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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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got2havefaith
Regular Member
Joined : Aug 2006
Posts : 101
Posted 8/23/2007 9:14 AM (GMT -7)
i just got back from my gastro dr... for the last 6 years..i have been complaining of constant diarrhea.. it all started right after my gallbladder removal .. so since then hes been telling me that i have ibs.. but its getting to the point i dont even have to eat..and i have to go..i can smell food..and i have to go..i know that sounds weird but true lol.. i can drink water and i have to go.. so now hes saying he doesnt know what it is and he told me to try questran.. has anyone tried this?? if so, what can i expect? he said it could be bile or something.. but would that cause the D constantly , even with water??... so then another dr comes in and says "well if its just ibs, we can treat you".. umm hello after 6 years of no treatment..he tells me i can get treatment.. im sooo confused.. i cant get a word in with them.. and when i do..they answer with something i didnt even ask.. oh i also dont eat much at all..maybe one meal a day..so i told him that..and he said "why are you gaining weight" .. how am i supposed to know!? lol.. i had blood once.. at the end of may.. no more after that..and now he wants a colonoscopy too.. im in the process of applying for ssi and medical..so i thought about waiting and switching hospitals that wont use me to test different things or "trial and error" as my dr said.. so i'd love some advice..should i take the questran and see if it works..should i do the colonoscopy?.. oh yeah another thing while i remember.. im constantly pale..i have white lips.. and pink under my eyes..when i asked him if going to the bathroom constantly would cause that..he told me no.. would that not cause me to lack vitamins?? confused confused
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Keriamon
Veteran Member
Joined : Jun 2005
Posts : 2976
Posted 8/23/2007 1:56 PM (GMT -7)
Questran and Welchol (what I am on) both absorb excess bile.  It keeps me from having D after having my gall bladder out.  Yes, by all means try one or the other of them.  In fact, I'd try them before I had any more tests because bile is most likely your sole problem and testing to look for some other problem is likely to be fruitless.  (That you only have ever seen blood once, and that was months ago, makes it sound like a temp hemmie problem.)

Having bile D after having your gall bladder out is VERY common and there's nothing else to be done for it pretty much except to take the medicine (sometimes altering diet can help, but it sounds like you're not getting anywhere with that).  That you get D when you drink water makes it sound like you are pretty severe.  My m-i-l was almost that bad; as soon as she ate anything, she got D, no matter what it was that she ate.  She's now on the Welchol too and she says it's like a miracle for her.  We both have some D problems when we eat things we know we shouldn't, and I especially seem to be more sensitive now to antibiotics and other bugs floating around--it doesn't take much to upset my gut--but, by and large, I have MUCH less D than before, and it's more predictable when I have it.  I'm not as bad off as most of the people on here. 

Technically this is called post-cholesectomy (sp?) syndrome and isn't really IBS; PCS has a cause--lack of gall bladder--whereas IBS has no known cause. 

My m-i-l and I are both overweight, so having D frequently doesn't necessarily cause you to lose weight. 

You might also benefit from taking Caltrate 600 w/vitamin D.  That is naturally constipating and can help when you have D.  That's all Inape uses to control her D, but you sound like such a severe case, I think you will still need the prescription med.  I use the calcium too so I don't have to use quite as much prescription medicine (also, I think the calcium keeps my digestive tract healthy; it certainly calmed it down when it was hurting bad a couple of summers ago). 

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Sarita
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2005
Posts : 2486
Posted 8/23/2007 10:36 PM (GMT -7)

If you have a history of rectal bleeding, I'd get the colonoscopy, especially if you've never had one before. 

As far as your doctor's visits go, arm yourself with a list of any questions you have and write down the answers to them as your visit progresses.  When you make an appointment, ask the nurse if you can have an extended visit if you feel like you don't have enough time with him.  The problem is that doctors are being forced to have shorter and shorter visits with patients because the patient load keeps increasing.  It's rough for patients and doctors alike.

Bile acid diarrhea can be helped tremendously with Questran; it's a powder that you mix with juice or applesauce or whatever.  It's not too bad.  Welchol is the other option.  You might find this helps you significantly.

As for vitamin deficiencies, they are fairly uncommon in the U.S. because most foods are fortified and people have a varied enough diet that they get pretty much what they need.  You could always take a vitamin supplement to see if this helps you feel better in any way.

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