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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Frequent Diarrhea And Fatigue. IBS Diagnosed. Further Tests Needed?

I have had on and off diarrhea problems for years and the docs have just randomly said IBS . It was most often a problem during stressful time periods, so I believed them. However, for the last year or so, I have more issues with chronic diarrhea mostly occuring at times I eat (3-4 times a day) for weeks at a time. In addition, I m so tired. It s a struggle to get thru a day and if I can (which is pretty often), I sleep about 16-18 hours a day. I don t have great insurance and can t afford a lengthy list of tests. If I knew what to narrow the testing down to, that would help.
posted on Fri, 10 Aug 2012
Twitter Fri, 10 Aug 2012 Answered on
Twitter Sat, 11 Aug 2012 Last reviewed on
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Gastroenterologist,  's  Response
Hello, jschill55,
IBS or irritable bowel syndrome is a diagnosis by exclusion of other
conditions that can cause diarrhea. Generally speaking , all the routine
blood work and stool examinaton should be normal. Also , always Celiac
disease has to be ruled out. This can be done by blood tests , followed by
a biopsy of the small intestine if necessary. Lactose Intolerance can cause
problems. Switching to lactose free milk or lactaid added milk or even
soy milk will correct the problem.
Hope this is of assistance to you,
Wish you well.
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Frequent Diarrhea And Fatigue. IBS Diagnosed. Further Tests Needed?

Hello, jschill55, IBS or irritable bowel syndrome is a diagnosis by exclusion of other conditions that can cause diarrhea. Generally speaking , all the routine blood work and stool examinaton should be normal. Also , always Celiac disease has to be ruled out. This can be done by blood tests , followed by a biopsy of the small intestine if necessary. Lactose Intolerance can cause problems. Switching to lactose free milk or lactaid added milk or even soy milk will correct the problem. Hope this is of assistance to you, Wish you well.