Please suggest me a treatment plan for diarrhea presenting with foul smell.

Question

Hi doctor,

I am a 23-year-old female with a weight of 127 lbs and a height of five feet four inches. I have diarrhea or loose stools for seven days. The color is yellow and sometimes, it floats a lot. Sometimes, I have a foul smell. I do not have any other symptoms. I have occasional minor cramping and it depends on the food I eat. I never changed my eating habits. I have severe abdominal pain and bloating for two months. My primary care doctor told me it as UTI. Bloating made me pee often. But I never had any burning sensation. Even after antibiotics for UTI, I still have abdominal pain. He told me that my blood work is normal and I have low levels of amylase. I am worried about my pancreas. Now I have some sudden stool changes. It seems to be yellow with a foul smell. Could this be related to my pancreas? Out of seven days, I took probiotics for five days. But it did not help me. I am trying to eat foods that are low in fats. What is the cause? I do not have nausea, fatigue, fever, or any gas issues.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

You have loose stools for seven days with mild cramping. You do not have a fever or any other serious cause. It is simply gastroenteritis. It is acquired from uncertain food or water. Sometimes changes in the environment or stress can cause it. This will get resolved within few days. Low amylase levels does not indicate any pancreatic issues. Please mention its value. Sudden changes in stool form and foul smell occurs due to chronic pancreatitis. But you do not have any pain to confirm it. You can do stool testing which helps to diagnose the cause behind on and off diarrhea. Kindly do CBC (complete blood count), serum carotene levels, anti-TTG (tissue transglutaminase) IgA (immunoglobulin A) and IgG (immunoglobulin G), TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone), ALT (alanine transaminase), AST (aspartate transaminase), stool detailed report, stool for ova and parasites, stool for elastase level, stool for fat globules, and stool for Sudan stain. Have a follow-up after having your results.