Please help - St. Marks have fobbed me off.
Posted , 7 users are following.
Hi,
Im posting here as a last resort.
Ive been under investigation at St. Marks for the last year after having bowel and gut issues for years. Bloating, nausea, reflux, not being able to digest foods properly. For the last seven years ive also had to manually evacuate stools too (sorry, TMI). Its taken over my life.
The tests ive had done at St. Marks have come back inconclusive. The GI transit test (xray capsule) shows I had slow gut transit but the bowel muscle test showed there was nothing wrong with the muscles in my bowel. I was basically told I had irritable bowel syndrome but im not convinced.
Ive tried a Low FODMAP diet that hasnt helped. Some foods I cannot digest at all (tomatoes and peppers for example) I just cannot digest, and other foods (strong tasting like cheese or really creamy make me vomit).
Im absolutely lost and cannot lead a normal life as I spend most of my life either in the bathroom or in bed feeling ill or in pain.
Can anyone help or shed some light?
0 likes, 16 replies
Vish2015 lucie23569
Posted
What other tests did you have? Did you have test for hpylori?
pippa58442 lucie23569
Posted
The food intolerances you have are common with IBS which does not show on any scan or test. The symptoms you describe also sound like IBS. The Fodmap diet is not infallible and some people do not respond to it. I had loads of inconculsive tests and I was also diagnosed with IBS. What other tests have you had done that came back clear/inconclusive? If all of these tests show nothing, accept your IBS diagnosis. Have you tried lots of fruit and stool softeners? Have you tried a variety of antispasmodics?
lucie23569 pippa58442
Posted
Ive had an endoscopy and a barium swallow. Im wondering why the xray capsule test showed slow gastric emptying? Is this common with IBS?
Ive tried a number of over the counter pro and prebiotics but havent found them helpful.
Im wondering if I should ask for a colonoscopy? If it is IBS how do I stop feeling so ill?
Thanks for your replies.
pippa58442 lucie23569
Posted
Delayed gastric emptying is a feature of gastroparesis which is an entirely different condition from IBS. Gastroparesis is identified by a stomach emptying test which doesn't sound like the same test you had. IBS can cause constipation which is not the same thing as delayed gastric emptying, so IBS doesn't cause slow gastric emptying. IBS causes disturbances in the bowel and sometimes heartburn, gas and indigestion.
There is no cure for IBS, only symptom management. Everyone responds differently to treatment. Anxiety can cause IBS to feel worse, so try distraction techniques and relaxation therapy. Ask your doctor for an antispasmodic if you have not already done so; you may have to try several. You may have more success with pain relief getting a prescribed medication rather than something over the counter which tends to be weaker. Standard painkillers can also help. Probiotics don't help everyone and are not the same thing as an antispasmodic. An anti spasmodic helps to reduce the spasming in your bowel and the pain it causes. Avoid the foods that cause you problems and try a good food diary. Try imodium if you get diarrhoea and lots of fruit or stool softeners for constipation.
Diagnosis acceptance also helps to control your IBS. Remember, you were diagnosed in hospital which means you had a medically confirmed diagnosis of IBS. Your doctor is the expert and many tests have been done to rule out other conditions which have come back inconclusive. You have been diagnosed and not fobbed off. If you had been fobbed off, you would not have had such thorough testing and would not have had a diagnosis. This is good news for you. It is very common to doubt your diagnosis. I doubted IBS when it was first mentioned to me because I had read up on IBS over diagnosis and my symptoms were different from my brother's IBS.Once I finally accepted my doctor's IBS diagnosis, I felt so much better.
angie67540 lucie23569
Posted
Have u tried probiotic?
lucie23569
Posted
Ive had an endoscopy and a barium swallow. Im wondering why the xray capsule test showed slow gastric emptying? Is this common with IBS?
Ive tried a number of over the counter pro and prebiotics but havent found them helpful.
Im wondering if I should ask for a colonoscopy? If it is IBS how do I stop feeling so ill?
Thanks for your replies.
CTh lucie23569
Posted
Hi, I had the worst gut issues and other issues that followed as well and I am now fine. Here is my theory what I lived up to and which worked.
All food that irritates your nerves or is too acidy (brings your ph level of body out of balance) or is hard to digest leave out. so no caffeine, sugar (also fruits), alcohol, tomatoes, oatmeal, protein powders, dairy, nuts, gluten, processed food, soy sauce (killer for me).
My day starts with hot fresh ginger water, (and lots of ginger water throughout the day). I eat white rice and spinach, eggs, sometimes corn tortillas with it for breakfast, or hot cream of rice with cinnamon.
For lunch I eat vegetable, grilled chicken or salmon or shrimps, and rice or gluten free pasta.
i eat the leftovers for dinner. As snacks I eat cream of rice, apples, unsweetened popcorn.
I take a multivitamin and extra Calcium/ Magnesium and high dose of Vitamin b 12 (1000) and Probiotics, aloe vera capsules and after each heavier meal digestive enzymes.
before bedtime i take the magnesium/ calcium and Aloe vera capsules.
And no cheating : ) As soon as i cheat by eating gluten or dairy, I feel bad again..
hope this helps.
pippa58442 CTh
Posted
Ginger is highly acidic; I'm surprised you can tolerate it.
CTh pippa58442
Posted
Check on ginger .. it's like a miracle root for your stomach and digestive tract..
pippa58442 CTh
Posted
I can't tolerate ginger; I get instant heartburn from it. My miracle treatment for my stomach and digestive tract is milk. I have to avoid spicy and watch out for certain fatty, oily foods.
CTh pippa58442
Posted
Have you taken the supplements? I can't tolerate those. But I am drinking ginger tea. Fresh ginger cooked in hot water. It helps me tremendously and it says to help with acid reflux and heart burn. But this alone won't cut it anyways. I think my overall change of diet did the trick .. especially not eating fruits any longer. And I can remember that I used milk to help me with the acid reflux during my pregnancy but it is said that the fat in the milk (which actually helps to calm the re-flux) later will have the opposite effect on the stomach which produces more acid to better digest it. What helps wonders with me for the sour stomach is magnesium/calcium and especially the aloe vera capsules.
pippa58442 CTh
Posted
I get my nutrients from fresh, home cooking and don't take supplements. Supplements are not needed if you have a balanced diet. You can actually overload your system with too many supplements and they can cause more problems. Some fruit is necessary for good bowel function and should not be excluded from your diet unless you have an intolerance to it.You should not believe everything you read because one day they say a food is good for you and the next day it's bad for you. The best research is to try a particular food out yourself. I don't trust research for that reason.
It is untrue that milk later can increase acid reflux after initially helping it. I do not experience this and neither does my dad who also finds it great for reflux. My grandad who was a doctor cured his duodenal ulcer by drinking milk. It is well known that milk is very beneficial,so long as you don't have a problem with it.
mary19068 lucie23569
Posted
Hi lucie23569
Do not eat the foods that upset your stomach. Try going gluten free, lactose free, caffeine free no fizzy drinks and no spicey and rich foods. You can find an array of recipe ideas for these kind of foods online. Also, how is your vitamin D low levels and B12 levels liw levels can cause stomach and digestive problems. Get your vit D and B12 tested if you haven't already....
mary19068
Posted
hi lucie23569
sorry meant to say low levels of vit D and vit B12 can cause stomach and digestion problems.
lucie23569 mary19068
Posted
I do appreciate all your suggestions, however, I have tried all of these things in regards to my diet long before I was referred to St. Marks to no avail. I know my body and I know there is something more sinister going on than that.