I have lived with IBS-D for years. Most of the time, I just 'live with it' but there are times when I want to try something to stop this! Over the years, I've tried many meds for anxiety, stress and for the diarrhea itself to no avail.
I do not eat well--not many fruits and vegetables. I've tried fiber (Metamucil) and it doesn't help anything at all.
I've stumbled across some articles about digestive enzymes. Would taking these help stop/control the diarrhea.
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Your future is yours to decide!
IBS is a syndrome where different causes can lead to similar symptoms.
Have you tried a probiotic? If not, that's where I'd start. Yogurt w/active cultures (if you tolerate dairy) or in supplement/capsule form.
Some people have an acquired form of gut dysbiosis/infection that can lead to long-term diarrhea, that can be treated w/a specific antibiotic called Rifaximin. Have you tried that?
Have you ruled out food intolerances/allergies/sensitivities? These are very common culprits in IBS-D. It's highly individual, anything from simple lactose intolerance, to one of the common food allergens, to multiple or more obscure food intolerances.
I recommend that anyone with ongoing diarrhea be at least screened for celiac disease, especially if there is a "family diarrhea syndrome," -- meaning some of your relatives have this problem. Celiac is serious & if left untreated can result in some very nasty scenarios.
As for enzymes, maybe they will help, maybe not. I'd wager more money on one of the other factors. But if you try them & they work for you, be sure to let us know.
Thank you for the great info. I have heard of probiotics but not sure what to choose--there's so many products available--so I'm confused as where to start! Any hints about them?
I have been tested for everything imaginable over the past 3 years. I get either IBS diagnosis or anxiety/stress or "I don't know"!!!!
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Hi! I've been 'living with' IBS-D for the past 10 years. I have tried EVERYTHING on the market there is in hopes of finding a cure for it, or at best, something to lessen the severity of it so I can enjoy a semi normal life once again. Unfortunately, nothing has helped and any type of probiotics I have taken have made my problem so much worse. Some of the products were: acidolphilous (I know I spelled that wrong lol), Digestive Advantage, papaya enzymes, flaxseed, a new product called Align which is supposed to be full of live cultures and will balance your good bacteria (oh my god, I couldn't get out of the bathroom for the 3 months I was taking this product). I've tried antibiodics and anti-depression scrips too. I've been tested for food allergies, kept a food diary for over 2 years, excluded wheat at one time, dairy at another. Had both scopes, CAT scans, ultrascans. I've lost weight, gained weight, even try hypnosis!
What gets me thru most days is immodium... and not eating til I'm home. What is bothering me more these days as I'm am resigned to living with a toilet strapped to me, is the nausea and stomach pains I have daily.
Seabell---Ha! Your story could be MY story!! Ditto on everything you said! Except I don't have the nausea and very rarely have stomach pains. Well, now I'm afraid to try the probiotics! Immodium worked some for me but I don't want to LIVE on it! Hmmmm.......what to do, what to do.
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Your future is yours to decide!
Don't be afraid to try the probiotics...they just may work for you! My motto is "I'll try anything to cure my IBS" even if it included standing naked on my head in the full moon! LOL
Some of the stuff I've tried did nothing, most made my symptoms worse. The anti-depressants made me depressed, antibiodics make me sick... my doctor just shakes his head at me.
I keep hoping that somewhere out there there is a cure and I'll find it! Hope you do too!
SB
p.s. the new immodium... doesn't work for me at all. And it seems like the stores are now carrying that and not the plain old stuff
Last night and this morning I had diarrhea b/c I was worried about my dentist appt. this morning. I've had this problem off and on for years. I had to take a lot of Imodium. In the commercial, they say you may get relief from only one dose. I wish that were true with me. I take Culturelle probiotics which do nothing for me. I'm going to stop taking them once I use up the rest. I started taking digestive enzymes a few days ago, so I don't know if they're going to help or not. Between the IBS and the GERD, I'm afraid to eat anything. I've always had a very delicate stomach, but this diarrhea from being stressed out is too much to handle.
I changed my mind about the enzymes when I read several articles on probiotics and decided to start on those for now and see how they work for me. I've read it can take about 3 months before seeing a difference. So, I'll see what happens with them first.
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Your future is yours to decide!
I have IBS w/diarrhea and other problems I won't go into. I have tried everything and have been through every test my doctors can think of. This seems to be the scenario for most of us. I have found about five other web sites/message boards that deal with this problem and have good suggestions that work for some of the people some of the time. If any of you would like the addresses, let me know.
For me, the hardest thing to deal with is not being able to work (people just don't understand) and being in pain 24/7. Of all the drugs I have taken, Immodium works the best with the fewest side effects. The pain at times is so bad that I become nausious. My gastroenterologist did prescribe a pancreatic enzyme that is taken before eating. They helped for awhile until they started causing constipation and gas build-up. The pain killers my doctor prescribes help for a day or two, but then give me such a headache that I have to take something else for that pain. I guess I would rather not use pain killers at all. My doctor insists that I eat a lot of fiber and use something like Benefiber. Great, but the additional gas pains are terrible. I do eat two yogerts per day (probiotics) which do help somewhat, and I really love yogurt.
What is your opinion: Do you think people, in general, understand IBS? Do you think your doctor does? Do you think that anyone who does not suffer from IBS can understand what we are going through? Do any of you believe you are disabled because of the disease?
Looking forward to reading your opinions.
The Following User Says Thank You to bjguthrie For This Useful Post: kazim< (10-18-2011)
What started out as a minor annoyance or inconvenience for me over 10 years ago, has now taken over my life. I can't work, can't leave the house much before 11 on good days, and have to have instant access to a bathroom at all times. I don't go on trips or vacations, heck, even sitting in a chair at a beauty salon getting my haircut is impossible (I've gotten really good at cutting my own hair, seriously!) I haven't been in a movie theater in over 8 years. Going out to eat?? Hahaha... take out is the way to go.
I've had the tests, tried the meds. As I posted before, immodium is my lifeline, when it works. Sometimes the cramps I get are so bad, I'm doubled over practicing lamaze breathing. Donnatal helps a bit with the cramps if I take it before they get too bad. The nausea/general ill feeling daily, day and night I could live with IF I could just get out of the house w/o feeling like I should have a toilet strapped to my behind. BTW, any type of fiber therapy made me feel much worse. And believe me, I tried them all.
Do my friends and family understand what I'm going thru? Absolutely not. At least my husband has gotten over getting mad at me for not wanting to go out. Does my doctor understand? Nope. When I complain about not having a life, he tells me I should be glad I don't have something terminal. Gee, thanks.
Am I disabled because of my IBS. Absolutely. My parents are elderly and when the phone rings late at night, I panic. Not because I think something has happened to them, but because if something has happened, I can't get to them or the hospital. I missed my father-in-law's funeral mass, and when my daughter was injured and rushed to the hospital, my husband went while I paced by the phone. All because of IBS.
I don't think anyone understands unless they also have IBS/D. My husband wants to travel and if we go anywhere, I have to get up at the crack of dawn so I can take Imodium several times. I'm always worried I'll have to use the bathroom on the plane or will miss the flight b/c I'm using the bathroom at the airport!!!! I'm not going to bother seeing my GI Dr. about any of this til Jan. or so when I get to have my 2nd Colonoscopy. I don't even need their drugs to clean me out. My nervous stomach will be enough. lol.
Hi, Seabell, my daughter is just like you!!! She can't leave the house, and she is only 19! Have you tried, Advantage..Digestren? If so did they help? I have been asking on other boards but no response.
Some of the "IBS cures" over the counter meds I've tried are Disgestran, Digestive Advantage, and Align. I'm sorry to say that none of them helped with my IBS. I have taken metamucil, acidolphilous, flax seed, papaya enzyme, and a host of other things, with no success.
But... I'll keep searching and trying new remedies and one day I'll find something that helps!
I am possibly coming rather too late to this thread. And I know, I know, I am going to say something obvious, so obvious that probably most of you no longer bother to think about it: the appropriate diet for IBS.
It has to start with a fast: depending on your possibilities, the fast will last from one to seven days. Stay at home. Actually, it is an edulcorated fast, if you see what I mean, that is, it is a mono-diet rather than a fast proper, but it works the same.
Prepare a soup of vegetables: potatoes, carrots, celery, leeks, whatever and cook the veggies until they become very tender. Then turn them into a velouté, a kind of creamed soup, with the help of a sieve, not a blender. You are going to eat that soup for your three meals, and nothing else. You will need a lot of rest, of course.
After the "fast", you will stick with the following plan as best as you can:
morning - as you rise, one full glass of lukewarm water.
for breakfast: half a glass of vegetable juice (mostly cabbage), freshly made by a juicer + a cup of light tea or coffee + toast (if no intolerance to gluten) + one or two poached eggs OR ham OR very little butter. If problems with gluten, substitute ripe bananas for the toast and skip the eggs/ham/butter.
lunch/dinner: one carb (white rice or potatoes or pasta) + coooked or steamed veggies (just a little, avoid greens for some time) + raw veggies (in the first week, have half a glass of veggie juice instead, then start using the veggies raw, gradually increasing the intake, but always in the middle of the meal - avoid tomatoes) + one animal protein (fish OR chicken OR meat OR eggs) + some dessert (optional: homemade compote or a little dark chocolate) + some mineral water
snack: around 4:30 PM, that is, two hours before dinner, have half a glass of fruit juice. After a few weeks, have a little fresh fruit or one quart of fresh fruit (an apple in warm weather, a banana in cold weather)) and gradually increase until you can eat a reasonable amount (avoid nuts). If not hungry at all, skip the snack.
Never eat anything between the meals. Chew well. Don't overeat. Avoid dairy. Rest after the meal. Wait at least five to six hours beween each meal. Be always warm. Light exercise in nature. Develop an intelligent optimism. I don't recommend digestive aids, but if you think you need them, use homeophatic or herbal formulas rather than pills.
These are very general rules. Some people might need some adapation, but as a whole, I think the scheme works very well.
i had every test... all came back *normal* but yet no one could explain the constant bloating, pain, nasues and daily vomiting / reflux i experience. I also was diagnosed with ideopathic chronice hives (meaning chronic hives, daily for more than 6 months with no known cause) My stomach always looked preganant cause it was so bloated, yet I was so full i never ate, my skin was bad and I had bad excemea on both hands.
so I lived with everything for two years.. finally my GP suggested i look into naturpathy...
I went to the naturopath and did an elimnation diet (cut out all known reactive foods for 6 weeks and intro one at a time, one per week)
i felt great! no bloat, no stomach probs, no hives, skin got better.
turns out i cant eat gluten (major cause of the bloating etc) and seem to have an allergy to eggs, pork and fruit (hives and skin problems)
if i avoid these i feel better.. but problem is sticking to the diet.. :| its hard cause you can never eat take out.. everytiem i eat take out i break out in hives, my lips swell up, or i get an upset stomach
I would suggest looking at your diet as a starting point if you had everything else checked out...
for me.. i had the flu last year and couldn't eat for a week (chicen soup and carrot sticks and tea was about all i ate) but when i finally felt well i was amazed how well my stomach felt (cause i wasn't putting any of my trouble foods into it)
Digestive Enzymes and Diarrhea 
which do help somewhat, and I really love yogurt.
