# Can a person have diarrhea EVERY day? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 29, 2013, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-have-diarrhea-every-day/662216 "2013-06-29T19:19:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bonnienclyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@Bonnienclyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonnienclyde)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-have-diarrhea-every-day/662216/1 "2013-06-29T19:19:33Z")
Could a person have diarrhea EVERY day of their life for 20+ years? I have a friend that hardly leaves the house any more because she says she has constant diarrhea. She says it happens every day, more than once a day. She says that it will hit without warning and shes afraid she won’t find a restroom near by. She also drinks 6+ beer every single day. When I drink, the next morning I’ll be in the bathroom, so I wonder if this is the problem? When I’ve broached the subject, she gets defensive and swears beer is the only thing that helps it! She’s been to many doctors over the years who don’t find anything wrong with her. But, she doesn’t tell them the truth about the drinking,either. She is fairly healthy otherwise. I would think if a person had constant diarrhea, they wouldn’t be absorbing their vitamins,etc. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-have-diarrhea-every-day/662216/2 "2013-06-29T19:31:13Z")
Does she eat food also, or is her whole nutritional intake six beers a day? If you ate healthily enough, you might be ok. But it sounds like there is some other problem, lots of people drink six beers a day without lifelong diarrhea. She should get in touch with a digestion specialist, in my personal opinion. I’m not a doctor, but there a doctors who specialize in this very subject. … can you imagine going to school for years and years to shove cameras up people and analyze their pooping? Pays pretty well, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Bonnienclyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@Bonnienclyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonnienclyde)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-have-diarrhea-every-day/662216/3 "2013-06-29T19:50:27Z")
She eats one meal a day usually junk like fast food. Never any fresh fruits or vegetables. She weighs about 100 pounds, but has always been small her whole life. Let me clarify, 6 beers is the minimum she drinks every day. It can be 18, she says she buys 5 cases a week. I really worry that this is killing her stomach, especially if there’s something wrong with it, too.She’s been to specialists many,many times. They all say it’s gastritis or her “nerves” and give her anxiety pills. So you don’t think that even 6 beers every single day is damaging to your stomach? Maybe because I don’t drink much that I think it is? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-have-diarrhea-every-day/662216/4 "2013-06-29T20:03:54Z")
It’s exceedingly unlikely that she isn’t malnourished. Bear in mind that many things could be happening here. Alcoholics lie. She may indeed have chronic diarrhea, or she may be lying about that and just not want to go out. She may have been to a dozen doctors - but I’m not going to buy that they all said “nothing’s wrong.” I mean, she’s already given you one diagnosis - gastritis. And drinking that amount of alcohol with gastritis certainly isn’t going to help. Gastritis isn’t a bullshit non-answer, it’s a very clear diagnosis with very clear treatments, and those include not drinking alcohol. So she’s not taking care of that, and I’m fairly sure she’s not telling the whole truth about whatever else is going on. And, really, her choice. It’s her decision who she tells her medical woes to and her decision to keep drinking and cut herself off from outside life if she chooses to. But the answer to the question in the title is, “yes, but it’s not normal, healthy or safe, and you need to figure out why and try to treat whatever’s causing it.” I’ve got one poor woman who’s actually considered homebound because of her 12+ a day bouts of diarrhea and bowel incontinence. She’s got Crohn’s Disease, though. [Alcoholics commonly experience diarrhea and gastritis and ulcers caused by their alcohol consumption.](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20575826) ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-have-diarrhea-every-day/662216/5 "2013-06-29T20:29:30Z")
> [@Bonnienclyde](#): > > Let me clarify, 6 beers is the minimum she drinks every day. It can be 18, she says she buys 5 cases a week. uh, wow, that’s like, holy _shit._ > [@](#): > > So you don’t think that even 6 beers every single day is damaging to your stomach? Maybe because I don’t drink much that I think it is? I’d be more worried about long-term liver problems. maybe not at strictly 6 beers a day, but if she puts away as much as you say, _damn._ ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-have-diarrhea-every-day/662216/6 "2013-06-30T00:00:37Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I’ve got one poor woman who’s actually considered homebound because of her 12+ a day bouts of diarrhea and bowel incontinence. She’s got Crohn’s Disease, though. Don’t mean to hijack, but my 5 year old granddaughter was diagnosed with Crohn’s over a year ago for her severe and persistent symptoms. Since following a _very_ strict diet that enabled her to gradually add certain foods, she has been completely symptom free. I was very discouraged about her prognosis when I first read about Crohn’s and am extremely gratified that my daughter found and tried this diet, and it’s absolutely worked for my granddaughter. [Specific Carbohydrate Diet](http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/home/) ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-have-diarrhea-every-day/662216/7 "2013-06-30T00:22:02Z")
5 cases = 120 beers a week = 17 beers a day. That’s a hard core alcoholic. She likely has some underlying digestive problem and her alcoholism is probably aggravating the hell out of it. That’s she’s not connecting the dots from her alcoholism to her diarrhea is tragic but quite predictable. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-have-diarrhea-every-day/662216/8 "2013-06-30T00:49:29Z")
I have a difficult-to-diagnose malady called lymphocytic (or microscopic) colitis that can cause constant and frequent diarrhea every day. It can only be officially be diagnosed by biopsy and microscopic analysis of the intestinal wall. It is fairly rare and usually cured by taking 8 Pepto-Bismols a day for about six months. For me, the treatment initially worked, but the condition kept returning intermittently until finally the P-B didn’t even work. I now have it mostly controlled via other medicines that for most people cause constipation. So – the answer is yes, and if she’s never had a colonoscopy including a biopsy specifically looking for this disorder, then she should. Plus what everyone else said about the alcoholism. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-have-diarrhea-every-day/662216/9 "2013-06-30T03:29:53Z")
> [@MacCat](#): > > Don’t mean to hijack, but my 5 year old granddaughter was diagnosed with Crohn’s over a year ago for her severe and persistent symptoms. Since following a _very_ strict diet that enabled her to gradually add certain foods, she has been completely symptom free. > > I was very discouraged about her prognosis when I first read about Crohn’s and am extremely gratified that my daughter found and tried this diet, and it’s absolutely worked for my granddaughter. > > [Specific Carbohydrate Diet](http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/home/) Thanks, I will share it when appropriate. So far, I’ve had very little luck persuading her to change her diet, but I still hold hope. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-have-diarrhea-every-day/662216/10 "2013-06-30T05:03:04Z")
Just throwing this out there, but I went for YEARS without realizing that I was severely lactose intolerant. I’ve only gotten it under control in the last 6 months or so. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-have-diarrhea-every-day/662216/11 "2013-06-30T05:26:47Z")
What she admits to buying or drinking is probably only a minor portion of what she actually consumes. And someone consuming 5 cases of alcohol a week isn’t hiding it from a competent doctor. It is really obvious from blood tests. ---
**Author:** ![dstarfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dstarfire/32/5762_2.png) [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-have-diarrhea-every-day/662216/12 "2013-06-30T07:49:52Z")
I think your original question should be “Can a **healthy** person have diarrhea every day … ?” since I personally know of 2 (3 now, thanks to MLS) conditions that can cause that behavior. Crohn’s disease, and having an intestinal bypass (or whatever it’s called when they cut out a length of your intestine and stitch the two ends together.) ---
**Author:** ![NorthernBiker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/50afbb/32.png) [@NorthernBiker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NorthernBiker)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-have-diarrhea-every-day/662216/13 "2013-06-30T08:31:46Z")
Nah it’s the beer. When I used to drink a lot, I got used to daily diarrhea and taking lots of pepto to counteract it. Alcohol can/will severely impact how the digestive system works. Even worse of alcoholics, diarrhea only seems to happen when your sober :smack: . So it’s easy to hide your head in the sand and blame everything but the alcohol. Eating a diet low in fat and high in fiber will help, but I would bet a dollar if she quits drinking for a week it will clear up on its own. If she is drinking enough to have long term diarrhea, she needs to slow way down, due to the unseen damage she is currently doing to her body. ---
**Author:** ![Bonnienclyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@Bonnienclyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonnienclyde)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-have-diarrhea-every-day/662216/14 "2013-07-01T05:48:15Z")
Thanks for all the replies. She had the colonoscopy last month. No cancer, Chrons, etc. Gluten intolerance was brought up, but when she found out that was a no beer situation, she has dismissed it. I just would like to help her and go back to the days of having my friend back. I worry she’s going to kill her self. Bu t not much I can do, and its frustrating. I’ve always heard my dad say “Schlitz gives you the shits” ! LOL Alcohol isn’t helping, I guess, either way. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-have-diarrhea-every-day/662216/15 "2013-07-01T11:54:09Z")
I had diarrhea every day for over a year. When I finally got checked out, I found out that I was also diabetic. Both conditions were caused by the fact that my pancreas essentially shriveled up and died over the last ten years. I had a bout of pancreatitis a decade or so ago, and it apparently kept up on a slow burn until the entire organ withered down to a husk. When I had the pancreatitis, I was told that the most common cause was alcohol abuse, and that I should avoid alcohol for the rest of my life. Now, that said, pancreatitis is a very painful condition. It certainly was when I had my first bout. And my doctor said that 90% of the people he sees with a pancreas like mine are in constant severe pain. I’m one of the lucky ones, I suppose. All that is to say that if her pancreas is shot, she’d probably - but not definitely - be aware that there was something wrong. In addition, I lost about 40 pounds during my Year O’ The Shits (I guess I didn’t explain that my pancreas had stopped secreting digestive enzymes, so most of my food, especially the fats, passed right through me untouched and unabsorbed). I’d think that after 20 years of life like that, I would have been severely malnourished. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-have-diarrhea-every-day/662216/16 "2013-07-01T13:11:13Z")
I had chronic diarrhea a few years back, too. Got tested for all sorts of stuff by my regular doctor who finally said “IBS”, which I didn’t like hearing because it seems to be a catchall diagnosis when they really can’t find anything specifically wrong. For a few months I was just taking OTC loperamide (immodium) on a daily basis, which helped keep it manageable, but was miserable. Anyway, when I took it to a gastroenterolgist, he gave me the whole series of tests again, and told me I didn’t have celiac disease, giardia, etc. Then he said something about “bile salt diarrhea” and said I should try cholestyramine. A few weeks of that stuff made it a lot better, and I still take it twice a day as he prescribed. That was 4 or 5 years ago. Cholestyramine is a bile sequestrant, originally intended as a cholesterol medication. Odd stuff to take as it’s a powder that you mix up in water or a beverage, and it doesn’t dissolve, but remains suspended. It’s often prescribed to people who;ve had their gall bladders removed. The nastiest side effect seems to be that it also absorbs a long laundry list of other drugs you might take, as well as fat soluble vitamins. If I get prescribed anything else, I usually wind up having to space it away from the cholestyramine (an hour before or 4 hours after). But after having the shits for months at one time, I’m happy to take the stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-have-diarrhea-every-day/662216/17 "2013-07-02T03:58:08Z")
> [@Bonnienclyde](#): > > Could a person have diarrhea EVERY day of their life for 20+ years? > > I have a friend that hardly leaves the house any more because she says she has constant diarrhea. She says it happens every day, more than once a day. She says that it will hit without warning and shes afraid she won’t find a restroom near by. > > She also drinks 6+ beer every single day. Apart from the beer you just accurately described my mum. She drinks wine instead as well as being addicted to prescription pain killers and sleeping pills. She claims to have diarrhea every day and she certainly goes through plenty of rolls of toilet paper. And like your friend she has become a hermit - she only goes out to visit her dealer (i.e. doctor), the liquor store and the pharmacy. She is the sickest person I have ever known - the only person I have ever known who is sick every single day of the year and every single year of the decade. Usually it’s diarrhea but also chronic pain of the back or hip or knees, or it’s the bleeding ulcers, or it’s the recurring bouts of anemia, or the hernia, or pain from the scars from past surgeries. And of course alcohol induced dementia. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-have-diarrhea-every-day/662216/18 "2013-07-02T04:52:50Z")
It sounds like the OP’s friend doesn’t leave the house half the time because of diarrhea, and the other half because she’s drunk. Unless the alcoholism gets under control, I don’t think there’s much hope for her at all. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-have-diarrhea-every-day/662216/19 "2013-07-02T04:53:33Z")
WebMD lists diarrhea as a symptom of liver failure. Perhaps that’s what’s going on. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-have-diarrhea-every-day/662216/20 "2013-07-03T03:32:15Z")
When you live over here, the state of one’s bowel movements is often a topic of conversation. Many otherwise healthy expats do seem to have chronic diarrhea the whole time they’re here, even ones who don’t drink. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-have-diarrhea-every-day/662216.md?page=2)