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Have Diarrhea. Done Blood Work And Stool Test. Stomach Bug?

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Posted on Sun, 25 Aug 2013
Question: I have had severe diarrhea for 16 days. Watery, very and up to 18 times a day. I went to my Doctor a week ago and had blood work and stool test. She has not gotten back to me yet. I am trying to hydrate myself. I understand there is some sort of a strange stomach bug going around nationally
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Answered by Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (31 minutes later)
Hello!

Thank you for the query.

Such long lasting diarrhea can be caused by infectious agents like bacteria or viruses indeed. However as it lasts longer than 48 hours without improvement, it should be evaluated. Other possible reasons of your diarrhea are partial bowels obstruction (due to colon cancer for example), bowels inflammation (like Crohns disease), diverticulitis. If you have been using antibiotics recently, Clostridium Difficille infection should be also ruled out.
You should not wait any more especially if there is a blood in stool, you have abdominal pain, weight loos, nausea.
You should also be aware of dehydration. Typical symptoms of dehydration are low amount of urine (which is usually dark), low blood pressure, accelerated heart rate (over 100), weakness.

I suggest you to visit gastroenterologist right away and have proper diagnostics.

Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Grzegorz Stanko

General Surgeon

Practicing since :2008

Answered : 5795 Questions

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Have Diarrhea. Done Blood Work And Stool Test. Stomach Bug?

Hello!

Thank you for the query.

Such long lasting diarrhea can be caused by infectious agents like bacteria or viruses indeed. However as it lasts longer than 48 hours without improvement, it should be evaluated. Other possible reasons of your diarrhea are partial bowels obstruction (due to colon cancer for example), bowels inflammation (like Crohns disease), diverticulitis. If you have been using antibiotics recently, Clostridium Difficille infection should be also ruled out.
You should not wait any more especially if there is a blood in stool, you have abdominal pain, weight loos, nausea.
You should also be aware of dehydration. Typical symptoms of dehydration are low amount of urine (which is usually dark), low blood pressure, accelerated heart rate (over 100), weakness.

I suggest you to visit gastroenterologist right away and have proper diagnostics.

Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.