# IBS - D in the morning!



## 13627

I'm 23 years old..every morning..or almost every morning if im lucky..my stomach unleashes what seems to be everything i eat the night before..if i dont eat dinner..i dont go to the bathroom in the morning...but i can not NOT eat dinner..and i've read several posts and people take immodium usually in the evening before they sleep but i dont want to become dependent on it...esp. bc i'm scared that the immodium will work for so long and then a huge explosion will happen..i dont want my system backing upCommuting in the morning is a nightmare..i only live 5 min away from my job..but some mornings are just horrible..i dont know what im going to do though if i have to work somewhere thats a half hour/hour away!


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## 22443

Well first off, how late do you eat? Most people try not to eat past a certain time of night. This seems to help with stomach problems the next morning. Try not eating a huge meal for dinner. Make lunch your big meal, or if you can, avoid big meals completely. Try snacking all day instead.Even for normal people, the morning is a busy time of the day in terms of THAT. I know that for me, taking a shower kind of encourages me to go...so maybe hopping in the shower the second you wake up will get it out of the way, so to speak. I also usually don't eat breakfast until I've been up and moving for an hour or two.


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## 19883

I don't want to discourage you, but my mornings are horrible. They have become so bad, despite all the helpful tips that have worked for other people, that I now skip mornings completely. Instead of fighting my body every single day I decided to work with it and schedule my day to begin after noon. I get about 10 hours of sleep each night and don't wake up before 10:30 am. I then give my body time to wake up and get moving properly. If I don't follow that routine then I am in the bathroom for the entire day. It has really helped me. I actually have several days in a row where I feel normal. I still have my occassional bad days, but overall my life is now functional.


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## Nikki

I'm probably not the best person to answer this question because I probably do everything you are not supposed to do.I'd probably try not eating a huge amount too late in the evening (that normally does it for me!).I don't eat breakfast (very bad) and normally by the time ive got to work, Im starving and its normally ok for me to eat by then. If i try to eat before work, its very bad.Don't drink coffee or smoke cigs when you wake up. Thats a recipe for disaster. My IBS free friends say that too!I do take imodium, although i don't take it every day. You could save it for really bad days. You just need to work out dosage for yourself on that one. It varies. Maybe try taking one in the evening or something and see if it helps- if it doesn't, you could try two or three- you'd find it impossible to OD on it. You'd have to take a truck load and you'd be seriously constipated- jesus, that'd be awful. You can't really get addicted to it either (addicted as in nicotine type addiction).I might be completely wrong, so if you want proper info i'd ask your doc. Nikki x


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## 13647

Jigglypuff-My mornings are horrible as well. I am in college and I've made all my classes later in the day so I wouldnt have to worry too much. I still get up about 2-3 hours before I know i have to leave, otherwise it spells TROUBLE...I take immodium whenever I really need it, otherwise I try to steer clear, because it can constipate me. Good Luck!!Andrea


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## KittyKat12

I feel your frustration. Mornings are definately my worst time of day. I've read different places that it has something to do with going from the resting to up and moving position. One of the things that has worked for me is not to eat too much (or anything) after 8pm if I know I will need to be going out the next morning. Also, I found that it helps to give yourself plenty of time in the morning to let everything work its way out. For me, I know that food will trigger things in the morning. So, I eat right away when I get up for the most part and let nature take its course. If it means waking up a couple hours earlier, it may be worth it.Also, I have found that once I am having problems, a heating pad or warm bath will stop the problem (although it may take a little while)


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## Nikki

I think its more likely that when you are sleeping, your digestive system is, well, kind of sleeping I suppose. So it seems natural that when you wake up that does too. I'm pretty sure that mornings are when its most active.Nikki


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## 20003

I too, suffer in the mornings. I hate it. I used to love mornings!! Now I wake and wait! If I am lucky I will feel better after I have "evacuated". I have 5 children to get ready each morning and I feel like such a crab. I feel like most days I "just make it". I don't each late at night and diet really does not seem to make a difference. After a few hours its like its just over and I know it and I can get on with my life. I guess this isn't much help but at least you know you are not alone which is comforting to me. Peace Lisa


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## 14480

Hello. I'm new here and am amazed to see how many people are experiencing similar issues as me. I've been suffering from IBS-D since I was a child, and the mornings are nightmares for me.The only positive thing I can take from the morning attacks is that they are consistent...every morning I can count on having to run to the bathroom at some point. The problem for me is that I am really not a morning person and don't give myself enough time in the morning to prepare for my attacks. I'm lucky if the rush happens when I'm still at home, but what happens more often is that my boyfriend grabs the bathroom first and of course my rush will hit, and I end up yelling at him through the door to hurry up and get out. Or more embarassing then that is when I'm driving to school or dropping off my boyfriend to school or work and it hits. I start sweating, and freaking out, trying to figure out where the closest bathroom I could stop at is. I'm lucky that my boyfriend is so understanding, but it's still so awful. Eating late, I can't really help not doing it because I work until 10 a lot of nights. What I do try and do, which seems to help, is not eat anything rich or with a lot of sugar in the morning or during other meals because that not only encourages the attacks, but ensures that they will be really bad. I appreciate that this forum is here, and I'm glad to be able to tell my story finally.


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## 14849

Mornings are pure Hell for me. Every single morning I'm sick. This normally lasts until at least 1-2pm in the afternoon. It doesn't matter if I eat one meal or a dozen the night before. I could eat bread and drink water and still be sick for half of the following day.


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## 15320

I know this is an old thread, but I'd just like to emphasize how well drinking peppermint tea after my meals helped get rid of my problem altogether. Just keep drinking the peppermint tea during/after your meals, and after a few days, hopefully you'll feel great! There are long explanations out there on why this sort of tea works, but just know that it really does work for a lot of people.


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## 14849

I heard that peppermint is one of the worst things you can eat/drink when you have IBS....Dunno...


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## 16963

> quote:Originally posted by Flat 4:I heard that peppermint is one of the worst things you can eat/drink when you have IBS....Dunno...


really? A lot of people on here swear by it...I'm still in the "testing" stages. I don't remember to drink it every day and I definitely haven't managed to have it with every meal. But it doesn't seem to hurt anything at all. And when I'm at my boyfriend's house for the weekend, I drink it like I'm addicted to it because I'm trying to minimize the changes of having an awful attack there. I haven't had an attack yet! Granted, I have my meds and my immodium, etc. But if the tea was bad for me, I'm sure it would cause a problem because I drink sooo much of it.


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## 14849

> quote:Originally posted by lynnie:
> 
> 
> 
> quote:Originally posted by Flat 4:I heard that peppermint is one of the worst things you can eat/drink when you have IBS....Dunno...
> 
> 
> 
> really? A lot of people on here swear by it...I'm still in the "testing" stages. I don't remember to drink it every day and I definitely haven't managed to have it with every meal. But it doesn't seem to hurt anything at all. And when I'm at my boyfriend's house for the weekend, I drink it like I'm addicted to it because I'm trying to minimize the changes of having an awful attack there. I haven't had an attack yet! Granted, I have my meds and my immodium, etc. But if the tea was bad for me, I'm sure it would cause a problem because I drink sooo much of it.
Click to expand...

Eh, maybe I'll give it a whirl....


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## Kathleen M.

Peppermint can be bad for people with GERD because it relaxes the smooth muscles and that can allow more acid to reflux into the esophagus when the sphincter at the top of the stomach that is not working well enough to start with relaxes.That same relaxing the smooth muscles can make things much better for some IBSers.K.


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## 14849

> quote:Originally posted by Kathleen M.eppermint can be bad for people with GERD because it relaxes the smooth muscles and that can allow more acid to reflux into the esophagus when the sphincter at the top of the stomach that is not working well enough to start with relaxes.That same relaxing the smooth muscles can make things much better for some IBSers.K.


Ah, maybe I'm getting my wires crossed.







Thanks! No peppermint for me!


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## 21989

I'll give you my routine. Give it a shot and see if it works for you.First off, I stopped eating dinner late. I was eating burgers late at night and that led to multiple trips to teh can in the morning. Last thing you want to do is look down and see lettuce floating around. But I started eating earlier dinners and lighter. Then I make sure to wake up 2 hours before I have to leave in teh morning. I take a shower when I wake up, and eat oatmeal with toast and Minute Maid Low Acide juice about an hour and a half before I have to leave. That way I have plenty of time to sit on teh can 3 or 4 times before I leave.Also, water is key.


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## 16879

Recently (in November), I started taking Rifaximin, a drug that's usually used to treat traveler's diarrhea. What it does is cut down the amount of bacteria produced in your gut, which causes that soggy-gut feeling and gives you bad D in the mornings. While I still feel pain in the mornings and I still have D in the mornings (most of the time), I feel as though the pain is more managable because of the Rifaximin. Pain and the fear of pain in the morning has been the biggest problem with me, but Rifaximin calms it down after a few seconds, so I'm not constantly freaking out. I think there's actually a section of this messageboard or site devoted to Rifaximin.


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