[20566]

Hello i am new to this site and want to say how fab i have found it so far! please could someone help, for the past 3 weeks i have had serious stomach pains and constant diarreah maybe a break of 2 days in every week but still have the feeling of may need it, had bloods stools and urine tests done ansd all clear, its now getting to the stage of living off the imodium or not getting out of the house, my doctor is unconvinced due to the severity and speed that this has come on but i dont know i feel very upset and feel like my world is crumbling as ive gone from an active 26 yr old mum to a weak frightened old woman over night could i be an IBS sufferer and if so can anyone or anything cure the diarreah????? thanx sorryu to be so informal on first post but so desperate for help or advice.

 

[Kathleen M.]

Well since the stool tests were clear it doesn't sound like an ongoing infection.If you have a lot of diarrhea especially if it tends to continue into the night you may need to have a colonoscopy to check things out. I would make sure they do biopsies to check for various things while they are in there. One thing to be checked for is microscopic colitis, people with this often have a lot more diarrhea than IBSers tend to have.IBS often starts after a GI infection which would be the overnight thing. It can sometimes take a few weeks to normalize after a GI infection so usually 3 weeks is in the too short of a time to officially go with IBS as you could still be in the healing up post-infection stage.Treating the diarrhea will depend on what exactly is wrong, but Imodium is a fairly decent start even if it doesn't make it end, it can be a good control for any of the GI disorders.K.

 

[20566]

thanx ever so much for replying, that kinda gives me some hope i dont have the diarreah into the night mainly early day but have that stomachy achy want to go again feeling through the after noon usually picking up by early evening if not b4. The doctor did say that i could be feeling ibs type symptoms if ive hada bug until my body picks up again and regulates i was unsure but obviously this is heard of as u have mentioned the same, so fingers crossed there may be hope for me yet, will keep u all informed and thanx again for replying, also once again thumbs up for a very friendly and informatative site

see you around the site, your manc friend kirstxxxx

 

[14410]

I am writing in regards to my mom. She is 65 years old and I am 36 years old. As long as I can remember, she has had diarrhea her entire life. Now though, it has become worse, to the point that she is having accidents. She says she can feel it "zooming" in her intestines and she will try to get to the bathroom and sometimes makes it and other times not. She is also having accidents in her sleep. She is taking Immodium but it isn't doing much. She has been to the dr. and he says since she has no pain she doesn't have IBS. Is that true? She is convinced she has colon cancer. She is scheduled for a colonscopy on July 24th or 27th, I'm not sure which. She is going to call another specialist on Wed. and tell them that it is to the point she cannot leave the house because she is going 24/7. She has no blood, no pain, no bloating, no swelling, no fevers, nothing. She had her gallbladder taken out years ago. One dr. said it was from anxiety. She did go on a cruise about a month ago and never had one bout of diarrhea. I wouldn't think colon cancer would come and go with diarrhea like that. If you have cancer, you are still going to go no matter where you are. so that makes me wonder if it is more nerves than anything else? Any ideas? Thank you so much.

 

[20566]

hya cant really help from a personal point of view due to the fact i am suffering simular probs to your mum, but i have noticed alot of positive response to the calcium threads which seem to beable to help the majority, if your mum hasnt tryed , then its defo worth a go i intend to try it myself, i would not worry about the cancer side of things, you said she has been symptomatic most of your memory and so would of been realised by now. I have read up alot of this on other info sites and unfortunatly ibs symptoms are very simular to other illnesses etc, but defo read the calcium threads and tell your mum to give it a go, please let me know if it works, cheers and all the best kirstx

 

[Nick65]

Other fantastic medications to use that will not hurt you, but put a smile on your face are theseUncle Joe's Mint Balls orStem GingerI buy them fromwww.thepinksugarmouse.comin Poole, but the Uncle Joe's calm my stomach down if I am about to go out, as the mint does something to it. The Ginger is good when I have a bloated stomach.I am not a share holder of this biz, it just happens that it helped me out.CheersNick

 

[14410]

Originally posted by Kathleen M.:Well since the stool tests were clear it doesn't sound like an ongoing infection.If you have a lot of diarrhea especially if it tends to continue into the night you may need to have a colonoscopy to check things out. I'm curious about this statement as it refers to my mom. Why do you say about having diarrhea especially into the night to have it checked out?? Is having it while asleep or waking up in the night a sign of something? If so, what?

 

[Kathleen M.]

Usually the colon goes to sleep when you go to sleep (becomes much less active) so it is rare in IBS to have diarrhea that either continues all night or that wakes you up at night. You see it acutely with a GI infection, and chronically it is much more common in things like microscopic colitis, crohn's or ulcerative colitis.Basically something where the immune system over-rides the colon resting during the night thing.We've had a few people here with diarrhea several times a night that ended up finally getting diagnosed with microscopic colitis. For that they need to take biopsies during a colonoscopy to diagnose.K.

 

[14410]

Originally posted by Kathleen M.:Usually the colon goes to sleep when you go to sleep (becomes much less active) so it is rare in IBS to have diarrhea that either continues all night or that wakes you up at night. I went to my mom's last night and spent the night and I was shocked and how severe the diarrhea was. She was going multiple times during an hour. She would be sitting in a chair and suddenly say she has to go and then say "too late". We went to have breakfast and at 10:55 she begins eating and by 11:20 she is in the bathroom. We leave there and go directly to a drug store for a birthday card and while there she goes in her pants. We leave and go home and as soon as she is home she is going again. It isn't that when she has to go to the bathroom it is diarrhea, it is like the diarrhea has become her. It is also projectile diarrhea. When she goes it is everyplace! When she tried Metamucil it thickens it a bit but doesn't form a stool.

 

[Kathleen M.]

That seems pretty severe, what tests has she had and were they done when things were this bad?K.

 

[14410]

Originally posted by Kathleen M.:That seems pretty severe, what tests has she had and were they done when things were this bad?She hasn't had any tests done recently. She is due for a colonoscopy in 13 days. She had her gallbladder out in the 80's and it started sometime after that. The dr. put her on some pill and it helped for a while and then stopped. He then said it is all her nerves. She has had barium enimas (?) before with the x--rays and she had a partial colonoscopy where they don't put you to sleep 4 years ago and all was fine. Even with taking Metamucil she can't form a complete stool....more like fluff, as she calls it. Someplace online it says if you have diarrhea instead of stools it means a malignant tumor on the right of the colon. But, she has none of the other symptoms of colon cancer....no pain, no blood, no greasy stools, no thinning of stools, just the diarrhea. Does it sound like IBS? Her dr. says she can't have it since she doesn't have pain.

 

[Kathleen M.]

Well there is functional diarrhea that is like IBS diarrhea without the pain, but this severe it should be checked out before deciding on just being functional, I would make sure they take biopsies to look at the colon microscopically.If it is functional you might checke out LNAPE's calcium threads as she had post gall-bladder issues that resolved when she started calcium for other health reasons.K.

 

[14410]

Originally posted by Kathleen M.:Well there is functional diarrhea that is like IBS diarrhea without the pain, but this severe it should be checked out before deciding on just being functional, I would make sure they take biopsies to look at the colon microscopically.What could cause it to be this severe? It is odd to me that she can eat, go and then continue to go. It is like nothing is staying inside of her for any length of time. When she goes, it is like something I have never seen before. Is there a colon cancer board like this? She thinks she has a blockage in her colon causing this. I thought a blockage would cause pain, but maybe not.

 

[Kathleen M.]

Microscopic colitis can cause diarrhea this severe. Usually if crohn's or colitis is that bad you see blood but you don't tend to with microscopic colitis. There are a few people with IBS that are that bad, but it is pretty rare to see that.You can get some diarrhea when there is a partial blockage, but I've never heard of it being this bad.If it is functional part of the issue is in everyone the colon becomes very active when you eat and will stay active for awhile, and that may fit the time frame you are seeing.I don't know about cancer issues with this, but usually it is pretty symptom free, and I would think if it was causing a blockage this bad you'd have gotten a tumor big enough to start causing pain or other issues. you could try here http://www.healthboards.com/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=24 or here http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board.../1,0,119,18.htmK.

 

[14410]

Usually if crohn's or colitis is that bad you see blood but you don't tend to with microscopic colitis. Last night she went to chinese food and only had noodles. She was able to stay off the toilet for 4 hours and had nothing through the night. She went once in the AM but she said it was somewhat formed, but only due to the Metamucil. She was good the rest of the day until around 5:00. She is trying the BRAT diet to keep things bland to see if that does anything. I would think if it were a tumor or cancer that eating a bland diet or taking Metamucil really wouldn't help????