I haven’t posted on here before but have been very moved by some of your comments and share your aggravations. I don’t know if I have IBS. I am still in the midst of investigations through my GP. Nothing untoward has been discovered to date. I have never had issues until about 3 months ago (and I turned 60 earlier this year) when I had what I thought was a bout of gastroenteritis. It cleared up after a week and I thought no more about it. Then 3 weeks later the cramping and diarrhoea returned and has been pretty much continuous. Like many others I am at a low ebb, having little energy or enthusiasm for anything at the moment. I am trying the low FODMAP diet but I’m not sure it’s making any difference. I have a very odd symptom which I would like to ask if anyone else has or you have come across. I get very bloated throughout the day and just as it is becoming intolerable, it is like it releases downward, my bowel goes into spasm and I then have diarrhoea/feel the need to go to the toilet. This particular symptom was very pronounced at the beginning of all of this. It is now less severe but still occurs. Does that make any sense to anybody? 🤷. Your comments would be very welcome, thank you.
Written by
Jones62
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Hi Jones62 and welcome to the club nobody wants to join. IBS can be triggered by a bout of gastro enteritis. It seems to be different for everyone. Bloating is very common. It appears to me that women are more prone to it, maybe because all their reproductive organs and guts are close together. I hope you get some clarity from your investigations. If your GP has taken you seriously at this early stage, that is a bonus. Many of us took years before any investigations occurred.
thanks for your response and welcome! I am on my 3rd GP and the 2nd one jumped to a diagnosis of menopause very quickly without doing adequate investigations and then shouted at me down the phone when I dared to question him. I was lucky to come across another GP who has been very good and is being thorough 🤞
Ah, I suspected this might be the case. The first GP I saw said 'if something upsets your tummy, just don't eat it'. I was 66 at the time and would not have spoken to a 6 year old in that patronising manner. I told him not to be so bloody patronising, and left. A couple of years later, I happened to have an appt with a locum. He freely admitted to knowing nothing about gut issues and referred me to a gastroenterologist.
It is easy to forget they are generalists. Yes, the gastro was lovely. I had a colonoscopy where he took some biopsies. Dx was microscopic colitis. Common in older ladies apparently. A course of specialist steroids helped a lot. I have mostly learned to manage my symptoms now, apart from the occasional random flare. I sometimes wonder if we older people, who were probably brought up on quickly made sliced bread (e.g. Mother's Pride) which became popular in the early 60's, have sustained damage as a result. Almost all my friends have similar issues, apart from one who makes all her own bread. I am waiting for coeliac screening to come back.
After asking for help at my doctors and getting nowhere for 2 years, I got a private test for SIBO. It was positive. IBS and SIBO share a lot of the same symptoms.
I hope your GP is more genned up than mine and it doesn't take 2 years for you to get a diagnosis and help. Good luck.
thanks for your comments. I have wondered about SIBO. There seem to be conflicting reports about how accurate the tests are (I must stop googling 🙄). Has it helped you having that diagnosis? Does the treatment differ from IBS?
There are several treatments depending whether you have hydrogen dominant SIBO ( usually with IBS D) or methane dominant ( constipation IBS ). I think getting a diagnosis has helped. I am currently trying Atrantil for my constipation and bloating, tho there are many other treatments ranging from special antibiotics to complete liquid diets designed to starve the bacteria to stop them feeding on un digested matter. I think there are different options for SIBO treatment to IBS. I can’t say how accurate the tests are but I was given a graph to show what my hydrogen and methane levels were over a period of 3 hours. Hope this helps. x
I ordered my test from ibsandsiboclinics. I am currently trying Atrantil to help with my bloating and constipation. There are different treatments to try . I am told that Atrantil helps with symptoms but doesn't actually get rid of the SIBO. Its early days for me yet so I expect I'll have to try other options in the coming weeks.
Where did you go to get your private SIBO test? I've been waiting to have one on the NHS for over 8 months. Also, how much did it cost? (If you don't mind me asking).
Ouch, 8 months wait! I got my test from ibsandsiboclinics. Of course I dont mind you asking; it was about £170 I think. Then if you want a consultation after you get the result, that is extra. I think I paid £210 (you get a small discount if you book it within a month) but it was an hour and a half long. They do consultations via phone, facetime , skpe or in person at the clinic . London, I believe. Face to face appointments cost more than phone etc.
And THEN treatments are extra on top.
Its a lot of money, I know. I am a pensioner but I have felt so bad for so long that I feel I have to invest in my health. And lets face it, the NHS ( in my lamentable experience) doesn't help, in so many instances. I hope this helps.x
Hi Can i ask, did you ever notice your symptoms completely went away on any occassion you had to take fluxocillin antibiotics? They are an antibiotic that also afffects gut flora and everytime i have taken those (3 times) my symptoms completely disappear. The only thing i have found through research that coincides with how the Fluxocillin behaves in my system is SIBO, Yet my GP never took me seriously whenever i mention that, saying that it's "just a coincidence" and just laughed when i said "it can't be a coincidence that happens all 3 times when i have to take the same medication", i even got given some other antibiotics a couple of times for something else and they didn't do anything to help my gut symptoms, which to me clearly points out that it's something in Fluxocillin that is giving me great comfort from my gut issues/IBS. But of course i can't take antibiotics forever, but have you ever noticed that or had it mentioned to you? Or even know of any tablets containing the same thing but not antibiotics?
I'm afraid I can't say that I have noticed my symptoms going away after fluxocillin antibiotics. I haven't had any antibiotics for a long time and my SIBO discomfort only started earlier this year. The bloating began then, though I have been constipated for years, on and off, apart from a year of diahhrea.
I'm also afraid that I don't know of other tablets containing the same thing.
I DO empathise, however, with you being gaslighted by your GP. In my experience, medics are generally incapable of thinking outside a very restricted box.
Thanks for replying and trying, yeah sometimes i think Doctors get stubborn and don't like people suggesting things that haven't thought of first, might see if i can get an appointment with a trainee doctor as they often seem more open minded to things
sometimes when you have digestive distress from an illness, it can cause things to become out of whack and trigger a post infectious form of ibs. Have you tried taking a good quality probiotic? Particularly saccharomyces boulardii which is good for Diarrhea. I take the optibac brand but there are others around.
thanks for commenting. The pharmacist also suggested a probiotic and gave me biokult. I could see that it settled my stools but it gave me such bad bloating that I couldn’t tolerate it. I have wondered about trying another one but there are just so many on the market, it’s very confusing. I’ll take a look at the one you suggest. Thank you
you’re welcome. Yep, some of the probiotics can do that. I’d recommend to start with a really small dose, see how you tolerate it and then gradually increase. Optibac have a website and you can contact a nutritionist for personal advice via email. I personally found the S.Boulardii very helpful but everyone is different. Good luck xx
Since you've previously had gastroenteritis, you might want to try a good probiotic to help rebalance your gut flora. This is what might be giving you symptoms. Alforex which has been scientifically studied for IBS worked best for me.
it could well be pelvic floor dysfunction, where your pelvic floor does not relax sufficiently to enable you to have an “easy” bowel movement and subsequently has to wait until your nerves receive a bigger kick to jolt the bowels into action. Look up pelvic floor dysfunction on Google and follow the exercises, takes time but it may be the reason.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Symptoms rapidly changing. So strange.
unusual IBS symptoms 
Nausea main symptom of 'IBS'
IBS/GERD and other symptoms
IBS and testing for SIBO - symptoms 
