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IBS or not?

Posted , 4 users are following.

sam33225
sam33225

Hello everyone.

My whole life i did always have problems with my digestion. A lot of loose stools, sometime blood in stool etc. i developed an a anal fissure which led to a fistula, because i did not treat it. I had three fistula surgeries in 6 months because of wound healing problems.

The last 6 months i did eat a lot of Metamucil (three times per day) and was also eating very little food to have no bowel movements. Before my third surgery i did get Co Amoxicillin 1g and i had to take three pills (!!) per day. 3 gram every day. After 3 days i stopped the antibiotics because i did get a weird feeling in the lower abdomen. Always when i had the feeling that my gut is working my blood pressure felt low, but it was ok. I felt like almost fainting. During this time even my best friend died of an heart attack, and three surgeries in 6 months also stressed me a lot.

I am male, 39 years old.

Now for 5 weeks my symptoms are:

  • started with bloating
  • trapped gas
  • cramps
  • abdominal pain
  • loose stools and watery
  • mucus in stool
  • no blood in stool
  • the blood stopped in 2017 when i started to watch my diet better.
  • during pain and cramp time i have sometime 4-5 bowel movements
  • nausea when talking with someone 😃

i went to the doctor and i had:

  • ultrasound (2020) everything clear
  • blood test everything clear
  • vit d, and folic acid and vit 12 a bit low
  • iron perfect
  • no inflammation in blood (crp clear)
  • stool test clear
  • i had also endoscopy last week, all clear and tested for dairy allergy and coeliac disease, everything ok
  • colonoscopy in 2017 and colonoscopy end 2018, everything ok
  • made the COLOX blood test (2020) its a blood test for colon cancer developed in Switzerland. All clear.

what have i done the last week:

  • dairy free and glutenfree diet
  • fodmap diet
  • probiotics
  • i do eat rice all the time and meat and some vegetables

The symptoms reduced a lot with these things.

These things helped me to reduce my bowel movement to once a day in the morning. The bowel movement has no more mucus and is not watery. Its more yellow brown, but good consistency. Not like in the past. The pain also reduced and even the cramps reduced.

2 days ago i did eat Vitamin C capsule and everything started from the start. I did get a lot of cramps and even today 2 days later i still feel weird and a bit cramped.

i dont know what to do more, because i am fed up with my situation. I dont know what i have and the doctors cant also help.

Do i have IBS?

Should i do again a colonoscopy? or even the pill cam endoscopy for the small intestine?

The doctor told me that a colonoscopy makes no sense, because i already had one in 2017 and one end 2018. Everything was good.

A pill cam would examine the small intestine. i dont know what to do more.

maybe i need more patience because i have started one week ago with fodmap diet and it helped, but the vitamin c capsule started a flare and destroyed my positivesness.

What are your advices or thoughts? thanks

My guess is the antibiotics or metamucil or the stress did cause my IBS.

1 like, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • sam18386
    sam18386 sam33225

    Edited

    hi my namesake! ouch that sounds sore, it could be the coating on your vit c capsules that have caused the problem this time. what is the metamucil stuff? i only ask as i really suffer with allergies and taking medication is difficult for me. try cutting the antibiotics unless they are vital! try some probiotics - they may help your gut to heel, take your time it sounds like you have done a lot of things together!

    • sam33225
      sam33225 sam18386

      Posted

      metamucil is pysillium husk. i had to take this to keep my stool soft but it destroyed my gut. this or the antibiotics caused my IBS.

  • Marina_Dee
    Marina_Dee sam33225

    Edited

    So your regime in the last week has improved things, so keep to the regime and anything that seems to upset you just leave it out of your diet. A week is not long enough to completely rid your gut of everything that upsets you and is also still healing from all those irritants.

    You have had all tests imaginable and I think your doctor is correct that it will show nothing different.

    IBS is so unique to each sufferer and you have to find out what upsets you and just leave it out. Yes, I think you need more patience, and take things slowly,introducing one item at a time into your diet...at no more than one item per week.

    Dairy can be a major problem: dont forget to check any prepared ,packed food for milk. You will be amazed at the stuff that has milk in it. Crisps, prepared ham, chicken,cereals etc etc.

    Stress can be a major factor so try to keep this to a minimum if possible.

  • pippa58442
    pippa58442 sam33225

    Edited

    Have you been diagnosed with IBS? If you have, leave it at that and accept everything your doctor has suggested since all your extensive tests have been negative. This is good news for you. Watch your diet, try an anti spasmodic, Imodium for diarrhoea and lots of fruit or a laxative for constipation. Try distraction techniques/relaxation therapy for anxiety. Try to stay as calm as possible. Don't google any symptoms. Try to be patient, continue with Fodmap since it helped, and don't try anything new. Stick to what your are doing because you are doing all you can and you cannot do more. If you have IBS, it will not show on any test It is very likely stress caused your IBS.

    Some of my doctors wanted to retest me because everything was negative or inconclusive. However, another doctor said not to bother with that because he was confident I had IBS. I chose to believe him and my health anxiety and IBS disappeared.

    • sam33225
      sam33225 pippa58442

      Posted

      today i have an appointment with my surgeon to see my wound i have from the fistula surgery . i will tell him of my stomach pain etc. and ask his advice if he does recommend an other colonoscopy, CT scan or Pill Endoscopy. Because i am feeling so insecure at the moment! I want everything to be clear before i do accept IBS.

    • sam18386
      sam18386 sam33225

      Posted

      fingers crossed you get on ok and get some answers!

    • sam33225
      sam33225 sam18386

      Posted

      i got today my Blood Test:

      Anti-vinculin antibody is positive !!!

      means 100% IBS

    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 sam33225

      Posted

      That"s good that IBS has been confirmed. However, a blood test or any other test/scan doesn't confirm IBS because currently there is no test to identify it. The only way of identifying IBS is to test for other conditions and if they are ruled out, IBS can be confirmed.

    • sam18386
      sam18386 sam33225

      Posted

      i feel pleased for you that you have a result! now maybe you can work on building on the information you have to make yourself feel better!

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