10+ year IBS Battle with Acidic Runs - Finally an Answer

Just wanted to share what has finally enabled me to live a "normal" life again after over 10 years of battling gut problems. After seeing countless doctors, going through every scope imaginable, buying lots of gastro/ibs books, trying every bland, gluten-free, binding diet out there, I end up getting answers from my sister! As an adult, I always had bad stomach problems and had eat blandly. Things got much worse though when I had emergency surgery to remove my diseased gallbladder which I never knew I had! I'm beginning to wonder just how long I had gall bladder disease, as I suffered for many years before that! After removal, I thought my problems would be solved. It only got worse, and I ended up with chronic diarrhea that got progressively worse. This past year, I saw a GI doctor almost every month, trying everything he suggested from meds to registered dietitians and finally a few months ago to more scopes to rule out cancer. It was when my weight was dipping into the low 120s (I'm 5'8" and in my 50s) and getting the runs from even just plain boiled rice that my sister began researching "diarrhea and gallbladder removal" and found a drug called Questran that bloggers were raving about. I had to beg my doctor to let me try it because he didn't believe that I could still be having runs problems from my gallbladder removal several years ago. He finally wrote the prescription. From the 2nd day of taking it to now (almost 2 months now) I feel like a new person! I can't believe I wasn't put on this medicine years ago! I still keep my diet bland and healthy, but I've put a little weight back on! I can finally get out and go places again! In fact, I've been out more in the last 2 months, than I have in the last 10 years! Lots of catching up to do! I just hope my story helps at least one person who is suffering.

Serenitee

It is so nice to meet you. Thank you so very much for all your kind wishes. I'm so sorry to hear that you suffered for so long with extreme bowel problems. I'm so glad that you feel so much better now that you had the ileostomy. What a relief after 43 years!

I truly believe that my sister saved my life along with modern medicine and many, many prayers. I'm going to give her a gift on my birthday next month because it feels like my life is just beginning all over again thanks to her research.

It's so nice to have a place to go to share some happy and hopeful news for others that haven't found answers yet.

I'm so glad that you, too, feel so much better now. All the best to you, to Serenitee.

Your Healingwell friend,

SBC19

Dear Irisart: I'm sorry to read about all the pain you've been experiencing and GI problems you've been going through. The pain you describe in your upper right side sounds exactly like the pain I was experiencing for years until I was rushed to the hospital with vomiting and that pain. It turned out that for years before that night, doctors had missed the fact that I was suffering from gallbladder disease! I, too, was experiencing the runs at the time and thought that the pain was just air. I spent a week in the hospital and had my gallbladder removed. It turns out that it was affecting my liver and pancreas and that surgery saved my life! Now that I'm finally on Questran, my Dr. said that I can also supplement it with Immodium, if necessary (which I have done with much success, as needed). I'm on regular Questran, because Questran Light has artificial sweeteners in it which also causes diarrhea. Does Crystal Light have artificial sweeteners in it? If so, you might want to just use real sugar to avoid more problems. Has your doctor ever done blood work and an ultrasound to check your gallbladder? If not, please ask him/her to at least do those tests to rule out GB disease. I found out the hard way that if things are put off or missed, it could end up life threatening. All the best of luck to you. I hope everything works out well for you.