The first thing your boyfriend needs to do is to change his view of his medical treatment. He should think of himself as the main contractor and knowledge bank and think of the doctors he sees as subcontractors who, maybe, will help him figure this out. So his first job is to learn all he can about possible causes and, as Motherload suggests, begin keeping records and trying things out. Second, he should be more selective (if he can be) about the doctors he sees. He should, in particular, find a primary care physician who he trusts and who is smart and curious.

Regarding the later point, keep this “joke” in mind. Q: “What do they call the medical student who finished at the bottom of his/her class?” A: “Doctor.”

Amen Logjam. I can tell you from experience that to gather as much information about an ailment will help immensely. The point I would like to add is you need to avail your doctor of your knowledge, and if he/she insists on treating you as if you don't know what you're talking about, find another doctor. There are still doctors out there that treat the whole patient.

Girlfriend,

Case in point, to emphasize the above comments. My wife had a terrible illness that went undiagnosed for years. Finally after seeing dozens of doctors an ophthalmologist was able to make a life saving diagnosis by preforming a routine test any of the other doctors could have made. Both of you need to be as proactive about finding the cause this illness as possible.

Sounds like Crohns or Ulcerative Colitis. Skip the internist and go to a gastroenterologist.

thank you everyone for your comments & concerns. im pleased to say we finally have a diagnosis! it is, as he suspected & was told was deffinately not the culprit, suffering from ulcerative colitis. as we live in such a small province (nova scotia) there is only 2 specialists, the first one who said it was nothing, just lactose intolerance, and the second one, dr. sheppard, who is a miracle worker. we managed to get our hands on the report from the first doctor and it turns out that when the first doctor performed a scope on him, he found something, but passed it off because he decided it wasnt severe enough to persue any farther (huge mistake) and now, 2 years later, 85% of his colon is severly infected with ulcers and the first doctor is in alot of trouble :).. but with revenge thoughts aside, im glad to say that he has started a medication regimen that will hopefully fix him up good,, theres no cure for colitis but with these pills he should be able to live & eat freely FINALLY. thank you everyone & motherload for your concerns & answers.

Not so fast, girlfriend. We're no where near through giving you bad advice and we haven't even started making fun of you and your boyfriend. We'll let you know when you can thank us and leave.

I am both happy for a successful diagnosis and disgusted that your boyfriend has so much damage due to being basically put off. No doctor should take that much weight loss in stride. I hope you find out how much malpractice insurance the first doctor has, but only after leaving a flaming bag of poop on his doorstep.

_______
.....hugging bunnies since 1969
www.daphneszoo.com

Oh, daphne, she doesn’t need more support now! I was thinking more along these lines --

Hey girlfriend. How come you don’t just drop this guy? He sounds like no fun at all. Hell, his doctors don’t even like him, a sure indicator that he has no money. Oh, maybe he can strike it rich on a malpractice suit, but that’s not the US of A you live in, so I wouldn’t give him much of a chance. Plus, once he has money and his butt is fixed, you gotta ask yourself whether he'd keep you around.

The morale here is to keep a log, pencil and paper that is, of the stools.

The best analysis comes directly from the senses.

Primary sensing:
What does the stool look like? Dark stool, light stool, regular, etc?
How does the stool smell?

Secondary sensing:
What does the stool sound like when exiting the anus?

Tertiary:
(Not recommended for everyone, as some stools are more toxic than others)
What does the stool feels like, in and out of water

Quaternary:
Well....the property of the stool elimination of of the sense not yet mentioned above;

I'm glad you guys found the answer.

My uncle had this, and until treatment, he was very irritable, cranky, and hurting. His bowel movements also had a really disagreeable odor.
But now he's feeling great!

Good luck to your boyfriend on his recovery and management of his illness.

I can sympathize with him, not for the same disease, but for going years with a sickness that couldn't be diagnosed. I didn't actually find the cause until I researched symptoms myself and the actual symptoms I had became life threatening.

Research is the key. Research, and finding the right doctor. You can save your own life!

_______
Born right the first time.

I had a roommate in college with UC. Trust me, it's not any fun.

Glad to hear you all have found a diagnosis and it seems the treatment is working. It will be very important for him to pay attention to what he eats and how he poops for the rest of his life. No fun, but absolutely necessary.

_______
Rock-n-roll! Poopy-poo!

Get him to put you in his will right now.