# Here is my story and alllll of my symptoms. Maybe you all can shed some light and help.



## Christina1993 (Mar 25, 2012)

Well I am 19 years old female and dealing with IBS-D for as long as I can remember. Ive had an unpredictable gut since I was a baby. The older I get the more it seems to be a problem as it has a huge impact on my social life and dating life. I have a boyfriend who I have been with for almost a year and whenever I see him has to be around my IBS symptoms, I do my absolute best to hide my problem from his as I find it disgustingly embarrassing and just to see him I have to wait until later in the day once my symptoms have died down and even then I can never sleep over because of how my symptoms are usually worse in the morning, and when I'm having a bad day I have to make stupid excuses about why I can't see him. This is ruining my life and making me anxious and depressed! I have a history or anxiety and depression as is and this just makes me feel beyond miserable, I'd give up anything to have this problem solved! Here are some things I have tried.Simethicone - For gas and bloating, definitely helps, probably the most reliable thing ive taken.Peppermint Tea - Seems to be somewhat soothing, not dramatic improvement but does calm the tummy a bit. Hate the taste so I'll be changing over to Peppermint Oil Capsules. Imodium - I take this only during severe D attacks, it does help, but I hate relying on medicines like this, and I will never take it as prevention before it happens, that's like taking ibuprofen to prevent a headache before it happens. Just seems odd to me. Citrucel - This one has been the most confusing for me, Ive been taking it for a few months and it does not prevent attacks, when they come they come and they're just as fierce as ever but what it does is it seems to make the D kind of gel together... like it doesn't actually cause normal BM's... it just gels together what would normally be D and makes it seem slightly firmer... but as soon as I flush it all breaks up like D. Not sure if it's even worth staying on. Ive has an abdominal ultrasound and that was all normal. I have not yet had an endoscopy or colonoscopy but I plan to very soon. I have blood tests for Celiac and those have also came back negative.. though almost all of my symptoms fit Celiac which I find odd... and avoiding gluten KIND OF seems to help... but I never stuck with avoiding it for long enough to really tell.Here are all my issues and symptoms. I have very bad D attacks that can sometimes actually burn even if ive eaten nothing spicy, when this happens it usually starts out as waves of horribly painful spasms that come in waves and lead to an attack. When attacks happen I'm stuck home all day feeling weak and sick. I have managed to reduce the frequency of attacks by majorly modifying my diet. I do not eat any leafy greens as they cause attacks and when they do the BM's consist of large amount of completely undigested greens such as lettuce. My last major attack was caused by eating a salad with grilled chicken, the next morning I was in hell. I reduced my diet and now I eat things mainly like plain potatoes... lean meats... soft cooked vegetables like carrots, rice, bananas and non-acid soft fruits because ive noticed that orange juice causes me attacks, I'm assuming it's from the acid nature. I also avoid greasy food. I do sometimes say I don't care and eat whatever I want... which can either lead to an attack or cause absolutely nothing to happen, it's like russian roulette. Because of how I have limited by diet I usually don't eat enough which leaves me feeling weak. I also have severe vitamin D and B-12 deficiency. Sometimes when I eat, no matter what it is I feel very heavy and slugish, even nauseous sometimes, this even causes me to be tired and my heart to pound. Other times I get a very bloated gut, I am small, 5'6 120 pounds but my stomach can get so bloated I look 5 months pregnant. And it isn't always gas, I just seem to be swollen, and usually the left side sticks out more. It's so bizarre. And there are times I do get horrible gas, I get so bloating with air that wont come out it's painful. I have no choice but to take a Simethicone and lay on my stomach until it comes out (and damn does it come out loudly when it does!). When I'm not having an attack my BM's are usually very soft and a weird orangeish light brown color, more orange than anything (this might be from the citrucel since it is orange... but hard to say). I NEVER have a full evacuation at once. Usually throughout the first 6 hours of the day I will have around three soft small BM's. And sometimes I still feel like I have't gone enough. I would give anything to be regular and have solid, full evacuation BM's once a day like normal people. I will add more information if I can think of it but that's all I can think to put for now. Please shed some light! Help me out! I'm loosing my mind with this, ugh!


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Sometimes preventative when you can predict a problem really makes a lot of sense with some medications. Primarily because somethings are much easier to control if the drug is there when it starts rather than waiting until it is so bad you can't take it. Allergy medicines are like that. Once you are sneezing and wheezing it is harder for the medication to help than if you take it before you go to a house full of cats (for example).With Imodium it takes from 20 minutes to an hour for it to really kick in. So for some people they only have diarrhea for an hour or so once it starts so they will have the medication doing most of it's work only after the symptom is gone. This can lead to being overly constipated setting up another bout of diarrhea to clear the constipation. So for some people taking it before a meal that will set off the diarrhea means they don't get the diarrhea as the medication is in place when they need it, and they don't have so much time with the medication slowing things down when they don't need it.Even if they tested for celiac, there is STARCH in wheat foods that can increase gas. The low-fodmap diet helps some people and wheat is one of the foods to avoid on that. Doesn't have to be the gluten protein, there are other things in wheat.Things like green leafys come out the way they go in. In everyone. The looser the stool the easier it is to see this. Nothing in your stomach or intestines grind up things that cannot be dissolved. If you want to see less of this tough material in the stool you need to chew more. Raw veggies tend to be harder on the system than cooked ones for IBSers so salads being a problem is not a sign of anything else.Usually the burning of the diarrhea seems to be people who for whatever reason release more bile than they can recycle. If you are willing to take a preventative for that (won't help after the diarrhea hits, you have to take it with meals regularly for it to work) you could think about Calcium Carbonate supplements. There isn't anything you can put in the rectum to fix the stool at the end, you need the calcium carbonate mixed in the stool to sop up extra bile as it goes through the system, and it will also tend to firm up stools so help with the diarrhea. But I don't know if you will take vitamin/mineral supplements or not, especially in a before the fact preventative kind of way.For some people taking a digestive enzyme with meals before they know the meal will bloat them (but again this is preventative thing people do with every meal so I don't know if you will be willing to try it) can help with post meal bloating. There isn't much you can do after the bloat hits. Even with simethicone it is better with meals so it is in the colon with the gas rather than in your stomach and not in the place it can be most helpful. It doesn't got through the blood so you need it in the part of the GI tract causing the problem.


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## Christina1993 (Mar 25, 2012)

It's not so much that I don't like taking things for prevention, I am fine with Vitamins and such but I just worry about things like imodium. I know everyone is different but I have read that imodium when it's not really needed can actually worsen D. Like you said, causing constipation and then a D attack to clear it out. That is my biggest worry. I also worry about my body becoming to used to is or building a tolerance since it is a medication.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I think a lot of the worse diarrhea is when people take it at the end of a diarrhea attack and it isn't around during the time they really need it.If you have it in your system when you need it you don't usually worry about overly constipating yourself. But if you wait until you can't take the diarrhea anymore, but your attack is almost over that is when you are more likely to be over-medicated when you don't need it.


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## Muslimah Bah (Jun 30, 2012)

I turned 14 this year,and so far,it stinks.There are some people who talk about how I stink...some of those people talk behind my back AND talk to me at the same time as if I don't know! If they only knew the pain I'm feeling everyday.For instance, right now it's past midnight and I'm still awake!Everyday I have stomach pain and diarrhea and gas...I feel like I'm bloating and I feel like giving up. Because of this I barely have friends, but I don't really care anymore.I pray to God everyday that all that matter to me is this problem getting out of my way. I feel like my life is about to end. I still remain patient. My doctors always tell me to eat healthy and t drink lots of water and to take my medicine......They don't know it's really serious! Does anyone have the same problem as me?


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

> Does anyone have the same problem as me?


 Oh you are so far from alone! Many people here have the saem problems! Hon have you tried using Imodium to help with the D? Or how about using Calcium carbonate supplements? See our Diarrhea forum for more info. Pinned to the top of that forum is a thread entitled "Linda's Calcium". Read the first page of that thread for the instructions on the calcium carbonate. If you do use imodium keep in mind it can cause some cramping so take an anti-gas product (like Phazyme or Gas-X or the store brands of them) WITH the imodium to avoid those cramps and pain.Also yes eat as healthfully as you can. Low fat diet with lean proteins baked, grilled rather than fried. Also some folks find they do better eating a lower carbohydrate diet. (So .. that would mean not too many breads, starches like potatoes.. white rice etc.)And your Dr's are right it is important to keep your water intake up to avoid dehydration... especially in the heat.What medications are you on?


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## Teenybopper (Jul 1, 2012)

BQ said:


> Oh you are so far from alone! Many people here have the saem problems! Hon have you tried using Imodium to help with the D? Or how about using Calcium carbonate supplements? See our Diarrhea forum for more info. Pinned to the top of that forum is a thread entitled "Linda's Calcium". Read the first page of that thread for the instructions on the calcium carbonate. If you do use imodium keep in mind it can cause some cramping so take an anti-gas product (like Phazyme or Gas-X or the store brands of them) WITH the imodium to avoid those cramps and pain.Also yes eat as healthfully as you can. Low fat diet with lean proteins baked, grilled rather than fried. Also some folks find they do better eating a lower carbohydrate diet. (So .. that would mean not too many breads, starches like potatoes.. white rice etc.)And your Dr's are right it is important to keep your water intake up to avoid dehydration... especially in the heat.What medications are you on?


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## Teenybopper (Jul 1, 2012)

I am 26 years old and around three years ago I went on vacation and came back w severe ibs. Bc I didn't have insurance I had to wait to see a Gastrointenologist. He did both a colonoscopy and endoscopy finding nothing that would be causing my symptoms. He checked for crohns disease, h pylori, and other things I can't recall all which turned up negative. I went to get a second opinion and this new dr said I may have post infectious diarrhea ibs. It is painful an embarrassing and doe cause me severe anxiety in any social setting which actually worsens the symptoms. It has caused issues in my relationship and no one truly understands where I am coming from or how I feel. Much like the young woman above I usually get them early in the am or just randomly throughout my day. I cannot enjoy things the way that I used to. I noticed stress and anxiety worsen the symptoms. Immodium was not helpful n caused painful bloating and constipation even when used as a preventative measure for me. I became extremely adverse to taking medications that stopped up the release of a bowel movement bc it only worsened the attack te next time.


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## Muslimah Bah (Jun 30, 2012)

BQ said:


> Oh you are so far from alone! Many people here have the saem problems! Hon have you tried using Imodium to help with the D? Or how about using Calcium carbonate supplements? See our Diarrhea forum for more info. Pinned to the top of that forum is a thread entitled "Linda's Calcium". Read the first page of that thread for the instructions on the calcium carbonate. If you do use imodium keep in mind it can cause some cramping so take an anti-gas product (like Phazyme or Gas-X or the store brands of them) WITH the imodium to avoid those cramps and pain.Also yes eat as healthfully as you can. Low fat diet with lean proteins baked, grilled rather than fried. Also some folks find they do better eating a lower carbohydrate diet. (So .. that would mean not too many breads, starches like potatoes.. white rice etc.)And your Dr's are right it is important to keep your water intake up to avoid dehydration... especially in the heat.What medications are you on?


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## Muslimah Bah (Jun 30, 2012)

I just take benefiber 3 times a day and i take iron...Thanks for the advice.I'll try and see if it will work.I'll let you know if it works or not. : )


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