questions for IBS peoples?

[blood_tears]

having been through and done all the yucky-stomach things i have in the past 57 weeks, i want to ask a bunch of questions to anyone with IBS. Maybe its just the emet in me or maybe im hypochondriac or something like that but i'm having alot of trouble believing my doctors on this one for a few reasons and i would like to see if i am right or not...


1) how long have you had IBS? how old were you when you first had symptoms? did you lose any weight because of it and if so, how much?


2) how did you get the diagnosis? what tests did they preform? what specialiasts did you see?


3) what treatments have you tried and how did they work? specifically, have you tried buscopan, and if so at what dose/schedual and how did that work for you?


4) what symptoms did/do you have? be specific, esp concerning any pain you may have had (ie: type, location...did it move or was it constant? how often?) but other symptoms as well.


finally: were you ever able to feel or see anything weird when it came to your stomach. ie: were you able to see the muscles jump in weird ways or feel something hard where the pain was?


I'm asking these questions because i really dont think i have ibs but my doctors arent so much listening to me. i got the diagnosis in august but even back then my bloodwork was really off and they keep asking to repeat it. ive lost over 50 lbs and am now close to 100 lbs and 5 feet tall.


i saw a GI back in august and will be going back when he gets back from vacation. but in the first appointment, he took a family history, put his hands on ym stomach for less than 30 seconds and told me I had IBS. and my GP did some blood and stool tests before she sent me to him but never showed him the results. I guess thats part of why i have trouble believeing this.


i went to a dietician and even follow her diet really close to the letter for a month. it made me incredibly ill, even after she revised it again and again. now im trying the buscopan, at 10 mg before every meal or about 30 mg a day. they said i could go between 10 and 60 mg but im afraid to go any higher becuase of the effects of coming off of it and this isnt working for me. the pahrmacist had even said that i probably should need more than 10 to 20 mg a day...


other than that the symptom that concerns me most is an almost constant pain in the upper left part of my abdomin, just beneath the ribs, and the fact that every time you touch that area, it feels hard unlike the rest of my belly. however when i pointed this out to my gp, she didnt care. ok, actually she said, try the buscopan, but never even did an examination...


but maybe im just freaking over nothing?

[sillygirl]

I am a definitely an IBS sufferer, and after reading your posting, I am not sure that IBS is your problem. First I will try and answer your questions . . .


1) I have had IBS for about 5 years now. It started when I was 19 and has been off and on since then. I have lost some weight, about 10 pounds or so. I am very small to begin with: 5'3" and I only weighed about 107 lbs when I was healthy. I am now fluctuating between 95 and 100 - my worst time being at 92 lbs.


2) In a way I self-diagnosed. I did A LOT of research on the web, and when I figured that IBS was probably the cause, I saw my gp. They ran blood tests and stool cultures and did a general exam of pushing all over my stomach. They also got a family history (which does not include any IBS). I saw a GI doc who looked at my test results from my gp, did another exam and asked me some more questions. He seemed a little concerned about the indegestion and upper-stomach problems I was having and prescribed Protonix which seemed to help.


3) Several antispasmodic drugs have been prescribed for me, but I have always been afraid to try them because of my emet (v* is a listed side effect). I did a careful study of my diet and found several foods that seem to trigger problems (mainly dairy, spicy foods, and raw vegetables). I knew a lot of my problem was also triggered by stress, so I actually tried a self-hypnosis program that worked wonders for me. I was never given buscopan so I can't help you there.


4) My problems usually start out with a lot of gas in my intestines. I feel it rumbling around in there for a while, then eventually I works it's way out - along with other things. I have a combination of d* and constipation usually. I feel like I have to go really bad, like I might not even make it to the bathroopm, but when I get there, little if anything comes out after the first couple of times. The pain I get is like an intense cramping feeling in my lower stomach. It does seem to kind of move around as everything moves through my system. I'm not sure if it is related or not, but I also get a lot of indegestion and some sharp pains just to left, right under my ribcage. This is what the Protonix was for and it made it all go away. My GI doc said that your stomach can mimic the IBS problems, and even though there is no ulcer, it acts like there is.


I can't say I ever say anything or felt hardness in areas, but I never really looked. I know my husband has felt hard lumps in his stomach that were really just gas pockets - Gas-X really helped him.


It's hard to say whether not you just have IBS, but I definitely think you should go get a second opinion. If you don't feel comfortable with your doctors, go see someone knew. IBS seems to be the catch-all these days for stomach problems - especially if you are young. My husband went to the doctor and he was told he just had IBS when it was really H. Pylori and it ended up causeing an ulcer. I think IBS acts a little differently in everyone, but because there is no way to test for it, you need to be comfortable that every other test has been doen to rule everything else out. Especially since your blood work was a little off, you should ask for some more testing. Ask as many questions as you can. Do a lot of research so you can come up with questions and possible causes of your problem. That's what finally cured my husband - his mom is a nurse and suggested H. Pylori, so we suggested it to the doctor, she did the test and lo and behold - that was the problem!


I hope you find an answer and a treatment that works for you. I know I kind of rambled here, but if you have any more questions, let me know!

[blood_tears]

they had me on ovol 180 mg (canadian verson of gas-x im guessing?) with every meal for a few weeks. i kept telling them it was doing nothing for me, they kept insisting it was. on good friday however, they took me to the hospital for the extreme pain...despite being on the pills...

[sillygirl]

I would definitely get a second opinion. You should not be suffering like this. Even if it is IBS, there are a bunch of options to try and treat it. If one thing doesn't work (which it obviously isn't) they need to try something else - something a little stronger. Good luck and feel better!

[kate1966]

Hey...I have had IBS for over 20 yrs...with no "real" diagnosis as of yet...I am too afraid to have the endoscopy and colonoscopy done...However the new symtoms of this nausea I am having and have been having for a long time now is going to make me go back for the tests...which I absolutely dread more than anything in the whole wide world...My IBS symptons range from gas...bloating...moderate to severe diarreaha.....moderate to severe cramping...urgency...I know there is more....I have been to a gastro twice...he has done the stool test...blood tests...fructose test...celiac test...all of which came back negative....now he said there was "some" blood traces" in my stool sample...so he indeed wanted to do a colonoscopy....well i freaked out...cancelled the appt...and never went back...I have done this twice...i know they think i am freak....i guess i am in a way...just scared though....however this new and oh my gosh so horrible nausea i have been experiencing is going to be the straw that breaks my back...i cannot deal with this.....so I have been on several meds for IBS>...mainly Digestive Advantage for IBS....I have tried Lotronex...lord I miss that stuff....tried several over the counter things....levsin...levbid...a few others i can't remember...anyway...sounds to me like you need a second opinion...they should do way more tests than just feeling your stomach...try for a new doc....Oh and for the muscle jumping thing....I HAVE IT>.....feels like there is an alien in there doing jumping jacks...well more like a large ripple as if you were under water....i feel strange and weird things in my stomach all the time...you are not alone in this...IBS is so strange and can change from one day to the next....i have experienced this first hand....so if you have any more questions...please feel free to ask.....I love to talk to my IBS friends too...Kat

[aguerra29]

I have had IBS for about 2+ years. It started when my dad got remarried after my mom passed away. They say it's onset usually coinsides with a traumatic or stressful event in your life.

My Dr. did many tests. Stool sample and the absolute worst test ever - Barium Enema. Nothing was wrong.

My doctor said I should get more fiber in my diet which will regulate me. I ought the fiber pills, but i am horrible at taking them, so I can't say if they will work or not.

I will sometimes watch my stomach and will see weird things going on. I also have had that "hard" feeling you talk about too.

I also tried to keep a journal of what I eat and how it affects me, so I can learn what things to avoid.

The sharp pains near your ribcage sound like heartburn to me. I also get those pains on the left, by my heart.

I was very "obsessed" with IBS for a long time, but as my emet got worse my IBS is on the back burner. I guess it's like I don't care what comes out that way as long as I don't v*.

What has helped me too, is getting on Lexapro - anti-depressant. I am a very Type A personality and would stay stressed out most of the time. All of my stress was in my stomach. Once I started taking Lexapro, I calmed down alot and don't so stressed out over "little" things.

[blood_tears]

thanks for responding everyone. I am just waiting for the GI to come back from vacation (seems like he has been gone forever!) and call me for another appointment. i think the GP finally got tired of me complaining (or maybe it was the last 5 lbs i lost when i am supposed to be gaining weight...). in any case i am hoping this appointment will go a little better but i dont think it will. after all i have been waiting since the week after easter just to get the phone call to book the appointement, and have walked into the GI office (its a block form my house,,,) 3 times already only to get told they dont know when i can even book an appointment yet...


*sighs* i swear i love the medical system.