Dear Mr. Vergel, I am a 18 year old female, who eats a well balanced diet and excercises regularly, and has been having diarrhea since I was 12 years old. It has only got increasingly worse. Often, being nervous is directly correlated with the sudden urge, which has been happenning since I was a small child. However, as I have gotten older, I have had to go, on average, maybe 4 times a day. Somedays, it is ten, and others, maybe just a loose stool once. However, although I have learned to live with it, it has put a serious cramp in my lifestyle, such as being unable to sit through a funeral or a family dinner at my boyfriends house. Not to mention, along with the diarrhea comes gas, naturally, which, when being held in for politness sake, I develop massive cramps. Nevertheless, my main concern, the huge pain associated with the diarrhea, has caused my life to be strained heavily. I have not noticed weight loss, even though my meals are often excreted an hour after consumption without any visual presence of digestion. I am wondering if this could be a parasite, an infection, a lactose intolerance (I have tried no dairy, and it worked for a brief time, then ceased to help me), or even something such as Crohns Disease. I am not taking any medications. If you could suggest a diet for me that could help, or a possible cause, it would be greatly appreciated! Thank so much for your time!! Sincerely, Kathleen.

Katleen:

You need to go see a doctor. He/she may want to take a stool sample to test for parasites. You may also be required to have a colonoscopy. You may also have food allergies, or Crohns Disease or IBS. In the meanwhile, see if calcium carbonate supplements at 2000 mg a day and Citrucell fiber twice a day helps you some (you may get more gas with this, so be careful). Try to avoid insoluble fiber and diary. But do go to a doctor as soon as you can. You did not tell me if you were HIV positive, though.

Nelson