# Any suggestions for IBS-D



## JeffnSD (Sep 7, 2007)

Can anyone offer any suggestions?I've been dealing with IBS-D for the past 3 years and its progressively gotten worse to where I haven't even held a job in the last year. It seems to attack me every morning. I wake up and have to go 3-4 times. Its not watery diarrhea but more of a slightly formed, sludge-like mass. When i finally do get out, I do get that anxiety about where the bathrooms are and I find myself rushing from location to location just so I know there is a facility nearby. But in the meantime I've become homebound. I cant go out to dinner, the beach or even on a date. Its often right after I eat as well..but it can hit me at any time. I dont have any abdominal pain and but am sometimes nausea in the morning.I've tried almost everything and nothing seems to work. I've seen many gastroenterologists. I've had an upper GI, endoscopy, colonscopy and the only thing they found was inflammation in my small intestines. I've been on Entocort (steroid) which did nothing. Both Flagly and Cipro. I tried Elavil (anti-depressant) which showed no improvement. I've tried Linda's Calcium pills with no success. I've also tried different kinds of fiber (Benefiber, Metamucil, Citrucel) which sometimes form slightly better stools but I still go all the time!!! I have no food allergies. I did all the testing on that and made sure I dont have celiac disease or any allergies to wheat gluten. Ive even tried the old wives tales of blueberries, bananas and coconut to help. I've also tried acupuncture and some of the chinese herbs and probiotics..but those seem to aggrivate it more!! I do live by Immodium which does help...but for some odd reason that makes me pee like crazy (which I guess is better than pooping all day) but the doctor advises I shouldnt use it too frequently or I'll become immune to it.I'm really at a loss here. Does anyone have these same symptoms or any advice? I'm only 36 and feel like I've lost my life!!!!~JeffnSD


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## hr2help (Jul 20, 2007)

the cholesterol drug Questran (cholestrymine) may help you. It is used for IBS and Habba Syndome. good luck.


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## JeffnSD (Sep 7, 2007)

Thank You!! I will try that out and see if it helps.


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## overitnow (Nov 25, 2001)

Well, mornings were also my worst. The sludge (IBS-Mud) is a stage I went through in my year of recovery. I have been using a red grape seed/skin and gingko based flavonoid supplement for years and have been pretty well normal since the end of '99. If you can't find anything else to help, it would be something else to try.Mark


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## Thai (Aug 22, 2007)

The name of this supplement?Glad to hear it works for you.Would love to give it a try.Thai


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## overitnow (Nov 25, 2001)

I use one called Provex CV. It blends red grape seed and skin with gingko, bilberry, and quercetin. It's effectiveness seems to be from a secondary blend of absorbancy factors that quadruple that absorbancy.Mark


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## JeffnSD (Sep 7, 2007)

Thanks Mark. I'm definitely gonna try that out!


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## Prudy (Jan 21, 2006)

Can I suggest one thing if I may???? When you try something.. don't try several different thing within days and expect results.. You have to really give something a good college try... Switching from one thing to another with a bat of an eye... is really defeating the purpose.. You need to start one thing and keep at it for a good length of time to really give the body a chance to heal and adjust.. If you keep switching.. you are just causing more irritation to those poor intestines... where they don't know how to act... You really have to lay a plan out and work at it... if after several months and no results.. then try another.. but vascilating back and forth isn't really productive at all..Actually you may be doing more harm than good.. JMHO


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## crepe (Sep 2, 2007)

i suggest the anti-spasmodic bentyl. you can take it as-needed. it doesn't just help d, but also the associated cramping.


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## celestin (May 20, 2004)

It seems that you tolerate lactose (are you sure?!!)>>why not a little bit of yughurt, everyday? (If you do not tolerate lactose > with lactAse). How is it with a simple diet :meat, egg, rice, potato, minimum of fruit/veg ?


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## JeffnSD (Sep 7, 2007)

Thank you. I think you probably are correct. I guess I'm just trying to find something to work quick so I can get back to work and start hanging out with friends again. I will try to be more patient.


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## JeffnSD (Sep 7, 2007)

Yeah...the weird thing is I dont really have cramping. I have tried Bentyl but it didnt really do anything. I also tried Levbid which apparently slows down the gut..but man. I had the worse abdominal pain when dealing with that and I looked pregnant. And since I'm a guy..that wasn't a good look. LOL!!


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## JeffnSD (Sep 7, 2007)

I haven't had any dairy in over a year. No milk, yogurt or anything. Then just this week I bought some Lactaid to test it out and my symptoms are pretty much the same. Puzzling. I've learned to eat fairly bland but I could probably do better. I sometimes get so mad I think...well if I'm pooping like crazy anyways...I might as well eat that hamburger and fries..and often dont see a big change!


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## Guest (Sep 9, 2007)

I'm 43 and have been dealing with this for years. I found out that dairy products of any kind were causeing a lot of my problems and have been off of them for years. I asked my doctor if I was allergic to it or if I had a lactose intollerance. He said I was neither, that the protein in dairy is one of the hardest proteins to digest. My body just has a hard time digesting. I also have GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder). I have been treating my anxiety with Zoloft and Klonpin. That seems to help the anxiety and cuts back on the attacks. I had to quit work for a year. It did a lot of good for me (I was also going to a therapist during that time) but I still have to fight the attacks when they do come. Lately they've been coming a lot. It seems that just when I find something that works (either medicine or elimination of some food) my body finds a way to become less tolerant of something else. I guess it's a never ending battle. I have found that being open with those I work with helps the situation especially the embarrassement and resulting anxiety. Good luckShellyPS Sometimes when I am at my worst a small McDonalds hamburger is just the ticket to settle things down. Go figure???


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## JeffnSD (Sep 7, 2007)

Shelly,How funny a McDonalds hamburger can settle it down. Maybe its the grease that coats somehow.I do think my next step is to seek therapy of some sort for any anixety issues I might have that could aggrivate it. I have read that Zoloft can cause diarrhea so I'm hesitant for that. I've used Xanax before which I think is similar to Klonpin. I have such horrible side effects to anti-depressants even in small doses it doesn't really seem to be an option for me. I guess I'm learning its a day-by-day thing to deal with.Good luck!!


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## txar29 (Sep 15, 2007)

Hi,I have been taking Cholestyramine Light for about 5 years now and it works for me. I take it once a day. It comes in a packet and is a powder that I mix with a glass of water and drink. The taste isn't pleasant, but it gave me my life back, so it is worth it. Another name for it is Questran, which I believe was already mentioned in an earlier post. It has to be prescribed by a doctor and perhaps you could get a few packets to see if it would work. Mine worked immediately, from day 1. I went from not being able to go anywhere comfortably and from being stressed when someone mentioned going out to lunch or supper, to being able to go and do what I want with no problems. I guess I do have to say that it doesn't work as well if I have a day of eating horribly unhealthy (lots of fatty foods and sweets and such), but that is rare. If I eat normally and have a reasonable amount of sweets, I am fine. I know that everyone is different, and not everything works for everyone, but just wanted to share this, as maybe it will help you.


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## CaptainBoB (Sep 18, 2007)

Hey Jeff, my situation is very similar to yours. I have the same Diarrhea. Just a loose stool, but frequent bowel movements. I go, on some days, up to 7-9 times. I am 28 and I never really noticed this till until probably the last 3-4 years. I am a airline pilot so that makes bathroom breaks very difficult. It's embarassing to have to go to the bathroom on the airplane with all the people on the plane watching the pilot go to the lav. I use immodium to deter the spasms, but in the morning my system has to go 2-3 times. Some days I use 6-7 pills. But that tends to make me sick. Nausea, etc. No particular foods set me off, but occassionally a food or two will give me true Diarrhea. I totally understand about how nervious and anxious this disease makes you. I too, have the same worries about going out in public, looking for restrooms just in case, wondering if they are clean, etc. It's hard to go out to eat with my wife and wonder if it's going to set me off. It is truly dehabilitating. I can't enjoy the things i used to. Like going the the ballpark or anything outdoors. And my job makes it worse.If I had a desk job, then if I had to go to the restroom, then I know that would be able to just go. But, being a pilot, I always have the fear of getting sick on the airplane. I have considered quitting, but I refuse to let this win.I have been to a couple gastro doctors and have tried some meds. I had a colonoscopy and everything turned out fine. I had an upper GI and he said all the systems looked normal. He did note that my system passed the liquid stuff very quickly. he said faster that some of the old people that come in here. like 15 minutes. So he said that probably contributes to going alot. I tried one med, can't remember it's name and it made me go more than without. So now I am going to try the cholesterol powder and I have started taking ALIGN. Unfortunately, I guess this will be a trial and error system. So after all my long-winded story, all I am trying to say is. Dude I feel your pain and Good Luck.Captain Bob. (first post)


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## JeffnSD (Sep 7, 2007)

Hey Capt'n Bob,Thanks for your email and support. It has been a difficult time...but like you...I'm determined to beat this thing...or somehow manage my life better around it. Good luck with the cholestrymine. As you read in my post...I've tried so much. I tried Questran (cholesterymine) a few weeks ago and the only thing it did for me was form my stools slightly better. But the urgency doubled and I was going all the time. We figured cause that chemical just binds the bile and almost makes your intestines like a slippery slide...so it all came out. Didnt work for me.What I'm trying now I'm pretty excited about. I've always felt I had some undetectable bacteria. So I requested to go on a strong antibiotic to see what would happen. The doc gave me a strong dose of Cipro and I've been doing that for about 4 days so far..and things are greatly improved! I'm also taking 1 or 2 immodium each morning. So we'll see what happens. I also heard of an old wives tale that if you eat 2 spoons of dried blueberries before you go to bed..it stops you up. Well..im not sure whats happening or which med is working..but so far this combo is working for me!!Keep me posted how you're doing. Good luck man.Jeff


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## sgtshorty (Sep 18, 2007)

Hello ... I have the same exact symptoms as you do. I have been kiving with IBS_D since 21 and now i am now 25. For me, i had to cut down on my fiber intake. Know what foods tigger the IBS. Second, make sure you get your full 8 hours of sleep. i found that to be helpful in reducing the frequency of bowel movements in the morning. I tried all medications, but one works for me most of the time..(DONNATAL) try this one. It wont prevent the morning issues but it works for me during the day. And most important..I accepted what i have. Having the support of my family and friends makes my day better. Telling people about ibs and telling them how you feel and how they can help you makes all the difference. i hope this helped.


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## Guest (Sep 20, 2007)

I'm with Captain Bob and all the rest of you. I refuse to quit!!! I did quit my more stressful job for a job a little more likable to me. But I refuse to sit home and feel sorry for myself even if it means carrying around an extra change of clothes just in case. An office job is not always a good answer either. I have OAB and Detrusor Instability along with my IBS. One day I'm sitting in my clients leather chair and just like that an instant cup of warm liquid came just like when my water broke when I was pregnant. I was horrified. I hadn't even felt anything coming on. I had had a bladder spasm and hadn't even felt it. Anyway, I started eating really tiny (snacks) rather than meals. I switched to Caltrate 600 instead of Citrical D with Magnesium. I started taking Metamucil again every morning (the one with sugar as the sugar substitutes usually act as a trigger) and things are much much better. They haven't helped with the bladder spasms much but the D is almost normal for the first time in years. It was straight liquid. I haven't been drinking nearly enough water and so I think that might be making the bladder problems worse but I'm so afraid of getting caught without warning that I really have to concentrate to remember to drink enough. Everyone is different and everyone will find a different coping mechanism. That's why I like to read the boards. I find little things out that I didn't know before or that remind me of something I tried years ago. The meds I am taking now have affected my eyes. My eye doc said I now need progressives at 43. It's amazing how IBS affects your whole life. But like Captain Bob said I'm not going to let this beat me! It's not taking my life away. I'm just going to find a way around it to enjoy life. I am going to the GYN for a pessary ring to try to reposition my bladder and colon for support and here's hoping that will work and take away the need for some of the meds. If it does they will do surgery to repair everything and maybe that will help. There is light somewhere right? I too let some of the people close to me know about my condition so if I have a problem they know to cover for me if I have to go change or leave really quick. It's amazing how many people suffer from this. Inevitably someone else has the same problem and is just relieved to know some one else understands. Bob, I hope some day I'm on your flight, meanwhile you have to know that there are passengers on your plane that have the same worries you do. They understand and think nothing of the pilot going to the lav. I had a friend once who had no choice but to travel from Mexico (I think it was) on a 2 hour flight with D all down his legs. It was humiliating but a fact of life for many of us. Good luck to all! Shelly


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## Nath (Jan 5, 1999)

I wouldnt be too concerned about taking immodium, while some people seem to become desensitized long term, for most it continues to work fine, its a very safe drug as drugs go. Lots of people including me have been using it for years without problems, Ive been taking 4 a day for over 5 years. You might want to try taking a few at night as a preventative rather than waiting for the D to hit in the morning, it tends to work better that way.


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