Stomach problems / bad lifestyle

[Makemedoit]

Over the last week I have had to use Imodium every other day to stop diarrhoea which stops it for a day or so. My stomach from just under my rib cage down is constantly tender and I have low level ongoing cramps. I have been very stressed and anxious over the last couple of months due to a number of things including some tricky things at work and my diet is terrible- lots of sugar fixes, biscuits for breakfast, chocolate for lunch etc. I am totally exhausted. I have 10 days off work now and want to sort myself out. Can you suggest some small simple steps to get myself sorted.

Cut out the sugar and sorbital.

I suffer with IBS and have diarrhea every day (have done for years now). Definitely cut out sugars (any that end in 'ol') they are a laxative. I would also recommend cutting out biscuits - if these are digestives they have the same effect. Make sure you're getting enough fibre in your diet, having a small banana helps harden stools. You should check out the FODMAP diet, not necessarily saying you should follow it for a long period, but even for a couple of weeks, you might find a big improvement.

Eat real food, 3x a day. Cook everything from scratch. Let your body clear out if it wants to. Lots of water.

I would go to the GP and ask for it to be investigated. Poor diet doesn’t lead to constant diarrhoea. I’ve had similar pain and not even constant diarrhoea and a lot of stress for the past year, and my tests have all come back indicating inflammatory bowel disease (like Crohn’s). I’m finally seeing a gastroenterologist next week after a 6 month wait.

Thank you. Some helpful suggestions