What makes your pain worse? Stress? Specific foods?
Have you had abdominal surgery?
What medications do you take? Any recent changes to your medications?
Do you drink coffee? How much?
Do you drink alcohol? How much? How often?
Do you smoke? How much each day?
Are you on a special diet?
Your doctor will ask you to obtain one or more stool samples in special containers to test for signs of inflammation and infection and to identify the organism causing infection.
If there are signs of dehydration in addition to the diarrhea, your doctor may order:
Wash your hands often, especially after going to the bathroom and before eating.
Teach children to not put objects in their mouth.
When taking antibiotics, try using Lactobacillus acidophilus, a probiotic or healthy bacteria. This helps replenish the good bacteria that antibiotics can kill.
When traveling to underdeveloped areas, follow the steps below to avoid diarrhea:
Drink only bottled water and DO NOT use ice.
DO NOT eat uncooked vegetables or fruit without a peel.
DO NOT eat raw shellfish or undercooked meat.
DO NOT consume dairy products.
References:
Yates J. Traveler's diarrhea. Am Fam Physician. 2005; 71(11): 2095-2100.
Guerrant RL. Practice guidelines for the management of infectious diarrhea. Clin Infect Dis. 2001; 32(3): 331-351.
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 2004 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
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