# Who Else Has IBS-D This Bad?



## kellysmom (Jul 8, 2007)

I have had diarrhea in the past from my IBS, but it always clears up in a couple of days. I have never experienced anything like this before. Last Monday, after four days on it, I stopped taking amoxicillin b/c of diarrhea at my doctor's advising. I have had near constant D ever since. It is worst in the mornings or after I eat something, of course. Imodium helps, but makes me feel bloated and nauseated. I have been on a bland diet since last week. Yesterday I went to my GI doc and he tested me for C Diff (no results for 48 hrs.) and said most likely my IBS has kicked into high gear. He told me to lay off the Imodium and to start taking three Bentyl per day before meals. I took one this morning and all it did was make me sleepy. I saw my family doc this morning, and he said to give my colon a rest and to only eat clear liquids for the next two days. Oh, and he ordered another round of C Diff tests (it will be my third). So does anyone else experience this much tummy trouble?


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## overitnow (Nov 25, 2001)

Before I found a treatment for it I was 6-8 times a day, every day--and that lasted for 10 years. It was worst after breakfast with more after lunch and sometimes again in the late afternoon on the dogwalk. (Dinner almost never seemed to affect me right away.) So I don't know how that compares with what you are going through, and it is important to know that there were no prescriptions or anti-diarrheals used in my case. (And I still remain drug free to this day.)Best of luck getting to the root of this.Mark


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Yeah that pretty much describes what I experienced for years during regualr flare ups. When I had C-Diff it was worse.. pure liquid D nearly all day long.... no matter if I was on clear fluids only or not.Sometimes resorting to a liquid diet helps.  Lets the insides calm down a bit. But I think you should probably get yourself some Align (or other good probiotic) to build back a good gut bacterial balance that may have been pushed outta whack by the amoxicillin.


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## kellysmom (Jul 8, 2007)

Thanks for the advice. I am taking probiotics right now-strong ones. They don't seem to be helping. I have gone six times today and it is only 5 p.m. I had two slices of toast earlier and right after eating it had the cramps and had to run to the toilet. I had broth and a hard boiled egg for dinner along with ginger ale. After dinner I went again. I'd give anything to have normal bowel movements again.Candace


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Well none of this stuff "probiotics" and even the antibiotics to fix C-Diff work quickly. When I had C-Diff (and I am not saying that this is what you have.. not at all.. you have to wait to hear from your Dr.) but when I had it and they gave me the antibiotics (a different type & class than amoxicillin) it took 7-9 days to _b-e-g-i-n_.. _begin_.. working. Also...To give you an idea... I would have had 6 totally watery BM's before 10 am when I had C-Diff. But that was me.. but when we are talking about balancing out gut flora... it just is not a "fast" process.So it is early days to tell if the probiotic is working or not. Also.. some probiotics work better than others with different people. But it could take quite awhile for a probiotics to work. So I know it is hard but try to maintain some patience.


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## PD85 (Aug 19, 2010)

Probably the best probiotic for C.Diff is Saccharomyces Boulardii, also known as S. Boulardii. See if your probiotic has it in there. The good news is it's also been shown to be effective for IBS-D in general. I know they have it at Vitamin Shoppe if you wanted to get some immediately and not have to order online.


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## tomtom28 (Mar 18, 2011)

PD85 is right!! its amazing even better with spirulina algae. Sounds like you have classic antibiotic caused diarreha hope it gets better soon!!


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## kay7777 (Mar 19, 2011)

kellysmom said:


> I have had diarrhea in the past from my IBS, but it always clears up in a couple of days. I have never experienced anything like this before. Last Monday, after four days on it, I stopped taking amoxicillin b/c of diarrhea at my doctor's advising. I have had near constant D ever since. It is worst in the mornings or after I eat something, of course. Imodium helps, but makes me feel bloated and nauseated. I have been on a bland diet since last week. Yesterday I went to my GI doc and he tested me for C Diff (no results for 48 hrs.) and said most likely my IBS has kicked into high gear. He told me to lay off the Imodium and to start taking three Bentyl per day before meals. I took one this morning and all it did was make me sleepy. I saw my family doc this morning, and he said to give my colon a rest and to only eat clear liquids for the next two days. Oh, and he ordered another round of C Diff tests (it will be my third). So does anyone else experience this much tummy trouble?


hi,i have had ibs for 2 years. usually 1 or 2 bentyl would clear it up. my symtoms now are what you described as high gear. i have been taking bentyl 2 times a day as well as dicetel 3 times day and it does not make a difference. i see my doctor next week. What are 'c diff tests? i have lost 20 pounds and i am getting worried. Did you lose weight and is your bowel movements just like water. oh my god if you had asked me 2 years ago if iwould be asking someone on the net about their bowel movements, i would have thought it crazy. i am 48 and i don't know alot about ibs. Could you share what tests are usually run etc. Kathy, canada


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

C-Diff is diagnosed via stool sample analysis usually.Bentyl is only an antispasmodic. Have you taken any anti-diarrheals like imodium??


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## kellysmom (Jul 8, 2007)

BQ,Thanks for the reply. I was taking three Imodium a day until last week when I saw my GI doc and he said to stop taking it (I think he's got something against Imodium and Lomotil.) He put me on Bentyl (anti-spasmodic) instead. To tell you the truth, I felt terrible when I was taking the Imodium. I felt so bloated and I had no appetite and felt nauseated. My GI doc said it was because of the Imodium. So I'm down to one Imodium a day in the morning with breakfast. It seems to help a little. Mornings are the worst unless I take a Lomotil before going to bed. In the morning, I go 1-6 times. It's so hard to make morning appointments because I never know how bad I'll be. Some days it's just water (sorry, TMI).I have started trying to eat dairy and gluten-free. Something seems to be helping a little. I just don't know how I'm going to be able to feed my family a gluten-free diet if it does turn out I have celiac. I would have to make separate meals for myself. And forget going out to eat!When I do eat, I get filled up right away (I guess that's part of the IBS?) I just had an upper endoscopy last May and it was fine, although no biopsies were done. I had a colonoscopy two years ago that was normal. I have heard back from the second C Diff test and it was negative. I have not heard back about the third one yet (these were all done on separate stool samples on separate days, so should the results be accurate if it's negative?)Candace


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Sorry Candace I was asking Kay7777 those l;ast questions. But on your response here I will add....Yes imodium CAN cause that extra cramping that is why I urge people to use an anti-gas product WITH imodium.Well there are many more gluten free products available now and I have seen some restaurants that cater to that as well. Just may have to look/call around a bit.The filling up right away thing may just be because you are not eating alot at a time.. which is probably best with such bad D. And let's face it you are at least flaring... and that feeling may go away in time.I don't know if you can trust the results on the 3rd... You might want to ask the Dr for a round of Flagyl anyway to see if it helps. Mind you when I had C-Diff it took being on the Flagyl a good 7-9 days to get the D to slow down. But eventually it calmed down.


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## Andy1 (Mar 18, 2011)

Mine tends to be really bad of a morning, normally 3/4 times within a hour of trying to get the train to work. I was put on amitriptyline but I have found it to be ineffective.The only way I have found of stopping it is Imodium but for some reason I doesn't work of a morning. I am currently reviewing my diet and lack of exercise in order to try to see if this fixes the bad D.


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## Jenn123 (Mar 22, 2011)

I had a similar experience, my IBS always cleared up in a few days, but then I had almost a full month of problems. Everything I ate made me sick, and I was losing weight. After a lot of internet searching I found a reference to the BRAT diet. (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) over time, the bananas and rice were particularly effective for me. But I overdid it a little and ended up with hemorrhoids (sorry if that is TMI!). That nearly scared me half to death, and prompted my doctor to run all the tests to make sure it was IBS and nothing else, which it was. This is by far the worst flare up I've ever had, so I've had to re-evaluate my sleeping habits, diet, and exercise routine (which had virtually disappeared recently, and probably contributed to the problem.) I've given up all drinks except for water and herbal teas. (I highly recommend peppermint tea, I was skeptical but I have seen a difference.) Also, jello worked well for me on the worst days.Hope you get it worked out! I thought I wouldnever get back to normal, but I am much better now.


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