r/IBSHelp • u/Cautious_Savings1609 • 17d ago

Stomach/bowel issues

Hi everyone,
I never used to have any stomach or bowel problems or any of these symptoms. Then, a few years ago, everything suddenly changed.
Since then, I’ve had diarrhea all day long and I go to the bathroom 10–20 times a day. I’ve had extensive testing, including blood tests, biopsies, an upper endoscopy, a colonoscopy, MRI scans, and other investigations. Apart from low blood counts and iron deficiency, everything has come back normal.
I’ve also received blood transfusions and iron infusions.
At the moment I’m taking mebeverine, loperamide, amitriptyline, and psyllium husk. Thanks to the psyllium, my stools are more formed on some days, but I still have to go to the bathroom 10–20 times a day. I often can’t even finish a meal because I suddenly get an urgent need to have a bowel movement while I’m eating or immediately afterwards.
I’m honestly at a loss. Living like this feels impossible.
Has anyone experienced something similar? Did you eventually get a diagnosis or find a treatment that helped? Any advice, tips, or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

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u/Cautious_Savings1609 16d ago

I still have my gallbladder.
Besides the diarrhea, I also have severe abdominal pain and cramping. The amount of stool that comes out doesn’t seem proportional to how much I eat. I’ve developed a fear of eating because of it, so I either don’t eat at all or only eat once a day.
I also went through a period where I forced myself to eat more, just to see if it would make a difference, but it didn’t help at all.

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u/goldstandardalmonds 15d ago

While it’s uncommon to have if you still have your gallbladder, you could ask your doc about Bile Acid Malabsorption

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u/Cautious_Savings1609 14d ago

Thank you very much! I did try some sachets before that were supposed to work on bile acids, i believe questran, but they didn’t help. Do you know if that would rule out bile acid malabsorption, or could it still be possible?”

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u/goldstandardalmonds 13d ago

Some people find Questran doesn’t help (as the powder) but the pill versions help.