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IBS - sigh - UPDATE page 3
mooshoepork
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'm sorry for making these threads, but I'm pretty much a mess these days.
I've been having stomach/bowel pains. I have a regular movement and everything, but afterwards I usually have pains/uncomfortableness that feels like I need to go to the toilet again. It's crippling.
There is no diarrhea or constipation. Just uncomfortableness. I went to the doctor, he pretty much instantly said I had IBS. (I had previously had celiac disease ruled out by another doctor). So he's put me on fibre. Even though I'm regular anyway.
Does this sound like IBS? I'm sick of wasting my fucking time with doctor's fees and medicine. I can't live like this. I don't go out because of it. It is seriously affecting the quality of my life to such an extent I've thought of things I probably shouldn't.
He said if it doesn't go away he'll refer me to a gastro somethingerather.
Could this be IBS? Should I immediately seek another opinion?
I've been having stomach/bowel pains. I have a regular movement and everything, but afterwards I usually have pains/uncomfortableness that feels like I need to go to the toilet again. It's crippling.
There is no diarrhea or constipation. Just uncomfortableness. I went to the doctor, he pretty much instantly said I had IBS. (I had previously had celiac disease ruled out by another doctor). So he's put me on fibre. Even though I'm regular anyway.
Does this sound like IBS? I'm sick of wasting my fucking time with doctor's fees and medicine. I can't live like this. I don't go out because of it. It is seriously affecting the quality of my life to such an extent I've thought of things I probably shouldn't.
He said if it doesn't go away he'll refer me to a gastro somethingerather.
Could this be IBS? Should I immediately seek another opinion?
mooshoepork on
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There are dozens of things it could be, I would say try the fiber thing, and if it does no good, get tests done. I'd also watch your diet, most people are lactose intolerant to some degree, as milk is only natural if you're a small cow.
I highly recommend getting a small notebook, recording every single thing you eat and your movements (even though it sounds gross) down to the hour. It is going to help you a lot with recognizing patterns. If you do it religiously you may be able to drastically improve your quality of life. Most people just don't have the discipline to do it.
I don't drink milk.
I'll give the fibre thing a shot I guess.
Most involve a camera going up the poopchute. They look for lesions and cysts, tears in the walls of the bowel or ulcers, polyps and strictures. If it's actually your stomach AND bowel then I'd say diet is the best thing you can track. It could easily be something as simple as gas or a flora imbalance in the digestive system.
Out of curiosity, do you eat a lot of tofu?
When you go to the gastroenterologist, they're probably more likely to think Crohn's disease or diverticulitis/diverticulosis since they've ruled out celiac disease. They will probably want to shove a tube with a camera up your bunghole to make a positive diagnosis. They'll also probably take a tissue sample from your intestine at the same time to confirm that it isn't some kind of acute infection.
Do they put you under for the bunghole thing? That'll blow. Well, probably blow more for him I guess.
This fibre stuff is just making me feel weird. How fast does it usually...do stuff...Will the first one do anything? it was just a spoonful of granules. I'm meant to be going out soon, but don't really want to shit myself or anything. He also said it might make me sick.
edit: like holy shit, I'm eating right now and the pain is excruciating.
What I did then was write down everything I ate every day for about 2 weeks, and put notes on what days I had these stomach attacks. Eventually I narrowed it down to dairy and rare red meats. I think it would help if you did the same; write down everything you eat for a bit and make notes of what days you're hurting, then go from there.
Also, a million times yes, get a second or even third opinion. Doctors are human too, and sometimes you get stuck with one who thinks you're a hypochondriac and will misdiagnose you (or misdiagnose you on accident).
I feel you though, it really made me not want to ever go out too, because it's no fun being out with friends and then having to rush to find a toilet or to sit there uncomfortably.
Weaboo List
I had the pain, the urge to go to the bathroom right after eating, gas and worst of all nausea. I tracked my diet and I've found that my two biggest triggers are milk and fatty foods.
Learn what your triggers are and do your best to avoid them. Drink lots of water and more frequent small meals. Immodium and Calcium are great for managing problems in the bathroom and ginger is good for an upset stomach. Other than that, stock up on baby wipes if things get rough sometimes.
It really isn't any fun but you can manage it and lead a 99% normal life.
http://www.amazon.com/Digestive-Advantage-IBS-Irritable-Syndrome/dp/B0007IQMVG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1263782742&sr=1-1
However, I've had an IBS diagnosis but mine is getting worse (pills doing less and less) so I'm going to the doctor on Tuesday.
People are right here when they say IBS is kind of a throw-away diagnosis.
It has vague symptoms and it's an easy/cheap medication to deal with, so a GP will jump to that quickly and tell you to go see a gastro.
That thing Lewisham linked is similar to one that I take too, it's a probiotic thing and it will calm you down, and it does make a difference.
Apart from that, sometimes you just need to identify what it is in your diet that's pissing your stomach off. For me, it's soft drinks. If I take that probiotic and stay away from cola I am back to normal, for the most part.
Whatever you do, keep investigating it. The prescription drug for IBS is Dicyclomine which is great at first but after a month you'll be fucking sick of it. Best to find an alternative, such as a change in diet.
If eating makes it hurt, stop eating and go to an ER.
Could be lots of things. Could be a kidney stone.. could be crohns. See the gastroenterologist.
Crohns is weird though. I'm diagnosed with crohns and my doctor first diagnosed it with an xray (i had telescoping intestines) and a blood test. Then I had another doctor tell me you can't know for sure without a colonoscopy (yes OP you are put to sleep during a full-on colonoscopy).
To be honest, I thought the worst part of the colonoscopy was the day before. Drinking three liters of laxative is complete fail. As for the actual procedure, I got there about 6 am. They had me change into a gown and sat me down in a recliner and gave me a warm blanket while they prepped my IV. They moved me over to the exam room and had me lay down. She told me she was giving me something to make me relax and that it might burn for about 20 seconds. I remember I started counting but I don't remember anything after I got to four. Next thing I know it is 2pm in the afternoon, I'm in my pajamas waking up in bed at home.
You need the buttcam to verify it, but a xray with barium(?) fluids will show up narrow sections in the intestines. no getting around the buttcam either way.
Indeed, 3l (1gallon) of laxative that tastes like shit is about as bad as it gets. there are other things you can drink thats just a few glasses of water, name eludes me but ask for something other than the normal laxative.
Protip for buttcam; they pump you full of air, ask them to let most of the air out once they are done or you might end up in a world of pain.
edit: fail at spelling
I was diagnosed in August of 2000 with severe ulcerative colitis. By the end of the first week of November that year I had my large intestines removed. Had I had the nerve to see my doctor sooner, the end result may have been different and possibily not involve me nearly bleeding to death.
tl;dr Don't fuck around with poopchute problems.
There is not enough lime for this piece of advice.
Currently painting: Slowly [flickr]
So all I can say is keep at the medical review process - you really need to get yourself to your local gastroenterology department sooner rather than later as your GP has clearly exhausted his store of knowledge here
Going for a blood test today and probably an eventual buttcam. God damn. If it is Crohns, is it manageable? How do yo guys deal with it?
Best of luck!
I mean, I don't really have diarrhea. There's no blood, no family history. Aren't these things usually present?
Still, it's worth finding out. Even if it does require taking it up the pooper.
And poop in a cup! Awesome!
The extreme outcome of Crohn's is having your intestines significantly shortened.
Here's the deal though. Your Doctor is just testing theories. Digestive issues are symptomatic of SO MUCH SHIT, that the best a doctor can do is run a hypothesis, run all the tests, and if it doesn't work, try something else.
When I went to a doctor for digestive problems they tested me for some really weird shit. Which was negative.
And I presume that means poop in a bag
Well, I'll just wait and see. I have no other idea what it could be though. Parasite? Cyst? Some king of 5 month long bug?
That is why IBS is such a throw-away diagnosis. It fits most generic digestive issues and has a really easy treatment.
You should be happy that your doctor didn't just write you a prescription for muscle relaxers and tell you to take a hike for the next 3 months.
Heh, he gave my fibre and did the same thing. I've come back because that didn't work.
Strange thing is it happens in the mornings the most. By 12-1 I'm fine usually.
No it isn't and you know fuckall about it obviously. First off the last word in that abbreviation is SYNDROME, might want to learn the difference of that from disease. Both have specific uses in medicine. Second, it is a diagnosis of exclusion, ie they check for everything else and assuming you dont have anything else then they categorize you as having IBS, but it is not a catch all for every unknown GI problem as there are specific symptoms needed. Next, the treatment isn't really easy and it is tailored to each patient and their symptoms. Again you prove you know fuckall about the syndrome and its treatment.
If you have neither diarrhea or constipation on a regular basis it is not IBS.
IBD/Crohn's is also highly unlikely, again due to the lack of diarrhea and more specifically the bloody form, but that is why they are checking your shit, to see if there are small amounts not easily seen. And yes, at some point you'll probably get a camera up the pooper. Follow the colon clensing process to the T, because if they stick the camera up there and you aint clean, guess what, you get to go through it all again. If it is Crohn's they'll know by seeing your intestines inflamed.
No idea why your PCP told you to take fiber. Metamucil and most other fiber supplements cause gas and bloating, both of which are painful, and sound like you already have that problem? The fiber would be useful if you had constipation, but you make it sound as if that isn't an issue.
Well, this might be true in the land of puppies and ice cream. But there are doctors out there who are content to just settle on IBS outright. Specifically my ex-doctor who only ran one blood test before putting me on muscle relaxers and closing the case.
Yeah, you would think that they would exhaust every possible alternative, but just because you think that doesn't mean it's true. If you prefer the term "easy-out" to "throw away", then fine, have that.
Don't go ape shit over nothing?
Because where I live- in non-perfect doctor land- everyone is happy to go 'lol-IBS' to my symptoms.
Basically if you are having weird symptoms that don't fit perfectly with crohns or celiac or lactose intolerance they will put you on an exclusion diet.
The most likely outcome of an exclusion diet is that they will tell you not to eat wheat or milk. Now for me this was too big a sacrifice for the slight improvement, but for you maybe it will be worthwhile.
https://medium.com/@alascii
Have you been referred yet to a GI specialist, mooshoe?
Not necessarily. There are medications that can help control the symptoms. If the disease advances surgery might become necessary. The surgeons remove the necessary section of bowel and resection it. This can be done several times.
https://medium.com/@alascii
The CT scan sounds the worst. Takes an hour and a half. Hate hospitals.
Anyone have any idea what it could be? It couldn't be anything simple right? Hopefully it isn't something that's going to change my life.
https://medium.com/@alascii
I was trying not to terrify him. I guess I should really work on that.
It depends on the type of scan.
If it's high contrast (which is sounds like, since a normal CT scan takes about 10 minutes) then they are going to make you drink about a liter and a half of nasty tasting tea with radioactive tracer in it. And you aren't supposed to pee.
Then, they lay you down on the machine and run a hoop back and forth around you. It's not enclosed like an MRI.
Worst case scenario is that the tracer fluid isn't strong enough/isn't fast enough and then they have to give you a tracer injection which is very very cold and kind of uncomfortable but by no means excruciating. Hope you got insurance, that's a 4 figure test.
Just relax, everything will be fine.
I think he was talking about what the diagnosis would be, not what the process would be.
https://medium.com/@alascii