Welchol is considered better by most. While Questran works just fine when it comes to stopping the bile diarrhea, it does seem to give a LOT of people bad gas/cramps, which the Welchol does not....
Just because something is a natural laxative doesn't mean it's okay for long-term use. Aloe vera is a natural, organic laxative, and GI doctors are now recommending that people do not use it as a...
Bad bacteria problems are often associated with bad gas AND bad breath (and oftentimes diarrhea)--especially a yeast infection (which can happen anywhere in the GI tract; it's not just a woman's...
Colon cleanses are generally not recommended by GI doctors, and I would strongly advise against them if you have IBS-D. People with C can get some temporary relief from their symptoms, but I've never...
It made me gain weight--so much so, that I've had to get off it. I'm hoping that once I get it out of my system, I can start to lose weight. I haven't been able to lose any while on it, whereas I...
Well, let's hope she's not been on here because her guts have been doing so well she's been off having a good time! You can tell when mine have been giving me problems for several days in a row; I...
Unfortuantely, there is no right or wrong answer to this question. That's because some people are made better by fiber and some are made worse. You'll never know until you try it. Insoluable fiber...
I don't know about UTI's, but I know it can take antibiotics several days to work. That you're having less pain is showing that they are working and the infection is lessening. I guess the...
There's actually some new evidence that you can have gall bladder-caused diarrhea without actually having a bad gall bladder, in the traditional sense. So long as it's not hurting, full of stones, or...
Colon cancer is rare in people under the age of 40, and not very common in people without a family history. Black flecks could indicate blood higher up in the GI tract; black in stools is oftentimes...
You can develop tenderness after a bad bout of cramping, but please make SURE you are checked for the following problems, which are VERY likely to cause tenderness: 1. Bad appendix. This tends to...
Blood pressue is low and cholesterol is normal... what's to worry about? It's those things that can give you health problems, not fat. It's just that excess fat is normally linked to high blood...
Something I've discovered, and that other people have also pointed out, is that A/C can be linked to weight gain. When you're hot, you don't want to eat much. We lived on just about nothing but...
I noticed something this weekend while I was outside, camping, with a day-time heat index of 115 degrees: I was actually a little constipated. This problem went away as soon as I returned home to the...
Are you sexually active? Genital herpes might meet this description, and you can get them even if your partner uses a condom, because they're spread just by touching the pubic area (which means you...
Personally, I'd quit taking a medicine that was making me worse, but there are times when it's better to ask you doctor first, just because there are some drugs you need to be weaned off of. And I...
Tiedinknots, I don't know how long the bottle lasted you, but it's a pretty good rule of thumb that you need to give probiotics a month to take full effect. If you took them for a month and saw no...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31062797/ns/health-cancer/ This is a great breakthrough; they've found that they can catch a lot of GI cancers by merely sampling a stool specimen. It caught 100% of...
See, I don't have problems with anything but sugar alcohols, which I have a SEVERE reaction to (I just tell people I'm allergic to them, because the reaction is so bad). I think the article is wrong...
Bad bacteria is hard to get rid of, and often requires a long regimen of antibiotics. But doctors are growing cautious of using too many antibiotics, because of antibiotic-resistent diseases on the...
IBS can be just pain and/or bloating; it doesn't also have to include problems with your stool. Have you had someone check you for Celiac's? It seems pretty telling that you notice this after...
My mother in law says it was a godsend for her. She travels a lot, giving lectures, and she said she used to not eat at all before a lecture or when she was traveling, because that was the only thing...
Oh, I almost forgot. Even before you go to the doctor for the Welchol, go to a pharmacy and get Caltrate 600 w/ Vitamin D (or its generic equivalent). Calcium is naturally constipating, and that...
You have post-cholesectomy syndrome (I may not have spelled that right--it translates to post-gall bladder removal syndrome). It's a recognized syndrome (you can google it, once you've checked the...
I take a generic multi-vitamin because I take a med for my guts that interferes with the fat-soluable vitamins, like A. If you have diarrhea, take Caltrate 600 w/ vitamin D because calcium is...
The Digestive Advantage works for some people and not for others. It all depends on what is causing the D. If you have a bacterial overgrowth, the doctor will put you on a strong and/or long course...
I think if you could even find one in-person IBS "buddy," you'd feel a lot better. You can get so much support from knowing that someone else has been--and is--where you are. It keeps the spirits up....
You might try taking a multi-vitamin, like Centrum. Certain medicines for IBS, altered diets, and even IBS itself can cause you to not get enough vitamins. I am on a medicine that interferes with my...
Actually, not everyone you see around you is healthy and fine. In any crowd, there are other people that are sick with something. Maybe something as common and temporary as a cold or allergies, while...
Some look to hookworms to reduce Crohn's symptoms Some Crohn's disease patients are experimenting with the use of parasitic hookworms to ease their symptoms. Hookworms, which are not an FDA-approved...
This comes from a GI newsletter that I recieve. Gluten-free diet reduces beneficial bacteria in gut Another part of the newsletter mentioned not getting on a gluten-free diet unless you are diagnosed...
The only side effect I've ever heard people complain about with Questran (that's the name brand name) is gas. All of the drugs in that family--Questran, Welchol, Colestid--are NOT absorbed by the...
Are you on any prescription meds for any problem? Constipation is a frequent side effect with a lot of meds, and you may need to have your doctor try you on some new combinations to see if you can...
May have happened that way. I got into some sugar alcohols by way of a piece of chewing gum (yes, just one piece), and I tore my guts up and couldn't get them straightened out for two months. Calcium...
So, were you, in essence, burning your esophagus with too-hot liquids? Personally, caffeine overstimulates my guts and I can't drink it, not at any temperature....
One thing I will warn you about : don't eat pre-cut, bagged lettuce, or lettuce from salad bars in restaurants and cafeterias. Bagged lettuce contains chemicals that keep the lettuce from turning...
I can't drink coffee. Caffeine is a stimulant and can make some people's guts overactive (in fact, even regular people can get D if they overload on it). Unfortunately de-caf coffee is not...
Have you told your gf about this message board? There's also one for Crohn's. She doesn't have to talk; she can just read the messages. But there's a lot of good information floating around both...
I don't know if you are male or female, but we've had a couple of guys on here complaining of extreme pain in their testacles when having an IBS flair. It must have something to do with muscle...
Did you have a regular ultrasound, or an internal one? I'm given to understand that an internal ultrasound is more accurate when it comes to looking for female problems. Those are usually done by a...
There is no cure for either IBS or Crohn's. There are things you can do, some medicines you can take, which can make it better, but it will never be cured (at least there is nothing available right...
I have to be careful what kind of fats I eat. I don't eat a lot of red meat, namely because I'm a chicken person, but I do eat meat every day. Fish are a good source of good fat, as is olive oil,...
Are you, by chance, a Gleann Abhann knight? You're actually one of the rare people post-gall bladder with constipation. I reckon, of the people who have problems without their gall bladder, only...
I take a generic Centrum vitamin and it's never seemed to bother me. You have to be careful, I think, with some of those vitamins from health food stores that give you more than the daily recommended...
Sheila, your husband should not take Welchol if he does not have diarrhea. The only thing it does is absorb bile in the intestines; it doesn't do anything else. If he doesn't have bile, or something...
There are times when you hurt so bad, dying would be a relief. Or, as a line from Harry Potter, "There are worse things than death." Someone who has never been in agonizing pain and gut misery with...
My great-grandmother used to belch constantly. I remember being a kid and wondering at her in amazement; I never knew anyone could blech that much. Needless to say, you should not be drinking...
That's great that it works! I wish it worked on me, because it'd be a whole lot cheaper than the prescription med, and I wouldn't need a doctor to get it. Go with the cheapest, easiest remedy, I say!...
You could try Caltrate 600 w/ vitamin D. I'd suggest taking one at bedtime and another in the morning, as soon as you get up. It's naturally constipating, so it helps a lot of people with milder...
Yeah, you have all the classic signs of a bad gall bladder. So did I, but it took three HIDA scans for it to show up bad. Those tests are not always accurate. And I know that the GB had to be my...