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Try nibbling on food throughout the day. Half a baked potato certainly isn't much. Keep trying to eat even if you still had D. Even a few bites at a time. Casey is right - if your stomach is empty, it's really bad news. Always try to have SOMETHING in your stomach. Fat free broths are also soothing. Have you tried fat free saltines? They're excellent for the tummy and if you ate one say every 15 minutes, it might be OK. I'm just guessing here. LOTS of peppermint tea. Are you taking imodium???

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1. Fat free saltines are soda crackers (Premium Plus brand here in Ontario)
2. Try the homemade broth. You might find just plain straight broth without the noodles and stuff safer till you stabilize but the noodles, carrots and chicken are good choices to try if you want.
3. The imodium helps with the D and I've never heard that it makes things worse when you come off it as you say. I don't think it works that way. At least that was my understanding. I could be wrong.
4. For cramping and bloating, fennel tea is your best friend. Cut up about a tablespoon of fennel seeds and steep in a mug of boiling water. Drink SEVERAL cups throughout the day. Alternate it with peppermint maybe, or mix them together. I cannot emphasize the teas. Drink as much of them as you can tolerate. They really are life savers.

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If I get a bad IBS attack, I can have severe pain for several days combined with D and then lingering pain for up to two weeks. I have to go onto a very boring, plain diet for several weeks until I recover.

Have you tried eating some plain steamed white rice as well as potatoes? I would recommend buying organic white rice if you can. Don't use one of the par-boiled conventional rice varieties like Minute Rice or Uncle Ben's, but buy the type you have to make from scratch.

If what you have is IBS, then one of the worst things you can do is to not eat enough and to not eat often. Small meals often is the motto!

When my IBS gets bad, I live on chicken soup made with chicken breast, water, parsley, potatoes, carrots and rice. It's sure a miserable diet, but it's soothing to my tummy!

I hope you get to see a gastro specialist soon.

Belinda

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Go for the Premium Plus you already have. I think that's the closest we can get in Canada. You can try the grocery store's brand or any other brands you can find, too.
As for the teas causing an attack, I think it's not necessarily the tea. It seems anything you're ingesting right now is causing an attack. I would really try good strong peppermint tea. See if you can get it with nothing but peppermint. Sip on it slowly - don't gulp it down quickly.
I'm quite worried about you. I'm glad your DR is now taking you seriously. I cannot stress that I really feel you need to keep trying to eat. Very small amounts constantly, and sipping tea or room temperature water. Be VERY careful that you don't let yourself get dehydrated - or you could wind up in the hospital. Keep eating and drinking.
Let us know how you are doing. I'd like to hear an update from you tomorrow if you can, OK?

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Let us know how you are doing. I'd like to hear an update from you tomorrow if you can, OK?

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Back from the Dr's. Since we don't know what I have it is hard to treat. She has begged the scope dr. and she has agreed to see me in 10 days (vs several months) cause I am loosing weight so fast i.e. 17 lbs in 20 days!) Also, I called my cousins wife who does u/s and she has agreed to get me on Monday for an u/s - YEAH! This will rule out if it is my gallbladder I guess cause I have symptoms of problems there too.
Anyway, Also I got this health newsletter the other day and thought it sounded a bit like me and brought it up to her, she said but have you had antibiotics recently (which I have), from my throat infection in June. It WAS JUST WEEKS after that that (TMI coming) my bowel movements starting changed from normal to quite loose. It all went downhill slowly since then and progressed then quickly in 20 days ago to where I am now.
So this is what I had read, I have about 3 of the symptoms:
Proctitis — inflammation of the lining of the rectum — has many distressing symptoms, including a frequent or continuous urge to have a bowel movement, constipation, a feeling of rectal fullness, left-sided abdominal pain, discharge of mucus through the rectum, and rectal bleeding.
Proctitis may develop as a side effect of medical treatments such as radiation therapy or antibiotics. So, she can test for this through a new stool sample, when I can get one, since I don't eat much...
Anyway, thanks so much for listening...

Edited by Maritimer (09/15/05 11:53 AM)

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I was skimming posts and thought I would mention this. You said that you had recently taken antibiotics and that the severe D had started a few weeks after that. Years ago, I took Cleocin (clindimycin) and had the same thing happen. I nearly died from my reaction to it. Some antibiotics can cause SEVERE secondary intestinal infections due to the fact that they kill ALL bacteria, including the good bacteria that lives in the intestines. That's one of the reasons that taking the probiotics is a good idea when you are taking antibiotics.
Anyway, just a thought. Check the side effects of the antibiotic that you took and see what it says. The Cleocin states that reaction specifically in everything I've read about it. A person with IBS or other digestive disorders is even more prone to severe reactions from other medications, so it's something worth checking out. I have never been so sick in all my life...I prayed to die! My fever spiked so high and I kept passing out. I was so delirious, I didn't even have the presence of mind to be able to call 911. It was horrible. I'm not saying that your reaction is the same thing, but it might be a milder version of it, so it's worth checking out!

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