# Diarrhea for weeks despite BRAT diet



## susie419 (Jul 14, 2009)

Hi everyone. This is my first post here. I was on an antibiotic in March and 10 weeks later developed diarrhea. I am scared that this might by caused by C-Diff and am now in the process of giving stool samples and will have a colonoscopy next week. I have had what they think is IBS-D for years because nothing else was ever found. Because of the late start of my symptoms, the GI doctor feels that this is not C-Diff.Assuming for now that it is IBS, why has it not gotten any better after eating nothing but rice, applesauce, bananas and toast for the last 4 days? This morning I had a BM that was a little firmer but still soft and I was happy, until I exploded a few times this afternoon with the worst, yellowish, gel like diarrhea once again. Has anyone had this despite following the BRAT diet to the letter? I feel so weakened by all of this, the cramps are in every part of my abdomen but not constant...I felt fine this morning until this started up again. I thought the BRAT diet is supposed to put an end to this. I also want to add that in an effort to eat better, I ate zillions of cherries and salad (which I usually can't tolerate) just when this started which gave me diarrhea. Can this bring on an irritation that lasts a month?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Some people have the exact same IBS symptoms no matter what they eat.The BRAT diet is low in things that tend to trigger diarrhea in anyone, but it doesn't cure IBS.Cherries can cause some diarrhea while they are in there, but they just pull water into the stool so wouldn't cause it for weeks on end.


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## crstar (Jun 29, 2009)

read the book called: fiber menace.........and this diet is the worst....of course u feel bad....there is no protein to help repair lean muscle mass, this includes ur heart, among others.........terrible, terrible diet.........


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Well that


> terrible, terrible diet


 is about all some of our systems can handle. And it won't do any irreparable 'lack of protein' damage in just the 'normal' short stretch of time it is prescribed by Doctor's.Plus one can always use broths higher in protein to supplement the BRAT (But just make sure the broth is devoid of MSG if you have trouble with that.)Susie.. yeah see what the C-Diff test results are. But .. sometimes... I have had D that badly and it hasn't been from C-Diff.BQ


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## susie419 (Jul 14, 2009)

Thanks to everyone who replied. I know there's no protein but for a few days, it can't hurt. I did add some very lean hamburger today. I was in the bathroom a few minutes later but at least the protein is in my system. I am glad to hear that someone else had the runs for a month and it wasn't c-diff. I'll know more after the stool samples and colonoscopy. I have had what they think is IBS for years but only once did I have diarrhea for this long. And I do remember the BRAT diet did not help. Time just helped. I'll add some fish tomorrow. In the meantime, I can't take anything like Imodium just in case it's something that needs to come out and am so bummed about not being able to travel and see my family, can't get on a bus, train, nothing. I had to wear a depends underwear today just to get somewhere and prayed it wouldn't act up. Had to wear a very long t shirt to cover up the bulge, ugh. I hate this condition.


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Susie Oh.. I know how bad this is.. (((Hugs))) And it IS miserable that one can't use the imodium or anything to firm up the D til ya get the C-Diff results. But hang in there... should not be too much longer before you know one way or the other.Also..that's what I used too for protein... lean, _baked_, white fish like Tilapia or Flounder. I used very little seasoning (just sliced a fresh lemon paper thin and laid it on top of the fillet) and just tried a bit of olive oil (and I mean a teensy bit







) to coat it so it wouldn't dry out. It was easier for me to digest than any other protein when I was in the depths of the worst D. I'd buy a pound and bake it all at once, freeze 3, 1/4 th of a pound portions individually... and then I'd only have to microwave it real quick for other meals. And about the "hamburger meat"... I don't digest beef real well so I learned to convert almost all of my "ground meat" recipes to Ground Turkey. (My youngest child just realized this last year. LOL Got away with it for awhile I did! She still eats it and likes it though!)Low fat broths are good too if you can handle them. I used to make up like instant rice with chicken broth to sneak in more protein.Jello is good too for something a bit sweeter as are Italian ices.Make sure you are drinking enough water. And be careful using those "sports drinks" that claim to have electrolytes.. They are heavy with sugar and when I was in severe D flare... that much sugar made it worse (which I didn't think was possible!). So I used half of one portion (4ozs or so give or take) of those and half water. And that was so much better for me and I felt a bit stronger too.Go as easy as you can... rest and then walk around a bit. Find a balance that works for you. Scale back your "To Do" lists as much as you can til your Doc gets a grip on what is going on. I get REAL stingy with my energy when I'm that bad. I watch closely what I spend it on! Keep us posted!BQ


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## Thai (Aug 22, 2007)

Just to reinforce what Kathleen and BQ have stated....IBS is not always about what we eat.My worst phase saw me with watery explosive D, 6-8 times a day, EVERY day for over 3 years.And this was regardless of what I ate or did not eat.And there are many on the forum here who have been and were in a lot worse shape than me.Keep your chin up, keep reading and keep trying different methods of getting this under control.Thai


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## vickieibsd (Jun 12, 2009)

3 years !!!! Oh no I was thinking how hard 3 months have been !! Did you have weight loss, loss of appetite, nausea, cramping along with it all 3 years ?


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## Thai (Aug 22, 2007)

Hi Vickie,Yup....3 years!No to the weight loss and yes to the pain and nausea, although the D and urgency were the big issues for me.overitnow had it daily for 10 years!!!!Can you imagine???Thai


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## overitnow (Nov 25, 2001)

Thai said:


> overitnow had it daily for 10 years!!!!Can you imagine???


...and Gained weight!


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## vickieibsd (Jun 12, 2009)

Just when I thought I had the strength to keep fighting this....I do not think I can do it anymore. I am tired and weak uncomfortable and see my whole life slipping away


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## Thai (Aug 22, 2007)

> ...and Gained weight!


Me too!!!!!


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## Hester (Jul 5, 2009)

Well, I went back to my doctor after the diarrhea came back. He was alarmed by the weight loss dispite my eating. I explained the fatigue and profuse sweating, clammy skin, cloudy brain, drepression and inability to function. He asked me to pick an antibiotic that I thought I could take because most give me reactions. We thought about the Xifaxan but that only works in the bowel and I thought about the spot on my liver and how my ND found bacteria throughout my blood. I chose Tetracycline and have been on 1500 mg daily or 3 caps per day for two days now. It has instantly stopped the diarrhea and the sweating and shaking. In fact, where I usually am awakened at 3 or 4 am by diarrhea and gas, I ate a HUGE dinner last night and nothing yet. Plus, I'm hungry and my mind has cleared. It is weird because my CBC was normal and I have not had a fever yet this certainly seems like some type of infection. If my progress continues, I am going to have to believe my IBS was caused by a low-grade or prolonged infection that just did not register on traditional labs. I have been sick for about 8 months. So, I cannot imagine having this for three years or ten years. However, perhaps not all IBS is really IBS but something as yet undiscovered. Do not give up Vickie. Ask for more tests. Go to an ND and see what she or he sees in your live blood analysis. That stuff may seem like quakery but my ND was the only one to "see" the infection. I have read somewhere that a prolonged or low grade infection may not be recognized by your body eventually. Things can appear normal but be far from it. The GI tests, traditional blood work and even bowel exams and biopsies as well as CT cannot pick up some small endocrine tumors. If I get worse, my GI says that is the next place to go. The endocrinologist can run more specialized testing to determine subtle thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal or pancreatic issues. Wish me luck and I will keep everyone posted.


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