appointment with-the gastroenterologist 1st thing Mon a.m.

[TerryJ2]

Just as I thought I was getting better, I had an extremely violent case of *%#* at a bookstore yesterday and did not make it to the bathroom in time. Thank d*G I was wearing thick jeans. I spent 1/2 hr cleaning up (not easy when you're in a stall, with-no WetWipes) and disposing of clothing. THAT's IT!!! It's been going on since before Thanksgiving and I've had it. (There was a JC Penney next door so I ran in and bought brand new underwear. A beggar had come up to my car and asked for money and all I could think of was, well, it could be worse--I could be poor, homeless, AND have a colon issue! And I'm lucky to have new pink undies. (*Hey, when you're embarrassed and stressed out, make the best of it. )
I can only go for 24 hr with-o an antidiarrheal, I'm eating probiotics and enzymes by the boatload, I've given up chocolate (Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrggghhh!) and cheese (I'd given up milk yrs ago), and the medications the GP gave me made me way too sleepy.


I've had IBS since I was a kid, and started taking probiotics and enzymes about 3 yrs ago and they helped immensely.

I had my first colonoscopy in May and there was one, tiny, benign polyp removed.

This happened just a few days b4 Thanksgiving and has not let up since. None of the back-and-forth stuff like IBS.

I just researched on Google (again) and the problem is, so much of these symptoms can be caused by stress. I really believe that I am not under any more stress than I was 6 mo's ago and that I have some condition. My stool sample came out normal (bacteria, ovum, parasites).
One of the medications I read about is Lotronex, which prevents seratonin from acting on specific receptor sites within the gut known as 5-HT3 receptors. Does that interfere with-psychiatric medications that deal with-seratonin?

 

[TerryJ2]

And yes, I have cut back on gluten. I'm going to go gluten free for awhile--week or two?--and then eat some and see what happens.

 

[BusynMember]

To be honest? Sounds a lot like IBS to me. (Wow, we are really hitting "bottom" in this thread ) But, really, at my worst, I would have suddenly attacks and....oops! Never didn't make it....but close. You are wise to get it checked out though. The big things I cut out were caffeine (completely...caffeine causes diarrhea) and anything too fatty.

Wish I could answer your questions, but I can't. I'm sure somebody else will know.

 

[DammitJanet]

Terry, that exact same thing happened to me in a Food Lion grocery store a couple of years ago. Maybe two or three. I was so embarrassed because there was no one with me for me to send out to get me help and it was a mess. I sat in the stall and cried. Then I called Tony who was in Myrtle Beach I think and told him he had to come home and rescue me. I was just going to sit in that stall for the 2 hours it would probably take him to get to me. He would have had to completely shut down an entire construction crew to come get me! Instead he called Cory who was somewhere in town and got him to go to our house and find me a pair of pants and bring them to me. Problem was Cory brought me a pair that didnt fit! I threw out the ruined pair and tried to sneak out of the store without anyone noticing my pants didnt fit.

I do have IBS or so they say. I think that is a wastebasket diagnosis for "we dont know why you are having these symptoms so we will call it this". Sort of like ODD. I think there are a lot of wastebasket diagnosis's. Another one is fibro. There is something else going on with a person that they just havent figured out but the medical community isnt that interested so they just sigh and say...oh its fibro. I think its mostly because more women have fibro than men. If the majority of fibro patients were men, we would have a lot more research going into it.

Ok...off my soapbox. I am just having a ton of digestive issues myself right now and not feeling well...lol.

 

[TerryJ2]

Okay, so far, only one joke.

So sorry, Janet. I know how you felt!

Oh, one other thing; I asked the GP if taking too many antidiarrheal pills would get my body used to them, so that when I went off of them, I'd have diarrhea. He said no.
However, I do notice that I retain a lot of water and salt when I am not taking them. I like the way my face looks when I take them. Trying to look on the bright side ...

 

[Tiapet]

When they took Zelnorm off the market I about cried. That helped keep things regular. Now there is nothing. I'm sorry I have no answers for you with help. Just a hug with empathy and sympathy for what you are going through. I hope GI can find out something more for you. I have to go to one shortly too. Waiting for the call for the appointment.

 

[Hound dog]

You just described me the first couple of months after Fred passed. It was horrible. I don't have too much issue with IBS but when it flares it seems to do so with a vengeance. Forget anti diarrheals, I ate rice like mad.......only thing that helped. Changing my diet does nothing for mine. Never found a medication that helped either. Sometimes it flares due to extreme stress.....yet other times of extreme stress it doesn't show up at all. Then of course there is the lovely random flares. ugh

Odd thing is Travis has been dealing with IBS symptoms for several years now. The kid has zero stress, so it's obviously not stress related. If it's food related we're having trouble finding trigger foods because one time it bothers him, next ten it doesn't.

I tend to agree with Janet. IBS is a basket diagnosis........ a "we don't have a clue but it's GI" sort of diagnosis, just the same way fibro is "nerve/muscle" related. Heaven forbid they just admit they don't know cause or even what is wrong.

Grandson Brandon shows IBS symptoms and has since he was less than a year. easy child was at her wits end and decided to try organic with him thinking maybe all the hormones and genetically modified foods were playing a role. We've noticed a dramatic change for the better.

Hugs

 

[Marcie Mac]

My system has been all wonky from my two surgeries last year and am going in for my third time in about a year for that colon test I cannot leave the house without my purse, cell phone and a spare set of clothes in my purse because of what you described. No anti diarrea pills work for me - just got a rx for something new on Thursday. I have IBS as well, and they did say stress may be playing havoc, but really, I have had worse stress in my life than I have now. They also gave me probiotics that I have to take a week on and a week off for a while. She said not to take them constantly as my body will eventually stop producing the good bacteria that I need.

It has gotten so bad I don't even want to leave the house LOL Course SO doesn't help matters on our way out the door when he says "do you have to use the bathroom before we leave" I feel like a freaking three year old, but I can't tell you how many times we have left the driveway, gone a block and I have had to tell him to turn back. I wonder if the Garmin people know how valuable their service is on scoping out gas stations with bathrooms every time I plan to go anywhere. We had an office Xmas party at a restaurant and I didn't eat for two days before hand so I could sit and enjoy an hour or so without having to visit the loo (which was an exercise in futility cause the minute I drank....).

Marcie

 

[TerryJ2]

Oh! So sorry for you all! Didn't realize how many others have this.

So, I'm going to jump off a cliff.
I happened to be reading "Living Without" magazine, which I subscribe to for my difficult child, but there is an article in the newest issue about IBS. There is a dr who came up with-a diet called FODMAP, which is supposed to help. Interestingly, it does not just eliminate gluten and lactose, it eliminates a lot of "health foods" I have been eating.
What the h*ll is there left to eat!!!???

The FODMAP eliminates so many of my favorite foods: split pea soup (no dried peas, no dried beans); artichokes; asparagus; apples, nectarines, mangos, CHERRIES -- my all time fave, which I buy, no matter how expensive, in June, because that's my birthday month -- PISTACIOS-- my other all time favorite comfort food, and most importantly, ONIONS, which I don't think I can live without.
I seriously thought chocolate was bad, but onions and pistacios??? Just shoot me. Now.

The only thing that may save me is that by reintroducing these foods one by one, I may be able to keep them in my diet if they don't cause irritation. My bowels are so irritated now, that I am going to ask the dr for something to calm them, some kind of anti-inflammatory, then continue on my elimination diet (thank d*G I love rice), and let everything heal.

Just because it's all inflamed now doesn't mean it will be forever. Right. Right? RIGHT???!

I will give him this dr's name--Sue Shepherd, PhD, from Australia--and a copy of the article and see what he thinks. (I'm still going to do the diet regardless of what he says; I know that typical IBS drugs are useless, and in fact, tore up the scrip that my GP gave me last month.)

FOMAP stands for:

Fermentable
Oligosaccharides
Disaccharides
Monosaccharides
And
Polyols

(Okay, the "And" is pretty lame, but no one asked for my input before they patented the name.)

Supposedly I CAN eat:
Cheddar cheese and brie (I hate brie)
gluten free grains, corn and rice (I assume popcorn is fine)
carrots, celery, lemon and lime (margaritas???), oranges, strawberries, raspberries and tomatoes
molasses
maple syrup

Also, genetically modified foods are highly suspect. Not sure why, but as long as new labeling laws are being passed, I may as well take advantage of them.

So, this past week, I made homemade split pea soup, and mail ordered a Yonana machine and used it three days in a row. What did I put in it? Mangos, cherries, raspberries, blueberries and bananas.
!!!!
I am also not supposed to eat spicy foods ... and I had a bowl of chili at Barnes and Noble just prior to The Big Accident.
I think I created a time bomb and set it off with-the chili.

 

[InsaneCdn]

OK, some random thoughts to go with the above ramblings...

Popcorn... if you can have corn, you can have popcorn. Genetically extremely similar.

Onions... Avoid raw. Then, when cooking with onions, pre-cook them by pouring boiling water over them and let them sit for a few minutes. You will find an oily film on top of the water-and-onions. Pour off the water-and-oily-stuff, and use the onions. Seems like that 'oily stuff' also contains the sulfur found in onions... or so I've heard.

Nuts, beans, peas, and seeds... well, you probably don't want to be playing with those bombshells during an IBS flare-up, at least. Might or might not be triggers, but once irritated... ?

What does that leave for you to eat? well, you wouldn't starve in my house. Except for the gluten stuff... you could have most of what we eat.
- small quantities of lean meat, such as a baked or broiled skinless chicken breast.
- rice (not fried...)
- potatoes
- squash
- cruciferious veggies (broc and cauli, maybe not cabbage)
- once your gut is more 'tame', basic salad ingredients... lettuce, spinach, zuchinni, mushrooms, maybe sprouts, carrots, etc.

First get this under control. THEN try adding things back one at a time.

 

[TerryJ2]

Yes. Sigh.

I'm thinking rice, plain potatoes, plain chicken, sushi. I have to remember not to add wasabi or soy sauce.

 

[InsaneCdn]

Fish should be fine in general - salmon, sole, etc. Sounds like you're even allowed a squeeze of lemon to go with it!
Only until the problem resolves - this probably doesn't need to be "forever".

 

[TerryJ2]

probably doesn't need to be "forever". ... That's what I'm hoping

 

[Hound dog]

Oh, my. I'm sure that doctor has good reasons for that diet but ...........uh, no. Not for me anyway.

Years ago back when I spent 2 yrs in hospital getting surgery after surgery for my kidneys is when my IBS went into severe mode the first time. Nothing doctor tried could get it to settle down again.

In agony and basically unable to leave the house, I took matters into my own hands. I went bland........as in a basic bland diet. Not one darn thing to aggravate my then super sensitive bowels. No spices, heaven forbid NO corn or pop corn (It seriously will make you GO! bad idea right now), tomatoes (including sauces ect) doubled me over.......no fruit at all (stimulates the bowels). I did this for about 3 months. It took that long to calm my IBS back down.

Then, I reintroduced food items slowly one at a time. Sort of like when you introduce a baby to baby foods. If a food triggered it, I didn't eat it again. Didn't mean I could never eat it again.......just not at that point.

Once I can get my IBS calmed down again it will stay that way for a very long time. Then I can basically eat any darn thing I want. But I know everyone is different.

But I am seriously thinking some hormones/ medications/ genetically modified stuff is suspicious because while I know folks didn't used to talk about this sort of thing........I doubt it would've been hidden well. So it makes you wonder wth they're doing to our food??

 

[susiestar]

First off, your doctor is about 1000% (yes, one thousand, NOT a typo) wrong about the anti-diarrheal medications. They COMPLETELY can make your body need them to not have diarrhea. Most docs tell IBS patients that immodium and other antidiarrheal medications are one of the WORST things you can do. I have heard this from three ENT's, two urologists, every single family practice/gp doctor I have ever seen, two rheumatologists and my pain doctor. Pain docs deal with a TON of IBS type things because the other end of the spectrum is often made vastly worse by the medications that pain docs deal with.

Find a few days to get OFF the immodium type medications or else do all you can to cut back on them and wean off. There ARE medications that can help. Donnatol is a medication my mom gave us when we were little and had diarrhea. It is now an rx medication and the generic is usually labeled with bella/alk/ because it is actually a combo of 3 or 4 medications and they don't all fit on the label. It is has been a lifesaver for me for several years now. Another medication is bentyl (generic name) and it helps some people quite a bit. Isn't very helpful to me, but I know many who swear by it for their IBS.

You also need to take gas-x. The walmart generic is under $4 for two bottles of 72 each, and you want to take 2 every 4 to 6 hrs. It is more than what the bottle says, but it is what every doctor has told me to do, and it is not absorbed by the body so the OD potential isn't really there.

I disagree with IC about the veggies. Cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower ferment in the body and create lots of gas. They are NOT helpful with IBS and are strongly discouraged for those with IBS. This is on every IBS diet I have seen. This is the same reason that your pea soup is not recommended and neither are beans or sweet potatoes.

I HATE when I have this type of problem in a store. I got my 2nd knee shot on Fri and after some shopping with Jess I was ready to go home. But we couldn't because I spent 90 min with this issue as a big problem. Thankfully we were on our way to our fave used bookstore when it started. Got there just in time to grab 2 magazines on the way to the bathroom. I was esp bummed because it was husband's birthday. Instead of cooking, we got some BBQ, potato salad and frozen potato skins for dinner. We put candles on the potato skins because husband prefers anything potato to cake any day, lol!

Have you considered some of those depends underwear thingies for if you absolutely MUST go somewhere when this is acting up? You can get a free sample if you go to the manufacturer's website or go to many freebie websites. I keep a few on hand for when we have to go to a dr in the city because it is such a long drive. It gives me a bit of peace of mind that I can handle the situation if I need to.

As for wet wipes, you may want to start carrying some. I buy baby wipes in bulk at Sams and keep them everywhere. I have a package of them that lives in the car, but I also keep several ziploc bags with 3-6 of them in each bag int he car. I have an old box that wipes come in that is kept in the car. I store the ziploc bags of 3-6 wipes in that and on days I am having a lot of problems I put 2 in my purse. I like to have them in ziplocs rather than in the portable wet wipes containers because I can put the used wipes into the ziploc wehn I am done and it doesn't stink up a bathroom in a business or even a friend or relative's house. The Sam's wipes are some of the best we have found because they are cloth like so they clean better.

Are you eating enough fiber? Fiber is one of the very best things for IBS. I controlled mine solely with mini wheats for years. I know gluten is a problem, so you would need to find another source. I get the fiber capsules at Walmart that are 100% psyllium because they don't cause nearly the gas that other fibers do. Do NOT just jump in and take the full daily amount the first time you take it. Start with 1 capsule per day and every 3-5 days add one more until you either are at the recommended dose or have no more problems. this is MUCH MUCH MUCH more beneficial than immodium type medications.

Fiber is good for both ends of the IBS spectrum. It absorbs excess water/liquid to help diarrhea and it provides bulk and softens things to help constipation. It truly is amazing because nothing else really helps both problems.

I hope you feel better soon. I don't have a clue what is going on, but more people are having IBS flares or a virus or whatever that leaves them with problems for weeks or months than I can remember ever happening before. Even the ER here has seen more patients with diarrhea/vomiting than during any winter/flu season in the past and they are seeing many of these patients two times, three times, or even more than that.

 

[TerryJ2]

Thank you.
I am definitely going to talk to the gastro about antidiarrheal medications and why the GP would tell me that.

I was doing Metamucil but I am going to dig through the pantry and look for the plain psyllium.

I have a small pkg of Wet Wipes in the car but will start carrying them in my purse. Good idea.

 

[DDD]

The three of us have all turned into flushable wet wipers! We have them at home and at our store and I carry a few in a plastic bag when I am going out and about. I have never had IBS issues but since my colon surgery I go through times where I have to quickly respond to indicators. husband and easy child/difficult child don't need them but them want them. Sigh! I hope your problems get resolved soon. Hugs DDD

 

[TerryJ2]

Thanks. Just checked online for scrip info, to give to the gastro tomorrow.
Discovered that one of the scrips I was given by the gp and did NOT fill, Librax, contains lactose. Say WHAT? Glad I trusted my gut. Excuse the expression.

 

[HaoZi]

I've found this very helpful for my IBS: http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/heathersibsdietcheatsheet.pdf

And I make my own fennel tea using fennel from the spice section and one of those mesh tea strainers.

 

[Hound dog]

Ohhh, I forgot about the anti diarrhea medications! Yup. Not a good idea. Fred could use them, but not me......no thanks, I didn't want to go down that road.