Constant IBS

by Dying Inside

I am 20 years old and have had IBS since I was about 15. I have had pneumonia in year 11 then got Gall Stones the year after (was 17), so my Gall Bladder got removed which I think has made it a lot worse.

I have tried changing the food I eat - kept a diary, but nothing linked up. Had a blood test to see if I was allergic to Gluten, which came back negative. Nothing works.

I wake up in the morning and feel hungry to the point of feeling like I'm going to be sick. Then when I eat, about 10mins later I'm running to the toilet. And that cycle continues throughout the day. I dread eating because that happens. By the third time it's fluro yellow and coming out as a liquid.

It won't stop and I need help. Doctors say take Imodium, which doesn't work. Had a colonoscopy at 17, and it came back fine and that's when they "officially" said it was IBS. I can't even have a normal day at work, or with friends without running to the toilet!!

I only take the Pill (Levlen ED) and don't smoke or drink.
All mum's side has bowel problems and mum also had Gall stone at an early age.
On dad's side my aunty has Crohns disease, but I don't know anything else on his side (don't talk)

Please help.

My Advice For You

Thanks for getting in touch. You clearly have been suffering a lot with your IBS. The urgency and diarrhea that you are experiencing is not an uncommon scenario, particularly after having had your gall bladder removed. I agree with you that Imodium or Loperamide is not the ideal thing for you.

When you have your gallbladder removed, it is important for you to have a low fat diet. Your diet needs to be low fibre and if this isn’t effective then an exclusion diet needs to be followed. If you go to the IBS diet section, you will find more information on this. It can take several months to work, so don’t give up with it and don’t stray from it too.

Another thing you could try is a drug called Colestipol. This is a bile salt binding drug that can be particularly beneficial after having your gallbladder removed. It’s not absorbed, so side effects are unusual apart from constipation and wind!

If none of this works, it might be worth having a consultation with a gastroenterologist. The reason why I say this is the fact that other conditions such as small bowel bacterial overgrowth (changes in the bacteria within the bowel) and pancreatic insufficiency (lack of the pancreatic enzymes involved with fat absorption particularly common in those who have had pancreatitis from gallstones) can sometimes go undetected.

Hope this helps.

Good luck

Peter