Symptoms

[Szeth]

Hey folks, ill get this out of the way first. I've had a clear ultrasound and normal blood tests and im awaiting a colonoscopy and endoscopy. My GP thinks I may have post infectious IBS as ive recently had a nasty h. pylori infection, but im not convinced because im riddled with health anxiety and this has been going on quite a while. So I just want to ask if any of you have the following symptoms and can relate or are they maybe something else. The middle of my abdomen is quite tender and sore to touch and feels like wind is trapped in there or something, its worse at night and is eased in the morning a bit, and im having cramps every so often in my left and right sides, alongside little niggling pains anywhere on my abdomen but they're not debilitating. Ill get nauseated if I eat really terrible food (which I do rarely now) but other than that I don't. My stools well, probably normal frequency but what comes out is anywhere between light brown/yellowish/brown. The consistency is usually alright but sometimes it can be on the looser side. I've completely overhauled my diet (which was terrible) and I've found actually all the added vegetables and stuff is kinda making the gasiness and bloating way worse but I don't want to stop because what im eating is very healthy. I get some abdominal noises like gurgling and rumbles, not sure what's going on there. So can anyone relate to any of these symptoms, or should I be more worried. Thanks for reading

[FRreedman]

It would appear that you have a tendency to (c) constipation, and possibly IBS, however, it is not possible to diagnose IBS until everything else has been ruled out. Be warned a "healthy" diet is not always a good diet for IBS/IBD. Your GP is right in ordering further tests, just to be sure.

[xjrs]

Once your are formally diagnosed with IBS your GP can refer you to a dietitian to take you through the fodmap elimination & reintroduction diet to see if you have any food intolerances. IBS can exhibit a host of symptoms like the ones you're describing.

[pump321]

Hi Szeth, If you've had a H.pylori infection you are bound have all sorts of odd little pains etc. after a nasty infection like that and it takes awhile for these things to clear up completely and settle down. I am no expert and haven't had H.pylori but had about two years of stomach pain and diarrhoea etc. which made me so ill and it was all put down to IBS in the end and diverticulitis. I know your symptoms are different to mine but I can sympathise with what you are going through. I cut out all veg from my diet and just stuck to plain cooked chicken, salmon, white bread, mashed potatoes, toast, honey and cream of chicken soup just to give my stomach a bit of a rest, it was pretty boring but it helped a bit but I found I was eating a lot of bread in the end and still got upset tummies although not quite as bad so decided (reluctantly) to go gluten free and it actually worked! It's not easy as I have to buy gluten free bread etc. but it's better than feeling so ill and having dreadful upset tummies all the time. I have now been able to gradually introduce all the vegetables back into my diet again which has been amazing. I had no idea that our guts could cause us so much grief! I just thought I would tell you what happened to me, although my problems were different to yours, if they cannot find out what's wrong they just say it's IBS and we have to try and find a way to heal ourselves somehow. I am sure you will be fine in the end and your troubles will all settle down gradually. Drink lots of fluid, plain water is best. Good luck with your colonoscopy and endoscopy, I am sure it will be fine. Thinking of you.

[Szeth in reply to pump321]

Thanks very much, hope I find out soon because it's driving me nuts!

[pump321 in reply to Szeth]

Good luck Szeth

[FicusElastica]

Non-expert response ... this sounds like the kind of sympoms I get at times and nothing seriously amis has ever been found. I think it's main stress, but I also suspect that bacterial action (ie low grade infection) also plays a part. But can't keep on scoffing antibiotics. It does sound like IBS, which can be triggered by lots of things. Note what some people say, a "healthy" diet with a lot of roughage can actually upset a gut which has become sore, and some fermented food, which is meant to be good for us, can have the same effect, ie make it worse. Also changing diet suddenly can really baffle your insides, same as it would anything else! Be gentle with your insides. Good luck with the examinations.

[Szeth in reply to FicusElastica]

Thanks. And yea my diet was horrendous beforehand and the drastic change im sure isn't helping things, insides may be in a bit of shock.

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