Hello all!
Thank you for reading my post.

I have been an IBS/IBS D sufferer for years. Last summer I was diagnosed with Diverticulitis for the third time and then the treatment led to CDIFF. This was treated over the course of two months and now I live with permanent IBS/IBS D. Trying to figure out how to eat and live right.

I am 55, male, vegetarian my whole life.Borderline type 2 diabetic, but my weight is fine and my blood pressure is managed well. I do suffer with depression, anxiety, and PACS/PVCS. I am attempting to reduce dairy as I love the hard cheeses, but I trying to only eat lactose free yogurt as my only source of dairy.

I have tried to quit gluten but many of the gluten free products do not sit well with me. The tapioca really throws off my gut.

I struggle with beans these days, but I can handle tofu and peas.

My bowel movements are weird. Some days I will have 3-5 movements, others only 2-3.

IBS is very depressing and increases my anxiety which I already suffer with.

I had a colonoscopy two years ago..all fine. I had an upper GI last fall...all normal. Blood work all normal with the exception that I do test positive for cdiff even thought I am not showing the symptoms. I guess once you get cdiff, you will always test positive? Had a full cardio workup...all normal with the exception of PACs which I am told are fully benign...just bothersome.

Any ideas how to live and manage IBS/IBS D. Would love to reduce my bowel movements in a day and get back to enjoying food. I do take Florastor probiotic every day. My awesome GI doc recommended it and it has clinical research.

Thank you
RR

I think you are wise to keep up with the probiotic. How do you feel about oatmeal?

Your experience sounds very similar to what my husband went through many years ago. He still has more bowel movements and more urgency than before he had c diff, but now he can live quite normally.
After months of struggling, the doctor prescribed cholestyramine, a drug intended to lower cholesterol. An off-label use of this powder is to bind materials in the intestine and stop the diarrhea. He started on a full dose and tapered off week by week. He still keeps it on hand for flare-ups. He also takes the probiotic Culturelle which works better for him than Florastor.
I hope this is helpful!

Hi, RR-- I was wondering how long you've been taking the probiotic and whether you notice any difference so far?
This is very much third-hand information, but a neighbor's friend had some good results by researching and taking some probiotics after a cdiff diagnosis. I don't know exactly what she used or on what kind of schedule but I got the impression that she switched around between different formulas/brands. I think it took quite a while, too.
If you are hoping that cutting back on gluten could be helpful, have you ever looked into other grains such as millet, teff, amaranth grain, quinoa, and kasha/buckwheat? I have used each of these in different ways, including cooking together with oatmeal.
Did you say beans/lentils have been causing you problems lately? How do you do with green vegetables, starchy vegetables, and with fruit?
Another second-hand tip is that supplementing with small amounts of psyllium may sometimes be helpful for ibs-d.

Also here is a thread about pvcs

whttps://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/which-form-of-magnesium-for-pvcs-taurate-glycinate/

This is a link to a small study that found that sauerkraut was helpful for some ibs patients, whether it was pasteurized or not. One possible explanation is that even after the probiotic bacteria are reduced or eliminated by pasteurization, there remains in the 'kraut the metabolites that those bacteria made during fermentation--- and that the metabolites (substances made by the bacteria as they grow) play a role in combating other, bad bacteria and the toxic metabolites those bad bacteria make.
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2018/fo/c8fo00968f/unauth
Lacto-fermented sauerkraut improves symptoms in IBS patients independent of product pasteurisation – a pilot study - Food & Function (RSC Publishing)

This is a little post touting sauerkraut for gut health, but cautioning to keep the portions small (one spoonful) to avoid laxative effects from larger servings:
https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/health-and-nutrition/think-twice-about-opting-out-sauerkraut
Think Twice About Opting Out of Sauerkraut - McGill University

That's interesting about the coffee (even decaf) and the chocolate. Those are two things that I avoid myself, not because of digestion (I haven't used them often enough to notice if they affect me that way or not), but because they can increase my anxiety/restlessness and because I get very worried about becoming functionally dependent on any one thing. Plus, I'd rather spend my food dollars on other things.

I didn't read this whole article, but it mentions docosahexaenoic acid (dha) for inflammation. I have found that trying to increase my omega-3 has been helpful for me.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-10382-2#:~:text=Supplementation%20with%20DHA%20has%20been%20shown%20to%20help,endotoxins%2C%20particularly%20lipopolysaccharides%20%28LPS%29%20derived%20from%20gut%20dysbiosis
As a vegetarian, you probably don't want to take fish oil or eat sardines, but there are vegetarian DHA supplements available made from a farmed species of algae that is grown in steel tanks just for that purpose. One that I've seen is available as an oil in a 250ml bottle, with both a rosemary flavor and a lemon flavor, to mask the fish-like flavor of the plain oil-- I guess what we think of as the taste of fish comes partly from the algae at the bottom of their food chain.

Taking steps to lower the inflammation in your body certainly won't cure the IBS, but it's not too likely to do a lot of harm, either, and who knows-- it may have some beneficial 'side effects'.

Here is a similar discussion
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/ibs-and-vegetarian-diet/
Also a smoothie recipe that includes some carob.
https://thedesignfiles.net/2015/12/carob-halva-heaven-smoothie-2
The notion that carob may ease or prevent diarrhea seems to date back to the observations of a doctor in Spain half a century ago:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/sdfe/pdf/download/eid/1-s2.0-S0022347649800539/first-page-pdf
"During the Spanish Civil War and at the beginning of the World War II, Ramos of Barcelona, Spain, faced with the increasing difficulty of procuring such dietetic products, sought other material for therapeutic use. He had noticed that during the war in Spain, the children of the poorer classes in Barcelona who ate the fruit of the carob tree had fewer diarrheal disturbances than did those of the wealthier classes. Based on this observation, he employed the dried pulp of the roasted carob mixed with starch for the treatment of diarrhea."

I started taking more fiber for IBS. Chia seeds and flax grain on a daily basis in a smoothie with one banana, almond milk, plain yogurt, mango pieces and blueberries. Have not had an IBS bout in a long time. Also take a probiotic everyday. Good luck!

My gastro doctor recommended I take Align. I have now been taking it daily for 3 years. I buy it at Costco when it is on sale.