
crohn's can present at this age too
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Your weight loss, as you said was delebrate. And the last week drop was due to your not eating anything much and the loss due to diarrhea. So all this won't contribute to presence of cancer. As in there the weight loss is unexplained.
And you are right that for a cancer to present like this, it should show something on the CT scan atleast.
And things like colitis and crohn's can present as this age too. And there is a strong possibility for that, given your symptoms.
And may be your diarrhea could be due to the change in your diet following the weight loss regime. Maybe you have started taking anything new, which is causing this. Have you been started on a new supplement or anything like that? If yes, you could be allergic to one of its components.
Regards,
Dr. Ashish Verma
crohn's can present at this age too
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Your weight loss, as you said was delebrate. And the last week drop was due to your not eating anything much and the loss due to diarrhea. So all this won't contribute to presence of cancer. As in there the weight loss is unexplained.
And you are right that for a cancer to present like this, it should show something on the CT scan atleast.
And things like colitis and crohn's can present as this age too. And there is a strong possibility for that, given your symptoms.
And may be your diarrhea could be due to the change in your diet following the weight loss regime. Maybe you have started taking anything new, which is causing this. Have you been started on a new supplement or anything like that? If yes, you could be allergic to one of its components.
Regards,
Dr. Ashish Verma
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Bhagyalaxmi Nalaparaju
Hi,
The diet I started just cut out some carbs like breads, pastas, sweets, red meat. I'm not taking any supplements.
You mention that pancreatic cancer doesn't present with diarrhea but I was reading that it can present with diarrhea. Is this wrong?
Since all my tests are negative so far including negative fecal occult and blood work is normal, also stool test for white blood cells showed a result that was Rare Rare, which i understand assume means few white blood cells. I understand all that to mean there is no infection?
I thought stomach pain was a symptom of both pancreatic cancer and colon cancer?
Doesn't the fact that there's no infection point more towards cancer and not bacteria or virus??
The diet I started just cut out some carbs like breads, pastas, sweets, red meat. I'm not taking any supplements.
You mention that pancreatic cancer doesn't present with diarrhea but I was reading that it can present with diarrhea. Is this wrong?
Since all my tests are negative so far including negative fecal occult and blood work is normal, also stool test for white blood cells showed a result that was Rare Rare, which i understand assume means few white blood cells. I understand all that to mean there is no infection?
I thought stomach pain was a symptom of both pancreatic cancer and colon cancer?
Doesn't the fact that there's no infection point more towards cancer and not bacteria or virus??
Brief Answer:
infection and inflammation are different
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
The lack of white blood cells in the stool is not a concern. Though it does point that there is no infection. But infection and inflammation of the bowel are two different things.
In inflammation the wbcs may be less, as it depends upon the severity and the extent.
It can even be irritable bowel disease if everything comes out to be within normal range, even the colonoscopy. As this is a diagnosis of exclusion. And this also presents with diarrhea. And negative colonoscopy is a must for its diagnosis.
There is diarrhea in pancreatic cancer, but that is not a common presentation.
By the way, what all medicines have you already tried or are currently taking for this diarrhea?
Dr. Ashish Verma
infection and inflammation are different
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
The lack of white blood cells in the stool is not a concern. Though it does point that there is no infection. But infection and inflammation of the bowel are two different things.
In inflammation the wbcs may be less, as it depends upon the severity and the extent.
It can even be irritable bowel disease if everything comes out to be within normal range, even the colonoscopy. As this is a diagnosis of exclusion. And this also presents with diarrhea. And negative colonoscopy is a must for its diagnosis.
There is diarrhea in pancreatic cancer, but that is not a common presentation.
By the way, what all medicines have you already tried or are currently taking for this diarrhea?
Dr. Ashish Verma
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
Hi,
For the diarrhea, I was worried about taking anything for concern of causing blockage. I got a prescription yesterday for Diphen and took one last night and was able to eat without diarrhea. I also have prescription for Cipro and Flagyl which I understand are both antibiotics to treat bacteria. Should I be taking these for inflammation since I have no infection?
It's strange having intestinal problem like this with diarrhea, without feeling bad. My energy is completely normal and I feel fine.
Is inflammation without infection typical of colitis and crohns?
And wouldn't ulcer and tumors and crohns show fecal occult blood, which mine was negative.
The only thing I know is back is back in mid May when the diarrhea first started, I had eaten some Italian food at a restaurant that had chicken with Gorgonzola cheese and I got the diarrhea that night. I had the leftover Italian the next night and again same exact thing with the diarrhea. It's unlikely something like this from May could have gradually caused this diarrhea and increase in diarrhea?
Thank you for all your help and patience with all my questions.
For the diarrhea, I was worried about taking anything for concern of causing blockage. I got a prescription yesterday for Diphen and took one last night and was able to eat without diarrhea. I also have prescription for Cipro and Flagyl which I understand are both antibiotics to treat bacteria. Should I be taking these for inflammation since I have no infection?
It's strange having intestinal problem like this with diarrhea, without feeling bad. My energy is completely normal and I feel fine.
Is inflammation without infection typical of colitis and crohns?
And wouldn't ulcer and tumors and crohns show fecal occult blood, which mine was negative.
The only thing I know is back is back in mid May when the diarrhea first started, I had eaten some Italian food at a restaurant that had chicken with Gorgonzola cheese and I got the diarrhea that night. I had the leftover Italian the next night and again same exact thing with the diarrhea. It's unlikely something like this from May could have gradually caused this diarrhea and increase in diarrhea?
Thank you for all your help and patience with all my questions.
Brief Answer:
you can take antibiotics
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Continue Diphen as it is working for you. Also you can take antibiotics as they will eliminate that bad gut bacterias, as they are the usual culprits.
Also i would suggest that you take a course of preprobiotics as they will restore the good gut bacterias.
Crohn's may show occult blood, depending upon the size of ulcers.
But as i had said, it may not be inflammation and might turn out to be a case of irritable bowel syndrome, caused due to change in the gut flora from good to bad due to change in your diet. So for that antibiotics and preprobiotics are advised.
The diarrhea that started in May due to Italian food was due to food poisoning. And it is very much possible that the same bacterias might has persisted in dormant form and have got reactivated following the change in your diet.
Regards,
Dr. Ashish Verma
you can take antibiotics
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Continue Diphen as it is working for you. Also you can take antibiotics as they will eliminate that bad gut bacterias, as they are the usual culprits.
Also i would suggest that you take a course of preprobiotics as they will restore the good gut bacterias.
Crohn's may show occult blood, depending upon the size of ulcers.
But as i had said, it may not be inflammation and might turn out to be a case of irritable bowel syndrome, caused due to change in the gut flora from good to bad due to change in your diet. So for that antibiotics and preprobiotics are advised.
The diarrhea that started in May due to Italian food was due to food poisoning. And it is very much possible that the same bacterias might has persisted in dormant form and have got reactivated following the change in your diet.
Regards,
Dr. Ashish Verma
Note: Revert back with your health reports to get further guidance on your gastric problems. Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
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