Whole family, long term diarrhoea (sorry!)

[shrumps]

Apologies for this thread. It's gross but I am worried.

For my family, diarrhoea has become normal. We all have it, all the time. We aren't constantly running to the loo, as you would when you have a bug, or food poisoning, but when we go, It's never solid. I don't think think this is right - should we got to the doctors as a family or could it be a diet issue? We eat very well - a good balanced diet (meat eaters) with mostly fresh veg and meat or fish with every meal. Food hygiene i would say is good, and we live in the UK, so water quality is also of a high standard. Any suggestions would be welcome. TIA.

I would take a trip to the g.p. it could be your diet, is your hand hygiene good, do you have pets. I think it unusual that a whole family have loose poo, this is a real concern is it, not a silly thread about poo.

Sounds like an infection to me if you’ve all got it and your diet is good. Go to the GP, they’ll take a stool sample and send it off.

How long has this been an issue?. Any recent travel abroad or even within the UK?.

I would see the GP and provide them with a stool sample for further testing.

Thanks for replies! Definitely not a bloody poo troll! (Though have name changed due to sensitive subject. MNHQ can verify, have been here for at least 13 years!)
I'll book us in to GP - hand hygiene very good (especially with 13 yr old DS - he is very particular) and all of us are clean and surfaces cleaned dat etc. It just occurred to me that it has become normal for us and clearly it shouldn't be. I was worried about IBS, but it would seem unusual for us all to have it. (In the interests of clarity, I should say me, DH and DS1 have it almost daily, DS 2 (same diet) doesn't.

We do have pets - two dogs.

Are the dogs healthy and clean, don't eat off your plates, you all wash your hands after stroking the dogs. Have you had any overseas travel. The g.p. will sort it for you.

Dogs are as clean as can be - injections all up to date etc and definitely not allowed to lick faces etc.

It's weird - it's one of those things we have allowed to go on individually and just put the pieces together to say 'this isn't right'. I'll make an appointment in the morning.

Maybe take a sample of your tap water with you? Does it come from a tank in the loft? Could the tank be contaminated?

This happened to friends of mine some years ago. Eventually, when it went on far longer than a typical bug, the GP sent of stool samples and it turned out they all had giardiasis (hadn’t been abroad or anything).

Yes. I was going to say giardiasis. My whole fancy had it a year or so ago. Was sorted with ABs.

The GP won’t test the tap water, neither will the hospital. If you want your water testing the water board are able to. I know you say you’re in the U.K. but it could be an issue. I lived in a house once where there was cryptosporidium in the water supply and the water board couldn’t get rid of it, they used to deliver us pallets of bottled water. That tended to make us vomit more than diarrhoea but sometimes a bit of that as well.

Definetely see your gp though and I’m sure they’ll sort out stool samples.

Thanks all for your replies. I've made an appointment with the GP.

I was going to say giardia too, dogs can get it from drinking infected water (puddles etc) and it’s really contagious. Good luck!

Lots of people have this from ibs. So many people have ibs it wouldn’t be unusual for both you and your DH to have it, and it can be inherited so your children too. It’s actually very common for a whole family to have loose stools. It can be triggered by lactose, stress, or any number of things.