Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Support Group

Irritable bowel syndrome is a common intestinal disorder that is characterized by bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, cramping, and constipation. Typically no abnormalities appear during standard medical testing, and so irritable bowel syndrome is identified by the symptoms. Although irritable bowel syndrome can cause serious discomfort, the intestines are not harmed.

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Gastrointestinal System
/ Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Support Group

Perhaps IBS

enigmaticloner
enigmaticloner

Every now and then (it's happened on at least 3 different occasions so far that I can recall) I'll suddenly feel nauseated after eating something and will lose my appetite for days at a time. The first time it happened it was when I was eating out somewhere. I felt pretty nauseous just at attempting to eat, and I also lost my appetite quite often. I started to feel very weak from the lack of eating and it lasted for close to a month. I pretty much lived on water and things like crackers which I was able to eat relatively alright. It happened once again a few months ago, I woke up with an intense pain in my abdominal area which weakened in intensity but was still there, and I lacked any sort of appetite from that point on for about close to two weeks. Now it's happened again about a week ago after I had eaten at home, I instantly was hit with stomach pain and nausea and  that subsided a bit but I was still without an appetite. Whenever these phases occur I limit my eating to once a day or less and only very light things at all and I still don't really feel much better, it just seems to go away on it's own after a week or more. I'm just curious, does anyone else have this same issue? IBS is one of the conditions that came to mind when trying to figure out what it is.



Whenever this happens I tend to lose a few pounds and it worries my parents as well as myself since I'm already pretty skinny to begin with. My father has told me that it might be caused by depression or by nervousness but I've been suffering with depression as well as anxiety for at least 10 years now or more and this issue is relatively new, the first time happened 2 years ago this month.

NoMoreJoyInLife
NoMoreJoyInLife
I suffer with anxiety and depression (I'm 46) and have had ibs since my late teen years (coincidentally a few years after I was first diagnosed with anxiety and depression).

The mind and gut go hand in hand, if one is extremely disrupted, the other tends to act up as well.

Definitely get checked out to rule out anything more serious. Do NOT ever take a drug called Librax if it ibs.

I became addicted to it (mind and body) and went into tolerance withdrawal while on it and now I'm off it altogether and suffering immensely. I try to warn as many people as I van about this awful medication which had a benzo called Librium in it. My gastroenterologist never warned me it had a benzo in it.

I keep trying to get the word out that there are many other treatments for ibs besides librax.

If I could go back and do it all over I would have chose alternative or holistic treatment over medication first plus yoga/tai chi/exercise, and a healthy diet.

Best wishes for you!
enigmaticloner
enigmaticloner
I see, but is this specific problem something that you have had before as well?
ktro42
ktro42
This has been happening to me since April. I was 100% fine before then and then out of blue while on vacation I got very sick. I've had countless tests completed. My endoscopy showed mild gastritis but all of my other tests were normal. The symptoms didn't go away so I was classified as having IBS. I'm still struggling with this. I can be completely normal (well almost) and then the next day feel sick again. I don't seem to get the stomach pains that you are referring to though. My symptoms start with an upset stomach where I can't stand the sight or smell of food. For the most part, I try to eat very plain foods. I've been told to stick with chicken and white rice. Fish is good too and to NEVER have an empty stomach so I graze on and off all day. Hope you feel better soon and find some answers.
clarice
clarice
sounds like me and I have been diagnosed with diverticulitis that badly that they want to remove my whole bowel and give me a colonoscopy bag and i don't want one, the pain is incredible if i eat, virtually live on clear fluids, was wondering if anyone else had any suggestions, the pain is like a really really bad period pain in the lower abdomen
enigmaticloner
enigmaticloner
It's still happening to me now, I've lost close to 10 pounds or so over the course of two weeks. I just barely feel hungry at all really and just find myself trying to force something and even then I feel full quite quickly and nauseous for a little bit for some reason. It's quite distressing really. I told my doctor about it and he said it might be because of my scoliosis, my ribs and hips squeezing on my stomach or something to that effect. Very frustrating.
ktro42
ktro42
My GI doc prescribed Zofran for the nausea and put me on a gut antibiotic (Rifaximin) which I believe is typically used to treat SIBO. It's supposed to kill all of the bad bacteria. I also take a probiotic to add the good back in. Last week I scheduled an appointment with a functional doctor to do some further testing. I haven't got the results back yet but he's testing me for an overgrowth of yeast. It's something to consider. He put me on L-Glutamine which is a natural supplement (essential amino acid) . It helps repair and rebuild the lining in the digestive tract. I'm pretty impressed with all of the benefits it provides. It wouldn't hurt to look into that. I feel about 60% better right now but still have some lingering symptoms that just won't go away...however I've only been taking it for less then a week. Hope this helps.
ktro42
ktro42
Oh and I was the same as you...I lost a total of 15 lbs (which I didn't have to lose in the first place). I looked anorexic for quite sometime! I'm slowing putting the weight back on but not as quick as I'd like.
enigmaticloner
enigmaticloner
I'll probably make an appoint with my PCP and ask for a referral to a GI again and I'll get their opinion. This is getting really frustrating and really taking a toll on my body between the lack of strength due to not eating and also the weight loss. It is quite nerve-wracking and it's driving me into an even more anxious and depressed state.
ktro42
ktro42
Trust me I know what you mean. You sound exactly like I did when I first started going through it. Early on they recommended that I drink the Boost nutritional drink for extra calories, vitamins and protein. I'm trying to get away from it now due to the sugar content. Sugar is supposed to be an IBS trigger. However the doctors said not to worry about that early on. The most important thing was to get the calories so I could regain my strength. I've also eliminated gluten from my diet which seems to be helping some. I still struggle getting my daily recommended calories though. It seems like this diet is pretty restrictive and low calorie. That doesn't help when ones trying to gain their weight back. My test results from the functional doctor came in early this week. It showed that I had elevated levels of Candida (yeast). However my numbers are pretty low I guess (.92) so they are saying I'm post infection....now it's just going to take patience for my system to get back to normal. I'm starting the low FODMAP today to see if that'll help minimize some of my discomfort. Keep your chin up and have positive thoughts. Positive thoughts go along way...you WILL get through this!
enigmaticloner
enigmaticloner
Yea I feel you. My father recommended me to drink those things as well since I've barely been eating anything at all and feel pretty weak and have lost some weight. I think the milk in it though is the problem with it for me, I drank one not too long ago and it made my stomach hurt shortly afterwards, I hadn't even finished the whole thing at the time. I believe it is the dairy, a bit of lactose intolerance. I have noticed that eating certain things do make me feel worse, either gas pain or nausea I get. So even when I do eat I really feel like I'm so limited on what I could/should eat. I still don't really have much of an appetite but I have an appointment with my doctor this week. I'm going to mention this to him again and see if he refers me to a GI again. From then I'll see what happens, hopefully this problem goes away by itself again or I'm able to get some help with it. I really don't know what the exact problem is. It might be my diet, or some kind of bacteria issue, or even something else, I can only guess. Hopefully the doctor will have answers. I'm tired of this all so much. I have other problems on top of this already. I never heard of FODMAP before, hopefully it helps you though. Good luck with it.
enigmaticloner
enigmaticloner
Went to my medical doctor and he prescribed me Ranitidine and recommended me to see a GI doctor.
enigmaticloner
enigmaticloner
Had an appointment today to see the GI but made a bit of an error, so it had to get rescheduled to next week unfortunately.
enigmaticloner
enigmaticloner
Saw the GI doctor and he prescribed me Omeprazole. Has anyone had any luck using with this with their symptoms?
Lenoire
Lenoire
Pharmaceuticals are going to upset your stomach further. It's important to discover what food in particular you're reacting to. You're eating something that your gut is reacting to, and it's causing severe inflammation, and all other problems will stem from this.

If you have pain under your right rib, it could be legumes, beans, that are causing the problem. Instead of taking medication for the problem, it's important to find out what is causing the problem. Pharma just puts a patch on it, and a leaky one at that. Doctors are not trained in nutrition and haven't a clue when it comes to eating properly, they just dole out what the pharma reps tell them over lavish lunches at 5 star hotels.

You need to address what you're eating, and investigate what's causing problems, and restore your gut flora. Sauerkraut is a natural probiotic that helps to restore gut flora. Lemon-juicing daily helps keep you alkaline, which is paramount for maintaining overall good health.

The digestive system is the corner stone of our wellness. When our gut health is poor, we end up with impaired immune and nervous systems. This is because our gastrointestinal tract is loaded with neurons that release the same neurotransmitters found in the brain. This is why you have "gut feelings" and any upset to this equilibrium can throw your body and mood into chaos.

Have you noticed any food item in particular that is giving you problems?
enigmaticloner
enigmaticloner
@Lenoire I agree, I hate taking medication. Especially when it bothers my stomach. I don't know what food in particular I'm really reacting to since it just seems to be random and anything I eat at times. I do know that sometimes beans cause the extra gas that I seem to have but I have not eaten any in a few months now. Lately I seem to have this bloated feeling and I'm not sure what's causing that either. Especially since I've lost weight due to the lack of an appetite and all the pain.