Frequent BM's and gas issues

First let me say that while I do have gas and bm issues I would still have DS again and twice on Sunday.  My quality of life has changed for the better since I lost over 100lbs.  I'm about a year and a half post op.  I knew that I might have more BM's than normal (I've always been very regular even pre-op), but I'm wondering if it's excessive.  I would say sometimes I have 8-10 BM's a day.  Sometimes it's just liquid or very little, but I feel such an urgency to go.  Sometimes my stomach rumbles and gets bloated.  I think I look a few months pregnant when I'm bloated. 

I'm going on a trip to Jamaicia next month and I'm concerned about being away from the hotel too long.  Right now I do use gas ex and beano for the gas.  I realize that it's something I'm eating.  I plan to track my food and BM's for the next 2 weeks to see what's happening.  Are there any other suggestions?  Should I reach out to my doctor?

You might want to reach out to your doc and see if he might think a round of Flagyl would be helpful to kill off any bacterial overgrowth. Follow that up with a good probiotic such as Primal Defense Ultra. You might try the Primal Defense anyway and see if it helps. Yeah, and eliminate the carbs.

--gina

IMHO,  you should try working on your diet before you take antibiotics. 

Start by taking a good probiotic twice a day.

Also you should be tracking what you are eating - write it down,  including the time,  and then write down all the times you have BMs etc.

Are you eating dairy?  How about simple carbs?  

http://www.vsl3.com/      I would try this.  Might need to get a prescription for it. The most potent probiotic out there....

Yes, that is excessive. Talk to the doc about a course of Flagyl, as others have mentioned. And check your diet. How are the carbs? Artificial sweeteners? (especially sugar alcohols, that's the stuff that ends in -itol on the ingredient lists) Dairy? Those are common culprits.

Chances are you're going to have to do an elimination type diet where you eat nothing but animal source protein for a few days and then start adding foods back in to see what does it to you.

Thank you all for your advice and suggestions.  It's funny because today I've only had 2 BM's and normally I would've had 5 by now.  I did call my doctor and he wants to see me on Wednesday.  I'm tracking my food and BM's so I can take them with me to his office. 

One question...should I not use sugar subs like equal or splenda for my coffee? Is there a certain amount of carbs I should/can have per day?

You need to figure out how many grams of carbs you're eating per day. Then cut it back DRAMATICALLY.

Splenda, Nutrasweet etc. do indeed cause issues for some people. Sugar alcohols tend to be worse, but yeah, the others can be problematic too.

I suspect you're eating carb-y crap.  For most of us, it's not carbs but what KIND of carbs.    Many of us have a hard time with anything containing wheat.    That narrows the field a bit, eh?   Sugar will do it too.    What works for me?  Corn, potatoes, rice.    Basically, that's it.    Rather than trying flagyl, which should be the LAST course of action, try the other options, the first being an elimination diet.   I know exactly what gives me gas and diarrhea.   Sometimes I chose to not avoid those foods and pay the consequences.  Other times, I do.   It depends upon what I'm doing and where I'm going.

Hi Jazzy, I'm having those same issues with gas & veryfrequent bm's. I've posted about it several times. If Dr. Prachand has a solution PLEASE SHARE. I have embarrassing gas no matter what I eat. I drin****d tea all day with equal or splenda and I've been told that can cause the issues I'm having. But I can't use sugar, so what to do? And yes, even with the issues I'm having I'm still glad I had the DS.