Doctors say it's IBS but I am not sure! It's making me so depressed! Please help!

Digestive health
1

My story is quite long and now becoming a huge issue in my life! 

About 3 years ago I went to the doctors complaining of stomach pains and finding it hard to lose weight, I am only a size 10/12 but I have now become extremely conscious. The doctor just told me to cut out on unhealthy food (which I am sure you will agree, most people do this if they want to lose weight) this made me feel extremely stupid and I started really doubting myself.

About a year later I still had these pains and they were becoming worse and worse, I would sit around friend houses and would have hot flushes and completely bloat. This is when friends and family became really concerned. I then decided to see another doctor and they just referred me back to this website to look on info about IBS and to cut out wheat. I started to do this but my symptoms carried on, having good and bad days. 

The 3rd time I went back, I asked to be referred, which they did. I had blood tests, ultrasound, biopsy, a stool sample and endoscopy. But nothing abnormal came back and they told me I have IBS and left me to it.

A further year went on and the pain is worse/ still there. I started becoming really tired and having no energy and I started to starve myself on weekends, not because I wanted to lose weight but because I didn't know what I could or couldn't eat. I decided to go back to the doctor and they told me they have done everything and think it is severe IBS.

I am now becoming very depressed as there is nothing I can eat! I really don't feel that it is just IBS and I am not sure what to do as it is so tough living with this. My partner is becoming increasingly worried as I am becoming more and more upset.

I have decided to change my doctor but have not yet have confirmation and I am losing faith of doctors as they make me feel like it something easy to deal with but it is not!  

I now don't like looking at myself as I feel huge because of my constant bloating... I am cutting more and more foods out but it still doesn't help. It is also affecting my social life as anything I eat/ drink bloats me out and makes my stomach feel really unsettled. I really do not know what to do and I don't know if I can go on if this is what I have to deal with for the rest of my life. As I said I am about 90% sure it is not just IBS, please can someone help me as I am at the end of my tether and I as time goes on I am becoming more and more self conscious and more and more depressed about this! Please help me I am desperate!!!! Thank you!! 

2

Hi, do you have a reaction to milk or wheat ?

3

Hi Vicky. I hope you are having a reasonably good day today. One of the snags with IBS is that we are all different and many people will be quick to assume that if they cannot eat this or that then it is the same for you. Some people get ibs but it makes no difference what they eat. I believe that ibs is an imbalance in the gut flora. Your stomach should have mostly good bacteria in it but sometiems this goes wrong either due to taking medications - antibiotics usually - or being under the weather. This can become a problem and manifests itself with bloating, flatulence, burping, stomach rumbling or stomach pain. The doctors are lost because most of them have never studied naturopathy and diet and don't even recognise that gut flora matters. Nor can they see it with scans and x rays so they look and think it looks ok! Some people feel better if they take anti biotics and then find they get bad again when they stop, others who want to get a similar effect eat blue cheese, others take biotics. If you want to go down this road then I would say no fruit, no sugar at all, not even so called natural sugar such as honey, no sweeteners (these can cause diabetes 2 same as sugar can) and more vegetables. The more vegetables the better, the less meat (especially red) and processed and refined foods the better. If you could eat nothing but vegetables for a week I believe you would feel better. Taking a good biotic would help too.

A week ago my stomach was bloated and painful it is now much better and all of the bloating has gone. Because of these things.

The doctors were useless, they would tell me it was an ulcer or hiatus hernia, they were wrong. When I asked three doctors about probiotics and flora they looked puzzled and I had to explain it to them. I would also say that if you take the biotics take them both ends. Take capsules that go down into the stomach and intestine and also empty some on your tongue every day. Making sure you leave the powder there rubbed in for a while to give it time to work.

Taking a multi vitamin pill would help too, as would omega 3 and a good fibre capsule twice a day. These are just my thoughts based on my own experiences and a great deal of research. Hopefully you can get some relief! God bless.

4

Hello Vicks, I'll try to answer with one liners about what works for me. 

I get bloated and can belch for England. Pain can be horrendous.

about 4 years ago I read that symptoms for low stomach acid is the same as for excess acid.

antacids makes it worse if taken regularly.

I tried digestive enzymes with betaine hcl. Amazing result. Worked immediately.

i only needed to take them for approx 3 weeks and I would be ok for about 3 months.

when belching started again I went back on the enzymes.

on the odd occasion when I had an episode that wasn't under control I take a Zantac followed by two dry cream crackers. This would settle it down.

i couldn't understand the mechanism behind the constant gas production.

a recent hospital admission gave me the answer.

i was fitted with a NG tube into my stomach. 

My tummy was starting to bloat. The NG tube bag showed an amber liquid. No pain.

two days after my op the NG bag showed a tiny amount of bile (dark green liquid).

i started to produce gas(belching). The pain started to build.

i ask the nurses to draw off the bile with a syringe. The pain eased.

10 minutes later more bile showed in the bag with horrendous pain. Again the bile was drawn off and the pain eased along with the gas.

i realised then that bile from my bloated bowel was being forced into my stomach. I assume it reacted with the stomach acid to create the gas belching and pain.

when the pressure started to build for the third time I requested a Zantac to suppress the acid and it stopped the reaction.

now I believe two things can cause my problem.

1/ low stomach acid leaves un digested food to ferment in my bowel.

2/ constipation can cause bowel to backup and create above condition.

pain relief I received in the hospital left me severely constipated.

i eat little and often avoid fatty food. 

Since my op I have kept my bowel moving. Two weeks on no enzymes and no gas.

last night I had a bigger meal with veg. Later on I had a bounty. Got bad gas and pain. Took 1x150mg Zantac. Eat 2 dry cream crackers. Ok after 40 minutes. 

Hope this is some help.

A diagnosis of ibs doesn't tell you anything. Only that they don't know what's causeing your symptoms.

 

5

Hi Vicky,

I'm no expert in these problems but the first thing I thought of was that you shouldn't  worry about your weight, at least not at the moment. I'm sure you are beautiful. I would do two things if I were you. One, I would find the best gastroenterologist possible within a reasonable driving range. Don't give up until you find that person. Second, I would find some support. I saw a doctor about some different sorts of issues I was having last year. He offered integrative medicine consultations. He listened to all my problems and then directed me to the doctors he thought could help me. I don't know what you would call someone like that. Even a counselor who is part of a medical community or practice might be able to help. You don't need to get depressed or do this by yourself. I hope that helps a little. Just my thoughts. 

6

Hello Steve, yes cutting out wheat helps a little but not a lot. I have tried cutting out lactose but that makes no difference.

Many thanks.

7

Thank you so much Carmel. I usually have a prebiotic yoghurt every morning but I will definatley see if I can get some of the tablets to take. I am really good at taking my vitamins but not so good with the probiotics.

Thank you again! 

8

You are very welcome Vicky. Ina way if you do the biotics but stil eating the wrong foods it wont work and vice versa. You need to make sure you do everything all at the same time. Once you are all sorted you can eat those things that irritated you before with no problem.

9

Hello Gallee,

That is so interesting as this is also what I get. I will definatley look into this, I have never heard of this and I can be doubled over with pain and get a lot of flactulence.

Once again thank you very much! 

10

Hello Shirley,

I do pay for private health so I definitely will see different gastroenterologists. I can always pick between different hospitals so I think I may try a different hospital this time.

Thank you!

11

Thank you, currently I do have a very good diet and exercise regularly as I am very conscious that eating wrong foods can cause problems, for example anything fatty and oily... Big no no. I absolutely love my veg smile and I try not to eat anything too high in salt or sugar. 

12

I understand and know it is hard. But you would have to elminate ALL sugar and yeast and build up the rest for a while including the biotics. If you do everything right except for a bit of sugar etc then it is not going to help.

13

I will have a look into this and start tomorrow if possible. I can pick up some biotics and cut out sugar as of tomorrow.

Many thanks.

14

Hi Vicky. If you do decide to do this please make sure no sugar, no sweetners - not even fruit. You can get biotics online cheaper than from the shop. Try to also cut down on protein carbohydrate. NO BREAD. NO PASTRY.

Loads of veg. If you can go one week eating nothing but vegetables and taing the biotics you ought to see a good improvement. If the biotics say take one a day you will need to double that as one a day is for people who are ok as a maintenance dose. Am only telling you what worked for me and hope it works for others too. A lot of naturopaths agree that ibs can be cured and it is all down to diet but not a case of eat this and dont eat that as that is just a drop in the ocean if you do not do it properly.

15

Thank you so much for all you advise. I will look into getting them online. I am willing to try anything so it will be interesting to see if it works.

16

One other thing my wife has suffered for years with ibs type problems. Recently diagnosed as having pancreatitis. This causes pain on eating and gas. It has helped taking digestive enzymes but not a cure. They can detect this in a blood sample. Just something else to be aware of.