I have chronic diarrhea anyone else?

Hi, !

First off, I am sorry you are experiencing this issue. I know it can be embarassing and really affect your quality of life and your ability to do things. That stinks. Digestive issues aren't all the unusual with Lupus and I hope your doctors are checking for other autoimmune conditions like IBS and IBD, since autoimmune conditions like to hang out together. Once you have one autoimmun condition, your likelihood of being diagnose with another goes up exponentially. And hopefully, you can get in to the gastroenterologist sooner rather than later, especially since you're losing weight! I wanted to share this conversation from a few months ago on the topic of digestive issues. I think it will help you feel less alone and I also share some helpful links in that thread -- https://lupus.net/forums/digestive-issues. Does anything help when you are experiencing these episodes? Like over-the-counter treatments or avoiding certain foods?

Either way, I hope you get some answers (and relief!) very, very soon.

You're not alone in this!

Best, Erin, Lupus.net Team Member.

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As Erin mentioned, digestive issues can be quite common with lupus. For one, diarrhea and constipation can be side effects of some of the drugs commonly used to treat lupus symptoms. In addition, people with lupus are also more susceptible to infections if they are taking immunosuppressants, and these symptoms can be GI infections/issues. Lastly, lupus may attack the intestinal tissue itself, which may result in irritable bowel syndrome as the intestines stop moving food properly through the system. Here's one additional article that may provide some helpful information: https://lupus.net/gastrointestinal-system
Sending you all my best as you search for answers and relief.
~Doreen (Team Member)