Has anyone found any solutions for IBS-D that are safe to use during pregnancy?

[MrsClark2B]

I've suffered with IBS-D for about 10 years. I've had blood and stool tests and all came back negative, i've tried various diets including a soup only diet recommend by my doc, which didn't help in the slightest! I've been taking Imodium for several years now (2 a day in the mornings) and they've really helped, I can pretty much lead a normal life with regular healthy BMs. Im almost 34 and my partner and I want to start a family, I can't take Imodium while pregnant (which i'm not yet) so need other options. I realise it's probably not great to rely on Imodium for such a long time but I have such problems with D and this helped me enormously, it's such a relief to be able to get to work without making emergancy stops!

Any advice would be great!

[MrEnglish]

hello, i am 23 years old and have had IBS linked to severe anxiety since i was about 12 years old. over these 10 plus years i have had many ups and many downs with IBS but as i have turned into my 20s i have started to understand it a lot better and i feel get a better hold on it. i believe there is absolutely no cure for IBS especially when linked to anxiety but all that can be done is learn to control the mind.... because the mind controls the body, FACT!!! for example if i was dropped in the middle of a city and had never been there before and had no idea where the nearest toilet would be i would with out a doubt in a matter of minutes be in a full blown panic mode until the point where i find a toilet OR the panic attack had reached a point where i dropped my trousers and just took a "number 2" in the street. now on the other end of the scale, for example: if a new xbox game was released such as GTA V i could sit playing this game for 36 - 48 + (regardless of what foods im eating) with out going to the "number 2" and i have recently done this and in this time i did not have the slightest bit of anxiety and i did not even think about what if i need to go and the times my body was telling me its been 36 hours i simply didn't think about it because my mind was so concentrated on the game. so the point im trying to make is i DO NOT believe medication is the answer but only to TEACH the mind and learn how to control this problem. P.S i have tonnes more of info i would like to share about my experiences with IBS but dont want to waste my time writing about them if nobody is listening/reading or going to respond negatively to what i write.

[MrEnglish]

The best way that i have found to deal with my IBS when it is at its worst, is to build up in stages. so my worst i have ever been was i going to the toilet 10 -20 times a day depending on circumstances, could not leave the house with out going to the toilet 2-3 times straining my guts out so i got every last bit of pooh out, if i was on a night out i would not eat for at least 24 hours prior. every minute away from and off the toilet was spent thinking OMG what if i need to go to the toilet now and effectively panicking about having a panic attack what is called a vicious circle. the other end of the spectrum is being completely isolated in terms of having no idea where a toilet is and not able to go in search of one and actually needing to go for a pooh but yet managed to say ok i need a pooh but i cant go right now so will just have to wait and then the most important part NOT THINKING and just continued with my work and then got home maybe 4 hours later and got indoors and said to my self oh wow i havent been to the toilet and that gave me more confidence. soooo ways to build your self up is for like like weening a baby off of milk, take things very slowly and little by little and dont push to hard. so if you need to go 3 times before leaving the house try and cut that down to 2 times or in your case your taking X amount of tablets try and cut down on them and rely more on the strengh of your mind. and im my opinion all these tablets your taking i believe are working on the placebo effect where you have been told by a doctor they will help so when you take them your mind tells its self you wont have this problem but whats actually happening is your mind is controlling the IBS. (THIS IS JUST MY OPINION). so maybe the best way to start would be stay in your home or a place you feel completely comfortable and never have panic attacks and see how long you can go with out going for a pooh, the anxiety should not be a problem because in the comfort of your home there is always is a toilet available. so lets say you last 48 hours. thats a whole 2 days and try and focus on that and to give your self lots of room to play with we will cut that in half to 24 hours, so after this go about your normal day life and get your self a watch and after you take a pooh note the time on your watch and if in the next 24 hours you feel some anxiety? for example on the journey to work and start to panic check the time and lets say your at 6 hours since you last went to the toilet, tell your self i can go 24 hours its only 6 thats not a problem and use that as like a security blanket or net that keeps you safe but as a back up for if you ever went over that 24 hours you know that actually you can go 48 hours which is 1 WHOLE DAY MORE. now this is where it really comes in about convincing your mind, you have to keep telling your self what you know you can achieve but if you spend the whole day telling your self that, i have found that wont work either. so for me the best thing would be to check the time see your only at 6 hours and then tell your self ok i can go a whole day with out going 6 hours is nothing and then BANG completely focus your mind on something else, if your driving just continue driving, turn up the radio, sing a song to your self, think about loved ones, theres lots of things you can use but try and choose something with a very strong emotional value because that really will help you forget, so now you have arrived at working singing a song and then realised OH WOW i forgot i needed to go, and here is another key part for me: you then go to the toilet but under control not rushing and panicking and under your terms so to speak.. so now that day is over and the next day your on the journey to work again and the same thing happens again, but today as you start to feel anxious you tell your self "well i know i can do this because i have done it before" and completely cut of any thought of anxiety and return to what you was thinking about before you felt anxious and if needed use the technique i described that you used the day before. so this is just 1 example of building up as i call it. hope it helps, please ask if you want any more advice?!?!

[calista in reply to MrEnglish]

I was given that same advice by a therapist.

[Ibsr]

Have you been tested for Bile Acid Disorder? Quite a few people with IBS D have found this has stopped their symptoms.

[Hidden]

I second Ibsr's comment wholeheartedly. I recently discovered that I have Bile Acid Disorder rather than IBS-D, it's frequently misdiagnosed and the solution is simple. Ask for a SeHCAT test which will determine it.

[winniep1]

At one time when I was suffering really badly with bouts of diarrhoea I took one tablespoon of black linseeds with my breakfast. This was recommended to me by a dietician. What it actually does is to absorb the excess water in your gut. This worked for me for a while. I still went to the toilet in the morning but it was "normal" and just a big clear out! I only went once a day as well which was great. You could try this which should be ok if you're pregnant.

[MrsClark2B]

Thank you all so much for your replies, they're all really helpful and actually it's just nice to make contact with people who understand and have similar problems.

MrEnglish - yes i've often wondered how much of this is psychological, and thank you for sharing with me your experiences. I think i'll try having some time at home with nothing to do, but craft stuff to keep my mind occupied and see what happens. The problem I find is that when i'm trying not to think about it, it just makes me really aware that I'm trying not to think about it!

RozB - I read you're post from a few weeks ago, will definately investigate, have a docs appointment soon so will ask about it.

winniep1 - Do I get black linseeds from a health food shop?

Anyway I think i'd like to have more tests done to see if there is something else going on or whether it's something IBS and/or psychological, i'm annoyed with myself for just masking the problems and not trying to deal with it sooner. I'll let you know how I get on.