The best way for your doctor to figure out what’s causing your diarrhea is to get some information from you.
They will want to know:
- If there’s blood or mucus in your diarrhea
- How watery it is
- How long you’ve had it
- If anyone around you has it
- If your urge to go is severe
- Do you have belly pain, or pain in your bottom?
- Do you have a fever?
- Do you feel dizzy or confused?
- Have you traveled anywhere recently?
- Are you taking antibiotics, or have you recently finished some?
- Do certain foods make it better or worse?
They also might want to get a sample of your stool to send for lab testing. They may order blood tests as well.
If your doctor thinks a specific food is causing your problem, they may ask you to stay away from that item for a while to see if it helps. A common example is intolerance to milk products, called lactose intolerance. If you have this, changes to your diet usually help.
If your doctor needs more information to figure out what’s going on, you may need to have a test called a colonoscopy. Your doctor will use a snake-like tube that let them see the walls of your colon and rectum.
