Giardia and ibs

Hi, I had an infection by the giardia parasite after a trip to India. It took nearly 2 months for my gp to prescribe treatment and it seems that the delayed treatment has resulted in damage to my gut. I am waiting to see a consultant but my gp says I will probably have IBS from now on. I am following a gluten and dairy free diet but still have episodes of diarrhoea approximately every 7 to 10 days. I was wondering whether I can expect this to improve or is this a typical IBS pattern? I know everyone is different but am interested to know whether this would be considered severe or fairly average. Thanks in advance for any ideas and feedback.

[Hidden]

I've just been told by consultant that anything from 3 times a week to 3 times a day is normal!!!!!

So anything outside that range I suppose could be considered as severe.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I guess I should think myself lucky then! Thanks for taking time to reply x

[binks]

I take tetracycline antibiotics periodically for rosacea when it flares up. When I'm on them my IBS gets worse and I have sudden bouts of diarrhoea every 7-10 days. They last an hour or two and leave me with horrible a bloated sore feeling which lasts a day or two and then settles down, until a week or so later when it all happens again. Sometimes I have the runs once, sometimes several times in a short space of time. After I've been off the tetracycline for a week or two, my IBS returns to "normal" (for me that is!) That's probably because the pills upset the balance of my gut flora - I wonder whether that happens after an infection like giardia. It doesn't help if I take pro biotics either - makes no difference to the pattern of it all.

[abcd12345]

If the Giardiasis has damaged your gut, it might be beneficial to take L-Glutamine and a good probiotic for a couple of months! Research has shown that L-Glutamine helps restore intestinal lining and maybe the Giardia messed up your intestinal bacterial balance, so it couldn't hurt to try a probiotic too (: good luck and don't give up!

[Hidden in reply to abcd12345]

Thanks for the replies. I have started taking L Glutamine so I hope it does help heal my gut. Its very hard to find information about how much to take and how long it is likely to be until I see improvement. I had assumed it would get better until my gp said I have probably got IBS as a result of the infection. Now I see how all the people on this site have been battling this horrid thing for years and I wonder if that is my fate. That's why I was wondering whether weekly bouts of diarrhoea is typical of IBS or whether I can at least expect a longer remission time between flare ups as time goes on.

[abcd12345 in reply to Hidden]

I am not too familiar with IBS-D, but I think it is also a catch-all term for an underlying cause, just like IBS-C. So although your gp diagnosed you with IBS, that does not mean that you have to live this way. My friend had severe bouts of diarrhea and was very depressed because of it, and she started taking L-Glutamine along with a probiotic and Rifaximin. I am not sure if the Rifaximin helped at all, but she took the L-Glutamine and probiotic for a couple of months before she saw results. It took her about 6-12 months to feel 100% again. I think she started with 10g of the L-G and added more as tolerated, not exceeding 40g a day. Also fiber might be a good option because it adds fecal bulk.

[Hidden]

Thanks for your helpful information abcd12345 that has given me some hope. I've not heard of rifaximin but will look into it.

[abcd12345 in reply to Hidden]

Anytime! Whatever you do, do not give up. This is not something you have to "live" with (: