Undiagnosed abdominal discomfort

Hi Kris. I have colitis, ibs-d, bile acid malabsorption (bam), & fructose malabsorption all successfully controlled with meds & diet. Like you I used to suffer with urgent diarrea as soon as I got up. Also soon after eating. Stomach would sound like the amazon rain forest most of time accompanied by stomach cramps/pain, really sore bottom & couldnt go anywhere without worrying about having a "toilet accident" due to urgency & unpredicatability.would have about 8-10 bowel movements a day. After my colitis was clinically under control, i still experienced these symptoms so my gastroenterologist sent me for a sehcat scan as he suspected bile acid malabsorption. bam mimics the symptoms of other bowel conditions like ibs & colitis & is often overlooked in upto 30% of people diagnosed with colitis & ibs, & is also more common in people with these conditions. the test was positive & i was put on meds for this-within weeks my symptoms remarkably improved & i was able to return to work & can now go shopping or out when i want to without worrying about urgent diarrea. also most veg & fruit go through me & cause symptoms of ibs-d, so i can only eat small quants(40-80g a handful at a time) of root veg(turnips, butternut squash, swede, carrots - all peeled) & kiwi, canteloupe melon or small banana. (all this was advised by my speciallist gastro dietician as these veg & fruit have less fibre & fructose in). bizarely also she said fibre can cause problems for people with ibs-d as often people with this have trouble breaking down fibre. i gave up porridge & brown bread & switched to white bread, & this also helped reducing bloating & diarrea( i used to blow up like a balloon straight after eating fibre). Regarding acid, i take 20mg esomeprazole daily(another form of omeprazole but more favored by my gastroenterologist as being more effective-dont know why) & this controls my reflux. i used to get this particularly at night while asleep & it would wake me & really burn my throat-not now Im on this med. semi skimmed or 1% fat milk is also my saviour if i feel a bit nauseus in morning with no appetite as is often the case, it soothes my tummy & eliminates nausea & it is a nutritious food albeit in liquid form & better than not eating anything for brekkie. Dairy not for everyone though, but i am fine with it if low fat. milk also neutralises acid naturally! If i go out for a meal occasionally i take 2 loperamide(diarrea capsules) an hour before i eat & i can eat some veg with my dinner without problems. i only do this when i go out for meal though as not good to take all the time for a long term condition. Hope this helps, ask you gp or gastro doc for sehcat test even if just for elimation purposes. take care. let us know how you get on.

Your symptoms sound like IBS especially if you have had surgery in the stomach area.  It very often upsets the bowel.  If you have IBS, a colonoscopy will show nothing because Irritable Bowel is a functional disorder and does not change the structure of the intestine.  Everyone is different and while one medication works for some, another will find it does not.    Everyone experiences IBS differently.  I was tried on Mebeverine and it upset my stomach within minutes; I'm fine on Buscopan and over the counter pain killers.  Acid reflux also goes hand in hand with IBS and I suffer from that too.

The doctor diagnosed me with a urinary tract/kidney infection although I tested negative for it and gave me antibiotics which gave me bad side effects.  My GP then frankly admitted that my symptoms were confusing and  she didn't have a clue.  I then had an ultrasound which  showed most organs were fine but others could not be seen due to bowel gas. I then had and an internal examination which was abandoned because it was too painful.  It was then suggested I have the ultrasound again plus an MRI or CAT scan.  I had an h pylori test and one for celiac at my suggestion.  The doctor was astonished I had not been tested for celiac.  Both were negative again.

Then after three and a half months of pain and panic,  I saw an eighth doctor who said I did not need further scans because I I had developed no new symptoms in three months and my existing ones were no worse.  He diagnosed me finally with IBS and printed off an information leaflet from this site but prescribed me nothing in case I had bad reactions. I tried the Buscopan myself because my brother found it worked for him when his IBS was bad.

thank you for your comments - reassuring 

i have tried trial and error for the stomach dicosmfort and found carrotts, apples, oranges and most citrus really dont get on with me. trial and error is doing my head in 

th only thing that i will say is that i dont get spasms unless i eat something from the above but the dicomfort doesnt hurt - its just there... constantly.. it is not painful - doctors do not seem to understand this!!

i did get tested for celiac and also allergy but everything was negative, they said that i didnt have crohns or colitis  

i do have levothryoxine for my thryroid which they found on a blood test 

i will ask for the Sechat test - feeling pretty down about it all as was fine until these adhesions happened. also feel like a hypochondriac but the dicsomfort is there

doctor did tell me that IBS was diagnosed becuase they cannot find anything else. 

finally i did a blood test at home and it was positive - the doctor didnt really seem concerned with this as he said that these were almost always incorrect 

 

Below is the title of the forum that I'm talking about and I will also give you the guys screen ID in case that helps you find it.

2 Johnbegone, is his id

Below is the title of the forum

Chronic gastritis , need help!

Hi. Last 5 days I have had what feels like pressure in my butt and that I feel like I need to go but don't need to! Does that make sense. I have eaten pretty badly this week though

I had blood results last week and they are all normal.

Doctor says that's it's nothing to worry about!

Is this normal with IBS. I am completely at a loss

I sometimes feel the urge to go to the loo, but when I go I can't pass anything.  I find fruit, exercise,and less stress help with this.  My pain and bowel symptoms have lately improved and I need less medication.

IBS can cause food intolerances. Try keeping a food diary of what you are eating and note down if you are getting reactions to a particular food and when you experience it.  Eliminate these foods for a few weeks and see if the reactions go away.  If not, slowly reintroduce them one at a time.  You could also try the Fodmap diet under the guidance of your GP or ask to be referred to a dietician.  Unfortunately, anxiety will make your symptoms worse.  Getting your symptoms explained and under control will get rid of the worry.