IBS or not?

[Bellabex]

Hi there,

I am just wondering if anyone can help shed some light on my symptoms. I went through a stressfull time last november and started with diarrhoea that was severe, I still have this. I did go through a period where it seemed to improve but its getting much worse now. I bloat on a daily basis, I am so tired all of the time and I feel I have lost myself. I am sometimes sick during the night with it. The sounds that come from my belly are unnerving and seem to be on my left side. I am up writing this at 2:30 am as these problems disturb my sleep. I have no idea what or if any food or drink is making it worse, as I seem to have the symptoms all of the time!

I have had fit tests, blood tests and stool samples tested and nothing as given an indication to anything apart from I am low on vitamin b12, I have been taking tablets for the past 3 months and am now struggling to get a blood test due to a blood vile shortage, I have also had several gastroenterology appointments cancelled due to the pandemic! My next one is in December fingers crossed.

Sorry for the length of this post but was hoping that somebody recognises my symptoms and point me in the right direction. I am so worried that this is not just IBS as a snotty nurse practitioner has said! I have not lost weight as ulcerative colitis or chrones would suggest and I do not think there is blood in my stool but this diarrhoea is getting beyond a joke and being sick with it is becoming more of a problem now.

I really have had enough! Thoroughly fed up with it all and my life has just stopped.

If anyone can help me it would be much appreciated, do you think it's just IBS or something more? Can IBS last this long?

Many thanks Xx

[Hollywood2021]

I have exactly the same symptoms, I have had MRI, CT scan and Colonoscopy. All clear, I am careful what I eat but it doesn’t make any difference. Really bad wind and pain constantly IBS has been diagnosed again yesterday. Hang in there is the only advice I can give.

[Bellabex in reply to Hollywood2021]

Ok. Thank you so much for replying 💓 keep the faith as will I xx

[edwangy]

Could you have an intolerance to wheat? i ask this because of your low b12. celiac disease can damage your small intestine and so prevents certain nutrients being absorbed

[Bellabex in reply to edwangy]

I have thought the same! Thank you. Your replys really help me. I am just questioning everything! X

[Maureen1958]

I think it probably is "just" IBS. But not that many people are usually sick with it, nausea yes, but sickness not so often. That having been said I was sick with it. You could take a look at BAM (Bile Acid Malabsorption) to see if that fits the bill. Link attached.

gutscharity.org.uk/advice-a...

[Bellabex in reply to Maureen1958]

Thank you so much! Just exploring all avenues so this is good advice to follow up on! Thank you so much for your reply. Take good care x

[Bellabex in reply to Bellabex]

I will definitely question this as I have read up on it now as I never knew this existed! Again thank you Maureen xx

[Sparrow58]

So sorry to hear that you are suffering. You sound fed up I think a lot of IBS suffers have bad days. The trouble is there is no remedy for this YET. December is not that far away and I hope you get to your appointment. My stomach can make some weird noises especially when I try and get to sleep. I wish you all the best.

[Bellabex in reply to Sparrow58]

Thank you sparrow! Just to know I am not alone is so important. It feels like the world is against you when it is all at its peak. It wrecks everything in my life at the moment. I will get back to you all once I have seen gastro. Xx

[Sparrow58 in reply to Bellabex]

Good luck with the gastro and until then if you need to put your feelings on here you should do as a lot people will understand. x

[Daz1113]

Hi bellabex, unfortunately IBS can last for ever. It’s an absolutely awful thing to have. Keep pestering the doctors for tests. But in the mean time you can try and eliminate some foods. Try and cut out all lactose. And see if you have any improvements. Then try and cut out all gluten. Also keep a food diary and use it religiously. I’m sorry to say if it is IBS then you’re in for a long journey trying to find foods that your body can tolerate. I wish I had more positive things to say. But I absolutely detest IBS. And no one but other sufferers understand it. Good luck I really feel for you. Take care

[Superzob]

It’s important to remember that IBS is a dysfunction, rather than an illness. We tend to get used to the idea that illnesses have a fixed timespan but even chronic illnesses don’t, and dysfunctions are similarly protracted conditions. The aim should be to try to find a causal agent for the dysfunction but, even if there is none, it may still be possible to make some lifestyle changes to mitigate the symptoms; others on this forum have mentioned some examples.

I hope you find a resolution soon. Being sick during the night must be very distressing (and, I believe, unusual in cases of IBS), but the fact that you’re awake and worrying about it could be exacerbating the problem - definitely worth investigating.

[Loolops]

Hi I’ve had in’s for years and have read on this some have had it for 20/30 years what a thought😔 I asked my gp about bile malabsorption a test normally done by gastroenterologist, but because I’ve waited so long she gave me a treatment for which is used for bile malabsorption and it has made a big difference it’s not for in’s but something called sibo can’t remember what it stands for, have you still got your gallbladder? As not having gallbladder interferes with the bile and liver and when go to toilet it’s actually bile your passing which is disgusting, drinks don’t make it disappear totally but do make a difference, good luck with your appointment in December fingers crossed it take place x

[Franca69]

I’m so sorry you are going through this. My suggestion is to have a colonoscopy this is the only way to rule out any inflammation. As well I think you should be tested for celiac‘s it’s a simple blood test.

[Nikki37]

Hi Bellabex. I have something similar, with nausea one of the worst symptoms. This started after a prolonged period of multiple severe stresses. Interestingly enough my stomach issues started some time after the stressful period, which I think isn't an uncommon reaction to stress. My sense is that for me, the stress is the key aspect, and this makes my stomach sensitive to certain foods that I don't normally react to. I'm trying to work on allowing myself time to resolve the issues that caused the stress in the first place and mentally resting as much as possible. The trouble I have now is that I get very stressed about the actual symptoms, which is difficult to deal with sometimes.

[Oscar79]

It sounds very much like IBS which has a multitude of symptoms. I have had it for years and tried everything until I came across the Low FODMAP diet which works well for me. I get mild symptoms from time to time but nothing as bad as I did previously. I think its worth you trying it - details are on the Web. You could try stopping eating wheat and/or milk as they are sometimes the cause of the problem. Being sick during the night is not a common symptom of IBS - that could be due to lactose intolerance. Good Luck.

[ShouldaWouldaCoulda]

I’ve have just awful IBS for the past two years. It can be difficult to get a handle on. I have had experiences where I thought I had something fatal! It honestly felt like my stomach twisted in two sometimes. I have discovered that eliminating diet sodas and lightening up the amount of food that I eat at one time helps. It can be frightening to get those attacks. I get it.