[Guest]

Hello everyone,I have been an IBS sufferer for quite long time, however, about a year ago my doctor explained to me what I had. I actually had to have my gallbladder removed before my doctor could determine that I suffered from IBS. I mostly have bouts of diarrhea and quite often abdominal pain and cramping. I don't want this to get in the way of my life but it seems to slowly make me less willing to go anywhere for fear of having an accident. I am a working mother of two and I am constantly on the go. I have started to rely heavily on Immodium AD. Is this bad? Will my body grow tolerant of it? I am glad to know that there are other people out there who can understand.

 

[Guest]

Hi Lily,Welcome to the best BB on the Net. You said your IBS kept you from wanting to go places for fear of an accident. I don't worry about an accident I have C not D. The reason I don't go places is cause I , have all the bad smelly ole gas. People think I DID have an accident. but I have my puter pals and God has been good to me soooo.SMILE and be HAPPY!!!!!!!

Joyce

 

[Judy]

I've done a good bit or research on Immodium and there do not seem to be any long term side affects from it. It seems to be safe to take even 4 a day..some folks here take many more than that even. A few have said they have developed a tolerance for it but only after many years on high doses. i've been taking it for 7 months now and I seem to be needing less instead of more but like last night I had a bad attack and have taken four in the last 24 hours. It sure does get things under control in a hurry for me. I don;t know what I would do without it since nothing else seems to do much for my problem.I would always be open to trying other things but not worry about taking the Immodium. It really does not seem to harm you.

 

[Guest]

Hi Lily-Welcome to the BB. I have been here for about 2 months-these are the most wonderful, caring people and you will always find someone with good advice. I take Immodium AD a few times a week. Usually it's because I am going somewhere important and I want some reassurance that I won't get an attack of D. As far as I know, there aren't any serious long term affects. Again, welcome to the BB. -Kayla

 

[Guest]

Immodium is the ONLY relief I get from this dreaded IBS!!! My GI assures me that it is safe and does not go to the brain like Lomotil. He has patients that take up to sixteen a day!! I feel fortunate that I can control my severe diarrhea with 2x day. I don't know about building a tolerance to it, I worry about that too. I do not want to take the Caltrate Plus, because of all the added ingredients, such as Sodium Laurel Sulfate, which is known to cause cancer. I take Calcium Citrate from The Vitamin Shoppe (online) that has all natural ingredients, but I can not tell that it has helped the diarrhea. This is a great website and I enjoy all the info.

 

[Guest]

count me in on the imodium ,i have been taking for since it came out i think but untill resently i was only taking to stop an attack now i have relized that if i take a little everyday i don't really have attacks and this has been wonderful although the fear of having an attack is still there i haven't had a real attack in almost 3 months.but i am still very careful about eating only bland food.

 

[Lily]

Thanks so much to pednal, Joyce, Judy and Kayla. I rushed home today just to see if I received any responses. This really makes me smile to know that you all are out there. I am reassured by your responses that I can continue to use Immodium as a source of "controlling" my bouts of diarrhea. I have been having continues diarrhea or loose stool these past few days and am a bit worried. My attacks seem to occur at particular times of the day. One interesting thing is that I usually am fine during the weekends. I suppose my body is probably trying to tell me something about going to work. How are you all dealing with this? I need some words of wisdom. Sometimes, I feel like I am just bringing this onto myself.

 

[Judy]

My diarrhea started nine months ago over night and i've had it since. Like yours mine seems to be at certain times a day..like after I eat or if not then several hours after I've eaten..like when it's moving through after a certain number of hours after a meal. It has worried me sick all these months but I keep having more tests and nothing shows up wrong but it just seems liek there has to be something causing this to go on and on. But no one seems concerned but me!! As long as all those tests keep coming back negative...I"m OK!! I don't think it's diet related but it is made worse by certain things I eat. I try to stick to bland foods and the same foods everyday until I'm so sick of them I HAVE to eat something else! But every time I try to add anything new to my diet I get in trouble. But I have added a few things over the last two months and am doing better but found out two nights ago I can still have an attack even with the Immodium if I push it too much. Taking the Immodium on a regular basis has given me my life back over the last month but I sure would like to get to the bottom of this and find a reason why this keeps on. I also found out in all of this I am Lactose Intolerant. Now I've known for years that I cannot eat dairy foods without big problems but I have heard that as you get older your ability to digest milk products drops. So maybe that could be happening to you. I've noticed when I eat things with alot of milk in them (like waffles) it causes problems. You might want to think about this.

 

[Lily]

Hi Judy,Just like you, I also wonder if other people understand the pain and agony that this condition brings upon you. I sometimes sound like a broken record when I say that I feel sick to my stomach...or I just don't feel very good today. I have tried to explain my problem to my coworkers and even my boss. Until you go through this, no one can understand the horrible feeling of having to go to the bathroom and dread having an accident. I am fortunate that my husband and sons have provided a great deal of support for me. When mom hurts, they all try to make me feel better. I think back at my younger days and to be perfectly honest with you I have always had a sensitive stomach and always have been a worry wort. Many people tell me that I am just internalizing my stress and nerves and this is what is causing me to feel so sick. Perhaps to a certain degree they are right, but I can't go on living on saltine crackers and water. My doctor has even gone as far as to tell me that because I am Hispanic and eating all of that mexican food it has started to effect my digestive system. Give me a break. I admit that I love eating salsa but I know that even a banana can make me have the runs. I am trying my best to stay positive and try to keep a good outlook through this. It helps tremendously to hear your stories and experiences. Believe it or not it is very comforting. I guess mysery loves company. I wish you all the best. Thanks.

 

[Guest]

About the gallblatter, how can you tell the difference between that and IBS?

 

[LNAPE]

lily,I had my gall bladder removed in 1976 and since the had attacks of diarrhea almost daily and did not want to go any where. I started the caltrate plus calcium supplement in the purple and white box one with each meal and the diarrhea has stopped. It is pretty amazing that such a simple thing can really help.. You should try it.. Don't put it off I surffered for 23 years and from the first day on the calcium I knew I was doing better. It has been good for over a year now. If I stop the calcium the diarrhea comes back. Let me know if I can help you. Email me if you have questions.LindaLNAPE###AOL.COMt

 

[Lily]

BL: I really don't know whether a great deal of my problem stems from having had my gallbladder removed. I can tell you, however, that certain foods will automatically make me rush to the bathroom. I suppose it has to do with the fat that isn't able to be filtered by my nonexistent gallbladder. I just can tell that I will definitely need to make a pit stop when I eat of a particular food. I was told that I needed to incorporate a great deal of fiber in my diet and also water seeing as I would need to help my body along to help digest my food intake. I guess I have been too lazy to do just that. Sometimes, I have to force myself to take a few sips of water from the water fountain at work. The funny thing is that the water fountain is about two feet away from my desk. Isn't that pathetic? I really need to concentrate on doing better in that area.Linda: I will try the Caltrate that you recommended. I have been actually doing pretty good these past few days. It helps that I went to the doctor on Friday and it turns out I had a gastrointestinal virus. For a moment, I thought that I was truly causing my anxiety to put my body through the ringer. I have been feeling better. I know that I will continue to have an IBS attack every now and then. It sure will help to try something else other than Immodium AD. Thanks for your advice. Have you determined what causes your IBS?