IBS-D is ruining my life

The sudden urgency to go, the chronic diarrhea, the frequent bowel movements, the disruption to my work. Even if I were to get a better job, there is no guarantee that I would have immediate access to a toilet. As shitty as my current job is now, at least I can use the bathroom whenever I need to. Believe me, I am trying to get a better life. I'm taking classes to acquire new skills, seeking treatment for my mental health, and trying to treat my IBS symptoms using over-the-counter meds like Imodium. But my attempts to get a better life will be ruined if I can't get these symptoms of fecal urgency and diarrhea under control. I fear I may have to go gluten free. After all, my sister also has IBS and says that gluten free is the only thing that helps her.

Overall, I feel trapped by my physical illness.

Are you just venting or would you like some ideas?

I suppose I could use some ideas.

A slow yet extreme diet change. Have you heard of fodmap? It's basically a list of foods that are both good and bad for ibs or other stomach ailments. You're supposed to cut everything out and slowly add back in, paying attention to what triggers your ibs.
I just looked at the list and paid attention to what triggered my symptoms. Then replaced that food. Dark greens instead of cabbage for instance. This took a while.
If you haven't already, cut out dairy. All of it.
Water. I drink 1-2 kettles a day, warm, aside from an occasional soda, this is all I drink. This has been the most beneficial in reducing the diarrhea and ahhh firming things up. I kept a written record to track how much I drank.
Switching from over processed foods to more organic/natural also helped and we rarely consume junk food or foods that are enriched.
Now if I have a bad day I automatically think what I ate the prior days and how much water I've drank.
Anyways sorry if it's long, and hope it helps you like it did me.

Hi,

I have Colitis which is similar to Chrons. I spent a long time treating with Imodium as I didn't realise it wasn't IBS. Have you been checked for inflammatory bowel disease ?

Take care
SadElf

This is good.
I totally agree with this. If you make warm or hot water your main or exclusive beverage, it will probably help a lot.

For a lot of conditions/symptoms, including chronic diarrhea, not consuming anything raw or cold is really helpful.

Eliminating dairy is probably a good idea too, though a little butter and yogurt with live cultures can be ok.

A pro-biotic and digestive enzymes might be worth experimenting with.

Sugar and sweets, citrus, wheat, and tomatoes are all good to avoid.

Adding a little ginger, both fresh and powdered, may be helpful.

Chinese herbal medicine can be helpful. I can say more about this if you're interested.

Yes. I had a colonoscopy this year and the report said that they found no signs of ulcerative colitis or Chron's disease. So it's definitely IBS.

Yeah. Go on and say more. I'm all ears.

My mum has the above conditions it's so heartbreaking to witness.
If it's IBS I spoke with someone once who cut out all gluten and they said it helped them keep symptoms in check. So it could be an intolerance to certain foods or ingredients like people have mentioned a food diary. Your body doesn't like something you are eating and reacting to let you know whatever it is isn't agreeing with it maybe lactose free milk plant based until you find the triggers. Sometimes it can be the chemicals they spray on foods or unsaturated fats could be anything and a process of elimination. I know organic is expensive but might be worth trying when it comes to anything like fresh produce . It's so debilitating there must be a way forward

Funny thing, my sister also has IBS and she says that cutting out gluten and dairy are the only things that help her. I may have to do the same.

There's a book called (I believe) "Curing IBS Naturally with Chinese Medicine" by Blue Poppy Press. It might be out of print but available as an ebook, or from a library (you might need inter library loan). I haven't read that particular book, but other books in the series.

These two links have some info about Chinese medicine and general self-treatment methods:

Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture, World's Second Largest Medical System

Self-Treatment and Miscellaneous