Where do I begin. It was three months ago I started having symptoms both intertrigo and Diverticulitis. Intertrigo had been there a while earlier, but then the Diverticulitis came.
3 days normal, one day went nuts...constipation, followed hours later by diarhoea, 4-5 visits to the toilet in one day. To stop this i took an imodium. the fifth day calm...no visits. And around this cycle again. I (like everybody) cannot predict the bowel being soft or hard, so how often should fybogwel be taken? won't i miss the boat if taken "when needed". my GP was non-commital to their use (she is an expert in skin disorders, but not bowel as much). I really dont have enough grattitude for her...I was in a very dark place in october.
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My diet has been altered fruit and veg. I used to have an apple a day. Cereal 1-2 times weekly, shreddies or shredded wheat, with alpen to name a few
I still have the bowel prob, of course. Wipe once, wash with dermol, dab dry, then apply zeroderm.
So is this Imodium the right thing to do? I have seen Contradictory stories online. I'd be grateful of opinion of more seasoned sufferers.
Should Fybogel be used? or is it a bit hit and miss, making diarhoea worse (Again GP neutral opinion).
I have been prescribed Mebeverine as a trial, for those painful times (Paracetamol doesnt touch the pain of the bad times).
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Spurdog1
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I take 1 mebeverine and half an immodium tablet every day.I keep very well on this although if very much out of routine especially when travelling I will take a whole immodium.I recently modified my diet following the advice of Tim Spectre from Zoe.This includes more pulses which I have always been wary of before.His cook book is very good and I am keeping very well.However, like many people who have ibs I have found it is extremely unlikely that you will never to have flare up.Take a whole immodium then.
I take 1 immodium (loperamide) every day now. I find it works best for me. Long term use doesn't seem to be a concern according to the Internet, unless you take 6 tablets every day! I have tried fibrogel, numerous prebiotic etc and found nothing works. I would obviously prefer to rectify my stomach issues, but to be honest I am nearly 70 now, been struggling for years, and I want to be able to enjoy my retirement. I'm fed up of restrictive diets that haven't worked. I'm trying to eat sensibly and healthily and at the moment loperamide works best for me. Good luck.
I am in same boat as you. Take daily 1/2 immodium and if have special occasions where I know I will be stressed up immodium to 1 a day before and the day of. Been doing for years & years. Tried most everything that has been suggested on this site along with specialist/doc visits and this works for me but everyone is different and has to find their own by trial and error. I am same age and am done with diets etc. I know I am lactose intolerant since birth so stay away from that but otherwise enjoy my food.
Hi. I feel for you - I have a similar dilemma! It’s like you never know when to take the fybogel as you don’t know in advance what the bowel is going to do! Very tricky! I too have diverticula disease and IBS. As far as immodium goes it’s not a very good idea to rely on it too often if you have diverticulitis- constipation is the enemy of this particular condition and I know that if I take even half an immodium I can be bunged up for 2-3 days. It’s the same with any opioid painkillers. I was told to take Buscopan for both diarrhoea and constipation so that might be an option, although I see you’re on mebeverine which is similar. As far as diet goes I find that’s an unpredictable minefield too! If I up my fibre (which is all the ‘professionals’ keeping saying) I get even more constipated but a bland diet gives me diarrhoea! On the advice of a kindly consultant I gave up dairy and that’s helped quite a bit .. got rid of the terrible gas I had anyway. I can’t eat too much fruit (diabetic) or too many green vegetables (on anti-coagulants) or cauliflower and pulses (gas forming) and I’m vegetarian so I’m just wondering what’s left to eat! Now I’m being advised to give up gluten too - if anyone has any ideas what I can actually eat I’d be very grateful! The other thing I find is that it’s hard to work out whether the symptoms I have at any one time are down to the IBS or the diverticula- in any event, the goal of achieving a happy normally functioning bowel seems out of my reach for sure - but we keep trying and it’s really frustrating! Maybe just concentrate on eating an unprocessed diet, getting regular exercise (even just a walk every day is enough - no gym membership needed lol!) and practicing some calm breathing techniques. I’m sure stress is a huge factor in how our bowel behaves - just thinking of certain situations can make it churn! One time I was waiting to see the doctor and I was particularly worried about the outcome and while I in the waiting room I kept thinking ‘I’m going to have to dash to the loo any moment!’ Then I was called in and it was all fine. It was only when I was home later on I remembered how much I’d felt like I’d need the toilet! Once my mind had calmed down, my stomach did too. The hardest thing of course is going out and about with everything being so unpredictable… I’m like you - constipated one time and diarrhoea the next almost regardless of what I do. Maybe you could ask for a gastro enterology referral? Or even a dietician .. although all I ever hear is ‘more fibre!’ Well I keep trying that and at the moment by poor bowel is swollen and painful and I’m convinced it down to the fybogel .. if I were you I’d avoid immodium unless it’s essential eg you have somewhere to be and no easy access to a bathroom. Anything that puts the bowel under pressure will make diverticulitis worse. I wish you well and hopefully we will find a way out if this particular conundrum - I think with some conditions you have to be your own expert and work it out through trial and error.
I am so grateful that you all have spared the time and shared your experiences with me. I don't feel so alone with this.
What often gets me is what i call false messages. I am told not to ignore my bowel saying you need to go. Oh by the way you have been only half an hour ago (I really DONT need to go). The diarhoea 2 hours after solid stools (sorry for the basics). I guess every person is different, but they share some similar issues
The GP ruled out the dietician. I have apples daily, cereal 1/2 times weekly, tins of fruit occasionally, greens (a bit more), cholesterol lowering drinks, slowly losing weight (i piled it on when i retired). Alcohol a lot rarer. So i have made significant changes. I don't smoke, but i am nervous about exercise, for obvious reasons.
I found mebeverine hit and miss for pains. Once you are up to optimum level you have nowhere to go if it esculates above that. I have to say I am now a bit anti chemical drugs so would always try altenatives or do without if possible, but again have to say that is very hard to do so lapse back to.
I wrote out a very long reply and then lost it before it posted. Basically it's trial and error - find out what upsets your gut and avoid it.Try reducing dependency on mebeverine by using peppermint oil capsules 2oomg 4 times a day. It takes a while to be effective - 1 or 2 weeks but I'm sure you'll notice a difference . I certainly did and can now begin reducing the amount of mebeverine I take. I also take ducosate capsules 2 at night for constipation and take turmeric combined with black pepper and ginger for the inflammation. They work for me but as we are all unique it may not work for others.
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