Post Infectious IBS - 9 months later
Posted , 6 users are following.
Sorry longer post:
9 months ago I was at work in perfect health, felt great all day, worked out in the morning, then all of a sudden in the afternoon my entire stomach started cramping up, and I started having intense pain, I couldn't walk for a while. a day later I started throwing up, diarrhea for weeks. All tests came back negative, blood showed no infections, but CRP was high.
I had a doctor diagnos me with Post Infectious IBS.
9 months later I have no bathroom issues, but I still feel nauseous almost all the time, I vomit a few times a month usually, My upper abdomen/chest usually still has dull pain throughout the day, no anti-nausea works, no medications work for the pain. my CRP has stayed high, and although I feel better than the first day of whatever happened, this still sucks I am pretty sure that this is going to be my life.
I've been working from home for the last 9 months so I am sure I'll be fired eventually. I stay in my condo all the time, as I feel nauseous I cant really go anywhere or do anything. Disability is hardly ever given for IBS, I don't really know what to do at this point, I want to be alive and get back to my normal life but at the same time there is no point of living like this (not suicidal), it's miserable, it sucks to wake up knowing you're going to be in pain, nauseous, and have another boring day of: work, eat, sleep, repeat.
What do people with IBS like this do? Just stay locked in their home?
Some people with IBS have told me they don't think this sounds like IBS either, I personally think the key to all of this is figuring out what happened at work, unfortunately I don't know if that's possible now.
0 likes, 7 replies
lauren_24713 kjmo56
Posted
hi
wow that really doesn't sound like your normal IBS, iv been diagnosed for over 2 years now, i found not drinking fizzy drinks and eating a balanced diet helps a lot with cramping and yoga is good to relax the muscles, maybe seeing a different doctor as that really doesn't sound like IBS. so sorry that you are having such a hard time, i found it almost impossible to keep a job for the first year so 9 month is a big achievement. you'll get an answer if you keep pushing.
kjmo56 lauren_24713
Posted
Hey Lauren,
Glad you found some relief, I do not have cramps anymore, and have not since the day I got sick, now I just have constant dull pain in my chest and upper abdomen. The only reason I have been able to keep my job is because I have been allowed to work from home, I'm sure that will end soon. Did you work during your first year or get disability?
EdEire kjmo56
Posted
try some exercise and positive mind set. try food diary and see if there is somehting that hurt you more.
you didnt mentioned age....
pippa58442 kjmo56
Posted
Try a food diary to see if a food is causing this. Everyone is different with IBS and will experience varying symptoms. Just because others with IBS are not experiencing your symptoms doesn't mean that you don't have IBS. My symptoms are very mild compared to others here but that doesn't mean I have something else. Some people with IBS experience high amounts of inflammation. It may be that Post infectious IBS affects people differently from other forms of the condition. Do you remember if you ate something that disagreed with you or gave you food poisoning? Did you have a stomach bug before this happened? These are often the triggers for Pi IBS.
With IBS, all tests for other conditions will be negative. Since your doctor diagnosed you with IBS, I would accept this since he is the expert. When IBS symptoms change, are very severe, or are different from others, it is common to doubt your diagnosis. I found when I accepted my diagnosis, my symptoms got better. Some people with severe IBS find that that the usual IBS treatments don't work. Maybe try gut targeted hypnosis or look into biofeedback treatment.
lester90053 kjmo56
Posted
Whenever you feel bad try a cup of hot tea with sugar and a few drops of lemon juice. Also get a radiological scan of your abdoman. A second opinion may be useful.
audrey32349 kjmo56
Posted
Has your Dr. mentioned chronic Gastritis at all? Have you had any tests like Endoscopy to check for gastritis, hpylori? Has your gallbladder been checked?
Many times gastritis can manifest as a result of a severe virus infection. It can be acute (sudden onset) or can become chronic with similar ongoing symptoms such as you are describing. This can be present along with ibs. The symptoms of ibs can be very different with each person.
I have had ibs for 55 years with predictable symptoms but when I had gallbladder surgery I got a severe virus then 4 months of gastritis then a complete change in ibs symptoms.
kjmo56 audrey32349
Posted
Hello Audrey,
I have had an Endoscopy, HIDA Scan, Barium Swallow so I have been checked for hpylori, and my gallbladder. My Physician did say it sounded like Gastritis but my endoscopy checked out normal