frustration

Tiny....If you don't mind....
The bathroom issues......I have a colostomy and it has every freedom that not having one does. If you are suffering that much I suggest that you might look into it...I am here to tell you and anyone that can't control their bowel thus taking away the freedom to do things that the bag is the way to go.....I will talk with you in PM about it or out in the open if you would like, but Im only offering a suggestion up to you......Hope your situation gets better.......Clift

tiny one said:

Issues
My bathroom issues compared to one year ago are much better. I am trying now to do things without my meds. Taking probiotics, adjusting diet. It's only been a few days. At least I'm not having the pain and soreness that I was.

PROBIOTICS
Oh, yes - I had some chronic bowel problems some years ago and desperate to find SOME relief I went to the health food store and started taking probiotics. They worked for me - made my bowels more regular and cut out the diahrea. I don't use them regularly anymore but anytime I have a bout of diahrea or intestinal upset I take a few days of it and bam I am back to normal.
Fatima

tiny one said:

more info
What kind did you use? Did you change your diet also?

DDS Probiotics
it is called DDS (R) Plus
"Aids in maintaining a healthy balance of intestinal flora"
has L. acidophilus DDS-1, B. longum and FOS
This particular product is vegan - some gel caps are made from gelatin from pork and unless it states "Kosher" then it should be assumed that the gelatin is from pork. But, since this is labeled vegan there is no animal products in it - so no worry (unless you count bacteria as animals - oh, no - I can just see PETA protesting the rights of bacteria now!). :P
I keep them in the fridge - that is what the health food guy told me to do.
I recommend that if you take something like this that you also let your prescribing doctor(s) know you are taking it so that they can consider it when prescribing.
I did change my diet for a while. I cut out dairy and used a lot of "dairy free" products like lactaid. I also stopped eating so much fried food, spicy food and had gone off caffeine for a couple years. But I eat dairy now and drink caffeinated beverages. The one thing I really don't eat much anymore is spicy food and fried foods. I did find one thing that may have been a culprit, at least for some of my bouts... I was at a friend's house (Indian) while she was cooking for a lot of people. I saw her use a cutting board for raw chicken - then just swipe it with a grimy wet rag then proceed to chop fresh veggies that were going to go in a salad. I used to eat a lot of her food and always thought it was the spices bothering me. Needless to say I gave her a short course on safe food handling (her husband was in the back of the kitchen rooting me on) and also told her how much trouble I was having with my gut and that I suspected this was a big reason for it. She got a bit offended (she heard "your cooking is bad" - not what I said at all) - but she did try to change the way she handled food - especially raw meats.
I don't often have bouts of gut troubles nowadays - but when I do it is tear-jerking painful. But, like I said, a couple days of probiotics does the trick.
Good luck.
Fatima