# No chance of normal?



## 19676 (Jul 4, 2005)

I just wanted to vent a little. I have been fighting the 'd' quite a bit lately. It is terrible. From not wanting to leave the house to not eating & having embarrassing moments if I do. I guess I will never be normal again. I find myself thinking back to when I could go out to eat, travel, do anything...........not anymore! What makes matters worse is that I am only in my mid-thirties with three kids (all under 10 yrs). There is still a lot of living yet to do; however, I am fearful in thinking about it.With that said.....I'm glad that I can come here and have people that know what I am going through.


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## legbuh (Jan 9, 2005)

I know what you mean. I'm also in my mid 30s and if I don't watch what I eat I have troubles.. big troubles. The thought of having to take my new daughter to disney world makes me ill just thinking about it... lol..I also miss the days of being carefree and my bowels not running my life. And I can pinpoint the exact day things changed... it all happened in one day! It's messed up, and just a huge guessing game since no one seems to be alike when it comes to IBS...


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## Glenda (Aug 15, 2000)

I went to the grocery this morning and on the way home I knew I had an episode of "D" coming on.Well I Crapped my pants and had to drive home in a mess. I wanted to cry.I came come an took 5 lomotil instead of the required 2.


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## overitnow (Nov 25, 2001)

Don't you guys dare give up on this. Just keep working your way through things that have worked for others. Eventually you will find one that works for you.Mark


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## 19821 (Nov 4, 2005)

It runs your whole life and if the IBS doesnt the anxiety does.I too am in my mid thirties and 3 kids. How do you explain it to anybody that you just cant go out the door in a moment. I always have to be prepared and know where I am going and wheres the washroom and what did I eat today or yesterday.


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## Glenda (Aug 15, 2000)

IBS "D" has destroyed my life.I can't begin to tell you how many times I have messed my jeans in Public.And I am along ways from home , and have to drive home sitting in $$$$.Walk in the house like a waddling duck with stuff coming out my pant legs.Can it get any worse then this ?I have tried all the med's and over the counter med's.Lomotil does help me some. I hate my life .Glenda


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## phillipm2 (Sep 24, 2004)

Well I sure hope there is a chance of being normal again. Most of us still try and do the things we used to do but it doesnt happen because we have to adapt to our changing bowl habits. Yes its very frustrating, but a lot of people have left this site and visit once in awhile because i assume they found what worked for them. I have really never heard of a person being born with IBS but because your diet and your bowl habits get so routine how could you tell. How i figure it is what can be put there can also be taken away which means if IBS can come along, it can go away.


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## 20633 (Aug 8, 2005)

I feel all of your pain. My ironic story however is that I am an executive chef. I have been to culinary school and worked in restaurant my whole life. At the begining, when I was young and in the restaurant industry I didn't have the problems. Now I am entrenched in an industry I love and can't even taste any of my own food, eat out with my staff, or even enjoy food at all. All I am ever thinking about is my bowels and if I am going to lose it. I once was a sociable persona nd now spend all my time indoors and alone. I am the ultimate paradox and it is not fun. But I tell myself that there has to be a plus side to this.


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## Prudy (Jan 21, 2006)

I read all of your posts with tears in my eyes... only people who suffer this can understand the pain that it causes... I find it sad to realize what I pray for most.. is to function normally with my bowels... to be able to go shopping or out to visit... have a work day pass when I don't have 4 trips to the bathroom... or take a trip without have to worry about what will happen... this alone causes anxiety...not to mention STRESS....To be able to eat normal and not have to say... I can't have that... no thank you.. To have to watch other partake of foods with gusto.. like having some PIZZA... and not have it kill you.. I hate the sweaty feeling I get when the crampy grumbles of the tummy begin... and I begin to get all clammy and pray it passes and I don't have to go...I know the feeling of taking the Immodium... and taking more then suppose to.. cause I am sick of the bathroom trips... then worrying cause I took more .... am I going to get C....So I start to drink more water... and eat applesauce... and fiber... only to have the normal stool after the dose... turn into D... Don't give up hope... it's out there... Keep searching..


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## 14397 (Mar 28, 2005)

Hey Guys,I know what you all mean, I'm a 26 yr old man with IBS-D! I think all we can hang on to is hope that with all the medical breakthroughs that they will find something to help us out. Thats all I can do is hope, I look at all they can do now in medicine, heck they can clone people, hopefully someday they can help us just be able to enjoy the simple facets of life like going out to dinner. Hang in there guys


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## 20633 (Aug 8, 2005)

good call sage, I have never thought about it from that broad of a scientific perspective (or optimistically at that). I guess maybe they can clone a few functional bowels for all of us....


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## legbuh (Jan 9, 2005)

WE'll get a breakthrough when a smart doctor gets IBS.. or the president of every country.


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## Glenda (Aug 15, 2000)

I need serious Help , I cannot control my diarrhea.I am messing my pants daily now.Can't get to the bathroom before it explodes.Sometime I am out in my car , other times I am sitting on my couch watching tv and I have to RUN to the bathroom and never make it.Please any suggestions. My Lomotil doesn't seem to be helping.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Glenda, with it that bad you might be a candidate for Lotronex which is more specific for IBS than Lomotil is. It may mean finding a doctor in your area that will prescribe it (they have to do extra paperwork to be on the list of doctors who can prescribe it).For some people here that has been the only thing that controlled the diarrhea.Questran (a bile binding agent) might be another approach if the opiate-drugs like Imodium and Lomotil dont' do the trick (and on another thread I suggested you might need to take it twice day like Imodium to get good control rather than once a day)K.PS there is hope, I no longer need any meds or supplements to control the IBS and eat whatever I want.


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## Glenda (Aug 15, 2000)

I see my doctor on thursday and I will ask to try the lotronox.My Lomotil is not working now.Thankyou


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## 19956 (Feb 8, 2006)

I hear you. Whatever happened to "quality of life"? It sure would be nice to be normal. I too am glad that there are people who do understand what we're going through. I wish there was a magic cure.


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## Glenda (Aug 15, 2000)

My husband of 26 years is Very Sympathatic about my bad health. He is very consirned about my bowels exploding on me at any given moment , no matter where I am. The worst thing is messing your pants while you are driving the car. And you are far from home and have to sit in $$$$ till can can make it home.I can be on the couch and get up to get a drink of water and my bottom explodes without warning.This is getting to be insane.Lomotil use to work and now it doesn't seem to help.I have tried Imodium and that works off and on for me.But here lately I am scared to even leave the house for fear I will have a messy accident.I am only 48 , should I now wear diapers for fear of a bowel explosion ??I did have my gallbladder out about 7 years ago and I know that can cause diarrhea.But this no warning explosion stuff has got to stop.I see my doctor tomorrow thursday and I am going to plead for help.


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## 14727 (Jun 25, 2005)

Glenda- I am so sorry that you have it so bad. I have daily bouts of D, i never have accidents BUT that is my worst fear. Andrew- I can relate to your story. I too was the most outgoing socialable person ever, always out with friends and doing stuff. Now going out for dinner takes so much preparation and the anxiety is just out of control. The ironic thing is I used to wonder why people didn't want to go out or why people would stay home and unfortunatly now i know the answer.


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## sancha (Dec 25, 2005)

hay glenda i`m sorry ,for what you are going through,hay have you ever tried imodium, most people say it works ,hope your symptoms improve


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## phillipm2 (Sep 24, 2004)

Glenda, you must be eating some kind of trigger food, or your nerves caused by anxiety are making you too nervous. You may have to really watch what you eat and take anti-anxiety meds. It also could be an allergen you are exposed to everyday. You almost have to be a scientist to find what the triggers are.


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## Glenda (Aug 15, 2000)

I saw the doctor today and she said to continue taking the Lomotil for my runs.Yes I have tried Imodium and it works about as well as the Lomotil.No I am not Nervous and I do try to watch what I eat.Maybe this was just a freak episode I was going thru.The last 2 days I have been ok.I just don't want to ever have the messy accidents far from home. That is dreadfull.Thankyou for all your advice.


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## 16104 (Aug 17, 2005)

Also mid 30s with 3 children. And a life run by my bowels. I've got a tenative bit of control by taking calcium faithfully and watching what I eat. Recently we were out-and-about running errands and my husband suggested that we eat lunch at a particular restaurant. We were nearing the driveway so I needed to decide quickly if my answer was 'yes' or 'no'. I did some quick mental review: I knew that whatever I ate there would most likely cause me problems the next day; it took me a bit to remember what day of the week it was and that the following day I didn't have to be anywhere so a bad session on the toilet wouldn't be the end of the world. I finally responded with a loud and hurried, "Oh! Tomorrow is Saturday. Yes, let's eat there." My husband asked me why I had made that proclamation about Saturday. I tried to pass it off as something else. I hate being so limited by this affliction. Knowing that the onions I so passionately enjoyed on my sandwich today are going to revisit me tomorrow in the form of probably 2 hours on the toilet. And could very well hit me too close to the time I'm supposed to be somewhere, causing us to be late or to miss the event altogether. I hate that feeling of dread and shock when I realize I don't have a calcium pill with me to take before eating. Predicting that, without one, the meal will cause me grief.I, too, daydream of the old me, who was spontaneous, who never gave toileting a second thought, and certainly never planned her life around toilet times and foods to avoid. I am envious of others, my family members included, who function normally. I live in dread that my children will develop this. I also dream of a day when I figure it out and can make this all stop, then go back to being like the old me.


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## LNAPE (Feb 9, 1999)

Glenda,You may want to give the calcium carbonate a try to help control the diarrhea. This info is at the top of this board or you can email me and I will send it to you.sharonasharona,You may find if you faithfully take the calcium no matter if you think the food will be a problem or not you will do better. I have been doing this for 7 plus years and I always carry calcium with me in a small pill bottle so I never forget my dose. My dose has been 3 full tablets a day with food for seven years without taking it I am right back to what I was.Linda


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## Glenda (Aug 15, 2000)

Well now I have gone from one extreme to the other.Now I am "C" and haven't gone in 6 days.That is better then messing my drawers , but I really should be going potty atlest once daily.I have bronchitus and the doctor put me on "Cipro" for 7 days and it causes "C" as a side effect.I would give anything to be Normal !!


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## 14474 (Feb 16, 2006)

I cant even begin to tell you what it means to me to read these threads. I dont feel so alone in this. Someone understands what I am going through. Im in the medical field and am experiencing the horrors of IBS. It has been the most severe these past 2 years, where I dread leaving the house. My husband is understanding, yet I know he wishes we could go out more often. Some days I long to be like I used to be. I long to go out and have pizza. To have fettucini alfredo. To eat fruits and vegetables. To live again. All I live on any more is chicken, rice, and french fries. For some reason, french fries seems to help. Glenda, antibiotics seemed to help me too. When I had a severe infection and was on Augmentin for awhile, I had the C component. Rather liked it that way. No intestinal cramps. I get tired of that agony, screaming in the house when they cramp. Spending my time rubbing my intestines in a desperate hope they will settle down.I want to be normal again too.


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## 17176 (Mar 31, 2005)

hello dinny and welcome







hello sheba and welcome


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## 14397 (Mar 28, 2005)

I totally hear all you about what everyone is experiencing. I too suffer from D and hate the fact that something as enjoyable as going out to dinner has turned into such a circus for me! I tried Calcium and had great success with it for 3 months and now it does nothing, I take immodium regularly and it works as a band aid until I have my explosion! My doc just prescribed me lomotil and I just started using Provex CV that Overitnow raves about. If only they could just approve something that would help, it would make all of our lives easier


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## 14474 (Feb 16, 2006)

One thing I used for a long time was Kaopectate when it used kaolin. Unfortunately the FDA declared kaolin as ineffective and forced kaopectate to become more like pepto bismol (bismuth subsalicylate). That doesnt work on my cramping and diarrhea.Thank you all for the welcome.


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## 19676 (Jul 4, 2005)

Thanks for the great response. I, too, feel not so alone. I still hate being the way I am. Someday though.....surely someday!


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## LNAPE (Feb 9, 1999)

Welcome to you all and I would like to help if I can just email me if you want to give the calcium a try. 1st Check any current meds even over the counter to see what the side effects are. See if it is okay to take calcium with them. Stop all over the counter stuff that you can and do not take vitamins.2nd Be sure you have the right form of calcium. Calcium carbonate with vitamin D for starters. Or you can use the calcium carbonate with Vitamin D and other minerals.3rd Take them with food at least 4 or 5 hours apart.4th If your worse time is in the morning instead of taking the one with dinner take it at bedtime with a small snack.Be sure to start with 1/2 tablet at each of your 3 daily meals for the first 3 days to adjust.LindaLinda (D-Type)If I don't take my calcium. Gall Bladder removed in 1976 and suffered with urgent diarrhea until I started calcium.lnapents###netscape.net


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## 14397 (Mar 28, 2005)

LNAPE, I have corresponded with you before on this website and thank you for all your advice. However I tried calcium and had some success with it for a short period of time, and then it did nothing. You are very lucky that it continued to work for you because alot of people besides me it eventually failed. I still am shocked at how it failed me, but hope i can find something else that will work


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## 22157 (May 4, 2006)

I too can remember the days when I was able to go out to dinner and actually enjoy myself the whole time without constant anxiety. I dread having a use a public restroom, which I know in my case is something that I should just have to get used to, but I just cant. It affects every part of my life, especially social. Some of my friends know that I have a "sensitive stomach" but they just dont understand, they think that I am just afraid to leave the house and that IM just agoraphobic, which I guess I am, but they dont know the real reason. And I HATE talking about it with people, I feel like, if I tell someone, then it just draws more attention to myself if I have to use the bathroom while I am with them...what to do? This summer my friends want to go on a camping trip that involes a 2 hour drive and an 8 mile hike to the location, and it is the scariest thing in the world to think about it! I know that I will probably just back out and not go, but I want to go! Its just easier to miss out on social events than to have a terribly embarrasing moment for me! I just dont know what to do someday, it wasnt always this bad for me, all I can do is hope that that means someday it will get better.


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