3 years of diarrhea - undiagnosed, unusual symptoms

For about 3 years now I have had diarrhea every single day..give or take probably about one or two weeks were my stool was slightly normal. I've done the blood tests- nothing, I've done the stool tests - nothing. I'm awaiting results from an upper GI.

There are some really interesting symptoms that I've noticed only recently: an extremely sharp pain in my stomach, followed by abdominal cramps and then the need to relieve myself (not always present). Another odd thing I've noticed is that the skin right on top of my stomach (before the ribs meet) will burn for minutes at a time and I feel the need to scratch it, so I do, but it doesn't relieve the burning. I can't compare it to anything because it's nothing like anything I've felt before..it's not heartburn or a rash, it's a very strange burn/itch. Also, it hurts when I eat so I try not to eat very much, but it hurts not to eat either. Every once in a while I get these spasms in my abdomen that are very uncomfortable to the point that I have to crouch up into a ball to deal with the feeling until it subsides.

I can't find anything on the internet that describes it..can anyone relate or help me PLEASE?

Have you considered that you may have IBS?

IBS is a functional problem inside the stomach and not a physical one (that means that NOTHING with show up in any tests).

I would suggest doing a little research on IBS!!

420maryjanelane wrote:

For about 3 years now I have had diarrhea every single day..give or take probably about one or two weeks were my stool was slightly normal. I've done the blood tests- nothing, I've done the stool tests - nothing. I'm awaiting results from an upper GI. There are some really interesting symptoms that I've noticed only recently: an extremely sharp pain in my stomach, followed by abdominal cramps and then the need to relieve myself (not always present). Another odd thing I've noticed is that the skin right on top of my stomach (before the ribs meet) will burn for minutes at a time and I feel the need to scratch it, so I do, but it doesn't relieve the burning. I can't compare it to anything because it's nothing like anything I've felt before..it's not heartburn or a rash, it's a very strange burn/itch. Also, it hurts when I eat so I try not to eat very much, but it hurts not to eat either. Every once in a while I get these spasms in my abdomen that are very uncomfortable to the point that I have to crouch up into a ball to deal with the feeling until it subsides. I can't find anything on the internet that describes it..can anyone relate or help me PLEASE?

Ask for a test for Chrons Disease, this causes persistant diarrhoea. It can't be picked up in a blood test or upper gi , you need to (I'm sorry to say) have the camera put up into your bowels for proper diagnosis. It is definately something worth looking into.

Get tested for Celiacs...

Ask your doctor to send you to be tested for Achlasia, I was similar to you for the past four years, do you have trouble swallowing, like your food isn't going down and it is stuck, which is very painful.

Thank you all so much for the replies, I can't say how much I appreciate everyone taking the time to try and help me.

The upper GI showed nothing, neither did my most recent blood test.

I've been researching Crohn's, IBS, the wheat allergy..blah blah for as long as I've had the symptoms and I believe that what I have is permanent and will never be diagnosed.

My family doctor suggested that I might have IBS because stressful situations do tend to upset my insides, but doesn't that happen with everyone?

I have other symptoms that I haven't mentioned that may or may not have something to do with the diarrhea. About once every two months or so the joints on my fingers will swell up and become very red and hot to touch. The fingers that are affected stay cold but the swollen areas are warm and sensitive. The joint is also extremely painful and sometimes (most times) the swelling is so bad that I can't even bend my finger. When the swelling happens, it appears first as a red bump with a clear/white centre...then it gets puffy and about one or two weeks later I notice that I will start to heal. The only thing is that the swelling and redness take an entire month or more to disappear. I don't have arthritis and it's not eczema (can't spell). Does this maybe have a connection to the diarrhea somehow?

Somewhere deep down inside me I think that I'm causing my own sickness but I can't prove it because I can't find one bit of evidence of a cigarette smoke allergy causing chronic diarrhea. I'm 18 now, and when I was 12 I went to the allergist to see why I felt so sick. It turned out that I was/am allergic to cigarette smoke. I live in a house with 3 smokers and that's how it's always been. I have been a smoker since the age of 14 in spite of the allergy. Now I'm not sure if I am still allergic but I do feel my gut starting to churn every morning when I smell a cigarette lit somewhere in the house. I also sometimes smoke when I know I'm about to be sick because the cigarette will help it along. What I mean by that is because immodium is my life support, I will still have diarrhea, it will just act like I'm constipated until I relieve myself...the smoking is like a laxative. Not a great thing when you have diarrhea everyday, but the amount of time I'm in pain is cut in half since I can pretty much make myself go just by lighting a smoke.

You're probably saying well my god, if she knows the cigarettes make her feel sick, then why doesn't she just quit?

And you're right. But doesn't that just go to show the absolute power of an addiction?

The only way I will allow a camera to travel up my ass is if I'm out cold. Does anyone know if endoscopies or whatever they're called can be done under general anesthesia or does one have to be awake during the process?

Please reply..you are all so f@#$^&* helpful.

35 years ago when I was in college I had a BIG problem with chronic diarrhea. I also developed abdominal spasms that grew more frequent and more intense. Then, through trial and error I discovered that my problem was that I could not digest the protein of "red" meat (beef and also pork). Nor could I digest geletin. I found that when I stopped eating beef, the diarrhea cleared up, It took another 6 months for the abdominal cramping to subside in intensity and frequency. The "red" meat would affect me 18 to 24 hours after I would eat it. Even now, if I eat beef, 18 to 24 hours from now I will have diarrhea. When my son was born, he had quite a problem with a milk protein allergy. When I mention this to most doctors, they don't seem to understand. But try the trial and error method with meat protein and perhaps with other foods too. Stop eating what might be the offending food for 2 weeks, then introduce it back into your diet and see if it causes problems. I hope this may be the simple answer to a very difficult problem. I've been there!

I have had chronic diarrhea for 40 years in some degree aggravated by intestinal surgery as a child.
Few things I have learned, the BRAT diet (bananas, rice , applesauce, toast) doesn't work for everyone. A food diary is really necessary to keep track of what your personal triggers are.
For example....with me a 1/2 a banana or slice of bread CAUSES liquid diarrhea for me. I'm talking 5 or 6 trips over 2 hours, and anywhere from a 1/2 hour to 6 hours after eating the offending food. And wiped out from exhaustion during and especially after the bout.
For me frequent small meals, very very limited dairy, no beans, no bread products but occassionally 3 or 4 crackers a week, very very limited red meat and any rice (minute, brown, whole grain etc) on a daily basis have made a huge difference.
I have found that cottage cheese is tolerable for me 1/3 cup per day or square or 2 of sharp cheddar. Note lactose intolerant aids did nothing for me. Also multivitamins or something in them were also a trigger for me. However OTC cough medicine seems to have the opposite effect.
Keep your diet SIMPLE, fresh fruits and veggies though you may find you do better with plain cooked or canned than raw, plain chicken and fish. and whatever foods from the BRAT diet you are positive you can tolerate as a starting point for your diet daily.


Hope this helps, Sharon

I have had the diarrhea problem for over a year now. I had the blood work and stool tests which came back normal. I also had a nagging burning pain under my right rib for 6 months which intensified when I ate rich foods. After 6 months of testing I found out my gallbladder was not functioning properly. I had it removed July 2006. I still have diarrhea and was told this is from my gallbladder removal. It seems as if mine is caused by red meat too, meatballs, steak etc. And, it is urgent, I have to have a bathroom within 15 minutes. I mentioned this to my doctor today and she still thinks it is related to my gallbladder or dairy products. I don't think so. I have been ok this past week eating chicken, salads, cheese but tonight I had chopped meat and boom. I have been in there 5 times. I was told to cut out dairy for 2 weeks and keep a log of everything I eat. and we can narrow down the cause. I can almost guarantee that it is a result of me eating red meat.

Beware that the stomach is a huge link to the immune system, that is why people with allergies not only can be effected by the sinuses but the stomach as well. See an allergist. Also, even more importantly, make sure you are not living with any type of water damage which can easily harbor mold. Too much mold and especially the wrong kinds are toxic and cause a range of illnesses. Google toxic mold and health effects and you will see. I suffered horrible stomach problems for years, I moved out of my house into another home that I was sure didn't have any water damage or past mold problems and they all went away.

You need to find the cause, I swear the medicines over time made me worse. Stay away from the medicines, eat garlic, clear your environment of mold, smoke, candles, room deoderizer sprays, cleaning chemicals, ect...

Besides clearing your environment, cleanse your body as well. Try to eat organic, no preservatives, and get a juicer, the juicing will help your stomach settle so it doesn't have to work hard to digest and your immune system will get high potency real vitamins.

Also, do not neglect stress as a causitive factor or a contributor. People deal with stress in different ways. To some people it goes to their stomachs, others headaches, others heart attacks---It all depends on the person and how much stress they have in their life. Get your life in order, get some de-stress books, get massages, listen to peaceful music and deal with your issues. This will make a huge difference.