Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: stress, food triggers,

First and foremost, welcome to the boards!

You can definitely have nothing but diarrhea and still have IBS. I think if you took every person on this site and polled them, you'd find very few people with the exact same symptoms as another. It's a widely varied disorder. For years upon years, I had nothing but D and occasional cramping. It's entirely possible.

That said, if you haven't had the full run of tests, it is recommended, to rule out anything more serious, as well as diseases like celiac.

Stress is definitely a factor in my IBS as well... actually, even worse, I'll be perfectly fine when a stressful situation is happening, but a month down the road, I could suddenly find myself incredibly sick from it. From what I've heard, the hypnotherapy program works wonders for stress. (You can find more about it in either the hypnotherapy forum, or the link on the left-hand side of the page.) Personally, I've started seeing a therapist for coping/managing techniques, because it's cheaper for me... but the same theory. You can't eliminate the stress, no, but you can change the way your body reacts to it.

I also have to HIGHLY recommend Heather's diet, as outlined here on her site. (Again, links are to the left.) Even in IBS that seems to be predominantly stress-related, the diet really works to calm the system down. I went from taking Imodium every single day, sometimes more than once, to taking it... well, basically never.

I never thought I'd see the day, and I really do have the diet and the soluble fiber supplements to thank for that.

Now, as for anti-diarrheals... you're right in that they're not something you'd necessarily want to take a ton of. I wish I'd found this site sooner; I never would have gotten into the habit of taking a dose a day. Taking some occasionally, though, won't hurt you.

If you're nervous about it, try a half dose to start and see how your body responds... I actually found that a child's dose works fine for me on the rare occasion that I need it now.

Anyway, I'm sure others will be along to offer up their advice and input as well... like I said, welcome to the boards, and feel free to post any questions you might have!

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