# urgent need for loo after eating a hot meal



## littlemenace (Apr 3, 2010)

Hi I am new to the forum and I am in need of some help. I am supposlying to have IBS-D but after researching the internet I find it hard to believe. First of all I never have tummy cramps or pain which seems to be one the main symptoms I do suffer a lot of gas mainly in the evenings and at times I can feel it going around my tummy. Recently I have noticed that after eating a hot meal I have this sudden urgent urge to go to the loo usually around 30 minutes after eating my meal, but I have no pain or cramping just a bit of gas sometimes not even any gas at all just this urgent need to use the loo. Does anyone else have this problem? I personnally dont think I have IBS at all as many GPs like to use this disease just to get you out of the sugery. Can anyone please help me as I am fed up with eating hot meals as nine times out of ten I have this problem and I am considering not eating hot meals at all.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Every human's colon gets more active after meals. In IBS this can lead to needing to have a BM shortly after a meal (or during a meal).There is no way to prevent your colon from getting more active after a meal and it isn't a sign of something much more serious or deadly than IBS. It is pretty typical of IBS.Sometimes taking some pepermint (tea or mints with real peppermint oil), a prescription antispasmodic, or a small dose of Imodium 20-30 minutes BEFORE the meal can help prevent the colon from over-reacting to the completely normal "get a move on" signal that stomach sends to the colon every time you eat.Usually hot vs cold isn't a big part of why the signal is bigger or smaller (and the size of the signal depends on the meal) but some poeple do find hot drinks will get the bowel moving so hot may play a role. Usually the characteristics of the meal are more about volume of the meal or fat content of the meal. I do think a hot dinner tends to be larger and can be fattier than a sandwich or a salad. You might do better with 4-6 smaller meals than a three large ones. Especially since waiting too long before eating is another thing that will send a bigger "move it" signal to the colon.If your blood work is normal and you aren't having bloody diarrhea or losing weight no matter how much food you eat really all that is left is IBS/other functional GI problems. Every "not IBS" thing causes other symptoms. Now you may want to be tested for celiac, but that tends to cause problems most of the time, not just after certain meals. There is functional diarrhea which is IBS-D that is compeltely painless and doesn't have uncomfortable symptoms like bloating or urgency. You do not need severe or overt pain for IBS, discomfort counts. Less symptoms than IBS is usually some other functional GI problem, but at this time getting the exact subdivision of which exact functional bowel issue some researcher might compartmentalize you into really doesn't matter to the doctor as gas is treated the same if you have IBS, functional bloating, or whatever. Even the diarrhea part of "worse than IBS" is treated with the same anti-diarrheals you use for IBS. The other symptoms get other drugs but the IBSy part of other GI illnesses get treated with the same medications they use for those exact symptoms in IBSers.If you have more gas than you want and it causes you any discomfort (which is IBSy as IBSers often get discomfort even from normal or sub-normal amounts of gas) try probiotics or a low-starch/low carb diet to reduce the amount of food you give to the bacteria.


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## Aussie Ann (Apr 3, 2010)

Hi there. I've also just joined this group today. Like you, I was concerned that I was just being fobbed off by the doctors, for whom IBS provided a convenient diagnosis (and convenient way of getting rid of me!). However, last year I had every test under the sun including a colonoscopy, all of which were clear.I'm fairly new to all this, and there will be some much more experienced people here who have learned to live with IBS and will be able to answer your questions much better than I can. However one thing I would say is that, like you, I don't really get the stomach cramps that most people seem to, just the urgent need to visit the toilet and the terrible diarrhoea.You're on the verge of stopping eating hot meals. I'm on the verge of becoming a hermit and not leaving the house for fear of not finding a toilet in time. If we do these things, then we're going to find out lifestyles becoming seriously compromised - I guess that's why we've joined this group: we're desperate. I've read a few stories and posts here, and as I said, there seem to be a lot of people here who've learned to live with IBS and found ways of not letting it control them. Already someone has suggested that I try calcium supplements, and I'm going to give that a go.Here's hoping! xx


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## SunNsnow (Mar 22, 2010)

This is interesting.What do you prefer, hot orcold meals? If you ate cold meals for 30 daysin a row, would you have no urgentneed to run to loo?Aussie ann: don't even consider becominga hermit. Every mall has a bathroom (map itout so you know where it is.) Every supermarkethas one. ALMOST every restaurant has one.


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## Brianmay1975 (Apr 3, 2010)

Hello everybody! I am also new to this forum. Glad to be here and to have found this support group...Littlemenace: I wonder what kinds of food do you usually eat when having what you call a "hot meal". Perhaps you can find any pattern and then try to selectively eliminate some of the foodsyou usually eat when you have a hot meal. If this is triggered by any food, you can find out.But then again, it might not be what you eat, but how much you eat. I kept having this same problem and it stopped when I started eating less food at one meal. When I eat a regular meal, I have this urgent need to got to the toilet. And if I eat more than a regular helping, most of the time diarrhea kicks in. So I try to avoid the situation. I think eating 4 or 5 lesser meals a day rather than 3 big (or regular) ones can help.I read that people with IBS often have a stronger gastrocolic reflex (stimulation of the upper digestive tract by the act of eating leads to reflex stimulation of the bowels, that is), so this is not uncommon and it's no reason to make you doubt your diagnosis.Like you, I also have IBS and I seldom feel pain. It's mostly abdominal discomfort and bloating that I experience. Now if you read the personal stories on this website, you will notice how different the symptoms are for each and every person. This is totally natural, I think, as IBS means bad functioning of the large bowel. And this bad functioning can mean a lot of things, ranging from bloating, pain, diarrhea to constipation. Different people have different symptoms even when their disease is caused by the same virus (e.g. if I caught flu from my father, my symptoms would differ a bit from his, as he would have a very bad cough, while in my case, the sinuses would be the worst afflicted - and it would be the same virus for both of us). Therefore, you can expect that there will be a even larger variation in the range of symptoms of people having a functional disorder like IBS. Each body is unique, each bowel is unique. You might even notice that your own symptoms change slightly over time. If your bowel is not working the way it should, you can't expect it to work in any particular prescribed "wrong" way, it will just work erratically of its own accord. I think there are no two people with the exact same experience of IBS. However, there are similarities (at least between some of us) and there is a common factor for us all: disturbed functioning (in the absence of any infectious cause) of a large bowel with an otherwise normal structure.This website helped me a lot and I recommend it to you:http://www.irritable-bowel-syndrome-cure.o...owel%20SyndromeIt has some interesting information about the gastrocolic reflex and also features information on how to distinguish between IBS and other GI disease. It enlightened me a lot...


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## littlemenace (Apr 3, 2010)

Hi thankyou to everyone who replied to my recent post. It doesnt seem to matter what kind of hot meal I have I always end up with the same result whether it be a fish n chip meal to a roast dinner and yet if I eat sarnies for my midday meal I don`t get this problem. I don`t eat large meals cause I find I can no longer do this. I love freshly baked bread but am unable to eat it the same day do to the same reasons but if I eat it the next day I have no problems. If I do go out I usually suss out the loos first so I know where they are if needed. My mother has crohns disease and my nan had colitis so bowel problems are in the family.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Most IBSers will get diarrhea from fried fish and chips or roast beef. They are too fatty for a lot of IBSers. But for most people they'd be just as bad eating the same amount of fat as a cold left over. However if hot nothing but starch sets you off I'm not sure what is going on. Other than, like I said, some people find a cup of hot beverage will get things moving when the same thing iced will not.May be worth doing a fat/calorie count on a typical sandwich you eat vs the hot meals you eat and see if there is a fat difference. I mean you can make a cold sandwich have as much fat as a fried meal, but usually the deep fried fish and potatoes will have more fat per serving than a sandwich, at least the way I eat them.


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## Chrissie24 (Apr 9, 2010)

Hi, I am new to this group and like many in this group have embarassing problems. with IBS. I find that however little i eat be it hot or cold i have problems needing the loo. I can be in the middle of a small snack hot or cold and without any warning (except sometimes a little rumbling) have a very urgent need for the loo. I have been caught while out on a gentle walk or even while shopping. How embarassing to have an accident while out and too far away from a toilet. It happened this morning. I thought everything was ok when i went shopping but uh oh a little stomach rumbling and had an urgent need for the loo. I had to drop my shopping and rush out to a public loo next door but i still had an accident and had to dispose of my panties and luckily i had a spare pair in my bag or i dread to think what i would have done. It is ok for a day or so then out of the blue i have these episodes again and i have to take about 4-5 doses of Imodium to halt things. I can't go on any outings at all. If i fancy on a shopping trip away from home i dare not eat or drink anything for hour before i leave home. Will things get any better? Do i have an incompetant anal sphincter that makes me loose complete control over my bowels? HELP?


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## Aussie Ann (Apr 3, 2010)

Hi Chrissie, I can't say for sure that you don't have an incompetent anal sphincter, but let me just tell you what happened to me last year. After a couple of horribly embarrassing episodes of incontinence, I was referred to a specialist. Eventually I had a colonoscopy (which was clear) and told I had IBS. But before that happened, the doctor told me that I must have weak pelvic floor muscles and referred me to a gynae physiotherapist. I was very dubious because I never have bladder incontinence, even when I sneeze/exercise. Thankfully, the physio was absolutely brilliant, and after examining me, told me that there was nothing whatsoever wrong with my pelvic floor muscles. She said that my diarrhoea was obviously so severe and sudden that it didn't matter how strong my muscles were, they'd never be able to stop the flow! She showed me a special plug (a bit like a tampon) that some people with fecal incontinence use, and we ended up just laughing because it was so small and obviously wouldn't help me at all. She then sent me back to the specialist and told him exactly what she thought of his diagnosis!I must be having a good day because I can laugh about it!!


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## Chrissie24 (Apr 9, 2010)

thank you for making me laugh when i read your post reply. The idea of a tampon for fecal incontinance sounds ok and to be honest i would try anything just so that i could have more freadom. At the moment i cannot work due to my problems and many a friend has told me that they understand when i have to rush off to the loo. Perhaps i am lucky that way but nevertheless the embarassing problem remains that i cannot even pass wind without fear of loosing control of my bowels.


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## cherrypie09 (Jan 20, 2009)

Chrisssie24I know exactly how you feel, If you have loose or watery stools, you can not hold it in as well as when you have formed stools. The fear of going out and being away from a toilet is quite common for those of us that suffer with urgent D, even taking Imodium daily like I do, I can still get urgent D. I also suffer with terrible trapped wind and I usually have to go to the bathroom and let it out just incase I loose control of my bowels.


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