Post infectious IBS

[Kayanne1980]

Hi all

Went to see a specialist senior GI doctor yesterday with my ongoing issues and he said it sounds like I have post infectious IBS and I might have picked up an infection and my bowels are still in a spiral.

Have any of you been diagnosed with this? We are still doing a colonoscopy on Oct 5th but he is adamant he will not find anything.

I really quite cant believe that he is so positive that he will not find a cancerous tumor though (this is my fear), this has been going on for about 8 weeks now, I have had a few normal BM's from then to now but most of the time the BM is narrow, small & the qty is quite small too however I have also lost 13lbs in 8 weeks due to reducing my calorie intake drastically only because I am so anxious..

One thing to remember my partner started with the same issues 8 weeks ago and we both went to the GP whom requested stool samples which we both did and it was normal, the GP requested Full blood test panels from me (as I saw the dr again after our initial visit) and they were normal (surely if there was infection my white blood cells would have been fighting something??). My partner seems to have gone back to normal now but every other day or maybe more he will be plagued by explosive diarrhea with all colors of the rainbow (sometimes) other times he would need to go about 4/5 times a day where me I just have small narrow stools every morning, they are soft & some mornings it could look like cow poop (all mushy).

So anyone that has been diagnosed with this Post infectious malarkey if you can give me your in site... - sorry for the long post...

[JoMarie5]

In June I had swollen lymph nodes in my small intestine. I had diarrhea I went to the ER seven times seen my doctor three times and went to a G.I. specialist . Who seems to think that I have IBS and nothing more . I do know that it can take a while for your gut flora to return back to normal. Maybe you should try taking a good probiotic . I too have the narrow stool that you're concerned about however the doctor seem to not be too concerned by it . I feel as though ever since I had the infection in my small intestines my bowels have not been normal however I am a 29-year-old female with no family history of cancer and which I know the doctors consider all of this . While I will admit I still get scared thinking I have some sort of intestinal cancer which is giving me anxiety and probably made my symptoms a lot worse .

[Kayanne1980]

Its so nerve wrecking for me I simply cannot think of anything else!

[JoMarie5 in reply to Kayanne1980]

I understand. I believe this situation has caused me health anxiety! My systems have totally consumed me . I have a 4 year old and I'm so worried that I have been misdiagnosed and I'm dying. It's to the point that I feel sorry for the people I love .

[Kayanne1980 in reply to JoMarie5]

I know. My anxiety is through the roof! Have you had a colonoscopy? Thin stools?

[JoMarie5 in reply to Kayanne1980]

No I have not had a colonoscopy but I do have narrow stools . When I had my consultation with the G.I. doctor she said that she didn't believe a colonoscopy was necessary . I read somewhere that narrow stools have been discredited as any form of having any type of bowel cancer . Both her and my regular doctor don't seem to be concerned about narrow stools especially because of my age and the fact that I do not have any family history of cancer . How narrow would you say yours are ?

[Kayanne1980 in reply to JoMarie5]

Not sure anymore as dont want to look it freaks me out

[MaggieJemima]

Common cause of initial IBS

Probiotic yog helps

[Kayanne1980 in reply to MaggieJemima]

Just live jogurt?

[MaggieJemima in reply to Kayanne1980]

No expensive! Activia

[Kayanne1980 in reply to MaggieJemima]

Oh the little drinks? I bought yakult is that ok too

[MaggieJemima in reply to Kayanne1980]

No too much sugar

Eat the yog

[tiredmum]

My son has post infection ibs, he caught cryptosporidium and giardia whilst back packing in Nepal and India last May. He is now dairy intolerant and has diarrhoea between 5 and 15 times a day.

He has seen a consultant who has told him that it could take 5 years before his bowel starts functioning normally. He can loose half a stone in a week. Finds it very difficult to lead a normal life and hold down a job.

Hopefully you are not as severe as this, and hopefully things will settle down for you quickly as it has only been 8 weeks you may just need to give it a little more time.

[Kayanne1980]

Hi there.

I dont quite believe my GI as our stools were tested and it all came back normal. My partner has more or less gone back to normal but me, i havent.

[JoMarie5 in reply to Kayanne1980]

If I were you I would just try a probiotic just give it a shot and see what it does for you . It should be more than 15 billion however since you currently have an ongoing issue .

[Kayanne1980]

Im scared its cancer

[JoMarie5 in reply to Kayanne1980]

I'm in the same boat! They say the first step is trusting our doctors . I'm finding that hard to do . She told me if I wanted a colonoscopy that she do it but she does not think it's necessary . I just don't feel like my stools have returned back to normal. Trust me when I tell you I have the same fear is you do . But we need to understand that they deal with all sorts of things and if they thought we had the symptoms they would address them .

[Kayanne1980 in reply to JoMarie5]

Air on the side of caution and opt for the scope then you will know. I really am dreading what they find but they say colon cancer is very treatable if caught early. My GP has seen me more times this year than u can imagine. I have severe health anxiety and have had chest xray, scope in my throat, scope in my stomach and now this, its so hard to cope. My stools are thin but diarhea like if that makes sense. The weight loss is scary too but i have been consuming so much less food as im so scared to eat too.

[JoMarie5]

I'm thinking about it since I go to see my gi in October. How old are you ? And does cancer run in your family? If you aren't eating a lot then that may cause a narrow stool as well .

[Kayanne1980 in reply to JoMarie5]

Im 35. Cancer is in the family like breast etc. I hope thats whats causing narrow stools

[JoMarie5 in reply to Kayanne1980]

The link I'm providing is about hemorrhoids but does provide some interesting facts about stool . Hope this helps you. I found a bit of relief after reading it . Apparently it's not a bad thing for your stools to be no larger then your index finger . gutsense.org/gutsense/the-c...

[Kayanne1980]

Hi. I do suffer from hemorroids ive had them so bad that they prolapse and come out (sorry if its too gross) maybe i have internal ones i obviously cant see or feel, i really hope so.

[suzieQ1234]

I was diagnosed with IBS over 2 yrs ago n have loose stools. Had colonoscopy n they asked if I took loads of laxatives. No loose stools is one of the reasons I'm here! No obvious problem so diagnosed IBS. Have another colonoscopy this Tuesday due to 7 day bout of diarrhoea. Know they r not going to find anything. But need advice regarding diet then as tend to eat high fibre naturally

[JoMarie5]

The Truth About Poop: Understanding Stool Color, Shape, and Frequency

m.webmd.com/women/features/...

Here is another link . I hope you find this helpful 🙂

[Kayanne1980]

Ive had the colonoscopy today and the report is normal. They have taken random biopsies to find the cause. Thought i would let you all know

[JoMarie5 in reply to Kayanne1980]

Yay ! I'm so happy for you 😁 I didn't get a notification that you replied . However I was thinking about you and decided to look at the post . I'm still debating on whether or not to do the colonoscopy . Considering the fact that we have the same symptoms and my GI doctors adamant that she will not find anything as well .

[Kayanne1980]

I just hope the results of the biopsies are normal, stressing about them to be honest

[Kayanne1980]

Biopsies showed no significant abnormalities