[beechcott]

Has anyone here tried using Tums instead of Caltrate? If so, what were the results?

 

[beechcott]

I don't know where else to post this, as this is the only thread that I know of where someone might have some information that might help me.

I have been taking calcium carbonate pills with every meal for months now, based on the advice in this thread. This seems to have mostly cleared up my chronic diarrhea, but I still have a problem.

You see, my chronic diarrhea problem started in a relatively mild way when I had a surgery (not intestinal or digestive-related) several years ago. I think it was the antibiotics. Certain probiotics seemed to help. But it was about a year ago now that my diarrhea got even worse. It was then that I made one of the worst mistakes of my life: I started taking Imodium every day. It worked for a while, but the diarrhea eventually came back even with the Imodium, and it now took forever to come out, and then only with lots of straining. It's a weird experience; like having diarrhea and beign constipated all at once. After being stuck on the toilet for hours a day became a regular occurrence, I went to the emergency room, where they informed me that Imodium is incredibly unhealthy to take for long periods of time. They put me on the BRAT diet, which helped somewhat, but not as much as would be ideal. I later went to a cheap clinic (I have very little money), and gave a stool sample to be tested. It came back negative for any problems (bacteria, parasites, etc).

Then I happened across Internet information about bile acid malabsorption, and found that it seemed to fit my symptoms. I then discovered this thread. So I bought some Calcium+D pills and tried them. The first day, it seemed like a miracle. I was able to leave my BRAT diet, and I was actually having formed stools for the first time in ages. But alas, my euphoria was short-lived. After a while, although the calcium pills continued to make my diarrhea much less frequent and severe, I still had a distressing problem. After the first one or two large stools come out (which itself can be difficult; it feels like my guts have just forgotten how to push), there is always some more that just refuses to come out. It's usually small pieces (of varying degrees of solidness or the lack thereof), but sometimes it's actually another large stool that my guts seemingly just aren't in the mood to push out for some stubborn reason, and it's as if my guts just don't know how to push it out. I can sit there and strain forever, but the only thing that gets the remainder out is flushing it out with my bidet (which I don't want to have to do long-term, as this can be unhealthy). It's like my external sphincter can move, but anything further inside me just doesn't want to budge. It makes me wonder if my prior Imodium use permanently partially paralyzed my intestines or something. Or maybe it's a side-effect of the calcium (but then again, I had similar trouble with it taking forever to all come out back when it was primarily liquid diarrhea before I started taking the calcium). It's hard to explain, but I don't think that it's ordinary constipation. For one thing, it happens even on days when my stool is soft, even when I have the occasional diarrhea day. It's not just on days when the stool is hard.

Has anyone else here experienced anything of the kind? Does anyone have any advice? Could taking the calcium at a different time (like at bedtime instead of with meals) help?

 

[beechcott]

No your bowels are not paralyzed. The feeling of not being able to finishing a bowel movement is a part of IBS. My doctor says its caused by hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids both internal and exterior are in part caused by the extra pushing during a bowel movement. I myself feel the frustration of having no test in the US for bile acid malabsorption.

It's not caused by hemorrhoids in my case. Hemorrhoids can make it feel like something is still in there when there isn't. In my case, it's something actually still in there but which takes forever to come out.

However, I recently found something that, so far, is greatly helping me. I still take the calcium pills (half a pill with each meal, which is twice a day as I eat two meals), but I'm now also taking three enteric-coated peppermint oil pills per day (one thirty minutes before each meal and one directly before bed), and most days it works like magic. Not only are my stools firmer than with the calcium alone, but they come out way faster as well.

 

[beechcott]

Hi Linda. I
Just found this site. Im a newly. I too have IBS WITH D ITS A DRAG and as you know always need to know where all the Loos are. Im taking Calcium Citrate. Will that work or do I need to take calcium Carbonate? Thanks for your reply

It has to be calcium carbonate. Calcium citrate will probably make matters worse, or at least no better.