IBS
My stools changed suddenly to watery diarrhoea a couple of months ago and after blood and stool tests I was told I have IBS. I have been given Colofac but it isn’t making any difference. The diarrhoea is chronic but I never have constipation. I don’t believe it is IBS but thought maybe asking people with experience of the condition could tell me if this sounds like IBS. All opinions welcome. (Btw my stools are not so watery now but still very loose and urgent.)
I'm so sorry that you're experiencing this. Have you tried changing your diet at all so see if that helps?
In my experience with IBS, I get flares and then I feel very sick, but outside of these flares I feel fine (or at least don't have severe symptoms). I'm not sure if your diarrhea is just always there or comes and goes as well? Do you have any other symptoms?
I would maybe try cutting out gluten and dairy to see if it could be an intolerance to that, which is quite common (https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/when-fodmaps-doesnt-help). The Low FODMAP diet helps lots of people, and I would also suggest keeping a food diary (https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/food-journal-download) if you haven't already.
Wishing you all the best, Karina (team member)Hi
Thank you so much for your reply. I don’t have flare ups it’s just there all the time. It came on suddenly a few months ago and hasn’t stopped. My only other symptoms are flatulance followed by urgent need. There were no signs before it started so I would have thought if it was due to food intolerances there would have been previous occurrences.
I’ll have a look on the links you’ve posted to see if anything clicks with me. Thanks again.That sounds so tough, I'm so sorry. I'm obviously not a doctor, but since you don't get flares and the symptoms are always there, I would personally push for more testing to make sure that it isn't an infection or parasite or another illness that needs treatment. I had that once and it was due to an infection...
As for food intolerances, I can only talk from personal experience, but my gluten intolerance indeed got worse over several years until I wasn't able to eat it at all anymore.
I really hope that you'll get answers soon. Please keep us updated if you like!
All the best, Karina (team member)
Thank you for your support Karina. I have an appointment with gastroenterology at the end of the month so hopefully they’ll do more tests. In the meantime I am keeping food and stool diary and I have cut out caffeine as that was the only thing on the list of no-nos that I consume. I’ll let you know how I get on.
I really hope so, too! Please don't be afraid to advocate for yourself (https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/being-your-own-health-advocate). I just read a comment from another community member who experienced an undiagnosed c.diff infection for years... Getting the right tests done is so important! Wishing you all the best, Karina (team member)
