How long does it last?

Hi Bera, Welcome to HealingWell!
It seems as though you can have a number of things (IBS included). If your BM's are green I'm wondering about a gallbladder problem? I bet Keri could address that better (I'm sure she'll be around).
Anyway, have you tried good ol' Imodium? Or cutting back on some foods that might be irritating you (like fat or caffiene)?
Don't worry about a colonoscopy. The procedure isn't so bad, it is the prep that sucks. But even then, if you are used to D, then the worse part is drinking the mix. It really is the best way for your doc to see what is going on.
Again, welcome to the board!

Thanks for the thoughts on the colonoscopy. What's better to have - colonoscopy or barium enema? I'm mainly afraid of the colonoscopy because I've never been put under. I've never taken a pill stronger than a tylenol. Should I request a stool sample test? None of my doctors have suggested it.

Anyway, I've had a pelvic and upper ultrasound and a long list of blood tests. All normal but a small ovarian cyst. I'm allergic to cat scan dye so can't do that.

The last three days, I've been going on average of ten times a day. Prior to that just once or twice. Usually loose stools but not diarrhea.

Hi Bera and Welcome In my opinion, a colonoscopy is better because they can take biopsies and check for more things than a barium enema alone. Besides, a colonoscopy is a WAAAAAAAY easier procedure. I know what you mean about being afraid of a colonoscopy, they don't put you totally under though, they give you some medicine that puts you in a "twilight" sleep so you don't feel or remember anything. Trust me, I am scaredy queen and have had 2. Everybody will tell you that the worst part of a colonoscopy is the prep. This is the absolute truth. Best of luck at finding some answers.

I feel your pain. I was scared out of my mind when I had my colonoscopy done, I had never been put under, and I didn't used to take pills at all, no pain killers no nothing, I was a rock, I just suffered through whatever it was.

Here is how mine worked, just to take away all the mistery. They give you a ton of crap that tastes like crap, and make you mix it with GingerAle, or at least they did me, wont ever drink that again, and all this stuff does is make you clean out. Note: Get the earliest possible appointment, I had mine at 11, which meant I had to be there at 9, I wish I had taken the 8, which meant being there at 6am.

The took me in, hooked me into some O2, and an IV (I hate needles). They monitor your vitals, and take some blood, just to make sure you aren't going to freak out, and they take you pressure just to check. Then they wheel you back, hopefully ontime, not an hour late like me :). You go into a room that looks a bit odd, with a 50 graden hose with a camera on it, and a big TV hanging from the ceiling. My nutty nurse was listening and dancing to christmas music why we waited on the Dr. So the doc comes in, askes a few questions, helps to position me, asks some more questions, and then shakes his head at the nurse; then I wake up an hour later. The thing is the medicine they gave me never put me under, its close, but not quite. It puts you in a state of cooperation they told me, and gives you an hours worth of amneisia (sp?).

My wife then took me home, laughing at my gas issues. I woke up about 7 that night on the couch freeked out cause I didn't remember how I got home.

At no time was I ever in pain, or anything. The procedure itself was the simplest thing I have ever had to do, the preperation and days prior are what suck majorly. Dont plan on going to work :)


And on a side note, it does sound like your gallbladder, especially if greasy foods like the popcorn set you off. I have had a few friends that have had the same issue, and it turned out to be their gallbladder, so you might have them give you a cat scan and see what they find :)

Good luck.

Bera, I say try taking Calcium. Start with 600mg and then work your way up as needed. Here is a link to help guide you:
https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=26&m=346137

If you are having gall bladder problems, not much of anything will help. Btw, I had a bunch of tests done and they came back clear. Several years later I had the same test over again (hydascan) and it showed up a bad gall bladder. Mind you, I knew it was my gall bladder for 5 years. Tests are not the be-all, end-all because they certainly failed me.

You haven't said anything in particular that sounds like gall bladder vs. IBS, but here were my symptoms: horrible, horrible pain (couldn't stand up straight) in the upper abdomen. A lot of people hurt exclusively on their right side, but mine was across the diaphram. A lot of people are tender too on their right side around and up under the rib cage, but I didn't have that until the very end. Sometimes after eating I would hurt into my shoulder and down into my right arm. This especially happened after drinking coke, although caffeine and carbonation aren't triggers for everyone. I would wake up in the middle of the night in terrible pain and would pace the floor until I had a bowel movement which was some matter and a lot of yellow water--which burns like fire. A lot of people with bad gall bladders vomit predominately or vomit and have diarrhea alternately, but I only vomited with mine once; I was diarrhea predominant. When you are having a gall bladder attack you cannot lay down! I think this is unverisally true for everyone with a bad gall bladder. It makes you hurt worse and makes you sicker. Also, after I would have my middle-of-the-night bm, I would gradually start to feel some better. Never well enough to lay back down immediately, but the pain would start to subside. Then I would go back to sleep sitting up in the bed. I would take terrible chills during and especially immediately after the episode. When it was being unruly but not in the middle of a bad flare, mosts foods would make me nauseous just to eat them. And sometimes I would suddenly feel like I was overly full--sick you feel so full--when I hadn't even finished my food.

If most of that sounds familiar, then it's probably your gall bladder. Having a colonoscopy will gain you nothing. If you haven't had a hydascan, then you're missing a large part of the equation. While ultrasounds will show large stones, smaller stones and sludge can sometimes be missed. And then there was my gall bladder. I didn't have stones at all. It just didn't function properly. The hydascan tests gall bladder function. Make sure you have it done while you are in the middle of having problems. My gall bladder would work for a while, then it wouldn't. When it was working, it showed up on the tests as being fine. That's why they kept missing it.

I don't think Immodium will harm you, regardless of what undiagnosed problems you may have. People with IMS, Crohn's and UC all take it. If a doctor hasn't told you not to take it, and especially if they've recommended it, then I would take it. Still, I find that they constipate me the next day, so I have to keep it to 1/2 a pill at a time. Only take what you need to stop going to the bathroom, and allow 30-45 minutes for it to kick in. Most of the time when I was sick with my gall bladder, though, I used Pepto Bismol pills. They stopped my diarrhea without constipating me. They don't contain aspirin, but you can't take them if you are allergic to aspirin.

You can also try calcium supplements. I have had very good success with Caltrate 600 with Vitamin D with two pills a day. Some people take three, some only one. Depends on what it takes to stop you up. If it's your gall bladder, though, it won't help until you have it out. Calcium will not effect excess bile. However, Immodium and Pepto Bismol will help with any sort of diarrhea, whether caused by water, bile or parasites, etc.

I have read that soulable fiber isn't beneficial to people with diarrhea and may make it worse. You need insoluable fiber to provide bulk. The other kind just disolves in water and won't help if you have excess water--you need the insoluable kind to help bind up the water.

One last thing: dehydrated banana chips. They'll constipate you quicker than anything else I've found. My theory is they get in your guts and rehydrate themselves and absorb all the excess water. 1/3-1/4 of a supermarket bag is enough to harden my stools for days. I will caution you, though, if you suspect, after reading this, that you have a bad gall bladder, do not eat the banana chips and be sparing with the Immodium. Because if your gall bladder is bad, it will put too much bile into your digestive tract at once. And that stuff will want to come out regardless. If you've made yourself a bit constipated by eating banana chips or taking too much Immodium, you'll just get really, really sick and will eventually pass the hard stool followed by fairly explosive diarrhea. If you don't think you are having a gall bladder problem, then by all means, eat some banana chips. I ate some this past week and hardened up my stools enough that I was able to eat all sorts of fatty, greasy foods this weekend and not have any problems.

Wow, I'm excited about all the advice!

I don't think it's my gall bladder. I really don't have any of those symptoms. The majority of my discomfort is in the lower right abdomen with occassional, brief discomfort in the upper. I feel better when lying flat on my back or standing. No vomiting or nausea. I don't wake up to go during the night though I do wake up anxious in general. When I do finally get up in the morning I have to go ASAP. The diarrhea has been occurring for four days now approximately 10 times a day.

I will definitely try the dried bananas and am going to call the new doctor here shortly.

So, as far as the colonoscopy, I should take work off the day before and the day of the test. Will I be fine to go back the day after?

Also, everyone keeps talking about this stuff they had to drink. My doctor (who I'm not seeing anymore) said to take a laxative and an enema. That was all. Is that wierd?

I would avoid those gallon drinks.... Ask your doctor for the pills or the Fleet Phosphosoda.
And yes, take the day of the prep off (unless you are instructed to start at 7pm like I was, since my scope was in the afternoon). Also, the day of off, but not the day after - You should be fine.

I got my dried bananas and made my GI consultation appointment (not until the 28th but hopefully my entire body won't explode before then! If it does, there's always urgent care.)

All your advice has been totally great. I am so happy I stumbled across this forum! You seem like a great group of people. Thanks so much.

I am also allergic to the CT scan dye.  My GI doctor orders a number of Prednisone pills and Benedryl for me to take before the scan.  I have done this a number of times and everything was fine regarding the allergy.  Irisart