Hello everyone. I’m only 16 years old, but I’m worried about my stomach problems. About every two weeks, I get diarrhea. Usually, it goes away with the help of medicine and becomes constipation later on. Also, if I take medicine for my constipation, it turns into diarrhea, so I usually leave it untreated. However, I hate being trapped in this constant cycle and my stomach has caused me to miss out on some amazing things in life. I come from a poor family that doesn’t really have the money to go to doctor visits or anything like that. I know my family has history of stomach ulcers, IBS, and whey intolerance, and I’ve also noticed some symptoms of gluten intolerance (nothing for sure) in myself. I was wondering if anyone here could give me advice, other than “go to the doctor” because I’m already working on that.
Hi
Your very young to be getting this sort of bother. Have you tried probiotics? Nutrizing multi strain probiotics are great for restoring good gut health. Make sure when you buy them that they have at least 50 Billion CFUs, them more the better. I take them now because of my Gastritis, I would get bouts of diarrhoea, then constipation and some weird looking bowel movements. These capsules are natural and there are no nasty fillers, also soya free. You can get them on Amazon. Hope this helps you you don’t want to go down the route of doctors medicines, unless you have to, too many side effects with doctors meds. 👍
Your symptoms could well be IBS. It is very common in your teens, although I got it at the age of 42. My brother was a teenager when he was diagnosed with it. Do you get generalised stomach pain that moves about along with nausea or back pain?
However, I’m afraid to say I would strongly recommend you find a way of getting to a doctor so that you get the correct diagnosis and treatment. This is very important.
In the meantime, treat your constipation with eating lots of fruit or a short term laxative. When you get diarrhoea, avoid fruit and try bananas or rice to help bind you up. Taking Imodium on a short term basis can also help. This is how I treat my IBS and it works for me. Try a food diary to see if a food is causing it. Stress/anxiety can also be the cause so try stress management techniques such as meditation or deep breathing exercises. Do you notice if stress or anxiety brings on flare ups?Distraction techniques such as a hobby or lght exercise can also help with symptoms.
Assuming you are not over-dosing on fruits, and have used the a BRAT diet when necessary, have you tried probiotics? A good pharmacist can recommend dosage.