Hello all, I have been suffering with severe stomach pain/cramps for about 4 months now and have lost about 2 and a half stone in weight. I am lethargic with very little energy.
I have a constant ache in my gut which gets worse after eating/drinking. My GP has prescribed buscopan which doesn’t really help along with Omeprazole and pain killers.
I’ve had a CT scan, colonoscopy and endoscopy all of which were clear ( CT scan picked up some scarring on my lungs, awaiting further tests regarding pulmonary fibrosis). Biopsies taken and awaiting results.
I’m searching for answers as my GP won’t comment until biopsy results are back. I was just wondering if these are common symptoms of IBS?
Thank you for reading!
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PeteyPro
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Yes, what you are experiencing are common symptoms of IBS but is not diagnosed as such because nothing shows up on any tests. You get a diagnosis of IBS when you have been checked for more serious things (ie cancer, crohn's and colitis etc) and then the only thing left is IBS. I hope this might help you from worrying too much.
I had an IBS blood test performed that came back 98 percent positive. This was 3 years ago, in the US and in my doctors office. I will get the name of the test (it’s in my chart) and post it. I was the first to get the test as it was new.
No oscopies, no wondering, no waiting and my anxiety was eased greatly!
ibs-smart measures the levels of two validated IBS biomarkers, anti-CdtB and anti-vinculin. These biomarkers are elevated in a majority of IBS patients with diarrheal symptoms and can diagnose diarrhea-predominant or mixed-type IBS (IBS-D or IBS-M). These biomarkers are not commonly elevated in patients with constipation-predominant IBS (IBS-C). Only a licensed physician can order ibs-smart and diagnose IBS.
I would be really interested to hear what that blood test is called. Please, if you can remember, post back, or start a new thread about it if you can. I have never heard of a blood test for IBS. It would be so simple to do !
I'm a little worried about the weight loss. That's a lot, and it's not something that's typically asociated with IBS. What did your doc say about that?
My GP hasn’t said anything about it as yet. I’m losing about 3Kg weekly . It was because of the weight loss that I went to the GP under pressure from the wife and kids ! But because of the constant stomach pains, I assumed it was something to do with that
Have you found that you have been eating a lot less since the pain started?Depending on your weight before all of this began it could be a contributor to the rapid weight loss.
Do you get other symptoms like bloating after food , nausea , and / or diarrhea/ constipation?
Did you CT scan cover the whole body including your gall bladder , kidney, liver, and pancreas?
Did you get a copy of the report sent to the GP , or did they just report the results to you?
It is often useful to request a copy of the report from your surgery , it's your right to do it , and you can get a better idea of the type of " normal" you have in each area of the body. Sometimes you can have subclinical issues , which means they are still in normal guidelines but close to becoming something which could be impacting on your digestion .
Have you had your B 12 , Vitamin D , Folates and Iron/ Ferritin panel and Kidney function test done at the GP or hospital recently?
If you have , ask for a copy of these results , if not , request the tests letting the GP know that you want baseline results so that if there is a problem with deficiency you can start changes to improve them before you might need further treatment.
Vitamin and Mineral deficiencies can huge impact on digestive and neurological symptoms.
Even if you have a good diet and take a daily supplement you can still suffer from deficiencies. These won't show up in a scan unless they are caused by a physical issue or inflammation. Malabsorption is a common cause for digestive complaints and Fatigue.
I hope your biopsies go well for you . Again , request copies for your home file of results . Its important to create a file of your own , if you have recurrent health problems so you can take the file to any appointments and show the results to other doctors whom may not have them at hand , and ask questions more easily about them.
It is possible to have IBS caused by various other health conditions , IBS , unlike IBD , us a syndrome that can occur as part of the group of health issues with other diseases and illnesses. It is often an early warning sign of another health issue. That's why they try to do lots of tests as a way to rule out conditions .
Have you had a ANCA and PANCA blood test. These can help rule out conditions that are neurological or can be related to the lungs. It is not unheard of to have digestive and urinary issues popping up as a sign of breathing or lung issues .
Let us know in a post when you have more news , hopefully we could give more advice about the appropriate diet or lifestyle changes to help you when we know more about what could be the common cause , much like your GP , it's not a good plan to give Self Care advice until we have more details , as we couldn't be sure if it would effect a health issue going on.
One thing that is universal as a help for the pain and nausea during this diagnosis period is to sip the recommended amount of water throughout the day and while eating. Eat five small light portions of food a day rather than three big meals as it reduces the toll on the gut and pain of things moving in the intestine.
Stop eating foods with artificial sweeteners, avoid processed food and only have processed sugar food as a small occasional treat , these foods are common causes for most digestive symptoms to flare up.
Try a little gentle exercise , just for a few minutes , a few times a day , like stretching and walking. It can help hold off the Fatigue and improve movement in your gut. Try some relaxing breathing exercises. This helps improve your nervous system reaction and relaxes your gut . Good Luck
Thank you so much for your advice, I am due back at the docs next week and will request a copy of all of the results. I’ve been trying to stay positive and eating small amounts but get same pain after eating no matter what I eat.
I think ultimately I’m still in a limbo state until the results come back from the biopsy but after coming on here I’m a little bit more positive that it may well be not too serious an issue as I was originally thinking .
I'd definitely agree with others about asking the GP to do a H.Pylori test as well as the blood tests I suggested. You can have H.Pylori but if no damage has been done by it yet it won't necessarily show up on a scan and if it is this bacterial problem it is quite easy to get it back under control with a course if antibiotics and other medication.The GP can do a test at the surgery called a Urea Breath Test. It is possible to do straight away as long as you don't take certain medications , especially PPIs , like Omeprazole already. You take a sachet of liquid the breath to get a Carbon Dioxide count soon after.
If you don't get a positive result , it is worth asking the GP politely , but firmly , to organise a blood culture test for bacteria and fungals in case it could be caused by other infections. They are often resistant to do this test , although they are the best indicator, due to the cost.
Could be excessive gas from the microbiome in your intestines blocking the normal flow, slow transit constipation and malabsorption. Gas as a result of dysbiosis?
I had all these symptoms a few years ago and was diagnosed with h-pylori. I lost over 3 stones in weight . I hope hope get a diagnosis and get well real soon.
The first time blood, Brest, and stool tests all came back negative . Was diagnosed after scope and biopsy. Treatment worked. Unfortunately I get a recurrence of from time to time of this and at present waiting to be tested. It can be really painful and with weight loss very worrying.
The weight loss is very worrisome! I’ve gone down to just under 12 stone now with saggy skin on my arms and stomach. I was about 14.5 stone but active and busy at work. I spend an awful lot of time in bed with the pain subdued by pain killers. Almost at the point now of being scared to eat as I know the pain afterwards is unbearable.
How long did your biopsy results take? I’ve been waiting for 5-6 weeks now .
It is very worrying and I also spent a lot of time resting and yes couldn’t eat because it caused so much pain. I had to wait 8 weeks for results but was so relieved as I was convinced it was something sinister. I wish you well and pray you get your results real soon . Take care
Yeah I think it’s a case of ruling out everything else to get an IBS diagnosis.
When I had a sigmoidoscopy I was creased up in pain afterwards. Never experienced wind like that in my life. I read up later even that was an indication of IBS.
I feel sorry because you are suffering in this sever pain, I have IBS Long years ago but suddenly in 2020 I had the same pain for 8 months ,I couldn’t eat lots of food just the toast and potato and rice
And I have lost 8kg and my iron dropped to 7 ,
I suffered a lot
I did CT colonography and ultrasound and lots of blood tests and stool test and all of it was clear .
I used to drink chamomile tea it helps for tummy cramps and constipation , dr prescribed for me mebeverine and buscopan it helped but not 100%
What you're describing (gut wise) could easily be IBS symptoms. Is there any change in your bowel movements? IBS can be really painful for some. I hope Buscopan might help. PPIs normally don't help IBS, but might if you get reflux too (?)
It's good that your colonoscopy was fine and endoscopy.
I haven't read all of the comments, but as I was having reactions and weight loss to several foods in my diet my GP suggested the FOD map diet. It was developed by Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. It is now used world wide. Plenty of info and the app on net. My life has changed. Very few flare ups now. Since my GP's diagnosis I have had all of the usual tests that they do. Everything came back normal. Might be worth a try as it sounds as if some foods are really upsetting your now sensitive gut. Good luck you are not alone.
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