Chronic diarrhea. Mild but leaves me feeling terrible. Anyone relate?

Posted by angelique343 @angelique343, Nov 2, 2025

Will try to be brief! About 45 years ago, I picked up a stomach bug while abroad and my digestion has never returned to normal. The issue is diarrhoea, albeit relatively mild.
If I take 1 or x Loperimide per day, I'm generally OK, apart from occasional 'bouts' which my question refers to.

I should say first, despite countless investigations, nothing much has shown up apart from "mild to moderate bile acid malabsorption" but that was at least 10 years ago and I've recently had another test that proved negative for that

My problem usually happens when I eat too wheat (though various tests have never shown any allergy or coeliac issue).

To get to the point, what happens is that I have an uncomfortable urgency to empty my bowels. The stools are only a little bit loose but almost immediately, I feel absolutely terrible - it's difficult to describe but exhausted, a bit sick, a vile feeling in my head and throughout my entire digestive system. I have no energy and I just want to collapse.

Typically this thoroughly unpleasant feeling lasts about 48 hours. I don't have any further BMs (until one, the next day). I just don't understand why this happens and no doctor has ever been able to give me any kind of explanation.

How can one slightly loose BM make me feeling SO dreadful for SO long? If I can't get a resolution, I would at least like to understand the logic. Can it be that I'm simply dehydrated? But how can the sensations be so sudden and anyway, it's not like fully blown diarrhoea where there's repeated BMs and lots of lost liquid.

Most of the time it's fairly OK and manageable but it's often worse when I'm abroad, as I am right now (in Italy, where it'squite hard to avoid wheat). Final comment, before I discovered Loperimide about 25 years ago, my life was sheer misery. I had diarrhoea every day, multiple times, liquid. I felt so incredibly awful every day. At least it isn't like that any more. I don't believe anything will ever be "found". I think it's a dysfunction based on nervous system dysregulation, or something like that.

Can anyone else relate? Does anyone know how or why my body's reaction can be so very extreme or how a little 'touch' of diarrhoea can lay me low for days??? Sorry this is so long! Many thanks in advance.

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Lisa Lucier, Moderator | @lisalucier | Feb 3 11:15am

In reply to @smitty1950 "@koneil I was wondering what test is the one for bile so I can check to..." + (show)

@smitty1950 - was this the test for bile you were asking about?

- Bilirubin test https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/bilirubin/about/pac-20393041

Leeman25 | @leeman25 | Feb 21 12:03pm

Finally helpful to hear from someone who has similar symptoms--I contracted Covid in 10/2023; and took Paxlovid to "cure" the disease (mitigate its severity so they said). During that illness, I experienced constant diarrhea. When the disease finally left me, I began having daily, persistent loose bowels that has never resolved.

In April, 2024, I had a colonoscopy done (PCP at the time told me (Oh, they will find the cause of your diarrhea). The Gastroenterologist who performed the procedure simply stared at me when I told him I had diarrhea 7 months. He told me to call him in 6 weeks. Colonoscopy turned up basically normal with no clue as to the diarrhea.

during that time, I had a chest x-ray that revealed a hiatal hernia. My Gastroenterologist tole me "Oh, we don't operate on those". No discussion about their potential significance driving my symptoms.

Changed PCPs and Institutional care provider 9/2024; and continued to have distress daily. Went to a Gastroenterologist 1/2025; who began a series of tests. He immediately told me "We may have to repeat the Colonoscopy". I asked him Why? I had one 9 months earlier! and it showed nothing! All the tests over 3 months turned up no clue as to the persistent diarrhea. Potential treatments: "Sand" milkshakes; accelerated psyllium fiber intake.

Changed Gastroenterologists again, Summer 2025. Dr. could not come up with a reason why this condition had persisted for so many months. I agreed to have another colonoscopy coming up 3/2026; where they will take a biopsy of my colon to look for diseased or compromised tissue.

I told all the Doctors I saw during that time that I believed I had sustained permanent damage from the Covid and the Paxlovid. I'm tired of none of them having any clue. We're just going through tests; and I suspect the result of which will be to put me on permanent prescription meds. for this. The outlook appears to be that the doctors will never know what the cause is; and will only treat symptoms.

Can anyone shed some light on this situation for me?

I can't eat without having a loose watery movement within 90 minutes of every meal.

gboi | @gboi | Feb 23 11:09am

In reply to @leeman25 "Finally helpful to hear from someone who has similar symptoms--I contracted Covid in 10/2023; and took..." + (show)

@leeman25

Can anyone shed some light on this situation for me?

I can't eat without having a loose watery movement within 90 minutes of every meal.

Jump to this post

@leeman25

Hi Leeman,

It sounds like you have been through a lot and seen a lot of doctors. When you talk about persistent diarrhea, is it 100% of the time guaranteed, or does it fluctuate? To what extent have you tried an elimination diet? I assume you were tested for the obvious stuff like celiac etc?

Leeman25 | @leeman25 | Feb 23 4:08pm

In reply to @gboi "@leeman25 Hi Leeman, It sounds like you have been through a lot and seen a lot..." + (show)

@gboi
Hello

Thanks for your inquiry--I have tried every means of correcting the persistent diarrhea, to no avail. There is something wrong. I eliminate within an hour and a half after each meal. Very watery. this condition has persisted since 10/2023. Doctors have no clue. I eat normally! Tested three years ago: I do not have Celiac and am not diabetic. have not yet been tested for spike protein yet in the blood or tissue--which can point to Covid...

Have another Colonoscopy end of March...they'll likely find nothing....

smitty1950 | @smitty1950 | Feb 23 7:22pm

In reply to @lisalucier "@smitty1950 - was this the test for bile you were asking about? - Bilirubin test https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/bilirubin/about/pac-20393041" + (show)

@lisalucier
Thank you so much. I was hoping some the testing they did would give me an answer to my diarrhea. I have had a colonoscopy (nothing wrong), upper endoscopy (some inflammation in my stomach and duodenum), an mri of my abdomen (sludge in gallbladder and 4mm cyst in side duct of pancreas) and an ultrasound of my gallbladder (sludge not bad enough to cause diarrhea).

I am taking 1/2 tsp. Psyllium husk in water twice a day and that has at least helped somewhat. I don’t get all night diarrhea much anymore. I did get it twice today because I was determined to eat a salad.

Oh, they also said I had fatty liver (ultrasound) which doesn’t make sense since I don’t drink much or eat a lot of fatty food. I will see my doc in a few weeks about that.

But really no answers. I am keeping track of what I eat and my bms. So hope this will lead to more answers. Still haven’t seen a gi doctor.

I will get some genetic testing for the benefit of my family but don’t have an appt. Until August. My mom died at 49 from ovarian cancer and my dad died at 66 from pancreatic cancer.

I don’t have much advice for others except try to stick with the psyllium fiber. I have been experimenting a bit with dose. It does help, though it hasn’t eliminated the diarrhea.

My question is, what else could be causing it? Not sure if there are other tests I should ask for. Thanks for listening.

creondave | @creondave | Feb 24 4:56am

Apologies if I overlooked this; perhaps you mentioned it:

Have you taken a fecal elastase-1 test to determine if you are experiencing an issue with enzyme production? I have that issue, and take Creon to help with this; though the urgency/overflow issues still occur, it is much better than previously.

cas924 | @cas924 | Feb 24 5:20am

In reply to @gboi "@leeman25 Hi Leeman, It sounds like you have been through a lot and seen a lot..." + (show)

@gboi
Have you had your stool/microbiome checked? Contact a functional medicine provider or look up Dr. Sabine Hazan (Progenabiome.com). An analysis of your stool sample could show if you have an overgrowth of certain bacteria, or are deficient in others, have parasites, certain infections, etc. Antibiotics, certain vaccines, glyphosate in foods and viruses can contribute to imbalance. The tests are not cheap and none of my regular doctors did this. Perhaps you have leaky gut, which can cause all kinds of problems, but can be greatly improved with the right protocol.

smitty1950 | @smitty1950 | Feb 24 9:14am

In reply to @creondave "Apologies if I overlooked this; perhaps you mentioned it: Have you taken a fecal elastase-1 test..." + (show)

@creondave Thanks for your remarks and question. When this started it was only once a month for a year until it got constant (now with some breaks thanks to psyllium). So 1 year and 4 months ago I had all the fecal tests which were normal. Recently my doctor did giardiasis test again, also negative. I am wondering if I need to repeat some of them. Particularly elastase.

smitty1950 | @smitty1950 | Feb 24 9:17am

In reply to @cas924 "@gboi Have you had your stool/microbiome checked? Contact a functional medicine provider or look up Dr...." + (show)

@cas924 Thank you for your comments. As below, I have had many of these tests a while ago. I don’t have the list here, but they were quite extensive. I will check out this site and compare. Thanks!

elaine1212 | @elaine1212 | Mar 30 12:14am

I’m wondering if anyone on the site is taking thyroid medication. It can cause diarrhea, gas, nausea cramps. I made the mistake of taking Levothyroxin at 3 am when I got up to use the bathroom, didn’t want to wait 1 hour in morning before I could eat or drink. It took me alone time to figure out what was causing the diarrhea and other symptoms. I am on day number 4 with everything almost normal. I’m think if your on Medications do some research on each one.