[helpless in school]

I have this issue every AM. It is so difficult to go to school. I have missed so much of my first 3 periods running out of class with the feeling I will let go. I wake up 3 hours before, take immodium, eat a bannana, nothing works. As a kid in HS this becomes so challenging.Does anyone have an answer or recommendation.

 

[GCRy]

I have been reading a lot in the forums about taking calcium supplements. It seems to help those who have tried it. It might be worth a shot.

 

[rockingirl]

Maybe try peppermint tea? Or a higher dose of immodium?

 

[BQ]

And/Or you might try taking the imodium WITH dinner the night before as well as some with breakfast. I usually use anywhere from 1/4, to a 1/2 to a full tab with meals. I take it for prevention.Also make sure your school (school nurse & guidance counsellor etc) has a Dr's note explaining your condition.

 

[TimeToGo]

I've had IBS D for a long time and have managed to keep my career going quite well with this inconvenient syndrome. Like you I need to get up early and I take one or two imodium the night before. I also take one imodium in the morning. I am finding a fate free diet is of great assistance too.

 

[helpless in school]

Thank you all for replying. I went from an A student to a c in two semesters . This also hurts me with my carreer dreams. IT is so out of control I feel helpless and feel nlike people just dont understand. I thank you all though, no one here seems to understand the urge. It is like having the bug that doesnt go away

 

[Kathleen M.]

Lots of IBS have uncontrollable urgency with their diarrhea.Unforutnately it is hard to break the normal morning is the most active time for the colon thing. If no antidiarrheal treatment of any kind from Imodium and no prescription medications (have you tried anything prescription, they range from antispasmodics, prescription antidiarrheals and antidepressants to calm down the overactive nerves) helps you then usually the only option is to get up earlier. A lot of IBSers get up a couple of hours before they really want to so they have a couple of hours of bathroom time before they have to leave.If Imodium can't control it you may need to talk to doctors about prescription medications.Do you only take Imodium in the morning after the diarrhea hits? You might need to take an evening dose so it is in place before you get up. Most people with IBS-D in clinical studies have much better control with a 2X a day dosing than taking even several pills all at one time.

 

[BQ]

Helpless.. trust me I know urgency. You are not alone. Do you have an actual IBS diagnosis?Also.. you said the "feeling you will let go".. Does that mean you do not always have Diarrhea when you get that feeling?

 

[lisa83]

is it normal to be on medication ...not have a flare up....but still have 4-5 bms aday??? anyone else like this?

 

[Kathleen M.]

IBSers often can get to a place where they have small frequent relatively normal BMs.The rectum tends to be oversensitive in many IBSers so it may not comfortably store stool until you have a whole day's worth stored up before you go.

 

[vickieibsd]

Or you could just give up and face the reality that nothing really works....I have been on everything from Lotronex to codiene .......it is what it is.

 

[LNAPE]

Check the calcium info at the top of the thread. And instead of taking the last dose of calcium with your meals take the 3rd does with a small snack at bedtime and this may help you in the mornings. Email me if you need some questions answered.Linda

 

[TimeToGo]

Another (hopefully useful) reply from me. Morning D is my biggest challenge too. Has always been.Tomorrow I have a very important meeting and need to be out of the house early. So, I have taken an extra Imodium (3 today) and I will eat simply this evening and only those foods which I know will not aggrevate my IBS. I will also get to bed very early and get up very early. I will make sure I have gone to the loo enough times before I leave the house - I need to have that 'empty' feeling. I will then have the confidence to carry on with my day and travel the distance I need to.This sounds simple but for me it requires a lot of mental and physical discipline. Managing IBS D is not that easy as we all know. But it is possible.

 

[LNAPE]

TimeToGoI did all the things you mentioned in your note. It would take days of planning not to eat something before going out and starving myself all day to get through what ever I had to do. The calcium has made a big difference for me so maybe it can help you. Check it out.Linda

 

[LNAPE]

I felt link a prisoner to the bathroom never knowing if I ate if it would end up even after the first bit running to the bathroom and spending hours getting through this. Cramps diarrhea burning stomach felt run down all the time yellow watery stools (bile) . Hav ebeen on calcium for almost 12 years now and it has controlled all the diarrhea and pain.Read the post at the top of this thread that is me.Linda

 

[FrenchMarigold]

I joined this forum a few weeks ago to get advice. I had only recently been diagnosed with IBS after extensive tests for everything else and having swallowed a small fortune in loperimide (Immodium) tablets. I was convinced my IBS started with a severe e-coli infection some years ago which had gradually made me more and more anxious about being caught short (as I was at the time) and not being able to leave the house before lunch because my stomach was too wobbly. I also felt the initial dash to the loo each morning somehow precipitated the others. What I needed was prevention rather than cure. So I started taking two loperimide (Immodium) at night and 20 drops of Tormentil three times a day. So far, a month later) I am delighted with the results. Sometimes I have more than one bowel movement a day but they aren't urgent like they were before. I can't ignore them (not like "I'll wait till I get home") but I don't have the awful churning feeling I had before. I haven't changed a single thing in my diet. The more this continues the less anxious I know I am becoming and that can only help. If it has worked for me, perhaps this will work for someone else. I hope so.

 

[Chadster1979]

I used to have this problem in school and I think it's more related to anxiety than anything else. When you get up in the morning you are constantly thinking about what might happen that day, and then the worry of diarrhea itself can bring on the symptoms, it's an endless cycle. You might think of trying one of the anti-depressants to see if it will lower your anxiety level. As a last resort, a low dose of Xanax in the morning may help to take the edge off, although I don't recommend using it everyday.

 

[TimeToGo]

I'm posting this having re-read these comments whilst sitting quietly at my computer this evening.The point I wish to make is this ....Kathleen's comments - the seventh thread into this string - is very relevant and worthy of some serious consideration and reflection.Best wishes - TTG

 

[Leanbean]

I had this exact same problem in high school. I found relief in waking up a little earlier and making sure I tried to eat breakfast and have a bowel movement before school started then I wasn't worried that whatever I ate the day would surprise me later. Peppermint tea, oatmeal, & plain rice cakes saved me, I think. Bananas kind of have the opposite effect for me. I have to eat them later in the day. I also informed my principal and he told my teachers so they were aware and I didn't feel as nervous about disrupting the class if I had to leave. I wish I would have done that sooner- I don't know how many tests (even final exams) I would have been able to postpone or make up had my teachers known. I took pepto for a while but found that it caused constipation if I took too many. Sometimes just having the imodium tablet in my pocket (having symptoms and not having any medicine made me panic and cause even more problems) was enough to get me through the morning and then once lunch rolled around I knew that I only had a few more hours to go until I was home. my IBS was unbearable in high school but now that I'm in college it has improved so much and it is manageable now.

 

[itsmebaby]

I don't eat for at least a 1/2 hour after I wake up... if I do, its automatic diarrhea. Try waiting longer to eat in the morning after you are up and about.I have also found some relief from peppermint tea and oatmeal.I'm so sorry you are going through this... school is hard enough, and to have to deal with IBS on top of it...