Fat malabsorption?

[boxfox29]

Hi everyone,

I've been on here a while but lurking in the shadows. Really down with my IBS d so thought a post might be worth a try.

Bit of background, had a change of bowel habit in 2013. Had a flexible Sig and was diagnosed with IBS d in a 10min consultation after waiting for over 4hrs to be seen in outpatients clinic. The Dr barely looked at me and gave me no as advice on how to self manage.

Got a second opinion and had a colonscopy, endoscopy and faecal calprotein test. All negative. IBS d diagnosis confirmed. Like most the Dr (a registrar) told me I should feel lucky I don't have IBD or cancer. Talked over me when I asked questions and basically made me feel small and like I was wasting everyone's time.

My colonscopy actually showed basal lymphoid hyperplasia and I wondered if anyone else had this result? The gastroenterologist who performed the procedure was actually nice and said it's quite common and nothing to worry about. But my small amount of research shows that it can mimck IBS symptoms.

I've done low fodmaps x3 times and found it successful but struggled with reintroduction. It took over a year to get a referral after GPS refused. Dietitians are great but there's no support during the hardest part of the diet I find. I'd actually eat low fodmaps/exclusion diet forever if I could.

Anyway, my main symptom appear to be fatty stools. They are always greasy/oily, a large amount and floating. 3 days running now and I can't take loperimide as it makes me very constipated. Does anyone else have these types of stools with IBS? It is much worse when I've had a fatty meal.

My experience of gastroenterology drs has made me want to try and sort this alone. I am in the UK so all of this was on the NHS. So I wonder if going private would change anything?

Right now my quality of life is rubbish. I got married last year and am trying to conceive but wonder if a possible fat malabsorption would affect me negatively.

Tia for responses.

[Denisemurphy]

Hi,

I was reading your symptoms and they sound very similar to mine. It took me 5 years to get a diagnosis and I had to go private in the end, my doctor was the same as yours and said IBS, all my tests came back negative (tho they did take my gallbladder out thinking my symptoms was down to gallstones). It is thanks to my brilliant (private) consultant that I can live pretty much symptom free now. Have a read/ask your doctor about Bile Acid Malabsorption (BAM). The test for this is a seHCAT (this is available on the NHS). My main problem was agonising stomach cramps then running to the toilet, especially after a fatty meal, but not all the time, I had days when I could eat anything and be fine. I take a tablet with food now and pretty much live normally.

Good luck, I hope you get it sorted.

[boxfox29 in reply to Denisemurphy]

Thanks very much for your reply. The second Dr I saw did gloss over the possibility of doing the test but then nothing happened. He did say it was an expensive test so I wonder if that was the factor. I brought up the possibility of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and was told that drs don't test for it anymore and he then went on to tell me about his journal articles.

I know from my own research that sibo is a current condition that drs are interested in looking at but don't have much info. It may be time to go private it sounds.