unresolveable GI problems

[Gutsy]

Is there such a thing as a Super Specialist?
My (elderly female) family member has been to her MD and now to a GI specialist for 6 months for chronic intermittent diarrhea with copious mucus (otherwise no other symptoms such as vomiting or weight loss) ongoing for >2 years.
The specialist has exhausted all their testing capabilities and has found no cause. Two scopings with biopsies reveal nothing. We have tried a plethora of medications (Lialda, Pentasa, antibiotics, Entecort, Lomotil are the ones I recall right now).
We have tried gluten-free for 6 months, she does not eat anything weird and takes no nutritional supplements or vitamins. She does take an SSRI (escitalopram) which I am suspicious of but the doc is not believing my theory...which I am fine with - I just want her better. She is not stressed more than anyone else. The water is city water.
It has become apparent to me that if your guts are not happy, you are not happy. They control your life.

 

[Gutsy]

Oh, and lactose-free diet for many months too.

 

[asgcpa]

Only guy I know that may have a suggestion where to go for research is Dr Bruce Chien in Peoria IL. He does consulting for tough AM situations.

 

[Henning]

Worms or other parasites?

 

[AggieMike88]

Gutsy, are you asking about how to find help from a general health perspective? Or to get this person a third class medical certificate?

 

[Gutsy]

This is not an aviation question; the person involved just wants to live more like a normal person instead of planning her life around access to bathrooms.

Henn: I don't think Helminth Therapy would work. There is, according to the biopsies, not a shred of suggestion of auto-immune or immune-mediated disease.

 

[Clark1961]

Time to find a teaching hospital and get multiple opinions?

 

[Henning]

This is not an aviation question; the person involved just wants to live more like a normal person instead of planning her life around access to bathrooms.

Henn: I don't think Helminth Therapy would work. There is, according to the biopsies, not a shred of suggestion of auto-immune or immune-mediated disease.

I asking if she has been checked for parasites as the cause.

 

[Gutsy]

Re: unresolvable GI problems

Certainly. All parasitic/viral/bacterial/protozoal/fungal causes have been ruled out repeatedly.
Thank you
I like the idea of a teaching hospital. Know any in Texas/La/OK/NM/Co? Especially ones with an unbeatable GI team?

 

[flyingron]

Try an allergist.

 

[mcmanigle]

Re: unresolvable GI problems

I like the idea of a teaching hospital. Know any in Texas/La/OK/NM/Co? Especially ones with an unbeatable GI team?

Don't know any personally, but UT Southwestern, UTMB at Galveston, Tulane, UC Denver, etc. all have programs. Probably the easiest thing is to ask your current GI doc for a referral to a university center to figure out what's going on since it's such a rare problem, and see where s/he points you.