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IBS And Reoccurring Viral Infections

Posted , 4 users are following.

paul75665
paul75665

Hi All

I had quite a bad experience over the weekend and was hoping someone might be able to give me their views and advice concerning this. I'll explain what happened.

On Sunday, I felt pretty rough all day with the usual IBS symptoms that I have been accustomed to since being diagnosed with IBS over a year ago. I rode the day out, as I normally do, thinking nothing of it other than 'here we go again'. I woke on Monday feeling a lot better, as is typical with my IBS going from feeling groggy one day and fine the next. Still felt fine for most of the day, until around 7pm that evening when everything changed. It started by having a hot, pressure type flush feeling rise up through my body from my lower abdomen to my head. Next thing was my skin felt really hot to touch, I started sweating and felt clammy all over. Then I started to shake uncontrollably and violently all over, and no matter what I did I could not control it. At the same time I started feeling hot one minute, and cold the next, then back to feeling hot and visa versa. This went on for about an hour and a half and wouldn't stop. By this time I was starting to get quite worried, and my partner and I were wondering if we should call emergency services. I would like to point out that during this episode, I had no other problems, other than feeling a bit of nausea and some mild discomfort around my upper and lower abdomen, certainly didn't pass out or loose conscienceness (? spelling). I had checked my blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen levels and temperature and all were fine. My brother popped in to say hello, as family do, and as soon as he saw the state of me he phoned for an ambulance. It was like I was having a fit, yet was totally aware of what was going on. We waited for about an hour and a half for an ambulance, by that time the shaking had stopped but I was still struggling to control my temperature, even though my core temperature was normal. The paramedics checked me out, even put me on an ECG, and everything was fine, so said there was no point in going to hospital, but told me to see my GP the next day. By the time they left it was about 11pm, so I went straight to bed.

Woke the next day and my shaking had turned into slight shivering, I was feeling hot to touch, but cold inside, with the usual IBS pains and nausea. Got an appointment to see my GP, who gave me a good check over, and he was very thorough, even making sure my blood pressure stayed the same whilst sitting down and standing up. When he checked my skin he noticed red bloches over my abdomen and back that returned when pressed and immediately said these were heat rashes being caused by a infection, probably viral. He organised an urgent blood test and urine test to be done, which samples of both were taken that morning, and according to the nurse I should have results for if not this afternoon, by tomorrow at the latest. My GP said whilst treating me that this was nothing to do with my IBS, and was a seperate issue, however I am not so convinced, and the reason I wanted to start this discussion and ask others for advice and any info they might have.

I have had a number of infections since all my problems started almost 2 years ago, with this latest one being the worst so far. Can anyone tell me if it is normal for IBS sufferers to keep getting infections, or whether these infections I get are totally unrelated? I'm pretty sure the infections are gut related, my kidneys seem fine, no probs passing urine, no cough or cold or any other symptoms that could indicate infection anywhere else in my body. No one else in the family is having any problems with infections, so couldn't have caught it through them. I'm also trained in hygiene and food safety, and I put these practises in place daily. I know that being run down makes you more susceptible to picking up viruses, and my diet is pretty poor due to my inability to eat a lot of nutrient giving foods.

Any help, advice or views anyone has regading this would be greatly appreciated, especially if you get reoccurring infections for no apparent reason. Just want to add that before my problems started almost 2 years ago, my partner used to call me unbreakable as I would never seem to catch any colds or bugs or illnesses, or if I did I would get over them in half the time, if not less, than it did for my partner and kids to get over. All those years growing up on farms have probably given me quite a strong immune system.

Many thanks in advance for any help or advice you can give.

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • philippa61759
    philippa61759 paul75665

    Posted

    Some people with IBS catch infections easier because the body is so busy dealing with IBS symptoms it has reduced strength to fight other things.
    • paul75665
      paul75665 philippa61759

      Posted

      Hi Philippa

      Thank you for your thoughts, and I have to say it does make perfect sense. The next thing I have to address is why and how am I getting these infections. Like I said, there's been no infections going round at home, I'm very hygienic, food is always cooked properly, so I can't see why I keep getting them.

      Thanks again for your time

  • Thejennyb
    Thejennyb paul75665

    Posted

    Paul - I don't know if this will be of any use to you, but your post struck a chord with me. I suffered horribly from IBS for about 15 years and, like most of us, found little help from Drs, specialists, etc, so in the end just got on with life as best I could, again like most of us. I tried exclusion diets, inclusion diets, no dairy, no gluten, FODMAP, just about anything you could think of, with a slight improvement occasionally, but always reversion to what had become my norm. All the time, I was convinced that my symptoms were caused by a massive gut infection, and my IBS 'episodes' were caused by my body trying to void itself of it, but nothing could ever be found. Then, last August, I underwent an emergency appendectomy and, as if by magic, all my symptoms disappeared, and have not recurred. It's like having a second chance at life. I did a LOT of reading on the subject immediately afterwards, and wrongly or rightly, I'm now convinced that my symptoms over the years were caused by chronic appendicitis, resolved by the onset of acute appendicitis, resolved when my appendix was removed. I mention this because you are experiencing infections too, which may manifest themselves in different ways to mine, but are having the same effects. Good luck!
    • paul75665
      paul75665 Thejennyb

      Posted

      Hi Jenny

      Thank you for your comments. very interesting reading. It must be so nice to be given that second chance after so many years struggling, and its something that I wish for on a daily basis.

      If you don't mind I do have a couple of questions for you just so I can get a better understanding of what you have told me, and what you've been through.

      1. Did you have any investigation into the IBS symptoms you had, for example Endoscopy, Colonoscopy. Ultrasounds, CT scans, blood tests, etc?

      2. Did you experience much pain / discomfort around the area of your appendix, or was it more generalised pain / discomfort all over your body? (Basically was there any reason for you to think your appendix was playing up)

      Judging by what you said, it seems to me that you, and everyone involved with your treatment thought that you were suffering with IBS and no one would have guessed it was your appendix playing up. I've also heard from someone else on this site, that they knew a person who was suffering with IBS type symptoms, and their problems were due to a damaged nerve in their back. I maintain that there must be a reason for these infections, things just don't happen for no reason.

      I also seriously doubt my diagnosis of IBS, and that is due to my restrictive diet. I now eat the same meals, everyday of every week and have been doing this for months now, yet I can have flare ups on totally different days of the week, if that makes sense. My meals aren't random, but my IBS is.

      Thank you again for your comments, and I would be very, very grateful if you could answer those questions for me.

    • Thejennyb
      Thejennyb paul75665

      Posted

      Hi Paul - I had endless poo and blood tests - I had travelled in Africa a good deal before the onset of the symptoms, so the specialist I saw wanted to rule out any longstanding infections from that.  I had an colonoscopy as well, and I was referred to a nutritionist to find out if I had any allergies, food intolerances, etc, and was given the FODMAP diet to follow.  I was always listened to and given what was thought appropriate treatment, but the best experience I had was with a new GP, whom I went to see just before my daughter's wedding.  I explained that I and my partner would be meeting her father, and the atmosphere was likely to be hostile, so the last thing I needed was an IBS outbreak.  She prescribed Codeine and Loperamide 250g.  In time, I found that a plain diet of fresh foods, avoiding packaged foods and/or any which caused too much fermentation in the digestive system, together with a daily Loperamide, was enough to control things, but there was never a definitive diagnosis.

      I had absolutely no indication there was anything wrong with my appendix.  I had the usual cramping pains associated with bowel problems, that's all. The acute appendix problem happened very suddenly - the onset of pain was at 7.30pm, at 10.30pm I went to A&E (I live in France), and on pain medication by midnight.  I was operated on next day.

    • paul75665
      paul75665 Thejennyb

      Posted

      Thanks for getting back to me Jenny, and for answering my queries, I really do appreciate it. I'm so glad you managed to get your symptoms sorted after suffering for so long, it must have made you feel great! Are you now able to eat what you want without any problems?

      Its sounds so odd to have all the symptoms of IBS yet all the time it was your appendix giving you the problems. And for there to be no indication there was a problem with your appendix despite all the treatment just makes it even more strange. Whether my issues are anything to do with my appendix remains to be seen, but I'm going to struggle to wait weeks, let alone years to get an answer. Its not something you can request to be taken out either, especially on the off chance it might be the cause of all the problems. Roll on the day my appendix decides to go bang! (never thought I'd hear myself say that). Then again, mine will probably keep going for another 20 years knowing my luck.rolleyes

      Thanks again for getting back to me, and for being so helpful.

  • aveline
    aveline paul75665

    Posted

    Hi, Paul - I hope your doctor finds what's wrong soon, and it's easily treated!

    It could be that you have an h. pylori infection. Those can happen in childhood and you don't even know you have it until something really sets it off.   You may have been tested for this, but if you want to see more about it, there's lots of info on this (patient.info) site:

    https://patient.info/search.asp?searchterm=h+pylori&searchcoll=All

    It would seem to fit with infection symptoms from something that isn't going around and wouldn't be from your careful practices in food prep, etc. It's also very easily treatable! If you do take antibiotics (ever), though, be sure you're getting probiotics, too. Esp. for those of us with IBS!

    Please keep us posted!

    • paul75665
      paul75665 aveline

      Posted

      Hi Aveline

      Thanks for your comments.

      I have been tested already for H. Pylori, twice, once when it all kicked off over a year and a half ago, and again a few months ago when I had another infection, but both results came back negative. My dietician told me to stay away from probiotics at the moment, as I produce so much gas that the extra bacterial activity might cause me more problems, but it is something that I am willing to try once I get the go ahead, I've heard lots of good things about probiotics, and it seems too good to ignore.

      I'll keep you posted as to what happens.

      Thank you again and take care.

    • aveline
      aveline paul75665

      Posted

      Ah, thought that may be an easy answer... hope your answer still is!

      I never thought about that with probiotics. You could try small amounts of food that have naturally occurring probiotics and see how you feel. 

      My son has Coeliac Disease and I was accidentally glutening him with probiotic supplements...so they're not a perfect solution for all! (They were supposed to be GF, but no one regulates this and studies done in the U.S. and Canada prove that most supplements are unsafe for people with CD) 

    • paul75665
      paul75665 aveline

      Posted

      There are so many things that all us with intolerances and allergies have to be careful with. My dietician told me to take multi vitamins and minerals to help supplement my poor, rigid diet. I bought some and there was no indication on the bottle that they were gluten and lactose free, or suitable for people with CD. I contacted the supplier and the best answer they could give me was that they SHOULD be free from everything, but the only way to be 100% sure would be to contact each of their suppliers that supplied the ingredients to make the multi vitamins, to check that no gluten, lactose, etc were used in their manufacturing processes, or whether they handled suspect ingredients in their factories. When I asked them who I should contact, they gave me a list of 22 different companies that were involved, in one way or another, with the production of these vitamins and minerals. Needless to say I gave up with the idea of taking them in the end. Surely the supplier of the finished product should know this information, and I can't believe that some major suppliers of products still seem oblivious to the fact that people with allergies / intolerances exist.

      Thanks again for your help, any ideas or thought are always welcome and appreciated.

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