New member

Hey there and welcome!  As always (you'll find out) I have some questions for you that might help us offer you some advice.  Bear with me here!  If I sound like I'm grilling you...I am (forgive me, I'm pre-med and, in the past year, have become all too knowledgeable about bowel disorders and diagnostic testing!).

What kind of doctor have you been seeing for this problem?  Have they run any tests whatsoever on you?  How long have you been experiencing the constipation (C) and diarrhea (D)?  How severe are your symptoms (i.e. do they prevent you from any normal daily activities, or wake you from sleep)?  Did they come on suddenly or gradually?  Do you have any other symptoms, like abdominal pain, gaseousness, bloating, fevers, or bloody stools?  Can I ask how old you are?  Any family history of inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, or any other significant health problems?

It does sound like you have classic IBS symptoms from what you wrote.  For your alternating D and C, I don't think Imodium would be your best bet, at least not long-term...only for those days you can't get off the toilet and need to be somewhere!  One of our members, dbab, can attest to this; as I recall, years of Imodium therapy didn't end up being a good idea in her case.  Have you tried fiber therapy with an over-the-counter powder or pill like Citrucel or Metamucil?  This can help both D and C.  If you have abdominal pain, there are anti-spasmodic medications like hyoscyamine and dicyclomine that can help minimize stomach contractions.

Welcome to the site, and I hope we can be of help to you.

I suggest Pepto Bismol pills for diarrhea (provided you're not allergic to asprin). I used to alternate between D and C because my bad gall bladder gave me D and then the Immodiums I took to stop that gave me severe C the next day. The Pepto, I found, worked pretty well to relieve the D and didn't give me C the next day. They will turn your stool black, but that it's a harmless side affect.

You definitely sound like you have the classic symptoms of IBS. Knowing what to avoid and weighing out if the pain is worth it is up to you. I brought this up the other day that I do cheat occasionally and I KNOW that I will pay for it and in this case you do take the good with the bad.

Diverticulosis is a condition where you have "pockets" that protrude on the outside wall of your colon. The most common area of your colon affected is the sigmoid. It is becoming more and more common in younger people (I was dx'd in my mid-twenties, I am now thirty) as this used to be known as an older person disease however with the poor diet in developed countries such as the United States, fiber consumption is poor. In my case, the added pressure from blocking myself up with the Imodium is what my doctor believes is what caused this for me. If these pockets get inflammed or infected by waste, it is called diverticulitis which can be serious if not treated. I have had two cases of diverticulitis already however they were successfully treated with antibiotics and a liquid diet.

Not wanted to share this with people is understandable. A lot of people don't like talking about this kind of stuff especially if they don't understand. Poo is taboo!! I have shared this with all of my friends however because I wasn't up to doing all of the stuff that they wanted to do. Sometimes they wanted to go shopping or go to lunch and I didn't feel like it. I had to tell them so they wouldn't think that I was just blowing them off. That was my choice to do and we all make our choice of who we want to discuss this with but above all else you need to feel comfortable talking with your doctor about this.