IBS or .......

[Bumpity]

Am a long term IBS sufferer but nothing like this. I've suffered with diarrhea since February this year, some days spent on the pot, have been waiting for a colonoscopy since March. 1st Stool test came back ok but to fiddle the waiting times for the the colonoscopy I was given another stool test to do and am waiting for those results since April. (Covid being the go to excuse). It's taken over my life a bit as I cannot go anyway on the spur, as I need to dose up on Imodium and make sure there are toilets just in case. Tempted to try Amitriptyline, not been offered it.

Recently it has become more painful and I feel wiped out and sickly all the time. I tapped my current symptoms in and it pointed to giardiasis and the symptoms fit and as I had an appointment booked at the practise I asked if this was a possibility but, was told to wait until I speak to the consultant. Grrrr

I've also noticed that it gets worse if I have been bending over such as gardening, putting trainers on and I get a sharp pain just under my ribs left or right, my stomach gets that fizzling sensation and off I go again plus, I'm tired and often feel dizzy. I have a little savings and am thinking of going private but not sure, but then again, I might use it to take out shares in Andrex :))

[jbrking]

Hi. Just a thought. I was told I had IBS for years. My diarrhoea got worse and worse until it got so bad I was running to toilet, up during night for hours etc. anyway, had stools, bloods, colonoscopy- nothing. Had a sehcat scan and it showed i had bile acid malabsorption. The condition is quite usual with gallbladder removal or some sort of bowel surgery etc, which I’ve had neither, but it can also just happen for no reason. Low fat diet helps but also proper binder medication. I too lived on anti diarrhoea tablets before diagnosis. Might be worth looking into. Bad-uk.org is a good website about it.

[Bumpity in reply to jbrking]

Thank you. Crikey! I've just had a look at BAD-UK and those symptoms are 99.9% the same as mine, except my skin has been affected and i'm just worn out with it. The nurse I've been seeing has been concentrating on IBS and the possibility of Bowel Cancer as I'm a high risk. I shall phone when they open and leave her a message regarding this. I had an ultrasound scan while waiting for the colonoscopy in case of gallbladder probs. But my gallbladder looks fine. I do have a slight fatty liver, my own fault - retirement, boredom, chocolate. So, am on a low fat diet bit that's early days. Thank you so much :))))

[jbrking in reply to Bumpity]

Mine is due to a fatty liver. My gallbladder is absolutely fine. My GP hadn’t heard of it. The only test to show bam is a SeHCat scan so you’ll need a gastro consultant (mine was anyway). There are so many other triggers though. Anything that needs more bile to digest - seeds, leaves, skins, can cause issues. So salad isn’t that good for us sufferers! If you are on Facebook there are a couple of good pages with lots of members.

[Bumpity]

Hi jbrking. I can't even get to see a GP ! I have a telephone consultation due with the Colorectal consultant to get my test results so I'll ask him. Funnily enough I have not been able to eat apple skin for many years but until reading your reply never connected it to my problems. I love salad so that is a bit cruel as I've already had to stop cheese, and thanks to Warfarin, Cranberry juice. I'll have a look on the Facebook page. Do you find your symptoms get worse when you have been bending i.e when putting plants down?

[Rosills1]

You might want to research fatty liver and low carb diet. Beware all the sugar in low fat foods.

[Bumpity]

Rosills1: Yes, had a quick look, that was quite a shock. I tend to look at labels as raised an adhd child and also I cannot eat a lot of sodium, but never expected those levels of sugar in low fat foods, crazy. I have asked for a referral to the Community Nurse to help me get started and have bought a book of fatty liver friendly recipes. Thanks for your reply.

[ChewieandAsha]

hi I am in Australia have you tried Colestyramine 850mg powder one after every time you go. I had been going every 15 mins for nine months and it was such a relief .It would be worth a try believe me . ASHA AND CHEWIE