Questioning if it truly is IBS.

Forgot to add, the main reason I'm questioning if it's IBS is most peoples flare ups/symptoms don't last this long, when I say I've felt like this every day for a month, I truly mean that!

Hi, I think it is the chicken poisoning you had in the first place that gave you all those symptoms. Poisoning does all kind of things to the system. Please help me to remind you that IBS is a syndrome and not a desease. Doctors always put it under IBS as that is an easy way out. Why don't you reduce your fat intake to 40-45 gram a day, let's say for 2 weeks and see how you feel. I have been doing that for a year now with success. I have got BAM Bile Acid Malabsorption. My Ileum is not working as it should after rectal cancer.

Jan

Hi everyone! Thanks for your responses. I'd like to try cutting fat out of my diet but I'm quite underweight and need a fair amount of fat in my diet. I'll try at least taking a bit out but I find it difficult because I get super anxious (especially with this new found IBS) when trying new foods. I know a parents friend took three months to get over their food poisoning but when you're going through it yourself it all feels a little ridiculous and like it'll never go away.

My doctors aren't fantastic, they knew I wanted a bunch of tests done but all they seem to want to do is have blood tests done (which is awful for me since I'm not very good with them and tend to pass out afterwards & feel really drowsy for the rest of the day).

Low fodmap is honestly something I find difficult, I try and stick to it here and there but it contains a lot of foods I'm potentially allergic to (and I feel in no fit state to try them at the minute lol) or foods I generally dislike. Of course there's some I do like but I feel like my main issue at the moment is everything is just too much on my stomach, not even because of the IBS, just flavour wise and I don't really understand why, if I had just had the food poisioning I would but considering it's been three months and my stomach seems to be worse after this flare up, it's bizzare.

I went to an out of hours GP with my second flare up (the oj one) and he said it was post infectious IBS, the struggle I'm having is doctors will tell me it's PI-IBS/IBS and to just "educate" myself more on it! Despite the fact I already know tons and tons. I know not everyone gets bloating but I just don't feel like it IBS in my heart of hearts, it just feels like something else. I'm concerned if it's something that needs treatment and I'm not giving it the treatment it needs.

Forgot to mention, after the oj I went and saw my regular GP and he prescribed Gaviscon, I take it once after every meal and it does help with the gas side of things but not much else. I'm always a bit anxious taking medicines like that because I don't want to have to live on them for the rest of my life or my body get so used to them and become immume. I'm desperate to be eating normally again, I'm willing to try low fodmap, I just don't feel like my stomach is ready for many new foods yet which is the worst part of this all. I'm so ready to eat and watching everyone else eat nice meals is heartbreaking to be perfectly honest.

Hi,  I found taking Gaviscon caused more problems than it solved. Anything we reduced stomach acid can cause a rebound effect, where you can experience even more acid. I would definitely take as much fat out of your diet as possible, as this causes stomach acid.  

The low FODMAP diet is designed to take out foods which can cause reactions in people with IBS not the other way round. Also, you may be confusing allergies with intolerances, reading your other posts.  There is no ‘quick fix’ with these issues and taking out foods in your diet that are bad for you, even though you may enjoy them is experienced by many of us with intestinal issues. Believe me I know - I have IBS and have done low FODMAP (and can now identify the foods that cause symptoms and have eliminated them from my diet), as well as having Coeliac disease, and am intolerant to all dairy, soya and a host of other problems and don’t have the luxury of choosing what to eat.  It’s a matter of getting your priorities sorted, if you want to get well, you need to take a good look at your diet, there’s no short cuts. Cut down on sugar and fat, (they both cause acid) and eat more healthy foods, including plenty of vegetables and some fruit (there’s sugar in fruit too, so you need to be careful, veggies are a better choice). I know it’s hard, but eventually you find other foods you can eat instead that you will enjoy.  It could well be the food poisoning has been the trigger and it’s caused imbalances with the flora in your gut but you now have to deal with the issues it’s left you with.

Hi Judy, I don't know how tolerant your stomach is but you never mentioned ginger at all. If you have children can you remember having it for sickness? It is something I swear by, that and back it up with Gaviscon, it sounds like you've got trapped acid. The poison through your horrid chicken will have left your system but it doesn't take much to upset your bowel. It's possible that your IBS has upset your gut further up. The comment about it improving over 3 months is no nonsense, ask for a different opinion and ask for a dietitian appointment too. Ask for every blood test going and put your foot down hard. You won't get far if you down push hard. Good luck it will be a tough road, keep you diet bland and write down what makes you sick and AVOID chicken!!!! X