I have had chronic diahrrea since I had 6
feet of my small intestine removed and a
resection done in 1994, when my fallopian
tube wrapped around the intestine, caused
strangulation and gangrene. Two months
ago I had the upper right lobe of my lung
removed because I had Stage 1b lung
cancer. I am now particularly concerned
about meeting my nutritional needs and
would really like, once and for all, to
address this diarrhea, which I know is
depriving me of proper nutrition. Any
suggestions?
Removing 6 ft (less than 2 m) from the
small intestine should not cause any
serous disorders of its function. The
remaining bowel, about 13 ft in lenth,
should provide proper function of the
intestinal tract. Removing more than 2/3
of the small intestine can cause the so
called short bowel syndrome which can be
manifested with abdominal pain, diarrhea,
malnutrition and weight loss.
In your case diarrhea could be a result of
some other reasons beside intestinal
resection.
Can you tell me how many times you have
bowel movement per day and are there fats
present in the stool? (Fats give the stool
a specific stinky smell)
Have you ever performed a microbiological
examination of the stool and blood
analyzes?