IBS Tales Home > Read The Tales > Happy Tales: Women with IBS-D Page Five
happy tales: women with ibs-d page five
The tale of...Janice (9 June 2005)
I want to tell everyone that I actually found a way to control my symptoms with Imodium. It is not just as simple as taking Imodium before I go out, if I am going to a place where I may have trouble getting to a bathroom. I have found that I must take three tablets the night before and then three in the morning of the day that I want to be OK. I also found that the antidote to the Imodium is coffee. Do not drink any coffee.
I have to admit that this is not always effective but most of the time it is. I have recently had my gallbladder removed and I have trouble on top of the IBS if I eat any fatty foods. The Imodium recipe worked very well when I went to visit my daughter in San Francisco.
E-mail Janice: [email protected]
The tale of...Rochelle (July 2005)
I saw 10 different types of doctors who could not tell me why I got sick every time I ate. I suffer severe intestinal cramping to the point where my body would shake and I feel as though I am going to lose consciousness or throw up. Of course diarrhea is to follow until my body works whatever the agitator was out of my system.
After years of excruciating pain, I was finally diagnosed with IBS and told to avoid certain foods. My life changed drastically! I now especially avoid milk (I'm also lactose intolerant), alcohol, and caffeine - the worst offenders. Citric acid kills me, so I watch for soda, lemons, limes, oranges, and tomato (especially sauces). Sugar and greasy (fast) foods are bad too. Pretty much everything, so I read labels before I eat it!
I am able to eat all these foods in moderation. If I feel off at all, I don't risk it. If I drank a soda earlier, I don't dare eat any of the other items later. I only get attacks when I decide to risk it, and I am always sorry.
I also have tried two prescriptions for the cramping. Dicyclomine is a miracle drug. It kills the cramps in no less than 30 minutes. You can take it preventively too. The downside is that it makes me drowsy, so if I need to function, I only take 1/2. Hyoscyamine is less tranquilizing, but it doesn't work as well - still better than nothing. I am pregnant so I can't take either. Mint or raspberry teas are good for the tummy - but don't get rid of the cramps. Good luck!
The tale of...Susan (14 July 2005)
I want to express my gratitude for this website, as without the advice I found here I would still be suffering! I too have had IBS for many years, but with symptoms that were somewhat off and on and not that life-altering.
I moved to Germany five years ago, and four years ago I started having diarrhea every morning. I had the usual tests, and my doctor did not find anything wrong. After a course of antibiotics last fall my diarrhea got so bad that I started doing the rounds of GI doctors, as I was pretty much tied to the toilet. I tried medications to normalize the intestinal flora, and other medications that were prescribed with no lasting results.
Out of total desperation and after reading about Digestive Advantage IBS on this website, I asked my mother to send me a couple of months of this medication. I was no better until day 13 when the diarrhea stopped, all urgency stopped, all of the inflamed feeling stopped, and I've been normal ever since. I thought I had a totally hopeless case, but the solution turned out to be so uncomplicated, other than the fact that I have to still have it sent to me from the States. Thanks to all those on this site who suggested Digestive Advantage. It has restored my gut and my life back to normal.
E-mail Susan: [email protected]
The tale of...Jenn (July 2005)
Hey, I wanted to thank you for your site! I spent a lot of time looking through the information on the site and thought that I should give the calcium a try. I am flat broke right now, but I had a bottle of Extra Strength Tums on hand and those are calcium carbonate, so I started taking that, four of them a day, which is twice the standard dosage.
Since then, I have had one bowel movement a day, and it's been normal. No pain. No liquid squirting. No embarrassment. I'd recommend the calcium carbonate to anybody with the diarrhea form of IBS. It's sure as heck cheap enough that trying it won't break the bank, anyways. I will stick with Tums because they're cheap, and I actually like the flavor of the tropical fruits ones.
E-mail address: [email protected]
The tale of...Shai (1 August 2005)
First of all, I want to say that I think this is a great site, and it seems like there is a lot of support going on around here. I'm 21 years old and I was recently diagnosed with IBS. I really think that it started when I was a pre-teen and just got progressively worse.
For a long time, I tried to tell myself that it was somehow normal to have diarrhea five days out of the week, and that it was normal to have it five seconds after eating a meal. To a person with a big fear of public restrooms, that was a big problem when eating out. Luckily, I've never had an accident, but I've had some close calls. After one particularly bad evening when I was in the bathroom five times in less than an hour, I realized that enough was enough and decided to talk to my doctor.
I am blessed with a wonderful doctor. In addition to IBS, I have migraines, which are another thing where doctors tell people 'It's all in your head'. I've never had this problem with my doctor. He always runs thorough tests, listens with an understanding ear, and is eager to find something that works. I was embarrassed, but told him about my symptoms, which he believed to be classic IBS, but he ran tests to make sure.
The tests were normal, so he diagnosed me with IBS. He prescribed Bentyl and told me to take a fiber capsule every morning or eat a cereal that was high in fiber. I decided to alter my diet by limiting milk (just makes things worse) and not eating too much. I take the Bentyl between two and four times a day, depending on how bad things are that day. For the most part, it works.
I guess I wrote this to tell others not to give up hope. To those of you who have bad doctors, know that there are good ones out there who really care and will do what they can to take care of you, you just have to find the right one. Hopefully, the right one can find you something to control your symptoms, or will at least put forth a good amount of effort. I know that one day, there will be a cure for all of this and we won't have to deal with it anymore. Feel free to e-mail me if you need a sympathetic person to talk to!
E-mail Shai: [email protected]