IBS-D please help!

[Owlette31]

I'm in second trimester (17 weeks) and for the last 2 weeks I have had a seriously bad IBS flare up. It's every single day.
I have always taken imodium/loperamide to control it otherwise I end up incontinent and the D doesn't stop.
My dr said no when I got pregnant and gave me zero alternatives.
I have had to take it a couple of times in first trimester due to a small flare but now this is unbearable.
I'm having to take the smallest dose possible now to go to work or leave the house and feel racked with guilt every time. On my days off I try not to go anywhere and remain housebound so I do not have to take medication.

Please please please tell me I am not the only person in the world in this position and other people have taken it through their pregnancy? And if you have what was the outcome?

I'm desperate for advice or experiences.
(I have read every single article I can find online and my IBS has zero triggers. I've had it since I was 14.)

I know you say you haven’t managed to identify a trigger, but sometimes triggers can be complex and difficult to work out.

Took me over a decade to realise that mine was dairy.

It’s not a clear cut problem either. It’s like my body can tolerate some dairy up until I hit a certain threshold and then I have an attack. So it’s not as simple as 1. eat dairy 2. have IBS.

Having said all that, what you’re describing is so severe (incontinence etc) I would be demanding tests after the pregnancy to rule out inflammatory bowel disease. IBS can be a lazy diagnosis and too many doctors apply it inappropriately. Two weeks is an incredibly long time to be flaring up.

I agree with pp, it sounds more like ibd than ibs (I have ibd, ulcerative colitis). When i have a flare I am much the same as you.

You need further tests. Pregnancy can cause a flare.

Go back to doctors and explain you feel it needs further investigation. You need referring to consultant at hospital for a diagnosis.

Hope you feel better x

Oh and I also agree about dairy, swap to soya milk. Makes huge difference to me

I had the same problem in pregnancy. At around the same time actually. I was advised by a dietician to eat flaxseeds to slow down my bowel. I added them to my cereal / put them in yoghurts. I really did help!

IBS can be triggered by an array of things.
I used to be anorexic-many years ago, I had IBS when I was recovering from it.
my sister got IBS triggered by Egg noodles and high lactose milk
my partner gets IBS symptoms if he eats too fatty foods.
long story short, the three main groups of triggers are-food allergies/intolerance to a certain level, physical irritation (stomach acid), side effects from other conditions and STRESS. Stress is a massive culprit to people who suffer from IBS.

Firstly thank you for your response :)
I spent a long time cutting out various things from my diet, done food and mood diaries for years to see if I can figure out a trigger, tried low fodmap etc and there was never any correlation. Only thing I have found to not help is early morning starts but they're unavoidable when I work 7am-8pm in a hospital. Oh and nerves/anxious situations but I think that in general is a trigger for anyone, whether they have bowel issues or not.

I am going to demand investigations once baby is here as it's plagued my life for so many years. And yeah, usually I can get it under control with the loperamide if I take it every day. All I can think is pregnancy hormones in second trimester are making it worse as I was constipated through most of my first trimester (although I had horrendous 24/7 vomitting so could hardly eat) and it's been since I hit 14.5/15 weeks that it's just been a mess.

Thanks for your reply :) I've never tried flaxseeds so will give this a try. What do you usually have them with?

Sorry just replied to this and have seen you've mentioned adding them to cereal. Ignore that last part of my previous response 🤦🏼‍♀️