# Constant diarrhea for over 20 years/don't go out much



## Garyizzle (Sep 6, 2011)

Hi everyone,I have suffered with pretty bad constant diarrhea for ever since i can remember really.But now things have got so bad that i really do not leave the house much.I have been ill with depression and agoraphobia over the last 8years and now I really must get my life back!So I am not any tablets at the moment and hope to force myself to an evening part time college course.I have tried lots of medicines like codeine phosphate,Alverine citrate,buscopan,imodium,colofac ect.None of the above made any change at all.I have had blood tests come back all clear from the usual tests ass.It is the same regardless of what i eat,can get worse with fizzy and hot spices but i have tried dietry change.I have allways been skinny and am losing further weight and genrally feel very run down and am getting very depressed and have no confidance.What should i be eating thats easy to do?Any help would be greatly apreciated,Sorry for the bad grammar and spelling


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## overitnow (Nov 25, 2001)

I am so sad to hear how bad it has been for you. I dealt with the same problem for 10 years and was getting to a suicidal state of mind at that point. While my bowels are still affected by this, I have been fortunate to find a flavonoid supplement that seems to address what is likely to be a low level of inflammation I created with some 30 years of smoking. This has allowed me to live a normal life since the end of 1999. Since I never used anti-diarrheals at the time, I don't know how my experience would stack up with yours; but I can certainly say that trying to eliminate triggers, once I finally quit smoking, was never enough. Lowering the inflammatory response has been the key to my survival.Mark


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## Trudyg (Aug 16, 2002)

First, start on calcium--it binds with fats in the gut and passes them on out (like soap scum in the bathtub binds calcium in the water with fats in the soap). Next, eat the easy foods--baked potatoes, well-cooked vegetables, lean meat. I also stay away from sweets, some of the touch me off, esp the fruit sugars and even honey; also I don't drink sweet juices b/c of that. Third, mind your nutrition. You probably don't absorb much as it passes thru so quickly. Any supplement that serves to reduce inflammation (cinnamon, ginger, omega 3's) will help. Supplements include herbs, btw, so don't overlook chamomile & peppermint teas. I have added raw vinegar (drink 1tsp in a glass of water w/ meals) to get some enzymes, I also take brewer's yeast for the vitamins. Easily tolerated for me and I feel much better. Do some research as to what builds your immunity. Herbs are great, they do so many things for the little you have to ingest. If fiber bothers you, don't take it. I only eat fiber in the forms that get gelatinous when they cook, think lima beans. Gas means you aren't digesting something very well, I don't take an anti-gas agent, rather I try to learn why I'm not digesting it. That's how I learned about the sugar. (lactose intolerance?) Learn as much as you can, try what sounds good. You already have a clue.


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Gary please get a proper diagnosis. If none of the anti-diarrheal medicines have made ANY difference... you could be having something other than IBS. Weightloss isn't typical of IBS either. I urge you to see a Dr. & get a proper diagnosis.


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## Garyizzle (Sep 6, 2011)

Thank you for the posts i will read all again and look into them more.I have had allot of doctors visits and hospital gastro visits with being told i may have to learn to live with it as they cannot find anything wrong.I am awaiting a cameraoscopy which could be a while yet.They are also monitoring me at the hospital gastro and i am back there the end of November!I have got calcium but i am so down lately i had really given up.I know i must stay strong and there are people worse off.I will keep this thread updated in case there is anyone else it may help.I feel the weight loss is due to everything passing through within hours


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## Garyizzle (Sep 6, 2011)

everyone,i have tried clicking the positive feedback thingy but it says i have reached my daily actions.I will try again tomorrow,thanks again Gaz.where is the best place to find exactly what i need to eat for diarrhea?I see the info above and I just get depressed at how boring my diet will be.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Generally for diarrhea for some people a low carb diet can help (so cooked veggies and lean meats being most of the diet, but check something like The South Beach Diet Books as that kind of meal can be pretty tasty when done right)The other diet I would look at is the low fodmap diet and Common Response's thread has a nice printable description of that.Unfortunately there isn't a one size fits all for diarrhea.As well as Calcium some people find the bile binding agents used to lower cholesterol (Questran in the US, not sure what the name is in the UK) can be something that works well that maybe your doctor would be willing to let you try as they usually are prescription.


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## Trudyg (Aug 16, 2002)

I don't know about anyone else, but I would rather eat rice and baked chicken every day for the rest of my life than be stuck in the house the rest of my life. Ya gotta pick your poison! Also, just my opinion, but I think that we have some sort of reaction to food and, if we could figure out the mechanism then we could mend it. Like, probably we have inflammation in our digestive tract; so how do you correct that? Just like an inflamed arthritic shoulder--rest, proper applications of Heat/cold (foods, supplements, etc). See what I mean? Not cure it, just make it as good as it can be for me. Gotta find out what the key is. Super sleuths, everyone of us.


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

> I don't know about anyone else, but I would rather eat rice and baked chicken every day for the rest of my life than be stuck in the house the rest of my life. Ya gotta pick your poison!


To a certain extent Trudy I agree... sometimes I have to eat stuff that isn't a favorite so I can leave the house. Not ALL the time.. but SOMEtimes this is necessary for many of us. And I will tell you also that I lost my appetite for certain foods that I can't tolerate because of the way they make me feel.


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## Garyizzle (Sep 6, 2011)

Trudyg said:


> I don't know about anyone else, but I would rather eat rice and baked chicken every day for the rest of my life than be stuck in the house the rest of my life. Ya gotta pick your poison! Also, just my opinion, but I think that we have some sort of reaction to food and, if we could figure out the mechanism then we could mend it. Like, probably we have inflammation in our digestive tract; so how do you correct that? Just like an inflamed arthritic shoulder--rest, proper applications of Heat/cold (foods, supplements, etc). See what I mean? Not cure it, just make it as good as it can be for me. Gotta find out what the key is. Super sleuths, everyone of us.


In theory that is the answer!.....I apreciate how black and white this seems and how I am stupid I am for not changing my diet fully.I havn't been eating regually for long after depression and the thought of eating rice and chicken every day would just not be possible.I do not eat curry often at all as this seems to be a trigger food for me but I have had spells of eating safe foods with no change.I also have now cut out caffeine.I wish i could just eat the same thing for a while to see but at this moment in time my depression gets worse very quickly.Thanks for the input though,I am trying.I dont have fizzy drinks and drink bottled water now aswell.


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## jmc09 (Oct 5, 2009)

What dose of codeine phosphate did you take?I take 2 30mg tablets three times a day and this is quite a high dose for most people and its a go to drug for me when nothing else works.Ive got to say that when codeine wasnt working for me,20+ tablets a day,it turned out i had colitis rather than IBS,has that been ruled out?I would get checked for other things as well by your GI doctor.


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## Garyizzle (Sep 6, 2011)

15mg x 3 a day but i felt very tired so i couldn't go higher.I can't remember if they have ruled colitis out but they checked for everything they can in bloods.I am back to GI next available app.Nov the 20 something and awaiting cameraosocpy


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## Trudyg (Aug 16, 2002)

Have you done a search on natural remedies for depression? Maybe there is something you can do besides medication. I am constantly amazed at how many herbs and spices do so much good for our systems and how multifunctional they are. I don't think depression is a normal condition or that taking drugs is so great, so if I can balance my system naturally why wouldn't I do that? (No, I'm not vegetarian or a health nut, I just want to be healthy)


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## BlueBerry Hill (Jul 19, 2009)

Sorry about the terrible time you are experiencing. That is awful! I can relate to a degree as it sounds similar to what my symptoms were like for around 20 years. As someone mentioned earlier, I was one of those that was helped with eating a low carb/paleo diet. It took around a month of eating this way, but eventually my gut began behaving calmer. I can almost get out and do what ever I want at this point. Still lack in energy, and can have an occasional upset stomach, but I'm working on that. Figure I have an allergy with a food. What also helped me also was taking the supplements 6000ius of D3 a day for a testing value between 60 to 70ng/ml, along with around 2000mgs of EPA/DHA from fish oil. Good luck! Hope you find some relief soon, and get your life back! A sight I learned about low carb eating along with how to take D3 and fish oil correctly was this cardiologist's blog. http://www.trackyourplaque.com/blog/


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