If none of the diet things work, try this ....... my husband had his gall bladder removed and the result was diarrhea. after years of putting up with it, we found a NP who did a lot of tests and put him on a powder that he took every day that helped a lot. I am sorry I can't remember the name.
Rule out the stomach issues like C-dif. If I remember correctly, the test involves breathing into a bag at a lab (like where you give blood). Doctor can order tests for you and possibly order some bloodwork, too, to make sure there's no bacterial issues going on. Check her meds - nearly everything you take includes side effect of diarrhea. Doctor or pharmacy can look over her meds to see if one in particular is common for loose stool.
Ask doc about taking something like Imodium OTC med. I would suggest to start w/half dose to see if it helps before going to full dose. You don't want to create constipation. Her doctor should be able to get you on the right track.
If she's a milk drinker, change over to one similar to Lactaide. It's a plus for the household to use because of the very long shelf life in the frig. Bananas and rice are supposed to help. Make notes when she does eat something where you see increased loose stool to avoid in future. Things like bell peppers in cooking are fine for many people when younger, but seem to create stomach issues as we age. Don't do much seasoning on her food - more bland is the way to go. Each person has something that can do this to them. Some folks who had gall bladder removed deal with it after every single meal.
Leweys Body you can expect that. Otherwise, start with the BRAT diet, then add something every 2 days. Stay away from milk and milk products. Yogurt made with coconut milk, oat milk or almond milk are good choices. No spaghetti sauce or cooked tomatoes. Raw tomatoes are OK. A vegetarian diet is what works best for my LO. Fresh fruit only! Lots of Pure coconut water instead of Gatorade for dehydration.
I have this problem and my doctor prescribed cholestyramine. I use it daily and it works well. The only danger is using too much to the point of causing a blockage. Start out with a packet at a time until the diarrhea stops. I would then monitor how often she has a bm. It really works for me. I did go to a gastroenterologist and I did have a colonoscopy but they didn’t help. I hope this helps. My regular doctor prescribed it for me.
A stool sample test is a good idea. She may have C Diff which requires specific treatment beyond just dietary adjustment. If she has some identifiable infection that will need to be cleared up before relying just on dietary changes.
Basketbandit: Perhaps your wife requires a visit to her gastroenterologist to determine the root cause of the diarrhea. While certainly I can suggest that she take a daily probiotic, her specialist may want to perform a stool culture as well as to put in place dietary restrictions. Some individuals have to be extremely careful with their food intake as many food stuffs may be detrimental to the gut.
Hi. I have a little experience in this department. My husband has the same issue. First I recommend starting a food journal. This will help you figure out what exactly are “bad” foods and what are “safe” ones. Next I suggest starting with the B.R.A.T. diet. Banana, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast. Fair warning some of these could still cause diarrhea but it’s the best way to start or so says our doctor. Then add in a single new food at a time. My husband still had some problems with the apple sauce but it seemed to help. He also did well with mashed and baked potatoes. Start with bland foods like oatmeal and cream of wheat and just slowly add from there. I’d recommend staying away from dairy as that’s really hard to digest. I wish you the best of luck.
My husband finally solved the problem with two doses of colestyramine, desolved in a half cup water. Its primary function is a colesterol meds but its is used for diarrhea. We have gone from 7 diarrhea per day for 3 years to one or two normal bowl movements. care must be taken to space the timing with other meds. Col should be taken one hour before or four hours after other med. its a prescription and totally worth trying
I would think a probiotic would help. Have her start taking some. Acidophilus is good for the gut. You can find it in yogurt. You can also buy those little probiotic drinks that have tons of good cultures for the gut such as Yakult. Keep her away from fried and processed foods. Bananas would be a good snack and brown rice with lean meats or fish. I hope this helps.
My mom has had diarrhea for years. Then she recently got C diff, you would know C diff poo smells really bad. We now treat my mom as if she has IBS. We started w the BRAT diet, and moved onto the FODMAP diet, no dairy, no wheat. Introduce 1 thing back at a time. Every time she has a bout of bad diarrhea we put her back on BRAT until clears up. I think our mom will always have loose stool but it is a lot better since we have been off dairy and wheat. Our mom is on IHSS and we hired a caregiver to make meals & shop for the proper food. if you need help call Del Oro Respite Care they have grant money and you can get free help. Or, care.com to hire help if you need it. Good Luck
Probiotics. My Mom hasnt had any diarreha in 4 years since her Dr recommended probiotics for healthy gut. I give her 10 bil pill once every 2 to 3 days. He stool is hard.
Beyond consulting her doctor, some OTC things to do..A) Increase Fiber in diet, at least 30+gm per day. Use supplements such as capsules etc and high fiber cereals etc B) Immodium prn... 2mg tablets... can give several a day. This opioid doesn't cross the blood-brain barrier so there's no worry about "addiction" etc. Doing both A and B for several days to a couple of weeks may be needed to begin to see some improvement.
You should consult her doctor. My mom's doctor suggested I give my mom metamucil daily. He said it will bulk up stool.
I also kept her away from fried food, greasy and acidic foods like tomato sauce. And had to explain to my mom's aide she was lactose intolerant, so ice cream was a no no. The aide had no idea ice cream had lactose 😵💫.
Maybe keep a food diary that way you can keep track of what's setting off her stomach. I would definitely call her doctor though for tailored suggestions.
My father began suffering from the same thing. The doctor informed me that he did not have diarrhea. Instead, he had loose stools. According to his doctor, loose stools occurs once or twice a day. Diarrhea occurs multiple times over a short period. He basically said give him an Imodium when it happens. My father’s issue is he does not understand the physical clues indicating that he needs to have a bowel movement. Second he moves terribly slow partially because he has arthritis, partially because his dementia, and partially because he is just stubborn. By the time he made it to the toilet, he would have already soiled himself and he usually dripped on the floor sitting on the toilet and then would step in it (I’ve had to do things I never imagined I could or would). I began giving him one Imodium every morning and that solved the problem. He still has regular bowel movements, they are just no longer loose.
Does you wife like yogurt? I was told by a doctor that this would help. And it has helped me. Get the ones with active cultures in them. I eat Yoplait yogurt all the time.
Hey There Basketbandit. BRAT, no not you. BRAT diet, which stands for “bananas, rice, apples, toast.” This diet also helps firm stool - from healthline.
The full article is here: https://www.healthline.com/health/what-to-eat-when-you-have-diarrhea#foods-to-avoid
Foods to avoid while experiencing diarrhea include : milk and dairy products (including milk-based protein drinks) fried, fatty, greasy foods spicy foods processed foods, especially those with additives pork and veal sardines raw vegetables rhubarb onions corn all citrus fruits other fruits, like pineapples, cherries, seeded berries, figs, currants, and grapes alcohol coffee, soda, and other caffeinated or carbonated drinks artificial sweeteners, including sorbitol
So they're saying on the whole, avoid everything that makes it a joy to eat and live. Plus who's going to keep track of all this, it's a total nightmare.
Someone mentioned artificial sweetener and that's on the list above.
Btw: Also sorry to hear your wife has got Dementia, How did you manage when you first found out? I'm interested because I may be helpful for me down the line.
Is this a new symptom? If so, did she start a new med recently? Has her diet changed?
Even eating something she used to eat without issue in the past, could now be causing her issues. My mom would have episodes of what we called "tummy trouble" sending her to the bathroom for a few hours every now and again. It was hard to figure out but we finally found the culprit - ice cream! Now it's non-dairy frozen treats without issues.
I agree she should be taking a probiotic.
Could also do an elimination diet to try to find the culprit. Since you're online I think you can google how to do it. Basically, you remove all foods that are likely suspects for causing issues then slowly add one back at a time so you can see if she has any reaction.
Basketbandt - So many suggestions, and they are all different. I bet you're more confused now than before you asked your questions.
I still recommend you get a doctor to test your wife's stool and determine the cause. Then go from there. You can choose to try the med the doc prescribes or you can choose to try out the suggestions we gave you here, one at a time,
My biggest problem was chilli. That’s really difficult, because a small amount is contained in a high proportion of processed foods, like dips and sauce, as well as in curry. I read all labels, with strong spectacles as the ingredients list is often in tiny print. Kimchi was also a disaster, and I have to be careful with red wine. A Health Check I went through at a local fair said that they find chilli and garlic are the most common issues - and I'm fine with garlic. It’s trial and error!
This is kind of a mystery that differs person to person. Our guts are about as individual as our thumbprints. So YOU are the Chief Detective here. It amounts to a food list and what causes diarrhea, and what doesn't. You can also find information online as to what foods often cause diarrhea and what foods are constipating. Some people have good luck with giving a supplement of citrucel, as it works both for diarrhea and constipation by giving bulk and form to stools and encourage early daily evacuation of stool. Don't use metamucil because tho they are similar products they actually ferment in the gut differently and metamucil often causes gas which will cause more diarrhea and more explosive and uncontrollable stools for some. Sure wish you good luck and hope you find a way. Freqflyer is correct, dairy is a common suspect in this. Especially if there has been any antibiotic treatment in the recent pass, consider asking MD to test stool in lab, because there can be an uptick in clostridium difficile infection after said treatment. This needs treatment.
Basketbandit, welcome to the forum. Dairy products can cause stomach issues as we get older.
My elderly Dad was having the same problem as your wife. So I convinced my Mom not to give him anything dairy. Mom was from the "a little bit won't hurt" school of thought. I got him Lactose-free milk, and Lactaid ice cream. Problem solved.
If that doesn't work, next try to eliminate wheat, as gluten can also cause digestion problems.
Medicine can also cause issues due to the fillers used to make the pill large enough to handle.... the blinders that help keep the pill together.... and the coatings that make it easier to swallow the pill. Each pharmaceutical company has their own recipe, so one could ask the Pharmacist to try a different company [if accepted by one's insurance].
Cheese is also a binder. No coffee and for my Mom, no apple juice. If the diarrhea is every day, going to be hard to narrow down. Occasionally, you can look at the foods she ate that day. My daughter suffers from IBS. She found eggs were one of her problems. Spaghetti sauce another, sometimes a problem, sometimes not. Carrageenan, which is a thicken used in processed food, like salad dressings, really does a number on her. She has had where something she has eaten for years suddenly bothers her. Probiotics tear up her stomach but she can eat yogurt which is a natural probiotic.
Your wife might just have chronic diarrhea. Just make sure she drinks lots of liquids. Gatorade would be good to get her electrolytes.
Basketbandit Your wife is lucky to have such a caring husband and you are wise to start with diet and nutrition. Look up FODMOP diet which can help you identify which foods might trigger your wife’s response. Does she also have bloating and pain? Consider all her symptoms. Also Kimchi fermented foods are good to check out. Read about the microbiome. A teaspoon or so of Benefiber in any beverage can help. A food diary, along with elimination diary might help you look for patterns. Sometimes we can become lactose intolerant. As an example does your wife suffer after eating ice cream? Sometimes the digestive system can be inflamed and need a rest from certain foods to recover. Sort of a reset. Consider everything, including meds. Some things take time to cause irritation and can be tolerated for a long time before showing symptoms. If it is a long term problem vs a more recent issue can be informative.
Watching my FODMAPs has made an incredible difference in my IBS flare ups. I still get some that are related to medication I need to take on a periodic basis and stress, but life is much better overall.
I have found that over time, I am in my 50's my ability to properly digest foods is getting worse. I used to be able to eat cauliflower and Aloo Gobi was one mof my favourite Indian dishes. I cannot eat it any more.
Some foods I can eat raw, but not cooked, cabbage is one. Others I can eat cooked but not raw, spinach. Some foods are weirder, I can eat snap pea pods, but regular green peas are getting to be an issue. I can eat goat's cheese, but few cows milk cheeses.
The above is to say there is no one list of good and triggering foods.
It's hard to know what to suggest if the reason for the diarrhea is not known. My Mom has IBS and her doc said to take Imodium. This is not a cure, it just addresses the symptoms of whatever is going on with your wife.
You have to be really careful when you take Imodium as it does raise your blood pressure quite a bit, so if one already has high blood pressure that could be an issue for sure.
Ask doc about taking something like Imodium OTC med. I would suggest to start w/half dose to see if it helps before going to full dose. You don't want to create constipation. Her doctor should be able to get you on the right track.
If she's a milk drinker, change over to one similar to Lactaide. It's a plus for the household to use because of the very long shelf life in the frig. Bananas and rice are supposed to help. Make notes when she does eat something where you see increased loose stool to avoid in future. Things like bell peppers in cooking are fine for many people when younger, but seem to create stomach issues as we age. Don't do much seasoning on her food - more bland is the way to go. Each person has something that can do this to them. Some folks who had gall bladder removed deal with it after every single meal.
I hope this helps. My regular doctor prescribed it for me.
Encourage bananas.
Take her for a colonoscopy if possible.
care must be taken to space the timing with other meds. Col should be taken one hour before or four hours after other med. its a prescription and totally worth trying
I also kept her away from fried food, greasy and acidic foods like tomato sauce. And had to explain to my mom's aide she was lactose intolerant, so ice cream was a no no. The aide had no idea ice cream had lactose 😵💫.
Maybe keep a food diary that way you can keep track of what's setting off her stomach. I would definitely call her doctor though for tailored suggestions.
Prayers.
The full article is here: https://www.healthline.com/health/what-to-eat-when-you-have-diarrhea#foods-to-avoid
Foods to avoid while experiencing diarrhea include :
milk and dairy products (including milk-based protein drinks)
fried, fatty, greasy foods
spicy foods
processed foods, especially those with additives
pork and veal
sardines
raw vegetables
rhubarb
onions
corn
all citrus fruits
other fruits, like pineapples, cherries, seeded berries, figs, currants, and grapes
alcohol
coffee, soda, and other caffeinated or carbonated drinks
artificial sweeteners, including sorbitol
So they're saying on the whole, avoid everything that makes it a joy to eat and live. Plus who's going to keep track of all this, it's a total nightmare.
Someone mentioned artificial sweetener and that's on the list above.
Btw: Also sorry to hear your wife has got Dementia, How did you manage when you first found out? I'm interested because I may be helpful for me down the line.
I think the BRAT diet is worth giving a try.
All the best.
Even eating something she used to eat without issue in the past, could now be causing her issues. My mom would have episodes of what we called "tummy trouble" sending her to the bathroom for a few hours every now and again. It was hard to figure out but we finally found the culprit - ice cream! Now it's non-dairy frozen treats without issues.
I agree she should be taking a probiotic.
Could also do an elimination diet to try to find the culprit. Since you're online I think you can google how to do it. Basically, you remove all foods that are likely suspects for causing issues then slowly add one back at a time so you can see if she has any reaction.
Best of luck.
I still recommend you get a doctor to test your wife's stool and determine the cause. Then go from there. You can choose to try the med the doc prescribes or you can choose to try out the suggestions we gave you here, one at a time,
Some people have good luck with giving a supplement of citrucel, as it works both for diarrhea and constipation by giving bulk and form to stools and encourage early daily evacuation of stool. Don't use metamucil because tho they are similar products they actually ferment in the gut differently and metamucil often causes gas which will cause more diarrhea and more explosive and uncontrollable stools for some.
Sure wish you good luck and hope you find a way. Freqflyer is correct, dairy is a common suspect in this.
Especially if there has been any antibiotic treatment in the recent pass, consider asking MD to test stool in lab, because there can be an uptick in clostridium difficile infection after said treatment. This needs treatment.
My elderly Dad was having the same problem as your wife. So I convinced my Mom not to give him anything dairy. Mom was from the "a little bit won't hurt" school of thought. I got him Lactose-free milk, and Lactaid ice cream. Problem solved.
If that doesn't work, next try to eliminate wheat, as gluten can also cause digestion problems.
Medicine can also cause issues due to the fillers used to make the pill large enough to handle.... the blinders that help keep the pill together.... and the coatings that make it easier to swallow the pill. Each pharmaceutical company has their own recipe, so one could ask the Pharmacist to try a different company [if accepted by one's insurance].
Your wife might just have chronic diarrhea. Just make sure she drinks lots of liquids. Gatorade would be good to get her electrolytes.
Your wife is lucky to have such a caring husband and you are wise to start with diet and nutrition.
Look up FODMOP diet which can help you identify which foods might trigger your wife’s response. Does she also have bloating and pain? Consider all her symptoms.
Also Kimchi fermented foods are good to check out. Read about the microbiome.
A teaspoon or so of Benefiber in any beverage can help.
A food diary, along with elimination diary might help you look for patterns. Sometimes we can become lactose intolerant. As an example does your wife suffer after eating ice cream?
Sometimes the digestive system can be inflamed and need a rest from certain foods to recover. Sort of a reset. Consider everything, including meds. Some things take time to cause irritation and can be tolerated for a long time before showing symptoms.
If it is a long term problem vs a more recent issue can be informative.
I have found that over time, I am in my 50's my ability to properly digest foods is getting worse. I used to be able to eat cauliflower and Aloo Gobi was one mof my favourite Indian dishes. I cannot eat it any more.
Some foods I can eat raw, but not cooked, cabbage is one. Others I can eat cooked but not raw, spinach. Some foods are weirder, I can eat snap pea pods, but regular green peas are getting to be an issue. I can eat goat's cheese, but few cows milk cheeses.
The above is to say there is no one list of good and triggering foods.