First, definitely don't give up. Keep looking for answers!
Second, did you do an elimination diet of any kind? If not, then any food intolerance in existence except for lactose could cause this sort of thing. And many mild allergies, too, will just cause gastro-intestinal problems when ingested.
Gluten intolerance has no test other than an elimination diet. Same for those who react to potatoes, corn, beef, sulfites, whatever. There are dozens and dozens of food intolerances that the medical community doesn't have a test for because they're not exactly sure why it happens. And most doctors don't bother with an elimination diet.
I'm never sure why, considering that it's free and non-invasive. Although it doesn't give that nice, crisp positive or negative that a blood test or biopsy does, so perhaps that's the reason. Patient experience alone is often discounted as a valid test, these days.
Some common intolerances that I've seen lately in the celiac and allergy communities:
lactose intolerance that didn't show up on the breath test
fructose malabsorption - this involves fruits, veggies, some grains, all sorts of things.
nightshade intolerance
reaction to sulfites and high sulfur foods
corn
soy
and one that I'm seeing more of lately: a reaction to all grains. I've got this one. If I eat anything with any grain at all, it's instant diarrhea. No idea why, but I have to avoid them anyway.
annatto - it's a natural dye that can be labeled, or just called 'natural dye.' Known to cause lots of tummy and bowel issues, can be in anything from bread to butter to coffee creamer
Gums, like xanthan gum, guar gum, arabic gum. These are known to cause the runs and tummy issues in some people, and are more in use today.
Some other conditions I've seen that can cause diarrhea:
SIBO (bacterial overgrowth)
parasites
Celiac Disease - which the doctor is probably calling gluten allergy, but it doesn't hurt to check that.
yeast overgrowth - although I think constipation is more likely here.
pancreatic insufficiency - not enough enzymes
Lots of stuff you can still look for. For my family, I dropped the 8 most common allergens and cooked everything from scratch for a while. Kept track of what we ate and what the reactions were. Made sure not to eat the same foods every day, not even the same oil or salt brands. And the reactions spaced out, so we could finally tell where they were coming from.
Has your physician checked your liver, gallbladder, and pancreatic functions? Problems with these structures can cause diarrhea and intestinal pain (if you're having that too).
These organs produce, store, and secrete enzymes and other substances that help your food break down chemically, including bile, lipase, protease, and amylase. Too much of these substances can cause loose stools like you're describing, especially if these stools are pale and/or unusually foul-odored.
Testing negative for gluten allergy may NOT mean that you're OK with gluten. Gluten sensitivity can cause many of the same signs/symptoms that actual gluten allergy causes.
If your liver, pancreas, and gallbladder (and their ducts) have checked out OK, you may want to stop eating gluten for a month to see if relieves your diarrhea. You may also have issues with lactose (milk).
I have the same problem my stomach stays tore up. The only thing i can think is i have kidney stones real bad and i get UTIs alot even tho i do everthing i can not to. But ever since ive had kidney problems my stomach has gave me problems. Not sayin thats ur case but it mite be sumthin u can check into cause if the docs aint lookin for it they wont notice it.
Comments
First, definitely don't give up. Keep looking for answers!
Second, did you do an elimination diet of any kind? If not, then any food intolerance in existence except for lactose could cause this sort of thing. And many mild allergies, too, will just cause gastro-intestinal problems when ingested.
Gluten intolerance has no test other than an elimination diet. Same for those who react to potatoes, corn, beef, sulfites, whatever. There are dozens and dozens of food intolerances that the medical community doesn't have a test for because they're not exactly sure why it happens. And most doctors don't bother with an elimination diet.
I'm never sure why, considering that it's free and non-invasive. Although it doesn't give that nice, crisp positive or negative that a blood test or biopsy does, so perhaps that's the reason. Patient experience alone is often discounted as a valid test, these days.
Some common intolerances that I've seen lately in the celiac and allergy communities:
lactose intolerance that didn't show up on the breath test
fructose malabsorption - this involves fruits, veggies, some grains, all sorts of things.
nightshade intolerance
reaction to sulfites and high sulfur foods
corn
soy
and one that I'm seeing more of lately: a reaction to all grains. I've got this one. If I eat anything with any grain at all, it's instant diarrhea. No idea why, but I have to avoid them anyway.
annatto - it's a natural dye that can be labeled, or just called 'natural dye.' Known to cause lots of tummy and bowel issues, can be in anything from bread to butter to coffee creamer
Gums, like xanthan gum, guar gum, arabic gum. These are known to cause the runs and tummy issues in some people, and are more in use today.
Some other conditions I've seen that can cause diarrhea:
SIBO (bacterial overgrowth)
parasites
Celiac Disease - which the doctor is probably calling gluten allergy, but it doesn't hurt to check that.
yeast overgrowth - although I think constipation is more likely here.
pancreatic insufficiency - not enough enzymes
Lots of stuff you can still look for. For my family, I dropped the 8 most common allergens and cooked everything from scratch for a while. Kept track of what we ate and what the reactions were. Made sure not to eat the same foods every day, not even the same oil or salt brands. And the reactions spaced out, so we could finally tell where they were coming from.
Wishing you good luck.
Has your physician checked your liver, gallbladder, and pancreatic functions? Problems with these structures can cause diarrhea and intestinal pain (if you're having that too).
These organs produce, store, and secrete enzymes and other substances that help your food break down chemically, including bile, lipase, protease, and amylase. Too much of these substances can cause loose stools like you're describing, especially if these stools are pale and/or unusually foul-odored.
Testing negative for gluten allergy may NOT mean that you're OK with gluten. Gluten sensitivity can cause many of the same signs/symptoms that actual gluten allergy causes.
If your liver, pancreas, and gallbladder (and their ducts) have checked out OK, you may want to stop eating gluten for a month to see if relieves your diarrhea. You may also have issues with lactose (milk).
I have the same problem my stomach stays tore up. The only thing i can think is i have kidney stones real bad and i get UTIs alot even tho i do everthing i can not to. But ever since ive had kidney problems my stomach has gave me problems. Not sayin thats ur case but it mite be sumthin u can check into cause if the docs aint lookin for it they wont notice it.
Eat foods rich in fiber.. See the site below:
http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/063008p...