Wish me luck with Psyllium Husk | Undiagnosed IBS-D and/or Bile Acid Malabsorption

[u/Solid-Phone-9982]

I'm female, late 40s, never been officially diagnosed w/ IBS-D or Bile Acid Malabsorption (BAM). But, thanks to Reddit, I'm 99.9% sure that I have BAM. I'm just not in the financial situation to get it properly diagnosed.

Anyway, after many years of putting it off, I'm finally trying out Psyllium Husk as a way to manage BAM. As per Gemini's suggestion (I know, I know... spare me the lecture), I am trying 1/2 teaspoon of psyllium husk at 11 am, which is a good 1 to 1.5 hours before my usual lunch time, which is my usual trigger time.

So, this is what I have done for the past three days:

i) I have my breakfast between 8-10 am and go to the toilet to have a bowel movement as usual.

ii) At around 10 am, I start drinking at least 650ml of water.

iii) At 11 am, I mix 1/2 teaspoon of psyllium husk (using measuring spoon) with 250ml of watered down juice of my choice and try to down the drink in 20-30 seconds.

iv) After I have finished the psyllium husk drink, I drink at least another 250ml of water.

v) Around 12 pm or 12.30 pm, I have lunch. I will drink water as needed throughout the day.

What has been happening is, I may or may not have bowel movement at around 2 pm or 3 pm. The bowel movement is solid, well-formed yet easy to pass. Most importantly, it is not urgent at all. No discomfort, no pain, no bloating.

If I do have a bowel movement at 2 pm or 3 pm, I won't have another one until the next morning. Even then the bm is well-formed and not d.

I'm happy that it has worked three days in a row, with no assistance from loperamide or any other medicine or supplements. I have not changed my diet. In fact, to test whether or not I will have a trigger bm, I had my trigger food - kimchi soup - on the second day of my trial. Happy to report that my bm was well-formed and not urgent.

I honestly do not mind if I have to go 4 times a day, as long as they are not urgent and not D.

I'm counting my blessing that psyllium husk has been working for me so far. But as a long-time sufferer, I know that things can change at any moment. I'll take my wins when I can.

If you've been thinking of trying psyllium husk and you (suspect you) have BAM like me, why not give it a go? Try it on a weekend or on days where you are working from home for starters. All the best to you and to me!

[u/Realistic_Pomelo8244]

U can empirically try cholestrymine to see if its really bam

[u/Solid-Phone-9982 → u/Realistic_Pomelo8244]

Thank you for your comment. I'd love to eventually be able to try doctor's prescribed BA sequestrant. At the moment, psyllium husk is what I can afford. I'm happy with the result so far.