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May I have your advice, please?

Hi All,

Hope you're doing well.

In advance, I sincerely apologise for the unpleasant contents of this post.

I'm due to see my gastroenterologist on Monday week.

I already have very mild IBD (since mid 2011) in the form of ulcerative colitis, but since about March/April this year have been experiencing random episodes of diarrhoea, each lasting an hour or so. Initially, these were no more than about once every 6 weeks or so, but recently they have been increasing in frequency to maybe once or twice a week. Symptoms are: lots of noisy intestinal gurgling and 'whistling'; urgent need to get to the loo; passing loose stools and mucus in two to three episodes over a period of about 20 minutes. A little while later, maybe 20 to 30 minutes, and I have to hasten back to the bathroom to pass a further one or two very watery motions. Then everything calms down, and after a few hours I feel OK again - until the next time. I've noticed that the last two episodes have occurred about 30 to 40 minutes after finishing a meal.

These seem like textbook symptoms of IBS to me; has anyone any advice or suggestions?

Thanks!!

Kindest regards to you all,

Peter A :)

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Hi Peter,

Don't be fobbed off by medics with a so-called 'diagnosis' of IBS, all it means it that they don't know what's causing your problems and some of them don't look very hard to find what out what it might be either. IBS is a syndrome not a disease and anybody with unattributed bowel/digestive disorders gets shoved under that very vast umbrella.

I'm no healthcare professional, but suggest you read up on bile acid disorder (BAD), also sometimes called bile acid malabsorption (BAM) and, if you think the symptoms of it are on a par with yours (and they certainly sound as if they might be), make sure you talk about it as a possible cause when you see the gastro consultant. They rarely mention it unless you do and I've no idea why they don't as there's a definitive test for it and it's easily treatable.

A good article on this can be found at: patient.info/health/irritab...

Hope this helps.

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Thank you very much, Pagan1. I really appreciate your response.

I'll report back after my appointment next week.

Kindest regards,

Peter A

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Yes...Pagan1 - I take Colestipol and no longer have chronic diarrhea...these bile acid sequestrant are wonder drugs!!!

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Yes sweetsusie, I've seen your posts and it's great that you keep putting them up on here.

I don't know about the US (I think that's where you are), but patients in the UK are just not told about BAD despite the fact that it's the cause of severe diarrhoea in 1 in 3 people.

I get so fed-up reading about so-called diagnoses of 'IBS', why are doctors so damned lazy when it comes to properly investigating bowel conditions?

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It's the same in the US, Pagan1. My doctor didn't tell me about this..I had to research it myself...after I saw your post! You are one of few heroes in my life...for because of you...I no longer have chronic diarrhea, as I've said before!! Thank you! I don't have a clue why doctors do not get a clue about this. I even asked my pharmacist why doctors don't guide their patients towards these wonderful drugs..he said he didn't know why...gads! Very frustrating!

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Well, thanks for that sweetsusie, you've made my day!

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Thanks again for your input, Pagan1 and sweetsusie. Most interesting reading and plenty to digest (!).

Good health to you both.

Peter A

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Thank you, Peter!!

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How did it go at your appointment?

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Hi Pagan!

Many apologies for the delay in responding to your kind enquiry.

My gastro feels it is more likely to be a flare-up of my UC than IBS, but as I pointed out, if it is then it's quite unlike of my previous episodes. For example, I've never experienced such huge quantities of gas/bloating/gurgling and alarmingly noisy intestinal noises!! The Yellowstone supervolcano is an amateur in comparison!! Anyway, as my UC is fortunately limited to the descending colon and rectum, I'm having just a flexible sigmoidoscopy, and not a full colonoscopy, this coming Tuesday morning, which ought to show if there is any inflammation or ulceration.

I'll report back once I know the results!!

Fun, innit?? :) :)

Kindest regards, all good wishes - and my grateful thanks again for your kind interest; I appreciate it greatly.

Peter A

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Hi Peter,

Loved your comparison regarding the Yellowstone volcano, I think a lot of people on here would understand that!

Hope all goes well on Tuesday.

Best wishes,

Cat

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Thanks Cat, much appreciated!!

I'll report back on Wednesday or Thursday week. I meant to say that the appointment is on Tuesday, 25th. It's the dental hospital this week....

'Bubble, bubble, toil(et) and trouble', as Bill Shakespeare would say!! :) :)

All good wishes,

Pete A

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Hi Cat,

Sorry this update has been such a long time coming.

I had my flexible sigmoidoscopy as planned. The good doctor looked into the descending colon up as far as the splenic flexure. I was watching the show on screen, and all looked fine, apart from a small amount of red irritation just inside the rectum. My gastro consultant (who did the procedure) still thought that my symptoms were probably being caused by the IBD (UC). I queried (very politely!!) whether such slight irritation would and could give rise to the amount bloating, gas, gurgling, urgency etc. etc. I'd been enjoying, and he thought that it may quite possibly do so. I, on the other hand, am more sceptical, and still feel that my symptoms are far more indicative of having developed IBS than being caused by the colitis. I pointed out that if this is a 'flare-up', then it's quite unlike any I've had before. I was out yesterday with a friend and we had a 'fish-and-chip' lunch and a 'spaghetti bolognese' evening meal. I needed a rest-room about an hour after we'd finished lunch, which settled things down for a while. Some six hours later, however, the bloating and gas had returned and the evening became quite uncomfortable. So I'm none the wiser, to be honest. I have got a regular appointment with the gastro booked for February. All these problems make me ever more wary of presenting myself for my bilateral hip-replacement surgery, apart from degrading life on a day-to-day basis. The thought of trying to deal with these problems on top of the post-op recovery is just too daunting a prospect, and living on one's own doesn't make it any easier, it has to be said. Anyway, such is the rich tapestry of this troublous life!!

Trust you're keep well and firing on all cylinders, as they say.

All the very best - and take care, Cat!

Peter A

ps: I'm also experiencing occasional giddiness and constant unsteadiness/balance issues, just to add variety to the cocktail of life's irritations!

PcA

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