I am getting so discouraged. I wake up in the morning and even before I drink anything, I have loose stools. The last few days it has turned into real diarrhea, despite an "anti-diarrhea" diet of rice, toast, chamomile tea and adding a little bland chicken for protein.

I have read up on everything from Crohn's to cancer, and just don't know what is causing this. I went to my doctor...my giardia test was negative but he did not take an occult blood test nor test for any other parasites. I am going to a GI specialist this week. My bloodwork showed no anemia nor any elevated values that would point to infection, cancer or Crohn's.

I had taken a very acidic medication for kidney stone prevention and drank a lot of lemonade when this started. I am hoping that this is all it is, that this may have set up an irritation.

My question is: do any of you with IBS have loose stools every day? Sometimes the are yellowish like a baby's. I also get cramps but am not awakened by them or the diarrhea. I always go to the bathroom right after waking up.

I have not seen any blood. I have always had a nervous stomach, and the second I have anxiety, I get the runs. This makes me think I might have IBS all along. Have any of you had daily diarrhea for prolonged periods of time? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated as I am really scared over this.

Yes...I have had the same type of stool you describe...and in the mornings upon awaking when I am more stressed out. Your medication could have brought this on. I believe mine has been worse lately because of a virus (accompanied by headaches and fever). The problem is how do I know when the virus is over and it is just my IBS again? The same with you....hard to know when that medication that irritated you is no longer the reason. 7 weeks is a long time, however. Have you consulted a doctor just to be sure it's nothing serious? I believe we should all get stomach transplants! I might need a brain transplant too though just to be sure I break the mind gut link and don't screw up my new stomach! lol http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Good luck to you.

Ahhh Terri, I can sympathize. I've had diarrhea all summer it seems. I attribute it to the humidity we've had. My cramps and the urge to go usually wake me up around 4am, and I continue going to about 10 am. And its been yellow, baby diarrhea colored. Last week I felt so nauseous that I took Pepto Bismo and was so happy the next day when my BM was dark in color. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif I also went on the brat diet to see if that would help, it didn't. So I had pizza... and a solid movement. Go figure!

I keep telling myself that when the cooler weather arrives, I'll feel better.

SB

where in wchr are you?

To chronic...yes I am going to the dr. this week, a GI specialist. Thanks for responding.

To crazycats: I am in lower Westchester and yes we have had such high humidity and heat. I also have been drinking tons of water so that I don't get a 2nd kidney stone, and maybe that is giving me the runs...but it shouldn't. So, should I have pizza? I don't think I would chance the tomato sauce!! I have been on the brat diet myself, not even regular tea with it, just chamomile.

Have you seen a doctor about this? Please let me know if so. I would do anything to see one day of a normal b.m....something I took for granted all of my life.

It is good to vent, honestly, Cat, I am scared to death over what this is. Are you also having cramps all over? Mine are in the upper and lower abdomen and they move around. I just hope this is IBS, not that that's a picnic but it's better than finding out that I have cancer or something awful. I have never in my life had this for 7 weeks or even 2 weeks straight. Something is wrong and I have to know what, even if it means getting scoped every which way. Please write back and let me know if you have cramps, and if so, where, and more gas than usual. Thank you so much!!

CrazyCats, I forgot to ask you, after the normal movement (after the Pepto) did it go back to diarrhea again? I also had one half-normal movement and bingo, the next one was yellow and watery again. That's what's such a bummer...you think maybe it is getting better and then you wake up t the same mess again.

Chronic, let me know who can give a brain transplant, LOL, because I also react immediately in the gut from anxiety. I have even been somewhat relaxed this weekend and still the problem remains. Please keep me posted too, thanks!

Hi Terri! Glad to hear you're going to a GI... hope he/she sheds some light on your problem.

I've gone maybe 2-3 weeks before this with diarrhea....but not every day, and not the yellowish icky stuff. Seems to me that when my intestines are irriated, my bm's are yellowish.

And yes, I have awful gas (chase myself out of my bedroom...windows are shut, AC on high and I light candles and spray air freshener!

Cramps are painful...mine precede a bout of diarrhea. They can double me over and I actually do lamaze breathing thru them. Mine are mostly lower tummy and right sided.

I had maybe 2 days of semi-loose stools after the pepto, then went back to the yellow runs. Almost feel like chugging from the bottle again.

BTW, I'm in upper Wchr! Let me know if you like your doctor...if he/she is helpful and knowledgeable, pass along name!

Hope you're feeling better and let us know how you are doing!

CC

[This message has been edited by CrazyCats4 (edited 08-10-2003).]

terri...keep us posted. So you've had a kidney stone? Your findings are very interesting to me. I have gone to the emergency room twice for them as well. And I am very active, eat well, and am 30. Guess what though? This 2nd time especially I had been having lots of IBS problems and they told me I was severely dehydrated in the hospital. I didn't feel like it...I think I must always be. They told me to drink more water. I do drink it but not as much as I should when I get the runs. Drinking anything triggers it! I'm sure I don't have to tell you guys that all you want is for it to stop, so you are not putting anything else in your mouth that makes it keep going! (including water). So anyway, I was thinking the kidney stone was related to the IBS. Since my first one was 5 or so years ago, I cannot remember if I was having the IBS a lot at that time. Good luck at the doctors.

Chronic, that may have been what triggered this whole thing. I had a uric acid stone and the prevention calls for lots of lemonade and Urocit-K. That may have set up a terribe irritation. I am drinking a lot now because the last thing I want now is another stone (passed the first one myself at home, not too bad). But still, I sure don't want another one and I am supposed to drink about 12 glasses of water a day, especially in the summer. And now with the diarrhea, I certainly don't want to get dehydrated.

What a mess, right? Do they sell new bodies at Wal-Mart? LOL. I am laughing now but I am scared stiff of finding out what's causing this. I pray every morning that this will stop, and when I see the "runs" again, I freak out. Well, a few more days will be my appointment, if I am still alive. How much can the body take? Argh!! I even am trying Primal Defense, I heard so much about it. Can't hurt, it's a bunch of probiotics. I hope that isn't making the diarrhea worse.

Hi....I know exactly what you are talking about. I had chronic diarrhea for years (usually immediately after eating) and it too was yellowish in color. Terrible cramping too. I went to a GI doctor had numerous tests and he said it was IBS. Then came a parade of various medications to see which one would give me some relief. Never found anything that was 100% effective. Lomotil was helpful, but can only be used occasionally.....not good for long term use as it is habit forming.

2 years ago I had to have my gallbladder removed and that made the diarrhea even worse (if that's possible). The GI doctor gave me a prescription for Questran powder. I drink one scoop in cold water first thing every morning. Questran is actually a cholesterol lowering medication, BUT, it has a wonderful side effect of causing constipation. When you have IBS with diarrhea you never get constipated, but the Questran actually makes the stools normal and now I can eat anything without getting the cramping and diarrhea afterward. I guess if your GI doctor diagnoses IBS for you, you could ask about taking the Questran. I swear by it.

I have found that when I get really anxious about something, while I no longer get diarrhea, I do still get nauseated. My doctor has prescribed Phenergan for occasional use for the nausea.

Hope this helps and you are soon feeling better.

Hi Lilsnana and thanks for the reply. Everyone I know had diarrhea after their gallbladder was removed, this is very common. I am wondering if the doctor said that your diarrhea that preceded the operation was caused by the gallstones.

Hi Terri,
I found out "after the fact that" diarrhea is generally a side effect from gallbladder removal. I'm almost 100% certain that the diarrhea I had prior to the gallbladder surgery wasn't related to that and it is in fact IBS. I had spells of diarrhea and cramping since I was about age 20 and I am now 55! Had the gallbladder out when I was 53.
I'm just thankful that I have found something (the Questran) that is nearly 100% effective at stopping the diarrhea everytime I eat something.

My IBS has subsided recently. I don't know if this will help any of you. Here's what I did:

After researching IBS on webMD, I learned that the brain and central nervous system send messages to your stomach & intestines. Somehow, serotonin is involved in all this.

Earlier this year, I was given an antidepressant (SSRI) which affects serotonin. One day my antidepressant med wasn't enough, so the doctor increased my dosage. On the same day, I saw my chiropractor - I had a bad subluxation (pinched nerve) between by shoulder blades. This area of nerves branch out from the spine to the stomach, intestines, etc. After the adjustment, I got a massage - for good measure and to feel good.

I have not taken any Lomotil since then! I am eating what I want, and have even been constapated a couple of times (yahoo, I think :/).

Everyone is different, so none of this may work for you, but you may want to give it a shot. My IBS started 2.5 years ago, and now is the first time I feel regular (pun intended) again.

Terri - very interesting - checkout my board for some help.....http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/Forum73/HTML/001231.html

To gsilva, I checked out your other post. Have you had a colonoscopy or gall bladder sonogram? Our symptoms sound so much alike. I also get a sticking pain to the right of my navel at times. However, I had cat scans last year and a sonogram years ago when I had the same pain and it showed no gallstones.

I go tomorrow to the specialist. How long can a person go with loose stools/diarrhea without really getting sick? I drink a lot of water but I am scared that I will wind up in the hospital. The body can take just so much. Anyway, I just want to find out what is causing this and get treated. My nerves are on edge from waking up every morning to this. Thanks for writing and please respond to me on this thread as it is more recent than the one you posted.

I picked up a stomach bug while on holiday. The diarhoea started the day I returned home. After 7 days, I went to my GP, he gave me Ciproxin (Antibiotics). The diarhoea came back, I went to Hospital for Tropical Diseases, more Antibiotics. After 5 courses of strong Antibiotics I was still getting intermittent diarhoea. It seemed to get better while I was on the antibiotics, then came back after. While taking them I was told not to aviod dairy and red meat. I decided to try doing this even though I was no longer taking the antibiotics. There was a big improvement, less gas and cramps, less diarhoea. I started having accupuncture, she suggested also avoiding wheat. This really helped, as long as I stay away from wheat and dairy, things are much better. I eat Rye only bread, and drink Soya milk. I da all the usual tests endoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, blood tests, urine tests etc., all were negative. I also did an Old Smokies CDSA, which showed fast transit time (no really, there's a suprise), but did indicate dysbiosis. Basically the natural gut flora has been completely disrupted by the infection and the antibiotics. Acidophilus/Lacto bacillus supplements are not enough to re-balance everything, as there are hundreds of exoctic bactria that normally live in the gut. I have recently started using a Homeopathic mixture called HYLAK forte PLUS. This seems to be improving things further. The Homeopath reckons I should be able to re-introduce wheat and dairy in about 4 months. yipee! (I have been suffering with this for over a year. It would be great if it's all sorted in a moths time. My suggestion to other sufferers is try excluding (with guidance from a professional) some of the more common irritants, and see if things improve. Then look at ways of re-collonising the gut.

Hi terri48:
I am getting so discouraged. I wake up in the morning and even before I drink anything, I have loose stools.

You just described the typical IBS diarrhoea.
I can relate to your situation because it's so familiar to me. It gets worse if you're feeling tense or anxious.

Are you sure you have eliminated sugar and artificial sweeteners from your diet (Honey is OK) as well as fats, spices, sweets, fiber... ?

DO eat bananas (for me they are lifesavers), mashed or boiled potatoes, pasta; try to mash and blend most food and do not use spices (use sea salt instead of ordinary salt)... DON'T even think of coffee or alcohol!!

Hope this helps. Try not to worry because it will make your diarrhoea worse. Good luck with everything, I'm sure eventually everything will work out fine for you.

Thanks, dai. I have stopped the foods you mention. I was supposed to see the dr. but he was closed on the day of my app't because of the blackout. So I have to wait some more. Did you have diarrhea every day? Is morning diarrhea typical of IBS? I also get instant "runs" when I get anxious...immediately I feel gas in my stomach and am in the bathroom. It's awful, especially if I'm in a car or train!

You're welcome, Terri. I'm sorry you need to wait some more to see your dr. Yes, before changing my eating habits I used to have diarrhea every day for about 2 or 3 months, I did eat a huge amount of vegetables daily etc., and thought I was eating healthy. I also drank plenty of coffee. Coffee is my achilles heel, now I'm trying to drink it only one cup a day after a good meal. I get terrible headaches without coffee and my stomach doesn't take painkillers (anti-inflammatory painkillers are another thing to avoid - paracetamol is okay) well, so I'm trying to compromise.

Yes, morning diarrhea is highly typical of IBS. You may literally wake up to the need to dash in the bathroom! Anxiety does make it worse, unfortunately... and yes, sitting in a car or in a train, that's a classic! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/tongue.gif

Have you tried meditation or relaxation exercises, I found them very helpful myself.
I have one more food tip for you... have you tried to eat oatmeal porridge in the morning? It's my favourite breakfast and it is very good and easy on the stomach.
Good luck to you! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif