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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 3/4/2014 4:00 AM (GMT 0)
With IBS, does it come on suddenly? One day, 6 months ago, I just all of a sudden started having diarrhea/loose stools every time I went to the bathroom. I am still having that problem. There is also mucus in my diarrhea just about every time. So, could that be IBS?
Posted 3/5/2014 10:53 AM (GMT 0)
That's how mine started and lasted over three weeks - then all of a sudden it changed into constipation (which I hardly ever had before during my life) so i don't understand how this happens - such a drastic change. I don't know if you're under any particular stresses right now but I am, so I'm wondering if that's what causing all this. Now I always feel full - food seems to land right at the upper part of my abdomen right under my ribs and I look like i'm six months pregnant. I just feel like the food doesn't move quickly enough through my system. I've had this feeling during other flares over the years but it usually was reiieve by havin a BM - now I only have a BM every other day or so and it's alot of work to do it. What's going on?
Posted 3/5/2014 2:48 PM (GMT 0)
It sounds like it but in order for it to be diagnosed as IBS, other things need to be ruled out via colonoscopy, blood tests and stool cultures. Have you had any of this done yet?
Posted 3/6/2014 3:56 AM (GMT 0)

Red_34 said...
It sounds like it but in order for it to be diagnosed as IBS, other things need to be ruled out via colonoscopy, blood tests and stool cultures. Have you had any of this done yet?

Yes, I have had a colonoscopy and endoscopy, blood tests testing from multiple things including thyroid, stool cultures (many, many of those), and an MRI of the small intestine. Everything has came back normal. The only pain I ever have is really bad gas pains and is usually relieved with a bowel movement. My GI is putting me on a very strict diet along with Bentyl to see if that changes anything. I was wondering if it could possibly be a gallbladder dysfunction. Any suggestions/thoughts?
Posted 3/6/2014 3:47 PM (GMT 0)
What color is your D? Do you ever get upper right sided abdominal pain especially after eating or shoulder pain? If your answer is brown D and no to the upper ab pain, than it may not be the gallbladder. But I'm not a doctor so if you feel this can be the case, you can bring it up with your GI.

I have Ulcerative colitis, Diverticular disease and IBS so I am usually getting D at some point or another. I also have minor gall bladder issues. When my gall bladder acts up, my D turns into green/yellowish and acidic. But very rarely do I ever have the upper ab pain.

What dose of Bentyl are you on? I take this off and on for cramping and it does seem to help.
Posted 3/6/2014 7:57 PM (GMT 0)

Red_34 said...
What color is your D? Do you ever get upper right sided abdominal pain especially after eating or shoulder pain? If your answer is brown D and no to the upper ab pain, than it may not be the gallbladder. But I'm not a doctor so if you feel this can be the case, you can bring it up with your GI.

I have Ulcerative colitis, Diverticular disease and IBS so I am usually getting D at some point or another. I also have minor gall bladder issues. When my gall bladder acts up, my D turns into green/yellowish and acidic. But very rarely do I ever have the upper ab pain.

What dose of Bentyl are you on? I take this off and on for cramping and it does seem to help.

Majority of times my D is a yellowish, mustard color but it is ALWAYS mucousy. There are times when it is more of a loose stool but definitely not normal. I don't have pain in the upper abdominal area, I have pain around my belly button but usually relieved with a BM. I'm not sure what kind of Bentyl it is. The name starts with a D and it's a blue pill. The doctor gave it to me to stop the diarrhea though, not for pain.
Posted 3/8/2014 4:29 AM (GMT 0)
You probably are taking the generic form called Dicyclomine..the blue form is 10mgs and it's the lesser of the doses. Yes it helps with D, but it is an anti-spasmodic. Meaning that it helps prevent the colon from contracting abnormally which in turn causes pain. So it helps ease the cramping and pain. How often are you taking it? Everyday? If so, every 6 hours? Or more time in between? On a not so bad day I take 10mgs every 6 hours or as needed. I also have 20mg dosages available too. It depends on how bad I hurt and what dose I take.

But yellow D is not normal. It's possible it's your gall bladder or there can be more going on. I hope your doc can figure it out soon for your sake!
Posted 3/8/2014 1:00 PM (GMT 0)

Red_34 said...
You probably are taking the generic form called Dicyclomine..the blue form is 10mgs and it's the lesser of the doses. Yes it helps with D, but it is an anti-spasmodic. Meaning that it helps prevent the colon from contracting abnormally which in turn causes pain. So it helps ease the cramping and pain. How often are you taking it? Everyday? If so, every 6 hours? Or more time in between? On a not so bad day I take 10mgs every 6 hours or as needed. I also have 20mg dosages available too. It depends on how bad I hurt and what dose I take.

But yellow D is not normal. It's possible it's your gall bladder or there can be more going on. I hope your doc can figure it out soon for your sake!


I take Bentyl 3 times a day. I have to take it before I eat a meal (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner).

Thank you by the way! & I was wondering if you know anything about mucus in D?
Posted 3/8/2014 1:34 PM (GMT 0)
Mucous is the body's ways of getting rid of something it doesn't like. For example, when you have allergies your nose will run more because it's trying to get rid of the allergen. The colon is the same. People with IBS tend to produce large amounts of mucous when having a bm. The color of the mucous is key. If it's clear or white, that is considered normal mucous. Any other color can indicate and illness, virus, parasite etc. but don't confuse the color of mucous that is mixed in with the D because D can tint the mucous.
Posted 3/10/2014 12:30 AM (GMT 0)

Red_34 said...
Mucous is the body's ways of getting rid of something it doesn't like. For example, when you have allergies your nose will run more because it's trying to get rid of the allergen. The colon is the same. People with IBS tend to produce large amounts of mucous when having a bm. The color of the mucous is key. If it's clear or white, that is considered normal mucous. Any other color can indicate and illness, virus, parasite etc. but don't confuse the color of mucous that is mixed in with the D because D can tint the mucous.

You had said that you had minor gallbladder issues, do you know what caused them? (If you don't mind my asking) I have read that gallbladder issues and IBS are often times related, and or linked to each other
Posted 3/10/2014 1:17 PM (GMT 0)
No I don't. I haven't had any testing but my Gi told me that it sounds like my gall bladder is spasming and if it gets worse than he will put me thru all the testing.
Posted 3/10/2014 9:27 PM (GMT 0)

Red_34 said...
No I don't. I haven't had any testing but my Gi told me that it sounds like my gall bladder is spasming and if it gets worse than he will put me thru all the testing.

What symptoms were you having that made him to think it was gall bladder?
Posted 3/11/2014 5:29 PM (GMT 0)
Yellow/green and acidic D. Some upper right sided discomfort (but not pain) after eating. It comes and goes...also, some shoulder pain (which is common for gall bladder issues).
Posted 3/11/2014 7:46 PM (GMT 0)

Red_34 said...
Yellow/green and acidic D. Some upper right sided discomfort (but not pain) after eating. It comes and goes...also, some shoulder pain (which is common for gall bladder issues).

Thank you so much for all the info!

Also, every single morning right after I wake up I immediately have to go to the bathroom. Some days I will be laying in bed soon after waking up and it will just hit me and I barely have time to make it to the bathroom, which is right across the hall. Since you have IBS, do you have that? Or does it really just vary from person to person with IBS?
Posted 3/11/2014 10:21 PM (GMT 0)
I think it varies from person to person. I am not like that now but when I am flaring from my Ulcerative colitis, I do just that. But I'm in remission from that so now I go after I've had a cup a coffee. My IBS is mainly food driven. Meaning if I eat something that my gut doesn't like, it makes me cramp and have to use the bathroom shortly after.
Posted 3/11/2014 10:51 PM (GMT 0)

Red_34 said...
I think it varies from person to person. I am not like that now but when I am flaring from my Ulcerative colitis, I do just that. But I'm in remission from that so now I go after I've had a cup a coffee. My IBS is mainly food driven. Meaning if I eat something that my gut doesn't like, it makes me cramp and have to use the bathroom shortly after.

I have been keeping a food diary of everything I eat and when I have a BM. My GI has me on the FODMAP diet right now but I'm not noticing, or having any changes.
Posted 3/12/2014 3:51 PM (GMT 0)
I'm not quite sure what FODMAP diet is. I've seen people on here that say they are trying it or have tried it but I never got around to looking it up to see what it is. How long have you been on this diet? I've tried variations of diets over the years and I honestly haven't noticed it helping with anything, so I just go by what my gut tells me. However, IBS is a fickle beast. Sometimes eating one thing can bother you but then the next time you eat it, your fine. I have my own hard set diet rules I follow because I listened to my body and made changes.
Posted 3/12/2014 7:55 PM (GMT 0)

Red_34 said...
I'm not quite sure what FODMAP diet is. I've seen people on here that say they are trying it or have tried it but I never got around to looking it up to see what it is. How long have you been on this diet? I've tried variations of diets over the years and I honestly haven't noticed it helping with anything, so I just go by what my gut tells me. However, IBS is a fickle beast. Sometimes eating one thing can bother you but then the next time you eat it, your fine. I have my own hard set diet rules I follow because I listened to my body and made changes.

I've been on the diet for about a week and a half now and next week I go to the GI to see how the diet worked. I wouldn't think that would be enough time to see if the diet works or not...that's only 2 weeks. But maybe 2 weeks is enough? One thing I have noticed is that a peanut butter and jelly sandwich sends me straight to the bathroom. The bread? The pb? The jelly? Idk.
Posted 3/12/2014 10:05 PM (GMT 0)
When I had diarrhea from having had the bottom 1/3 of my colon removed, due to cancer, I had to go on a low residue diet for 2 years. Kept a food journal and recorded every single thing I ate and drank. Plain food - white bread, white rice, plain bagels or english muffins, mashed potatoes, bananas, applesauce, cottage cheese, roasted chicken or turkey, white fish, etc. were my go-to foods. In other words, this is a BRAT diet.
Posted 3/13/2014 2:54 AM (GMT 0)

Marsky said...
When I had diarrhea from having had the bottom 1/3 of my colon removed, due to cancer, I had to go on a low residue diet for 2 years. Kept a food journal and recorded every single thing I ate and drank. Plain food - white bread, white rice, plain bagels or english muffins, mashed potatoes, bananas, applesauce, cottage cheese, roasted chicken or turkey, white fish, etc. were my go-to foods. In other words, this is a BRAT diet.

I also am keeping a food journal.
How did the plain food settle with the digestive system?
And my understanding of IBS is that it is a diagnosis of exclusion. So I was wondering how the doctor(s) believe that you also have IBS along with ulcerative colitis? Don't they have almost the exact same symptoms? Therefore, how do they know it's not just solely the UC?
Posted 3/13/2014 3:48 AM (GMT 0)
Marsky doesn't have UC. She had colon cancer.

However, I can answer those questions...for me, I had a colonoscopy and the doc said he seen no visible inflammation but yet I was still having symptoms. He ruled it as IBS. The symptoms of UC are similar but not if that makes sense. There are two symptoms that are the same, D and cramping. That's where similarities end. UC is an auto immune disease while IBS is a mechanical malfunction.

When I'm flaring from my UC, no I can't tell the difference between the two. But in remission it's quite clear what is what.
Posted 3/13/2014 12:09 PM (GMT 0)

Red_34 said...
Marsky doesn't have UC. She had colon cancer.

However, I can answer those questions...for me, I had a colonoscopy and the doc said he seen no visible inflammation but yet I was still having symptoms. He ruled it as IBS. The symptoms of UC are similar but not if that makes sense. There are two symptoms that are the same, D and cramping. That's where similarities end. UC is an auto immune disease while IBS is a mechanical malfunction.

When I'm flaring from my UC, no I can't tell the difference between the two. But in remission it's quite clear what is what.

I know you had said you are in remission now, but what kinds of things were you, or are you, taking/doing to help with the UC?
Posted 3/13/2014 12:48 PM (GMT 0)
I'm on 2 medications for my UC. One is Remicade, this is an IV infusion med that I get every 8 weeks at the hospital - this is what put me in remission. I'm also on a maintenance med called Apriso that I take every day. I don't avoid many things food wise now that I'm in remission but like Marsky, while flaring I do the BRAT diet because it's easy to digest. I also have diverticular disease so I avoid nuts and seeds like the plague! I've already been hooked up to morphine too many times because of the odd seed...not fun LOL

But it's been quite the bumpy road with all 3 of my gut issues that's for sure!
Posted 3/13/2014 8:09 PM (GMT 0)

Red_34 said...
I'm on 2 medications for my UC. One is Remicade, this is an IV infusion med that I get every 8 weeks at the hospital - this is what put me in remission. I'm also on a maintenance med called Apriso that I take every day. I don't avoid many things food wise now that I'm in remission but like Marsky, while flaring I do the BRAT diet because it's easy to digest. I also have diverticular disease so I avoid nuts and seeds like the plague! I've already been hooked up to morphine too many times because of the odd seed...not fun LOL

But it's been quite the bumpy road with all 3 of my gut issues that's for sure!

Sounds like you have gone through quite a bit!

My dad and grandma have diverticular disease, definitely not fun stuff!

When you have flares from IBS or UC, how often do you have D if you are not doing the BRAT diet?
Posted 3/13/2014 10:11 PM (GMT 0)
Reason why I had D was after my temporary colostomy was reversed, I found myself having 3 bm's during one meal, the second I began chewing and producing salvia, I had to go. It wasn't always D but it was loose stool and quite messy. I had multiple daily stools and sometimes all out dumping episodes, a bm every 10 minutes, for hours, I joked they were my labor bm pains. Only women will get that. Long story short, I found an excellent colon cancer forum in 1999 and symptoms people were having from chemo (which I didn't need) were nearly the exact same as I was having, living 10 feet from a bathroom, not being able to leave home, not drive anywhere. A low residue diet kept coming up on that forum and I found it online (imagine that, back in 1999, lol). As I sat and read thru the list of permitted foods it all dawned on me, my poor GI was inflamed, irritated and angry, not only because I had a major resection 8 weeks prior but also because they removed my sigmoid, I had nowhere internally for stool to collect. If I ate I produced bm's (I still do in fact). When my daughters were young and they had D I would put them on a BRAT diet, I never would have given them fresh fruit, never whole wheat products but that is what I was trying to eat at the time. Once I went a very plain and what my husband called a white diet (all the foods I ate back then were white), my gut calmed down and thanked me. I did of course admit and accept I was recreated inside, never to be the same again but a LRD saved me. I swear it did. My surgeon admitted later that he should have told me about it. I'll say! He told me to eat anything I wanted but in smaller portions. What foolish advice to give a person after having a colon resection (had my gall bladder removed too).

Since then I learned Sudafed D 12 hour reduces bowel wall contractions so I take one a day since I am working a new job.I feel almost normal but of course I go without food now for 12 hours a day. Because of said new job.

I hope these answered your questions. I do not have an IBS dx but rather found myself having symptoms that mimic IBS.
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