# I need help with a management plan



## WoeIsMe (Jul 21, 2009)

I have had IBS with predominant symptom being D for about 8 years. Now I have two kids and I have just started back to work full time. I am having trouble managing my D. I have been late to work at least twice a week for the past couple of weeks because I can't get out of the house in the morning. Then I am having trouble at work due to the frequent bathroom trips. Here is my story.I don't necessarily have constipation but I can go almost a week without having a bowel movement. Then I will have a couple of good normal movements in one day. Then the next day is disaster city. I feel like my body empties it all out in one day then I don't have the need to go for several days. I work really hard to control my diet. I am trying to eat a gluten reduced diet or a wheat reduced diet at least. I am trying to avoid aspartame and excessive sugars. I have caffeine maybe once a week and alcohol once a month, if that. I am not exactly sure what the best kind of diet for someone with IBS-D should be. I need some more education on the best foods and the proper kind/amount of fibre.I know I get it when I am stressed. However, even an appointment to see the doctor about my IBS problems is enough to stress me out into an episode. I try hard to maintain a low level of stress but could definitely use some new coping techniques in this area.When my sleep is disrupted it definitely gets worse. Sometimes it will get worse immediately within minutes. Sometimes it waits until the morning or later in the day but I can feel it coming on. This is a difficult one to control since I have a one year old and three year old. The three year old has sleep apnea with night terrors that often disrupt my sleep. The one year old is just still young enough that she frequently wakes in the night or is up early around 5am to start the day. Occasionally I have extreme stomach burning and pain that makes me want to vomit (sometimes I do). It is usually relieved by an all out emptying of the bowels. The whole process takes about 2 hours and the only help is sitting in a hot bath. This only happens in the middle of the night though. I have never had one these episodes during the day.I have been back at work full time for 3 weeks. I need to get things under control or it is going to affect my career prospects. I try to talk generally about my problems to key individuals but it still has an impact.I would love for some help in putting together a plan and then of course help sticking to it. I have never used this forum before but I have used forums for other things. I find them wonderful to support you through things that are hard for RL people to support you through.FYI Currently I am not taking any medications. I have had two sigmoidoscopies with biopsies that came back normal. I have also been tested for celiac but it came back negative. My family has a history of crohns and colitis but I am negative for those as well.


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## crstar (Jun 29, 2009)

i know exactly what u r describing...........the thing at night is a disturbance in the adrenal hormones........they have gone wacky.......there is a great book called: adrenal fatigue, the 21st century syndrome, by: james l. wilson...........i know that people here on this forum say fiber is wonderful, but there is another good book called: fiber menace by: knostantin monastyrsky...........it is an eye opener......that one is on the net, he has a website by the same name.........when i first read the website, i was very skeptical about this, given the fact that fiber is pushed everywhere, even by drs...........but he described things & processes that i knew about for a long time & why certain things happen when others go on & it really made sense........it also answered questions i couldn't find an answers to anywhere else.........the stomach pain, nausea, throwing up, i had this thing for about 5yrs, it was so awful.........first, get some sea salt........the good kind is light gray & looks wet......use this on food, table salt is really a poison to ur body........sea salt also has alot of trace elements in it & it helps to make stomach acid.......sea salt & betaine hydrochloride will help u to make more stomach acid.......the burning going on is from too much gastrin being produced.......histamine can b over produced, also.......lots of allergic reactions there...........there is another good book called: stomach acid why u need it & why u can't live without it, by: dr jonathan v. wright.........it has been a godsend to me.......the betaine didn't help me much, my stomach had almost completely stopped making hydrochloric acid (HCl).........i have been taking it in liquid form for 7mos now & i've lost 24lb., the bloating fatness has gone away & i can think & reason again............no pain, nothing.......if i was going to recommend which book to get first, i'd get the stomach acid one first, then the fiber one......altho the adrenal one is so important.........with ur family history, i'd get the fiber one next.......they r not novels & can take alittle time, but they have helped me so much.........the adrenal & stomach acid books u can get from amazon, in like new condition for pretty cheap........there is a post here about linda's calcium carbonate........it was a good thing for a while, i just don't think it's good long term..........but to give u some time to figure things out & go to work, it might do it for u........


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Woe,Welcome! Glad you found us but sorry you had to.I'm wondering how long it has been since you had that testing done. (Things can change...) Also a sigmoidoscope only looks at the sigmoid colon.. the very last stretch of our colons. With a history of Crohns and Colitis... (Crohn's can occur anywhere along the GI tract, just so you know) I'm concerned since you have only had a small part of your GI tract examined. The night episodes are not "typical" for IBS and those symptoms are seen more in IBD's like Crohns, UC etc.. It might be time to have a more thorough exam done by a GI?? Maybe a colonoscopy is in order?The other side of the coin is .... your body may think "Oh it's morning" when you are getting up with one of the kids in the wee hours and all of our colons tend to 'wake up' and be more active in the morning upon waking. So if you are awakened by your kids and not your gut... an IBD may _not_ be of concern. But if your Gut is waking you up, not the kids, when you have that extreme burning that leads to an attack in the middle of the night... ya might want a more thorough rule out of an IBD.Sleep interruption can bring on symptoms for me too. But I understand how hard it is with little ones. If you are a single Mom you may have to just try your best to get through this period. If you aren't a single Mom, perhaps your partner can take care of the kids at night, if there is a problem, for a night or two during the week to give you a break. (My hub who worked M-F days, & would take care of any nighttime kid problems on Friday & Saturday nights so I could be assured of 'normal' sleep for at least those two nights. Believe it or not.. this helped me tremendously.)Here is a site with a wealth of info on Stress Mgmt:http://health.discovery.com/centers/stress/stress.htmlAnd you could also look at using Calcium Carbonate (like Caltrate) to help firm up D. Here is the thread about it:http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/index.php?s...t=0&start=0And Heather's site has a wealth of info about diet:../diet/All the bestBQ


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## WoeIsMe (Jul 21, 2009)

Thank you so much.The info about the stomach acid is interesting. Starting in January of this year I was getting pain in my upper abdomen. It felt like be gas bubbles that you might get when you swallow too much liquid too fast or just before burping. Doctor prescribed Nexium and it seemed to make a difference. I haven't been on it for several months though and I am much better.The night episodes of stomach pain and burning wake me up. They usually occur on their own and are not influenced by other nightwakings. The only thing I definitely know will trigger a night episode is eating salsa. I don't know why but 9 time out of 10 if I eat salsa I will be woken around 2am. Plus, it is always around 2 am for some reason.I must admit I am really confused by fibre. I will look into the book suggested. As you said I keep getting told to eat it but it increases my gas/bloating and often the episodes of D. I was thinking maybe I am eating too much, not enough, not the right kind. I am so clueless as to what is best in this situation.I must admit that the only time I felt almost normal was during my two pregnancies. I wouldn't say it was completely gone but it was way more manageable. Hormones probably aided in relaxing me. My second pregnancy I was anemic and had to take iron supplements. It was bliss as it created normal shaped/consistency bowel movements for me. I haven't been able to recreate the effect while I am not pregnant though.I am married and DH tries to help as much as possible. But unfortunately my son in particular won't have anyone but mom when he has a night terror. We do our best though.Next question: Could please add an extra hour or two to the clock in a day so I can actually take time to read these books thoroughly?


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## Alucard (Jul 22, 2009)

I have had this exact problem in the mornings - I would highly recomment the OTC product J Collis Browne's mixture if you are in the UK. It has an extremely rapid onset.What I do is get up 1/2 an hour early - if my sympotoms were bad I would have a dose of Collis Brownes - this would work very quickly. If my symptoms were not that bad - I took prescribed Codeine which almost acts like a slow release form and will keep me going until night.Some people - myself included find that a larger morning 'loading' dose of Codeine followed up by subsequent doese of a lower level through the day work more effectively that taking say four equal medium doses. - Eg. 60mg AM, 30mg Before lunch, 30mg in the afternoon, then 30mg in the evening.Obviously have a talk with your pharmacist or doctor as opiates can be constipating - howveer on cessation of use, this effect rapidly goes away.Send me a PM if you want any more help / advice on this.


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## crstar (Jun 29, 2009)

the salsa thing, now that's interesting..........before i started taking HCl, ione of the things i tried, many times, is taking cayenne pepper caps......but everytime i did, it would burn 7 cause all sorts of trouble.......i would try it * give it up, cause of the discomfort & stuff........cayenne is one of those things that increase the mucus membrane of the stomach........i'd taken slippery elm & many other things to help my stomach.........i use to throw u regularly........wierd thing was when i was in my 20's, 30, & 40's, i had a cast iron stomach, at least it felt like that to me.........i had other things that make me believe i had candida brewing for a really long time, but it wasn't until my health went to hell in a hand basket, about 8yrs ago, that the exhaustion, insomnia, stomach bloating pressure, nausea, throwing up, & about 6yrs ago, the D became the icing on the cake.......anyway, back to the cayenne.......when i buy something that i think i'm going to need to take for a long time, i try to get the biggest bottle, with the most mg per cap.......so i had the cayenne & kept trying to do what was good for me, like always & not always easy.......the only time i could get even one cap down, was with a good sized meal w/some fat in it.......so i had it here......it ended up in the back of the kitchen cabinet cause it really bothered me........so after i was taking the HCl for a couple of months, i was looking for something in that cabinet & thought, maybe it i'll give it another go.......well, u know what, i think the HCl, helped increase the mucus membrane of my stomach, cause now i can take it with very little food & it doesn't bother me at all..........back to the acid.......there is something about other acids in the body.........many of ur biological activities of the body create acids as a by product.........there acetic acid, carbonic acid & many others.........these r waste acids & ur kidneys & liver r suppose to filter them out..........when u have digestive problems & u don't make enough of ur own stomach acid (HCl is the only inorganic acid naturally made by the body, it is not a waste acid), ur stomach will borrow those waste acids to try to digest ur food........HCl acid is so important & the human body is truly amazing in it's complexity & ability to make due......any way these waste acids r poison to the body, so when ur stomach borrows it from other places, it gets recycled & this puts those poisons back into solution.......this can cause so many heath issues.......HCl helps in this instance, in the way digestion was intended..........so by u getting the stomach acid back up to par, it does alot of really good thing, not to mention helping ur kidneys & liver to detox.........now these acids r not right for the stomach, they r just something to help u digest food, cause no digestion, u eventually slow down 7 expire......it can take a long time & much misery in the meantime......anyway, this is an explanation of why the salsa bothers u......tomatoes, peppers & many other things in the salsa r acidic in nature........they r not a substitution for HCl, they r somewhat like those waste acids & those waste acids in the stomach make us feel so bad........many people take vinegar to help digestion........it is an acid......one of those waste acids i mentioned was acetic acid, this is vinegar........well, when u r really deficient in HCl, any acid will do.......so for some it does help.......but for the serious ones, like myself, it only went so far & then it started making me really sick & gave me pain, eventually i started to gag trying to take it, at which point i spent alot of time try to figure out why vinegar helped others & me for only a couple of weeks........it wasn't until after i found the literate on HCl, that i understood what had happened........the thing is, the longer this condition goes on, the worse things get.....sometime u get things that seem as if they have no relation to ur digestion..........here's one thing that i discovered.........one of those waste acids is uric acid......when ur body can't get rid of it, it can't handle a build up of wastes & stores them in any place it can.......uric acid is what settles in ur joints & is called gout.......most people think of this as only effecting ur feet.........well, this can happen in any joint of the body & especially in any injured joint, ligament or tendon.........i've had a few injuries in my life, i'm 57, & pulled muscles & ligaments........well, during the worst of my stuff, my knees, ankles & shoulders were painful & getting worse.......i thought it was arthritis........it sure felt like it, but when everything is going to hell, aching joints r not a priority.........after taking the HCl for a couple of month, my joints seemed to get worse for a while........they got red, inflamed & swollen..........i have homeopathic stuff & used it........i did not know at the time that the HCl had anything to do with this........but i would get these flare ups for a couple of days & then it would settle down........everytime i had a flare up, it would b of shorter duration........i have places that had gotten places on my knees that were just rounded where they shouldn't b rounded (this stuff i'd had going on for 15yrs or more) & the places on my knees especially, that were rounded, got smaller each time.....when i did more research, i realized the HCl was getting rid of waste acids that had settled in my knees.........i was in a motorcycle accident a number of yrs ago & tore up my rt shoulder & broke my collar bone in 2 places.......i had a number of flare ups in the exact areas where those injuries had been, then they went away completely.........i was pleased........there is many other things that happened to me, because of the HCl.........it increases oxygen to every part of the body, increases detoxing of many things that make us sick, it marshals the white blood cells to get rid of things that should not b in our body & destroys things in the stomach that have no business in our bodies........it kills parasites, too........the uses the body puts HCl is in medical texts going back more than a 100yrs, & they know that, i think it was during a plague of some kind, that the few who managed to live, while others died, had a good acid level in their stomachs..........if u decide to c if the betaine hydrochloride will help u, take a small amount of potassium with it........HCl is a powerful electrolyte & potassium is a weak one, but they work together really well.........i even read an article that said HCl was the ultimate antioxidant.........course they were trying to sell a product, which i can't say i was impressed with, but some of the info was really interesting.........an antioxidant lends an electron to something that needs one, there by stopping it from becoming a free radical..........it's been a long time since i studied this stuff, but that thing about being an antioxidant wouldn't surprise me at all.........it is truly amazing stuff........the first time i took it, i was reading the 1st article i read about it........i was about 1/3rd through.........it is a medical article written by a dr back in the 30's, so it was slow going, besides, at this time i was in bad shape........technical stuff was so hard to read, my brain was not working very well, i felt like an idiot all the time.........anyway, here i am, 1/3rd into it, it took me a couple of days to get to this part, cause of my brain grogginess.........i had it in the house, have for 30yrs, it's great for cold sores........anyway, i decide to go take some........it's on an empty stomach to boot, so i am worried.........so i take about 8oz of water with just a few drops in capsule.........i go back to the computer to continue........about 20mins later i realize that my stomach doesn't hurt or feel bloated for the first time in yrs & i am reading w/o having to go over things so many times, cause i can't remember what i just read......this is how it was for me, then...........(i even looked into alzheimers when it all started)........i couldn't believe it...so i kept reading & a few hrs later, my stomach started up again & i took a few more drops, it stopped it, again.........for the next coupke of weeks, before seeing my dr, i only took it with food.........it made so much difference......i went thru so many detoxing things & when people say detoxing, i really didn't have a clue as to how bad it could get......thank god they didn't last long, but for the hrs or days it went on, like waves, it was bad..........i was in such bad shape back then.........in any case, i wanted to explain why the salsa caused u trouble, when it's suppose to b such a good healthy thing to eat, especially if u make it fresh......but when things r bad, nothing seems to work right........hope things get better..........i'm sorry, i can't add anymore hrs to the day.........what i would suggest, is get the book, or books & look up something particular to u & read that section..........i have done this in the past & it's one way to get some info about things.......having young kids can b exhausting all by themselves........i thank the stars that my kids r grown..... hurray!!!!............those yrs were tough, my husband never got up with the kids.........my girls have husbands that help in everything & that is so nice............if there r any typo's , i'm sorry.......i'm too tired to do a spell check............


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## WoeIsMe (Jul 21, 2009)

Interesting devlopment today. Last week I had Xrays done of my back for another problem. The xrays showed a kidney stone. I am now pulling together a bunch of my experiences over the past 8 years and going back to the doctor. In doing some reading IBDs are contributing factors of kidney stones. After my reading I think I may have had them before and not known it. It would almost be a relief to be diagnosed with an IBD as then I would have something concrete to work with and experiences from my family to build on. I hate the words IBS as they just seem like a dumping ground for we don't know what is wrong with you.


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Yikes... Yeah Woe, I'd kinda insist they do a serious rule out of IBD. And in a way I can understand why you would feel better with an IBD diagnosis. But make a pest of yourself... if you have to.. get IBD ruled in or _definitively_ ruled out.I wish you all the best and hope you are feeling better real soon.BQ


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## Glenda (Aug 15, 2000)

../shop/books/eatingforibs.aspThis is a book about "Eating for IBS" by Heather Van Vorous.I recommened to "CherryPie" that she buy a Nutrition Book for IBS'ers and this book has Excellent information and recipies etc etc.Check it out , it might help.


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## WoeIsMe (Jul 21, 2009)

Quick update. I have been to the doctor. They don't know specifically where the kidney stone is located, so I have to go for some more ultrasounds. Once that is determined they will develop an action plan for the kidney stone. It is 5mm. Not huge but on the borderline as to whether it could pass on its own or would need intervention.Good news is I didn't even have to ask my doctor about looking further into a potential IBD. He has only been my doctor for just under a year. I keep having family doctors that quit practicing so my care with regards to the IBS has been a little sketchy. As soon as he saw the results regarding the kidney stone he immediately said I need a full on colonoscopy if not more. Plus, I discussed some other symptoms I have been having. He wants to rule out gall stones as well. I don't know whether to be happy or sad. He definitely feels there is something more going on than just normal IBS. He actually seemed excited about working on this puzzle. It was kind of like watching an episode of "House". LOL He has sent a referral to a new GI specialist for me. She is a younger woman that I have heard great things about from my SIL who has UC. I can't wait to talk to someone who will actually listen to me. At least we will rule things out or in definitively. Then I can move on to finding a way to live with things. As it is my doctor has decided I can't continue living like this, so he seems on board. Let's hope it stays that way.


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## M&M (Jan 20, 2002)

Sounds like a great place to start! Hope they do find something to treat.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Hope they figure things out one way or the other and find something that works for you.


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## shyanna von banana (Jun 4, 2009)

when your constipate have you tried making a pbj. I make it out of almond butter(one side) and peanut butter on the other side...I then put organic raspberry spread on top. I learn tht if I eat it a little bit before i go to bed the next morning i have a much easier time having a bowel movement. Plus the first thing i do when i get up is drink something with some sugar in it or just water. For some reason the sugar works better.When i feel like my stomach isnt settle i eat brown rice cakes as snacks and i watch my posture. I love to sit hunch over but if i do it aggravates my tract.


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## WoeIsMe (Jul 21, 2009)

Can''t say that I have ever really experienced constipation. The only time it might rear up is when I have had to take an immodium in emergency situations. I try really hard not to take it as it just causes worse grief 4-7 days later. But usually I can prepare better that way. I seriously just empty out during an attack and then it takes a few days for things to start processing through again. An attack will usually last 2-3 hours with trips to the bathroom every 10-15 minutes (usually I just don't leave). I only know when I am finished when things hit a purely liquid stage. Then the end is in sight.


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## WoeIsMe (Jul 21, 2009)

More news. The ultrasound for the kidney stone has revealed I also have gall stones. I will have to have surgery to have the gall bladder removed. Good news is I have an appointment with the GI specialist on October 5, so just over a month away. I am actually excited to see a doctor for once.On another note...How do I see replies to topics I have posted in? I don't like getting emails clogging my email inbox. I would rather just come and click on something that says "new replies to posts". Is there a way to do that?


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## M&M (Jan 20, 2002)

To see new replies:There is a link close to the top of the page that says "View New Posts". Clicking on that will show you the new posts since your last visit. In case you can't find it at the top of the page, here it is: View New PostsPS - Hope all goes well with your gall bladder surgery. Some folks can have problems with D after having their gall bladder removed, so maybe something to talk to your doctor about while you're preparing for the surgery.


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## bride2be (Jul 31, 2009)

WoeIsMe said:


> FYI Currently I am not taking any medications. I have had two sigmoidoscopies with biopsies that came back normal. I have also been tested for celiac but it came back negative. My family has a history of crohns and colitis but I am negative for those as well.


Just out of curiosity, have you thought of having a full colonoscopy with small bowel biopsies, maybe an endoscopy also? Since you have a family history of IBD maybe you would want to think of having your small bowel biopsied and looked at as well. A sigmoidoscopy only looks at the end of your colon and it may miss something that is in your small bowel.This caught my eye because I've had IBSD for four years, I had a colonoscopy and everything looked fine, then a sigmoidoscopy and endoscopy with biopsies, and a specialist recommended another full colonoscopy so he could get biopsies of my small intestine too. They will be testing that for celiac and IBD this week. I wish they would have just biopsied the whole entire length of my digestive tract 4 years ago, silly doctors.Anyway, I hope you find some answers and some treatments that work for you!! Hang in there


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## WoeIsMe (Jul 21, 2009)

I will be talking with the GI specialist in a couple of weeks regarding all the scopes they will want done. My GP wants the colonoscopy done for sure. Given the gall stones I am sure there will likely be an endoscopy as well to look at the upper part of the digestive tract. It seems my case has caught the doctor's attention. It is usually a wait of 6-8 months to see a specialist. The fact that they will be getting me in within 6 weeks says something to me. I guess I will wait to see what is decided.I am going for a HIDA scan in two weeks. I am not sure what that is. I will have to google it.


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## overitnow (Nov 25, 2001)

The gall bladder problem brings up another possibility. Have ou looked at the Habba Syndrome thread? This, caused by a malfunctioning gall bladder, can mimic IBS-D. Just one more thing your doctor might want to keep in mind.http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=97451Mark


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## WoeIsMe (Jul 21, 2009)

Another updateI had a visit with the GI specialist. Within the first 15 minutes of talking to her she has told me that I have IBS. Discouraging to say the least. However, she has scheduled me for a colonoscopy in two weeks to rule out anything else. She wasn't at all interested in the gall bladder situation. She said that was for the surgeon to manage. Confused me a little as I thought GIs also dealt with the gall bladder.I saw the surgeon yesterday. I had a HIDA scan done a couple of weeks ago, which measures how well the gall bladder is functioning. Despite the gall stone my gall bladder is functioning normally. So we can rule out Habber Syndrome. He still feels I am a candidate for gall bladder removal but has not made a decision until I have a follow up small bowel follow through scan done. His initial diagnosis is Crohns. So we have two different doctors seeing the same test results and coming up with two different diagnosis.So I will continue with all the tests and go from there. No definitive diagnosis for anything yet. Apparently I am having text book gall bladder attacks though that are getting worse by the day. If nothing else I can't wait to have that part of things taken care of. I am used to working around the D everyday. I just don't have time to work around gall bladder attacks as well.Things are definitely wearing on me though. I am so exhausted. I have lost a bit of weight but I don't know if it is stress, exhaustion or illness related. I know I haven't been eating as much in order to avoid the gall bladder attacks but we will see.I will keep you posted. I appreciate a venue to lay it all out.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

It was interesting listening today to one of the doctors who does some of the medical stuff for the show House. http://wunc.org/tsot/archive/the-art-of-diagnosis/view is a link to the radio interview I heard today.I know how much we want to get test results and some how they seem to mean more she was saying that really 80-90% of the time the diagnosis can really be made from just talking to the patient. The tests are mostly to confirm what the doctor already knows and catch the times when you can't tell for sure what is going on from symptoms (like chest pain for heart attacks, a lot of things can cause the same chest pain so usually they need to do the test to be sure it was the heart, not something else, like GERD causing the pain, you don't want to rush into open heart surgery if all someone needs is a good dose of antacids.).For example even if the GB seems to be functioning OK during the test, if you are having frequent classic gall bladder attacks that may mean it may be better to get it out and over with.And yep there is a lot of the times two doctors will not agree on what they think it is, so it is worth getting the tests to get it cleared up.


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## WoeIsMe (Jul 21, 2009)

I have come to the conclusion that I don't really care what the final diagnosis ends up being. All I really want is more support to help me manage things than I have in the past. The test results will help rule some things out, which will be nice since I don't think I have ever been investigated properly given my family history of IBDs. Then when all is said and done I will go forward with a little more knowledge than I have had in the past. At least I feel like I am finally being taken seriously. Or at least I feel like there are some doctors on my side. I haven't felt that in years. It is just too bad that it has gotten to this point. Looking back I think I have had gall bladder attacks since the beginning when my IBS started. Not as frequent as now but definitely there.I will just have to patiently wait it out.


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## WoeIsMe (Jul 21, 2009)

Has the colonoscopy yesterday. It has all come back normal. Although they did take several biopsies to rule out microscopic colitis as well. Anyone have any information on this? This was new to me. The GI is still diagnosing me with IBS-D. She has said to do a trial of TuZen probiotic. Anyone have any experience with this?I have a small bowel follow through next week and then it will be back to the surgeon and the GI specialist for a follow up on the gall bladder issue.One thing that has stuck in my mind is that with all the bowel emptying for the preparation of the colonoscopy I was still emptying 30 minutes before the procedure. Even though I took the last dose of the medication at 7pm the night before. The procedure was at 10am. The notes from the procedure say that there was residual clear liquid in the bowels after the bowel prep. How do they know that that is due just to the bowel prep and that is not what is happening to me every day? If that is what happens all the time then I can understand why my stools are always so loose and watery. Anyway just a thought that came through my head.I will keep you updated and appreciate any insight you may have to share.


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

> Although they did take several biopsies to rule out microscopic colitis as well. Anyone have any information on this? This was new to me.


It is fairly standard to take biopsies during a colonoscopy. And with those.. one of the things they can rule out is microscopic colitis. That would be more in the IBD family of illnesses rather than IBS.Here is some info:http://www.mayoclinic.org/microscopic-colitis/When I had my colonoscopy I had the same issue with the prep. I was actually still going after I arrived at the hospital for the procedure. And I only ingested half the prep.The left over fluid in your colon??? Probably just from the prep. Don't forget you were ONLY ingesting fluids there for quite awhile. But ask your Dr if it concerns you.All the bestBQ


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## WoeIsMe (Jul 21, 2009)

Last test done today. At least I hope it is the last test. I don't think my boss is going to be very happy if I have to take any more time off work. I had a small bowel follow through done today. I think I had this done several years ago but nothing came of it. Although this time was a little different. I seemed to get extra photos done today and a doctor actually came in to check things out instead of just a technician. They told me it would take 2-3 hours but I was in and out in under an hour. This included the 15 minutes it took me to injest the barium (gag). Then the 20 minutes I waited until they took the first picture. At this point the doctor said he didn't immediately see anything other than things move through my system extremely fast. I could have told him that. LOL Don't know what it means though. Any thoughts?Now that all the testing is done I will start to take some things to help manage the symptoms. I didn't want to mess up any of the test results. So I will have a look at the calcium protocol (despite my doctor's laughter at the suggestion) and the Tu Zen probiotic the doc has suggested.


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## WoeIsMe (Jul 21, 2009)

I now have all my test results back. Everything from the colonscopy and the small bowel follow through came back normal. The only thing they can tell me is that I have rapid transit through my system. I could have told them that without all the fancy tests.One thing that was noted on my colonoscopy is that my colon walls shows signs of "tatooing". I am sure there was a fancy medical term but that is all I heard. She asked if I abused laxatives, (ya right) or took chinese herbal medicines. I guess that can cause tatooing but in the GIs opinion it would have nothing to do with the D.They have determined that I will definitely need my gall bladder removed. The surgeon thinks it will fix everything, the GP thinks it is a toss up and the GI thinks it will make things worse.For now I am being put on TuZen, which seemed to work fantastically for the first 2 weeks. I have never been so regular. But now it has worn off, other than minimizing the amount of gas in the morning. I am also taking amitryptiline (sp?). Anyone have any thoughts or experience to share about this and its affects on IBS? When I was in my teens I took it for migraine prevention but that was long before IBS symptoms. And the dose I took then is much smaller than the one I will work up to now. I am supposed to work my way up to 50mg per day.I cannot do the calcium regimen suggested by Linda. It is strictly forbidden by my GP due to my kidney stone. The most I can take in extra calcium a day would be a Tums tablet.The other suggestion the GI specialist had was to take Pepto Bismal tablets daily as preventative measures (they would never work if I was having an attack). Any thoughts on the Pepto idea?


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

> The other suggestion the GI specialist had was to take Pepto Bismal tablets daily as preventative measures (they would never work if I was having an attack). Any thoughts on the Pepto idea?


All one can do is try... so.. why not give it a shot?


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## WoeIsMe (Jul 21, 2009)

Do you know of anyone who has tried Pepto daily? I asked about dosage but the Gi just said to follow the directions on the bottle. Well, obviously that would be for attack situations (for a normal person's attack). I was just wondering what the dosage might be for a daily maintenance situation.


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

I don't know really.. Ya know what?? Do a search here in this forum or in the Gen Discussion Forum for "Pepto Bismol" or Pink Bismuth and see if you can find some more info. Because 'following the directions' on the bottle is not ALL that helpful for "prevention" which is what he told you to try it for right?? (oy! Don't Doc's just drive ya nuts sometimes???)


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