IBS and weight loss

[Seniorgirl]

Hello,I am new to the site. Diagnosed with IBS some 20 years ago, I do not have all of the symptoms; no pain, no cramp, tommy swelling just constipation without pain. Family and friends would say I have a healthy diet and cook with little or no processed foods. My stomach does not like too much fibre which can bring on an episode.

Have had 2 colonoscopies and 1 CT body scan for unexplained weight loss and all negative. I drink enough fluid, mainly water, most of the time but it seems not to help. About every 2 months I can go to the toilet several times:starting with small cannon balls then softer proper stools towards the end of an episode. Afterwards my stomach feels unwell and I am exhausted. Also get a lot of wind afterwards and can leak a little when passing wind. Believe stress can be a contributing factor?

Having read other postings I seem to have gotten off lightly! Has anyone else had weight loss?

[Luisa22]

Weight loss isn't technically a symptom of IBS. But in practical terms it often is! Flare ups make it hard to eat. Going on the low Fodmap diet can make some people lose weight. Any dietary restrictions can also. And we have to restrict some food a lot of the time, in order to manage IBS symptoms.

So if you know you haven't been able to eat properly, as many calories as you need, you've missed meals, or have had to cut out certain foods, then that explains the weight loss perhaps.

Flare ups can cause weight loss. Usually a diarrhea flare up seems to take everything out of the body and leave you feeling so empty, yet shaky and not always ready to eat.

Constipation flares can definitely reduce appetite. So could it be caused by any of these things do you think?

I can lose weight when in a flare (I have a fast metabolism, and two days without proper food will make me look thinner.) But my weight comes back to its natural normal when I start to eat okay again.

[Lamly in reply to Luisa22]

I am suffering very similar to yourself, I find it very difficult to eat due to that my stomach always feel full and bloated and gassy, I have nearly always got constant constipation or chronic Diarrhoea, I also have a awfulI lot of pain, it has also lead to fissures and hemoroids which makes it unbearable, I do worry quite a bit has I have gone from a ten and a half stone to eight stone seven, I have had tests and they can’t find anything serious wrong, my life has gone from being very active to not wanting to go anywhere to some days being house bound, I have been like it now for well over two years, it seems as though once you are labelled with IBS Doctors don’t want to know, and there is no medication to help.

[behj in reply to Lamly]

The diagnosis of IBS IS “serious”! It is life-altering, depressing, anxiety producing, and interferes with every aspect of life . Check out fodmap diet from Monash U (You tube and search engine scholarly article search), Good Luck! Beh

[Seniorgirl in reply to Luisa22]

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I do not experience diarrhoea, just as said in posting, and do not consider having a flare as I have had constipation all of my life.

[b1b1b1]

I am not clear how often you have a bowel movement. Did you really mean that it is only once a month? You might also consider seeing a motility doctor and a colo rectal specialist. Both specialties can be somewhat helpful with constipation. Also, keep in touch with your gastroenterologist on a regular basis. Constipation is just not fun to deal with.

[Seniorgirl in reply to b1b1b1]

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I did not mention how often I have a bowel movement because it varies; although the longest time was two months-just the once! You may be posting from from the US because I have no idea what a motility doctor is? Likewise, I do not have access to a colo rectal specialist or gastroenterologist. I am a NHS patient not private. I am happy with the prompt service I have received.

[Tess359]

Hi Seniorgirl, I have suffered from IBS all of my life and I'm now 67. Your story is very familiar, My weight fluctuates greatly, I lose weight during bad flare ups because the excess gas makes it unpleasant to eat and I have to reduce FODMAPS which means that I can't get enough calories from my food. I have always suffered from chronic constipation, but I saw a dietician who specialises in the low FODMAP diet and she told me to use linseeds. I started with 1 teaspoon of linseeds sprinkled on my breakfast and increased the amount until I was getting regular, good bowel movements. The maximum you can take per day is 2 tablespoons, over that amount there is a risk of causing bowel obstruction. I found that I needed the full 2 tablespoons because I have a very sluggish bowel. The amount needed will be different for everyone, but by correcting the constipation it has improved my general symptoms. I still have to limit the amount of FODMAPs I eat, but if you do the diet correctly you can gradually re-introduce FODMAP foods. It is worth seeing a dietician who specialises in the low FODMAP diet, I paid to see one privately because the NHS dieticians I was referred to weren't very good.

[Seniorgirl in reply to Tess359]

Thanks for your reply Tess. I did in the past do the FoodMap and also used linseed and pumkin seeds on cereal which made little difference. Diagnosed prediabetic earlier this year and reduced/cut out certain foods for a time and reintroduced again except sweets. Have an appointment with NHS Dietician in January 23 and hope they will help. My food portions have been bigger than recommended so should not have lost weight but now eating smaller meals until I get help.

[xjrs]

It sounds like you may be experiencing overflow diarrhea from impacted stool when you say about leaking when passing wind. You mention that fibre causes an 'episode'. What do you mean by 'an episode'? It could be the lack of fibre is causing the constipation and other issues.

In terms of the weight loss, have you had full blood work plus tested for whether you are producing enough enzymes? This can include things like a fecal elastase test which will indicate whether you are processing protein correctly. You also say that you have a healthy diet, which is great. However, are you getting enough calories from this healthy diet? Because of food restrictions due to IBS, I can only eat certain things. I was eating 3 good meals a day, but still found it difficult to put on or maintain weight. I had to introduce a 'snack meal' including fruit, plus oat amazake plus buckwheat flakes (like a second breakfast) later on the in the day almost like a starter to my evening meal, to increase my daily calories, which worked. Adding 1 tablespoon of olive oil to meals gives you necessary healthy fats and adds calories. If I am trying to increase weight I also bulk out on white jasmine rice in addition to my meals, since this is easily digested and is pure calories.

[MatthewU]

Best way to check how fast your digestive tract is, is to use the sweetcorn test, as sweetcorn will pass through the system unchanged you'll see it in your stools. Dr's usually do extensive testing on you gut to find the cause of weight loss, obviously because it can be a indication of something more serious, but if you've had all these tests you have to look at gut health. I would try some good quality wide spectrum probiotics which will improve the gut bioflora.

[Seniorgirl in reply to MatthewU]

Thank you for replying Mathew. I have not had extensive testing on my gut, actually no tests only tests as posted. Have in the past tried probiotics. I will see what the dietician comes up with in the New Year and will post then.

[MatthewU in reply to Seniorgirl]

To rule everything you should have a full blood test, colonoscopy and endoscopy, barium meal and a maybe something like a SeHCAT study. If nothing shows up then treatment is to reduce symptoms which is often a multi targeted approach since there is no treatment for IBS, only trying different things to reduce symptoms enough for you to have some sort of normal life. I hope that this helps a little.

[Seniorgirl in reply to MatthewU]

Thanks for advice

[Seniorgirl]

Thanks for your reply xjrs. I do not have impacted stools or diarrhoea. Leakage has only happened a few times. Tried eating snacks and it made no difference. Please read my other replies to answer your other questions to save me time and repeating myself. Thanks.

[Lamly]

I have been diagnosed two years ago with ibs, I have always had my doubts about it all being down to ibs as I suffer great pain constantly, when my colon starts filling up with poop and after I have got rid of it very often with the help of a mild laxative, I have burning and feel very sore in my rectrum all day long, my doctor has examined me and has found no fissures or hemoroids, I am at my wits end I was a size 14 dress size now I am only a Size 12 my friends have remarked you are fading away before our eyes, I do sometimes suffer from tension because I am really worried, I was put on antidepressants but found they did not help they actually made me feel worse, nothing seems to help, I do find that wind settlers help a little, I have noticed that once you have been labelled with IBS they are not interested they take the attitude just get on with it.