Diarrhea Case Study

One possible explanation for Mary’s sudden diarrhea is food poisoning. Since Mary is stated as being in “reasonably good health,” a sudden occurrence of diarrhea can be a sign of such an infection (Whitney, Rolfes 90). Another thing that could cause the diarrhea is a side-effect from the drugs Mary is taking daily. Diarrhea is a known potential side-effect of over-the-counter drugs (Whitney, Rolfes 90). As for the cramps, they can be caused by a lot of things, but my conclusion would have to be that they are simply directly connected to the diarrhea, as those symptoms usually go hand-in-hand (Whitney, Rolfes 90).
Mary’s heartburn can be explained by overeating and overdrinking (Whitney, Rolfes 92). Since she was just in a family reunion and picnic, chances are she ate a lot of food—more than she is used to. Her weight is also a factor in this. Using a body mass index calculator that I programmed myself, I concluded that her BMI is approximately 30.90, which on the BMI
Again, I can back all of this up from personal experience—as I was told to go back to the emergency room if the symptoms persisted for longer than 24 hours. I know that food poisoning can be treatable at home, but if symptoms persist for so long, then professional medical attention in definitely necessary.
As for the heartburn in Mary’s case, it seems like the lesser of two evils. The heartburn was clearly a problem for a while if she was already taking medication for it. At this point, immediate treatment of her heartburn may be pointless, and long-term strategies may be required to alleviate her symptoms. According to Whitney and Rolfes on page 94 of Understanding Nutrition e12, some steps Mary could take to treat her recurrent heartburn are to:
• Eat small