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Original poster

Night time diarrhoea - have googled and now freaking out

20 replies

Chocwocdoodah · 02/07/2017 07:04

I've had IBS in the past but not for years.

The past few weeks, I keep having diarrhoea. What's bothering me is I keep waking at night with a gurgly, cramping stomach as though I'm just about to have diarrhoea. A couple of times I've had to get up and go to the toilet. Sometimes I don't 'go' til the morning. Thing is I've googled it and of course there are all kinds of horrible potential diagnoses. I am going to make a Dr's apptmnt but can anyone reassure me please?

OP posts:

MollyHuaCha · 02/07/2017 12:47

Poor you. Def get a doctor's opinion. It could be IBS, a food intolerance or something else. Hope it clears up soon.

Original poster

Chocwocdoodah · 02/07/2017 14:11

Thank you. Yes I wondered if it was IBS flaring after a number of years. But Dr Google (I know I shouldn't look!) says diarrhoea that wakes you at night is a "red flag" and I'm worrying myself stupid....

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exLtEveDallas · 02/07/2017 14:16

I have the same. I've had a colonoscopy and bloods done - all fine. Best the doc could suggest was IBS flare up and get me to keep a food diary religiously for a month. It seems that caffeine, tomatoes and garlic are my main triggers. So I'm weaning myself off the coffee and restricting bolognaise to once a month. Seems to be working so far. Try not to worry, but yes, get to the docs for reassurance.

picklemepopcorn · 02/07/2017 14:39

It could be a food supplement, or caffeine, or an artificial sweetener.
Have you started anything new in the way of vitamins, a hot chocolate before bed, alcohol? All those things can have that effect on me.

Original poster

Chocwocdoodah · 02/07/2017 14:40

Thank you. Had you had IBS much in the past? Keep trying to console myself that I haven't lost weight so or can't be anything too bad but I'm not sure that's true. Did yours come out of nowhere?

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80sMum · 02/07/2017 14:44

Could it perhaps be Bile Malabsorption Diarrhoea? Would be worth asking your GP to check that possibility.

80sMum · 02/07/2017 14:50

Another thought. Have you taken a course of antibiotics recently? That might have upset the balance of bacteria in your gut.

Even if you haven't been on antibiotics, it might still be worth taking some probiotic tablets or Actimel or Yakult or something similar, to ensure the balance is right.

MissJC · 02/07/2017 15:43

This used to happen to me all the time!! I managed to link it to eating KFC or any other deep fried food. Would wake me up like I was going to crap the bed with stomach cramping but then sometimes I wouldn't be able to go even though I felt I needed to desperately.
Try not to worry, get checked out but the worst scenario is always the least likely

exLtEveDallas · 02/07/2017 17:03

Sorry Choc for not coming back.

I've had some bowel issues for years now, some polyps removed and so on but it's only in the last couple of years that the docs have started saying IBS. I started having a few issues after having DD (now 12) - just bowel habits changing, an urgency to go and so on but nothing that wasn't manageable.

It started getting worse around 5 years ago when I had my first colonoscopy and the polyps were found. Things seemed to settle afterwards unless I had very fatty or rich foods, then it all kicked off again and I was having to go to the loo 8-10 times a day, including in the night. The doc sent me for another colonoscopy but this one was all clear which is why he's now saying IBS.

The food diary has helped and I've been looking into the FODMAP diet as well. Not quite there yet though.

Original poster

Chocwocdoodah · 02/07/2017 22:25

Thanks all. To answer some questions - I've not had any antibiotics recently, I've started vitamins but have been on then about 6 months so don't think it's that. It could be bile malabsorption I suppose, but the link doesn't say anything about night time diarrhoea.

ExltleaveDallas - my IBS experience is that I've always had a sensitive stomach - ie nervousness always causes diarrhoea. Also really hot weather can upset my stomach. I wouldn't really say I've had it badly at all though. Worse it got was a few years back when out of the blue I realised milk and some cheese was a problem and within a couple of hours of eating them I'd have cramps and rush to the loo. Weirdly unlike you, when I got pregnant, the problem went away. Now here I am 7 years later with this - again, this has come from nowhere.

So apart from the night time crampy/kind of bubbly stomach that wakes me ( which has only resulted in diarrhoea acruelly at night a couple of times), during the day Im having between 0-2 loose stools. So not that much, I suppose. It's the fact I'm being waken at night that is making me think it's weird and something to worry about.

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CheekyR · 03/07/2017 08:25

I have been having this recently too, completely out of the blue but after much googling figured out it's an IBS flare up and as a pp mentioned I came across the FODMAP diet, I've cut out gluten, milk, caffeine, alcohol and garlic for the past 2 weeks and the cramps and diahreoa have gone, I'm planning on doing this for another 2 weeks to allow my digestive system to calm down then will try to reintroduce the foods I've cut out.

Original poster

Chocwocdoodah · 03/07/2017 10:07

CheekyR - how come you've had such a rational, non-freaking out, non- hypochondriac type response to your symptoms, unlike me?!

Was yours bothering you at night time too?

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CheekyR · 03/07/2017 11:18

Lol! I wasn't so rational a few weeks ago.

Yes, i would wake up in the middle of the night in agony with cramps then have to run to the loo, i was exhausted by it, also had to go numerous times during the day.

This went on for about a month before I cut some foods out, i kept thinking it would just stop as quickly as it had appeared but it didn't. It is a bit of a pain having to cut foods out but I honestly feel so much better.

Original poster

Chocwocdoodah · 03/07/2017 12:20

Thanks CheekyR. That's reassuring. TBH, when I wake in the night, it's not really painful, it's more a crampy feeling with mild pain and gurgling/bubbling feeling. It's almost like it's the fact my body knows I'm about to have diarrhoea that's waking me rather than actual pain. But then the diarrhoea doesn't always come. ...

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charliebear78 · 04/07/2017 09:13

Mine is the other way round-feel the cramps and gurling and the need to go to the loo upon waking in the morning.Every morning now for the last few months(which is new to me)
I have always had a sensitive stomach too,cannot really remember a time I didn't have some sort of stomach pain/discomfort but it came and went and I managed to deal with it.
Fast forward to this Last Year and the pain became much worse and more constant(sometimes lasting 2 weeks at a time)BMs all over the place-Google is never your friend and it certainly caused me a lot of anxiety and panicking.
I did cut out caffeine which seems to help, also cut out gluten and tried to follow the FODMAP diet-however this did not seem to really make a difference so have started to eat normally again-trying to limit onions as these I think are the main trigger-plus I do not really like them so its easy to cut them out lol(they are in literally EVERY dish)
I am now going for a Colonoscopy this month.(hoping to have my mind put at rest finally and can then move on knowing its is only IBS)

Original poster

Chocwocdoodah · 04/07/2017 09:45

Hi charliebear78. That sounds pretty miserable, sorry to hear you've had something similar. I don't really drink caffeine and I don't think it's lactose this time but I'm keeping a food diary to try to work out any links. It's hard to work out if it's IBS caused by a particular food, isn't it, as obviously if it is, the reaction isn't instant unlike with an allergy. Hoping to see the Dr tomorrow.

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picklemepopcorn · 04/07/2017 14:10

If it helps anyone narrow down their triggers- I react to mushrooms and stress. I can usually eat mushrooms, but if I'm stressed I get appalling trouble. Cramps, explosive bowels, etc.

I find a stiff drink in the evening if I'm really stressed helps me. It relaxes the spasms.

Original poster

Chocwocdoodah · 04/07/2017 15:18

Yes stress gets me too.

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Andrea48 · 15/01/2021 15:53

Hello, sorry to bother you these many years on but I’m having these problems and wondered if you got to the root of yours?

dontdisturbmenow · 16/01/2021 12:29

This wasn't and started to get really concerned until I put 2 and 2 together.

Trying to lose weight, I've been eating Asda meal replacement bars but then noticed that the Tesco equivalent had slower sugar content so swapped them, but the ingredients showed they used a sweetener that is also used as treatment for constipation!

I got read of them, things got better until it he appended all over again and this time started to get very anxious. Again, caused by sweeteners in cereals which is started to it (as surprise surprise had a lower sugar content), again one used as a laxative.

Stopped and all ok. Those used in drinks are ok, but the others are took strong for my bowels.

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