Help!! This diarrhea is ruling my life!

Hi! I have had diarrhea for almost three years now (in October will be three years). When it first started I gained approximately 50 pounds in 1-1/2 months. The doctor told me this was physically impossible--but obviously it isn't. My diet and excercise habits did not change at all, and even increasing exercise and going on diets have not taken any of the weight down. I am not used to this cause I have always been very slim. Then the diarrhea started. After it lasted for approximately 1 month straight, I went to see a doctor. The doctor ran blood work and took x-rays of my abdomen. Everything came back fine. She prescribed me antibiotics and the diarrhea went away for approximately 2 weeks. Then it started back up again full force. It got worse in the sense that when the urge hit me to relieve myself, I had about 90 seconds to find a bathroom, or I was going to have an accident. I recently saw a gastroenterologist in December, who also took bloodwork, gave me a CT scan of my abdomen, and performed an colonoscopy. All of these tests came back clear as well. The doctor diagnosed me with IBS (which is a disease that is diagnosed when they can't find anything else wrong with you)and prescribed me a medicine (don't know the name of it) to help with the diarrhea. I took this medicine for over 6 months and have had no change in my diarrhea problem. I probably have on average 3-4 diarrhea episodes a day. I have noticed that pizza, alcohol, and pickles especially trigger the episodes. However, spicy foods have no effect. I have not had a single regular bowel movement in over 2 years. Also, I don't know if this symptom is related, but I will include it just in case. I have not had a menstrual period for 4 months now, and am not pregnant. If you have any ideas on what this condition is or how to help relieve it, please let me know. It has become a burden on my life, where I don't even feel comfortable leaving my house. Please help!!

Jackie wrote:

Hi! I have had diarrhea for almost three years now (in October will be three years). When it first started I gained approximately 50 pounds in 1-1/2 months. The doctor told me this was physically impossible--but obviously it isn't. My diet and excercise habits did not change at all, and even increasing exercise and going on diets have not taken any of the weight down. I am not used to this cause I have always been very slim. Then the diarrhea started. After it lasted for approximately 1 month straight, I went to see a doctor. The doctor ran blood work and took x-rays of my abdomen. Everything came back fine. She prescribed me antibiotics and the diarrhea went away for approximately 2 weeks. Then it started back up again full force. It got worse in the sense that when the urge hit me to relieve myself, I had about 90 seconds to find a bathroom, or I was going to have an accident. I recently saw a gastroenterologist in December, who also took bloodwork, gave me a CT scan of my abdomen, and performed an colonoscopy. All of these tests came back clear as well. The doctor diagnosed me with IBS (which is a disease that is diagnosed when they can't find anything else wrong with you)and prescribed me a medicine (don't know the name of it) to help with the diarrhea. I took this medicine for over 6 months and have had no change in my diarrhea problem. I probably have on average 3-4 diarrhea episodes a day. I have noticed that pizza, alcohol, and pickles especially trigger the episodes. However, spicy foods have no effect. I have not had a single regular bowel movement in over 2 years. Also, I don't know if this symptom is related, but I will include it just in case. I have not had a menstrual period for 4 months now, and am not pregnant. If you have any ideas on what this condition is or how to help relieve it, please let me know. It has become a burden on my life, where I don't even feel comfortable leaving my house. Please help!!

hey sweetie, that sounds sad, are things better now? i wouldnt mind having a gf like you :-)

I do not know what tests they ran,but you should ask for a celiac panel.It sounds like celiac disease to me!!!

Hello
I was so grateful to be cured of long term diarrhea which it seems was caused by one too many attacks of food poisoning and antibiotics which kill off all the good bacteria in your gut. You need to heal your bowel and intestines. The answer for me was 5gms of L-Glutamine powder, 5gms of prebiotic powder and one digestive enzyme capsule and one prebiotics capsule with each meal. These supplements are expensive but your gut health is worth it as the gut controls 70% of your immune system. I'd had all the blood tests and medications blah, blah, but this works! Wishing you good health soon.

hi,

My husband had diarrhea about 8 month and non stop.It can go like more 15 times a day with watery.GI did a lot of test as blood,stools,colon biopsy,endoscopy small intestine and colon,infections tests...and they all came back normal.I worry very much and now he had hodgkin disease and having the first
chemo.His body loose a lot of nutriens and patassium .He is the hospital now and doctor did not know why his body can not absorp the food and his stool has fat after they test and they said that maybe the hodgkin disease cause his diarrhea?? Please help!!! One GI said maybe he has celiac disease so they did the test by endoscopy but they said that his small intestine and colon are good so they did not do the biopsy because they do not want the infection for his chemo...I need some help...

Ive had this for 26 years and no one is any the wiser. Ive had cameras up and down and doctors can only say "a little bit of imflamation" can be seen.
Well there must be another reason for my problem,, but being in the British NHS no one gives a dam.

I am now so bad I have to change my sheets every morning.

It all started 26 years ago after I had a chinese meal which ended up down my legs after eating it yet no bacteria has ever been found.

Im at my wits end,,then I found a locum doctor who said he was experienced in that field and he would help me yet when I tried to contact him again I was told I couldnt get in touch with him because it wasnt ethical and I had to go through proceedures. No one will give me his number as he isnt working for a hospital at the moment! Yet he told me to tell the receptionists to tell him If wanted help from him.

Im going to phone an allery clinic tomorrow it cant do any harm.

Could a nickel allery cause this do you think?

I had surgery and chemo for (Non Hodgkins Lymphoma)cancer in the cecum area which involved removing parts of small & large colon. I've had diarrhea and pain in the rectum and (feels like intestine area) for 3 years! I thought I would have this the rest of my life. I was taking Questran for the diarrhea which controlled it somewhat, but still had surprise explosions.... And some days nothing helped.

2 weeks ago, I went to my primary dr because of blood and a very sore rectum. he prescribed proctofoam HC. Its a foam you use for the rectum area. I'm not sure if I was suppose to, but I inserted into my rectum. Then I was told to take 3/4 tsp Kyosyl (similar to Metamucil, its on the same shelf in stores ). I haven't taken Questran or anything else for two weeks, just what I wrote above. It's unbelievable, but I'm now regular with regular stools and no pain in the butt. I cannot drink coffee and some other products that seem to bring on a few runs.

Helen above mentions some other healing things, I'm not familar with these, but would try them in a heartbeat to beat this situation. A friend suggested probiotics along with my Konsyl, I'm afraid to upset the success I now have, so I'll wait on this one unless someone can explain what it actually does.


I just had to share my good news, I know how this awful situation is.

ive been having this problem randomly, especially when i drink the night before, or eat pickles, then 2 hours later, im having a bad bowel movement. the doctors think its gastritus and inflamed stomach. when i dont drink enough water, my health goes down and i lose weight too. when i drink close to a litre of milk a day and 2L's of water per day and eat about 5 healthy meals, i am fine. but when i dont eat or drink right, i find myself on the sh1tter. it's the worst when i eat pickles, 2nd worst is after i eat peanuts or sunflower seeds, and also bad when i drink beer. do i have cancer?? is this gonna last forever??=(

I can relate to many of you. I too have dealt with these horrible bowel issues for a long time. No doctor has been able to help figure out what's going on, and it's really starting to ruin my life. I feel like I can't go anywhere without knowing where a close bathroom is. I do have celiac disease and am very careful about everything I eat. I have had my labs checked on that to make sure everything is good, and it's perfect. I am so frustrated and there is nothing to pinpoint as to what it could be. Nothing makes sense, and there are days that I don't hardly eat at all for fear that I will be in the bathroom many times, and it still happens. I also had my gallbladder out a few years ago, and was afraid it was something related to that. The doctors keep telling me know, but again, nothing seems to make sense. I wish someone could help me out!!

Hi,
I had a distant relative who was born having diarrhea and for seven and a half years could only eat rice and very dry foods so that he would not have a severe case. My grandmother when she found out gave him fresh pomegranite a whole one. The mother was worried because it was a fruit. From that day on he was fine. I did not really believe the story. Till my first born son when he was about 11 months old had severe diarrhea for 10 days. I took him to the emergency room because it got so bad that in two hours I changed 10 diapers that were overflowing, and they gave me test tubes to fill to see what the problem was and sent me home. I was scared because he was weak, and crying to eat I opened the fridge and saw the pomegranite and recalled my grandmother's story. So I peeled it and only gave him a tsp of pomegramite and that was it. All better. So when my kids get diarrhea for a prolonged time pomegranite is what I look for. I hope this helps.

I'm back! I've changed my remedies some. I now use Konsyl/water mixed (walmart metamucil area), one small spoon per day. If it starts really acting up, I take Questran (prescription from dr).
Things that also help me are; Calcium/vit D/Magnesium every day really helps.
I believe the pomagranite (sp), this is very strange, but I've had a bottle of pomagranite juice in the frige for a long time and I had a small taste and boy is it good, ended up drinking a tall glass. I will be buying more, especially after reading the post above. My daughter bought this for me it was imported from Turkey, very expensive. If any one knows a good quality with not additives or juices etc that dosen't quite cost soo much please let me know.
On the issue of Celiac, there are a lot in my family that have this. So to that one that posted above about having problems. Please watch all foods, my relatives send me ideas on what is ok. one item is Heinz catsup, that is about the only thing that comes to mind as of now.
My problem is from surgery, I'm still trying to remedy the situation. Will be going to a gastro for some info sometime soon. I would rather not do surgery or chemicals (meds). Questran (I take now infrequently) is a statin, plus it takes care of diarrhea. There are lots of pills that will help you. One is Lomotil that is prescription and inexpensive, might be on Walmart $4 list.
Prayers & hopes to all that we might find the solution.

Just had to add a thank you to Sue, That was two days ago when I drank the Pomagranite juice and have been very normal! I did not know that it was due to that juice til I read your post. Sometimes our help is under our noses and we don't know it. I'm hoping this will continue to work as I will purchase more. Thank you soo much for sharing this, I would never guess that is why I was having 3 normal days in a row.

Blessings

Wow. I am so surprised to find this forum. Four years ago I had gall bladder surgery and immediately after started with explosive diarrhea. It was diagnosed as Bile Salt Diarrhea which the doctors say is an occasional side effect of gall bladder removal. This was so bad that I pretty much could not leave the house for 1.5 years and like others had to know where facilities were. Didn't matter if I had eaten or not - could happen 17 - 20 times per day. Over the period of time I got rid of the doctors. Angry as hell that, although the surgery was emergency, no one told me the possible side effect - which they say I will live with the rest of my life. I also gained a large amount of weight during this time. Most likely due to the inactivity of being home bound. I did the choystryum/questran which did not settle. They had me on a huge number of pills, all which were causing additional problems. I removed myself from the pills. Started yogurt and pro-biotics. Switched to over the counter immodium which will take care of the problem on an 'as needed' basis. Noticed that coffee and tuna were the only consistent triggers. Went through my savings during this time and eventually and stupidly took the doctors advice to leave my job.
On my own I have gotten it under control and have started a new job which is flexible enough to take care of my bathroom issues without much notice but does not 'bring home the bacon' to the extent I had before.
Recently I was diagnosed with type two diabetes and surprise the metformin is also helping with the diarrhea problems.
I will certainly try the pomegranate juice!
Good luck everyone. This is such a difficult problem.

Hey i feel ya. Eating too much can cause diarrhea also. I get it from pickles also. Might be the dye they use or some ingredient u are not agreeing with. It's not an allergy, thats why ur doctor visits say u r fine. i love pickles too much to not eat them tho. changing diet can make this happen too.