Irritable Bowel Syndrome Treatment

Question by Nicole M: Am I just going crazy?
For about 2 years now I’ve been getting severe stomach aches everyday. I also get numb/tingling feeling in my hands and feet and occasionally pass out with the pains. I went to the doctor and he passed it off as irritable bowel syndrome, and gave me pills to help treat it. Obviously, it wasn’t IBS, none of the symptoms match. I went back after another month of taking the pills and no results, and I went to have a colonoscopy and an EDG. They took a biopsy and found nothing. I’m not asking for a diagnosis, but does anyone have any idea what it possibly could be (or what I should do)?

Best answer:

Answer by chapaton
It could be MS.
I would go to the neurologist, not a GI doctor to get things ruled out.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Question by : Could I possibly know just days after conception that I am pregnant?
11 days ago my husband and I had sex and used a vcf spermicidal film, followed the directions, and afterward when I went into the bathroom, there was the film on the toilet paper. Contraceptive FAIL. So the next day I started my period, we had sex again a few times toward the end of my period, once with a condom, once with a spermicidal gel. Ended my period, more sex with gel.

Anyway at this point I cannot tell if I’m psyching myself out, or if these symptoms are legit. So far I have tingling in my nipples, and labias. I have had an aching like bloating about to start my period bloating. Although im 19 days off from starting my period. I’ve had lower back pain, i work in a cubicle for 10 hours a day and now its TORTURE. Im standing, sitting, pacing, stretching. I sleep maybe 4 good hours a night, nap whenever possible, but am sort of tired more than i should be. I get random waves of nausea, sometimes they make me gag. I have been craving apple juice, nestle drumsticks, and peanut brittle. My breasts are slightly larger but dont hurt. And I have been crying at random. I really cried at a pillsbury commercial (dont judge me, it was touching) and (sorry) i have been super gassy.

I took a pregnancy test, it came back negative. Thats to be expected when you take it 23 days before your period.

So serious opinions please, could i be having pregnancy symptoms this soon, or do i have vertigo/pulled muscle/irritable bowel syndrome/ random girly part tingling/ seasonal depression all at once?

Best answer:

Answer by Angela Bendura
Most of those symptoms don’t occur untill farther one, like two months in. My doctor told me before that if you worry about it enough your body can start acting like it’s real. I guess all you can really do is wait it out and if your period is a no-show, take another test.

Give your answer to this question below!

Question by Jessica: Please help me with these bowel symptoms. Just IBS?
-I eat lots of fiber, I like to think it helps (a slice of whole wheat bread daily, only whole wheat pasta, and often eat all bran buds dry – no milk).
-Chocolate milk and Ice cream = INTENSE abdominal pain, needing a bathroom within 30 seconds or ELSE, gas, abdominal distension, nausea (although I have never actually vomited from it). This usually goes away after getting to a bathroom and staying there for about 10 minutes.
-I often get very watery diarrhea without any pain or distension for no explainable reason for a few days in a row (no trigger foods that I can think of).
-I CAN drink milk, if I down it very quickly it will make me sick or drink it on an empty stomach, however it doesn’t usually cause intense symptoms.
-sometimes I get the urge to need a bathroom immediately for no reason at all, when I haven’t eaten anything recently or have only eaten what is normally a “safe” food.
-During severe episodes I often notice that the food is very undigested in the diarrhea (sorry a lot of information but I figured it important)
-I have mucous in my stool every once in a while
-I never have blood in my stool.
-I am very often fatigued even though I sleep 8 hours a night and go to bed/rise on a fairly regular schedule.
-Last time I was at the doctors I had blood drawn and they said they would call me if anything was abnormal, they did not call so my LAB values are apparently all in line.

I am in my mid-20’s and these symptoms have been occurring since my mid to late teens. My mother and sister also experience them but not nearly to the severity that I do. I mentioned everything to my doctor and he said that I likely have Irritable Bowel Syndrome and left it at that. My symptoms vary in severity, I can go through a month where I have diarrhea every day and then a month where it is rare.

I AM going to bring this up again with my doctor and push to have it looked into but in the mean time I am curious of other opinions? It this just IBS in your opinion, what about lactose sensitivity, crohns, celiac? Anyone want to offer their input?

And please…no responses saying “Go get that looked at” that is already the plan.

Best answer:

Answer by geek_girl_JW
Hi Jessica, the bad thing with these symptoms can be narrowing it down to a definite diagnosis, since these are symptoms of quite a few intestinal disorders. Start a journal and write down both what you eat and all your symptoms after eating. This will be useful to take to the doctor. Also google “allergy elimination diet” and give that a try. Stick with it even though it might be tough, but it will be worth it. I’m betting you have lactose intolerance, I think that’s the most common food issue there is.

I had similar troubles once, and it turned out I had ovarian cancer! I’m not trying to scare you, I’m just saying women especially should never ignore symptoms like these. But don’t worry over it, since it runs in your family, I really think it’s a food issue in your case.

What do you think? Answer below!

Question by New_Mama2009: I just found out that I am 18 weeks pregnant..Any similar stories?
Here is a kicker…I just found out today that I am between 4 and 5 months pregnant….I thought I was only about a month. I was on the pill, and decided to change to Loestrin at the end of July 2009. I had a normal period in June, July and August. The August period was light, but i assumed this was because of the change of birth control. I also spotted all of August and September, but the doctor assured me this was because my body was getting used to the birth control. So I had a very very light period at the end of September. I thought something was wrong, especially since me and my bf had some condom problems, so I took a pg test to be sure…it was negative.

So I decided not to take the pill for the month of October, so my period could reset itself. Well, I didn’t get my period, and I took another pg test and it was faintly positive. Took another one a week later, same thing. Then took another one a week later, and it was positive.

So I make my appt with my OBGYN, and today, He told me that I am 4-5 weeks pregnant…probably 18 weeks. If you can imagine, I almost hit the floor.

I had no symptoms, no sickness or anything. I did gain some weight, because I havent been able to go to the gym b/c i hurt my leg over the summer; and I have been eating like a pig at times, but I thought it was coincidental. So now I’m thinking back to all of the symptoms that I mistakened for my irritable bowel syndrome. The constipation, heartburn and i thought I was having gas movements and bloating, not knowing it’s my baby moving in there. The urination was normal because I drink alot of water anyways, so I did not think anything about that. And I am showing a little bit, but I thought it was bloating from my IBS. It is very normal for me to bloat up b/c of constipation and gas. I also had acne, but that is also a result of my stomach problems.

I hope my baby is ok..I am praying to God that everything is ok. I ate some sushi over the summer and had a few drinks back in august and september…nothing too much, just a few mixed drinks and a few beers at some BBQs…and I took my birth control while pregnant and I’m just picking my brain like I hope I didn’t do anything to jeopardize the health of my baby. I take vitamins everyday, and I have good eating habits.

I’m 25, and my boyfriend is 25 as well. My boyfriend is excited, and his family is excited. I haven’t told my family, I just hope they will be able to cope with this. I just started a new job, and I am about to graduate with my 2nd Master’s degree (around the time I am due). My bf will be finished with his degree in May 2010, and he is up for a promotion at his job too. I guess all of this happened for a reason, as so many blessings have just happened in the past 2 weeks.

I have my first ultra sound next monday, and I will find out the due date, and the sex of the baby. I am still in shock. I hope I haven’t been rambling on, I’m just so shocked about this, and needed to share my story.
Thanks for all of the support..i have seen the show “i didn’t know i was pregnant” and would have never guessed i would be one of those women who didnt show any symptoms. Im just thankful that I didn’t have any sickness. My Dr. said that the baby’s heart rate sounds good and the baby was moving yesterday, and I could hear it. So what i thought was gas is my baby..and it does move alot! It’s weird because since we have been telling ppl, i am starting to show even more, OVERNIGHT!

Yesterday i got a few blood tests, to test for HIV, down syndrome and all of that, and the next three weeks I will be going back a few times to get more tests done. I will keep everyone posted, and let you know how my ultra sound goes on Monday!!!

Best answer:

Answer by Welcome Eden Quade! 4/21/2009
Wow! lol sounds like you got alot goin on for you huh! Imagine.. “Hey mom I’m pregnant!” “Really? How far along??” “Oh not too far just 3 and half months!” “Second trimester already?! What happened to the first one!?” lol anywho I really hope you have the best of luck with this. That’s a crazy story and I’d be wanting my doctors to do all kinds of tests, extra ultrasounds (especially since he said it was normal for that to happen) and everything to make sure that baby is ok. Because it inst just the alcohol that could harm him (and sushi is fine btw.. ppl often get the wrong idea… its the RAW fish that is bad… i love sushi and eat it all the time) its the birth control u were on too… get everything checked out.. dont overlook a THING

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Question by Katie: Diverticulitis? Could it just be a really bad case of Lactose Intolerance?
My mum was diagnosed with Diverticulitis, and a few years later my son was born, 8 months after her was born we found out the reason he was so upset and crying and full of diarrhea all the time was because he was Lactose Intolerant. I found a check list, and took it to my mum, and she said that was what she was going through. So she gave up anything with Lactose, now she has lost a heap of weight and she doesn’t have Diverticulitis anymore. My MIL has all the symptoms but she is adamant that one’s got nothing to do with the other. My BIL reckons he has Irritable Bowel Syndrome, he has all the symptoms too, and thinks that he’s not Lactose Intolerant. I’m just wondering why you wouldn’t give it a go at least, I would and did, and now I’m better too. Because it obviously passes though the family.

Has anyone else had this experience???

Best answer:

Answer by thetruth
I imagine they had a proper test to be diagnosed with Diverticulitis, to be diagnosed they must find the small pouches in the lining of the colon, or large intestine (each pouch is called a diverticulum).
When the pouches become inflamed, the condition is called diverticulitis. Now…Doctors are not certain what causes diverticula to become inflamed, could the lactose be related to causing inflammation? and once they stopped consuming products with lactose their symptoms got better? is it possible they still have it? and is just not causing any problems right now?
Is a valid question….I would look further in to it, there might be a connection.
Good Luck!

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!