Hi from Dale

[Guest guest]

from Dale, Mom to Katy, CVID, age 18

, PID causes a lot of intestinal upsets just because all of our food

contains high levels of bacteria -- some more than others. When the lining of

the gut can't handle the level of bacteria, or when the bacteria actually take

hold and begin to multiply there, the result is usually diarrhea. Sometimes

that is accompanied with vomiting, bloating, gas production, etc. Sometimes

it is just diarrhea.

My daughter, Katy, has decided what level of diarrhea is acceptable to her and

only occasionally resorts to the stool samples, etc. because she can usually

fight off the bugs eventually and she HATES stool samples! But, our kids are

very susceptible to not only virus, and bacteria but also parasites like

giardia and other flagellan parasites that live in the water supply or

especially on fresh fruits and vegetables that may have not been washed

carefully enough. Salad bars are real trouble makers for Katy.

A lot of our PID kids are lactose intolerant and that causes identical

symptoms. Some have been found to have fat intolerances or intolerance to

certain proteins, etc. So, you may want to talk with a pediatric GI

specialist who can help you determine what is an acceptable level of diarrhea

and what is unacceptable. But, yes, diarrhea is common -- but extended

periods of it can cause additional problems like malnutrition and dehydration

that you don't want to get into.

My best advice is to monitor his diet very carefully and see if you can derive

any clues as to what might be triggering the diarrhea. Does it always occur a

few hours after eating milk products? Is it just after eating certain fruits

or fruit juices? Katy can ALWAYS expect a round of diarrhea following any

antibiotic course. And just about always expect a round after any virus

attack. She's also learned when she can tolerate milk products and when she

can't -- because for her it depends on the state of her gut. It's going to

be terribly hard to pinpoint, but any clues you can gather will be helpful.

A GI doctor may recommend an elimination diet if there's any possibility that

it is diet related -- but that's unlikely if you encounter good months and bad

months unless his diet is really fluctuating! Sounds more like a parasite or

bacterial infection that may just keep recurring until you get it treated.

He/She may recommend an endoscope procedure so that they can get a biopsy of

the intestines to check for other causes. Sometimes that is very valuable and

sometimes, they come up with nothing.

Hang in there -- playing detective is part of the job description for PID

Moms!

In His service,

Dale