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Can somebody help me, please? I am so worried!!

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 5/14/2006 3:00 PM (GMT 0)
I am a 26 year old female and I had a sudden onset of diarrhea since March 15th and have not been normal since.  I became concerned after 3 weeks of diarrhea and called my Doctor.  She ran stool cultures which revealed nothing.  SO, she referred me to a GI specialist.  Since I saw the GI specialist in April, he has done a colonoscopy, Upper GI, small bowel series x-ray, blood tesses, 3 hemocult tests (all negative for blood), and 4 stool cultures (all negative).  The GI specialist doctor said that the colonscopy was normal but showed some inflammation but he believes it was due to the Fleet laxative I took the night before the test causing irritation, he said that the Upper GI test suggested that I had Superior Mesentery Artery Syndrome, but he believes that could be due to weight loss from the diarrhea and I have NO symptoms of SMAS, he is not concerned about this.  After all of these tests, my GI doctor has Dx me with Irritable Bowel Syndrome with diarrhea.  He put me on Liberax, which makes me SLEEPY and I'm a teacher so that isn't working out so well and the Rx does not seem to help the diarrhea.  The diarrhea at forst was happening about 3-6 times a day.  It is down to 1-3 times a day now.  I am functionable, but I am SO WORRIED that something else is wrong with me that the Doc is missing.   I have a nervous personality which doesn't help matters, my parents were recently divorced and I was married 5 months ago and moved to a new town.  Could this be stress related?  It just seems odd that I haven't been able to have 1 normal BM in 2 months is this is IBS.  Can anybody HELP ME?  I am starting to feel depressed. sad
Posted 5/14/2006 7:21 PM (GMT 0)
Hi shelly,
Hugs to you. When we go to the doctor (especially when we are new to some illness) we want to hear how the doc can fix us. However there are some things that can not be fixed or cured. Thats the bad news. The good news is that there are so many different things that we can do to make it more managable. Sometimes we have to really go through a lot to find out what works for us. The Librax that you are taking is most likely making you sleepy cause it contains a benzodiazepine compound which falls into the same category with valium, xanax, etc. This probably helps the stress but that is why you are having drowsiness. It also contains an antispasmodic which slows the contractions that cause the cramping. There are other treatments for diarrhea that many on here have seemed to get relief from. Calcium carbonate being one. Lil the other mod has a link to a calcium thread to explain it. My other suggestion is to keep a food diary. Food seems to be a big culprit for us and everyone is different on what causes "triggers." You also may want to try out probiotics to replenish the good bacteria in your intestines that will flush out with excessive diarrhea. This is just a tip of the iceberg on some suggestions. I know others will be around to give you some more advice. Don't worry, you are new to IBS and I believe you will find a regimine that will make your symptoms a little more managable.
Take Care
Posted 5/14/2006 7:31 PM (GMT 0)
hugs!!
stress does remarkably terrible things to my insides...do not rule it out as a trigger/factor for you--even 'healthy' people respond to stress with diarrhea.
i remember wanting so bad for my doctor to find anything to help me, and i am still looking for it.
i have found probiotics are great, acidophilus in particular. and there are a lot of yogurts on the market with probiotics. and dbab is right, keep a food journal...
try to relax a bit, and make sure you have a smart, trusting doctor who will work with you! i found that yoga helps me, and hopefully your doctor will help find some remedys for you.
take care of yourself! i hope you feel better soon!
--bunnybabe
Posted 5/14/2006 9:20 PM (GMT 0)
:-)  hi there, i have had loose stools for many years, definitely stress is a major cause. try the acidopholis, i buy the kind that you refrigerate, have been taking it for 4 years and it has helped tremendously,it helps your  colon stay healthy, no matter what it is a great addition to your life. i only take one a day. if you constantly rush around dealing with changing situations(i am an A type) we are bound to end up with ibs, but try to change now, as my type a personality has given me high cholesteral too, which in turn has caused me to need to stents in my heart, i am not saying that will happen to you, what i am trying to say is change the way you react to things if possible, do deep breathing to keep calm, i promise it will change your life and help your symptoms. lots of luck.
Posted 5/15/2006 12:31 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Shelly!
Sounds like we are pretty much in the same boat- I've had diarrhea since February. Like you, I have had all the tests- Upper GI, endo, colonoscopy, small bowel follow thru, ultrasounds, blood tests, stool cultures, etc etc etc. GI doc RX'd me w/IBS-D. And again, like you, I'm scared they are missing something. I try to find comfort that they haven't found anything wrong; but it is just too weird to suddenly have this. After constant dieting for years and never being able to lose weight, I have lost 20-25 pounds since this all began. Very unsettling to just lose weight like this. In my case, I feel it is at least partially due to stress. I began having major anxiety and panic attacks about the same time it all began. Since beginning to treat the anxiety (through therapist & medication) the diarrhea has improved somewhat. I also take acidopholus and know that dairy and fatty foods seem to be triggers for me. This is a great forum and you will find lots of support here. I felt very alone until I found all these nice people to talk to and help lift my spirits. Let us know how you are doing!
Sami
Posted 5/15/2006 2:09 AM (GMT 0)
Hi shelly,

Sounds very familiar. I also took the drugs that make me drowsy, and since I have to drive an hour and half to work and work in an industrial environment, I couldn't risk the drowsiness. Ask your doctor about Immodium. Since it is an over-the-counter medication, it is readily available, and it worked very well for me. I took it daily for months. Now, I usually need it only once or twice a week, but as my symptoms can be unpredictable, I always have Immodium with me.

Take heart, IBS is definitely annoying inconvenient, but it is controllable.

Aser
Posted 5/15/2006 3:40 PM (GMT 0)
Definitely try the calcium for the diarrhea. Caltrate 600 w/ vitamin D is the brand to use (I get the generic from Walgreens to save a couple of bucks). 7Lil has a copy of Inape's post on why it works and why that brand in particular. A lot of people on here have used it with pretty good success. I use it to supplement my Welchol that I take for my excess bile. I have read that calcium can also help soothe the irritated/inflamed intestinal wall which can be caused by food allergies, bad bacteria, excess bile and maybe even stress.

Have you been checked for food allergies? Dbab posted a link last week to a website on IBS that said new evidence suggests that stress can aggrevate the intestines to the point where you develop food intolerances/allergies. So it's definitely something you can develop over time; you don't have to be born allergic to something. And most food allergies/intolerances cause diarrhea.

Here are things that set most of us off; avoid them and see if you get any better: raw apples and apple juice, caffeine, carbonation (if you are gassy); coffee (even the de-caf kind). Some people also avoid dairy because either the lactose or the fat ends up setting them off; I think it's probably about 50-50 with IBSers being able to tolerate it and those who cannot. And some people are sensitive to acid and have to avoid citirus fruits and tomatoes, in addition to coffee (highly acidic).

And you should never consume sugar alcohols (including sugar free gum and mints and low-sugar diet products and ice cream and no-sugar cookies, candies etc.). This will give normal people diarrhea, much less us.
Posted 5/15/2006 3:56 PM (GMT 0)
This web site is a God send.  Thank you all for your words of advice!  I can't say thank you enough.  It makes me feel better that there are others out there with the same frustrating problem. 

My colonoscopy tissue biopsy results came in the mail this past Saturday and the letter said that my biopsy showed inflammation, although the doctor did not see any signs of an inflammatory bowel disease during the colonosocopy...no ulcers, diverticulitius, etc.  He said he saw some inflammation but said that could be due to the FLeet Phosphosoda laxative.  Maybe that's why the biopsy showed inflammation.  He is supposed to call me back today.

Since I am new to IBS, can anybody tell me if IBS with diarrhea can just start one day and never go away??  It seems like this diarrhea just started one day out of nowhere and has not got better. 

Thank you all so much for being so NICE!! cool

Posted 5/15/2006 3:58 PM (GMT 0)
Oh, and one other odd thing that you should avoid: pre-cut lettuce, either from a bag or from a salad bar. When I went to college, I started eating a salad from the salad bar everyday and I quite suddenly developed diarrhea everyday. I called my mother--a nurse--and she asked me about what I was doing, what I was eating, etc. She finally asked me if I was eating a salad reguarly. I said, yes, everyday. She said, bingo, that's the culprit. Ever wonder why precut salad doesn't brown as fast as regular lettuce? They wash it in some sort of chemicals--my mother said bleach, but I don't know--and that keeps it from browning. I assume they are supposed to wash all of the chemicals off, but obviously they miss some. When I cut out the salad bar my diarrhea disappeared, so that had to be it. I can eat a salad that I make myself from a regular head of lettuce, so I know it's not lettuce itself that bothers me.

My fiance has been having diarrhea on and off again, and he's blamed his new thyroid medicine, his heart-healthy butter, even the cinnamon in his coffee. Finally, when he was sick Saturday after not having any of that, he said, you know, maybe I have your problem with bagged lettuce. So he's going to stop using that and see if his random bouts clear up. He's had diarrhea here and there before and we thought it was a sensitivity to tomatoes since it seemed to happen after eating salsa or spaghetti, but it didn't happen all the time. It may have been a salad with his spaghetti that was doing it. There's also the element that some brands may not bother you and some may, so if you have been eating pre-cut salads for a long time, your diarrhea may have started when you or the school switched brands.
Posted 5/15/2006 4:26 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Keriamon!

I am aware of the pre-cut lettuce being washed in a perservative.  My mother regularly goes to a Dr. that believes in all natural organic foods/supplements.  She told me about the pre-cut lettuce about a year ago and I haven't eaten it since.  

 

My diarrhea has not let up, not even for 1 day, since March 15th.  I have had this consistently for 60 days. I remember that I had eaten corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's day the day before the "D" started and I blamed it on the cabbage.  The Dr. has tested me for certain parasites, infections, etc. around mid April and all tests came back negative.  I don't think I could STILL be sick for 2 months straight after eating some bad cabbage.  I'd think it would be out of my system by now.  Don't you think? 

 

I was married this past December, moved to a new town, have been dealing with my parent's divorce, etc.  I HAVE been under stress to life changes.  I also was trying to concieve when all of this started.  My doctor says it's IBS-D, maybe he's right, but I thought you could at least have 1 normal BM in a period of 60 days.  This has dampered my life when I should be really enjoying it!  That's what makes me so sad.

 

I feel like I ramble on and on about this, but I just want to get better.  I have so many things I want to do, like have a baby, and this has totally changed my plans. 

 

Again, thank you for your advice!  It is much appreciated!

 

Posted 5/15/2006 6:52 PM (GMT 0)
One more question if anybody can help...

 

Does any IBS-D sufferer deal with the most of the diarrhea right when you wake up in the morning???  It's like I can hear my gut growling and rumbling right when I wake up, but I have no pain.  Then, I just feel the "urge" to "go".  I can't say that I am having pain...just the normal "I have to go" feeling.  I may have the same urge in the evening, but for the most part, it's the worst right when I wake up in the morning.  Why is this??  I thought that there was pain with IBS-D...I don't have much pain at all, just diarrhea or "loose" stools.

Posted 5/15/2006 6:58 PM (GMT 0)
Most IBS-Ders suffer in the morning. I think it's the anxiety of the day... Or maybe it's your digestive system waking up with you. Whatever it is, it is common. I usually get up super early to give my system time to settle down before I leave for work. I also wait to eat at work so that I won't have an attack while on my way to work.
Posted 5/15/2006 10:26 PM (GMT 0)
I had diarrhea every day for a couple of months back last summer. I eventually found the calcium and went back on my Welchol and got it to stop. Now I'm as normal as someone without a gall bladder can be.

And my diarrhea was always worse in the morning. It usually didn't start until after I had eaten something, though, so I think Lil's on track with the guts getting woken up.
Posted 5/15/2006 11:08 PM (GMT 0)
I don't mean to throw a wrench into this discussion but I am concerned, Shelly, that your doctor is attributing the inflammation found to the colonoscopy prep. It is true that Fleet type preps can cause inflammation but only in a small number of cases. Since your diarrhea began suddenly and continues for two months, and inflammation was seen, I think he needs to check for other causes and not just write it off as IBS. Where was the inflammation found? The location is important to figuring out the possible problem. Inflammation in the small bowel at the terminal ileum can be from Crohn's Disease, using NSAIDs for a period of time, or from what he said, the prep. Let us know what he says to you on the phone. I am curious. --Ides
Posted 5/16/2006 2:40 PM (GMT 0)
Of course, you could always have a follow-up colonoscopy--minus the enema. That'd take it out of the equation.

Ides, you're more knowledgeable on inflammation than me, but can't food allergies also cause inflammation, or does that only happen in one particular location?
Posted 5/16/2006 3:24 PM (GMT 0)
Keri,
The type of prep isn't always the cause. Enema or no enema, you can still have prep induced inflammation. I also got that and it showed in patches and I had the pill prep, no enemas involved.
Posted 5/16/2006 5:03 PM (GMT 0)
My Doctor did not call me back yesterday.  I called the office again this morning and the sec. said that he took my chart and should be calling me tonight.  We'll see if he does.

I am not for sure where the inflammation is located.  I can tell you that no inflamation showed in the small bowel series test.  The inflammation is only in the large intestine/colon.  Not for sure where the exact location of inflammation is yet.  Hope to find that out today. 

I am concerned that if this inflammation is constant and has been for 2 months, it will form ulcers and turn into ulcerative colitis.  There were no ulcers present in my colonoscopy a couple of weeks ago, just some inflammation.  But my concern is, will this inflammation turn into ulcers??  And if it can, can I take a Rx that will get rid of this inflammation so I don't develop ulcers?  Another question:  I have a lot of mucus in stools...this is a symptom of IBS and IBD.  What exactly causes this excess mucus?

Posted 5/16/2006 5:15 PM (GMT 0)
With ulcerative colitis, the inflammation will be in a constant pattern and not patches of inflammation. The inflammation starts in the rectum and moves up according to what type of UC you have. I have ulcerative proctosigmoiditis so my inflammation starts at my rectum and works up to the sigmoid colon. There is no other inflammation above that (I hope that it didn't spread). There are medications that are supposed to help the inflammation however nothing that would stop ulcers if that is what you have.

Mucus in your stools from IBS are from the excessive contractions in your colon. The mucus "sheds" faster in IBS because of this and thats why you get globs of it. In IBD, the mucus can be from the contractions as well however it is mostly the "pus" that forms from the ulcers.
Posted 5/16/2006 8:38 PM (GMT 0)
Your words give me some ease because my GI doctor saw NO ULCERS in my colonoscopy.  I have also seen no "pus" in stools. Thank God!  I'm hoping it is just IBS-D.  I may learn to live with this. 

I have had weight loss, but I believe it may just be due to the mental stress of "worring about what I have" and anxiety.  I just knew I has something seriously wrong with me.  I'm a type A personality...I'm fast paced and nervous gal.

I really appreciate your advice.  Thanks so much!

Posted 5/16/2006 10:25 PM (GMT 0)
Hello all!

 

My Dr. called me this afternoon. :-) Yeah~

He said that he reviewed my colon  biopsy and it did show a little inflammation, but the Doc said that it was minor and it was normal.  He said that many people have minor inflammation, naturally.  He said it was nothing to worry about.  He said that the small bowel series x-ray test showes superior mesentery artery syndrome, but says that could be just the way I'm built OR it could be from the rapid weight loss and that it may resolve itself once I gain some weight back.  I have no symptoms of SMAS, but he said I have s slight case of it.

 

He put me on a different med. other than Librax, which makes me tired.  I am a teacher, so I can't be tired all day!  The Librax makes me feel like the "lights are on, but nobody's home".  I teach K-6th grade so I can't feel like that during school hours.

 

I'm still having the loose stools everyday... mad    But I have faith that I will get better.  I'm starting to feel gasy and I'm thinking that maybe it is form the Immodium.  I've been taking 1 pill every other day.  It has slowed the loose stools down, but they are far frm normal.

 

He told me to eat a high fiber diet.  I've been eating 2 metamucil wafers a day.  Any suggestions for "high fober" foods?

Posted 5/17/2006 4:02 PM (GMT 0)
I don't know that imodiums will make you gassy, but the extra fiber will.  But you will adjust to it after a while and it will quit doing that.  You might want to try some anti-gas medicine to combat it for the time-being. 

The calcium may help with the inflammation as well as the diarrhea, so make sure you try some.  It doesn't work for everyone, but it sure does help a lot of people.  Maybe in combination with the imodium it'll get you back to normal.  I credit it with fixing my guts last summer because nothing else worked until I started in on that.  I think maybe I got them inflammed with too much bile and then an allergic reaction to sugar alcohol on top of that.  For that matter, a cup of yogurt a day was helping. 

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