5 Loose Bowels / Day While On Imodium

The good news is I'm about 8 months post-op DS, have lost nearly 100lbs, have no problem getting in enough protein or fluids, and take my supplements regularly so my labs are perfect.

The bad news is I have aprox. 5 loose bowels a day and that's after taking double the daily recommended dosage of imodium daily. I'm taking that dosage of imodium on the recommendation of my gastroenterologist. I also take 4 Primal Defense Ultra pro-biotic capsules daily.

My diet stands some room for improvement, but my simple carb intake is limited and even on a day when my carb intake is very low my symptoms only get a little better.

I had IBS prior to surgery and my DS appears to have aggravated it.

Can anyone recommend additional supplements that help with gas and diarrhea??? I've seen a lot of posts about this before, but can't track them down through OH's search feature.

Thanks!

 Chia seeds?

Hi Frank,

I have a few thoughts. Have you tried eliminating lactose, sugar alcohols and white flour? I'm also wondering how much fat is in your diet. 

Have you tried the chia seeds? Are you on an iron supplement? Have you tried doing with and without the Primal Defense Ultra to see if that makes a difference (as I believe probiotics can sometimes cause DHR for some folks)?

Have you been tested for a bacterial overgrowth? Done Flagyl? 

Hope you get it sorted out.

Jenna

Thanks Jenna,

I take a lactose pill whenever lactose is present (I am slightly lactose intolerant), stay away from sugar alcohols and my white flour intake is very limited. I know to stay away from eating a lot of fat, that makes things worse. That said, even under ideal cir****tances (no white flour, no white rice, no lactose, no sugar alcohols, no sugar, etc.), I still have symptoms.... they're just not as severe.

I haven't tried chia seeds. Where do I get them, how much do I take???

I'm not taking Iron, as a man I don't believe I should and I haven't been told I have a problem with that in my labs.

I had used a different probiotic, one from Jarrod's, with no change. In between Jarrod's and Primal Defense I went for a time on no or reduced pro-biotic and don't recall that helping.

I've seen a gastrologist and been tested for every possible intestinal problem I could possibly have. The final diagnosis was IMS, perhaps aggravated by my DS.

 What about calcium?  Are you on a calcium supplement?  That really helped firm things up for me.

Linda,

Wish that would help, but I already take 1,000 mg of calcium daily.

Frank, that's actually not much for a DSer, even for a guy. My conservative surgeon's office even recommends a minimum of 1,800-2,000 mg daily. Unless you have some reason not to up the calcium, it might be worth a shot.

I take 2520 mg per day at the moment, and agree with Linda that it tends to bind me up. 

Ok, thanks... I'll check into increasing my Calcium.

Calcium!!!!
Does your calcium also contain magnesium?  That could be contributing.

There's no magnesium in the calcium I take because I found that can lead to diarrhea. So, you're recommending more calcium?