New to forum but not yet diagnosed

[Eglin girl]

Hello.....it has been about a month since I've started have continuous diarrhea.  I do mean continuous up to 20 times a day.  Urgency is great and the loose stools smell horrible and float to the top (sorry to be so graphic).  I've never had this issue!  Stool tests for bacteria have all come back negative.  If I take two Immodiums in the morning I do fine until 10-12 hours later when the next diarrhea episode ensues.  I have an appointment with a gastroenterologist in August.  I am losing weight and regardless of what I eat (crackers, yogurt) it goes right through me usually within an hour.  After much research my diagnosis is IBS-D or EPI (Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency).  I've started taking pancreatic enzymes but so far this hasn't helped.  This came out of the blue for me.  If it wasn't anti diarrhea meds, I would be absolutely lost and confined to home.  Any suggestions?  Thank you for any informative advice.  

[Jeffrey Roberts]

Dear Eglin girl,

So sorry to read that you are going 20 times a day. Thank goodness you are getting some temporary relief with Imodium.

The key is getting to be properly evaluated by a gastroenterologists which is a good thing you are doing.

Has anyone suggested trying cholestyramine? It's a bile sequestrant which would bind to excess bile and could help stop the diarrhea if excess bile is the problem; however, if this problem is steatorrhea, it could actually make it worse. Tricky.

Have you been on an antibiotic in the last 6 months? Just making sure that you have been tested for an overgrowth of Clostridodes Difficile when can cause ferocious diarrhea. Do you have abdominal pain with this? Do you have a fever?

If it is truly IBS-D, then there are a couple of other medications that could be tried. 1) Lotronex 2) Viberzi. You might talk to your doctor to see if either might be suitable before you see the GI doctor.