Irritable Bowel Syndrome Treatment

Question by Erica C: undiagnosed, and untreated thyroid disease symptoms?
My mom, her two sisters, her mom, her sisters kids (my cousins) all have some sort of thyroid disease, it’s only the youngest and newest addition girls in the family that have not yet been diagnosed with some form of thyroid disease. I started loosing hair and feeling gravely depressed when I was 11. When I was 11 I also started my period, my very first one was very painful, made me sick, it was very heavy and I clotted for the first few days. My periods were like this and lasted for two weeks before finally giving me a break. My mom took me to the doctors for my hair loss, I had blood tests done (I can’t even remember what they were) but when they came back my doctor told me my iron was a little low, but that’s all that showed on the results. He said my depression and stress was probably what was contributing to my hair loss.

I’m 23 now, and haven’t been to the doctors since then, except for an occasional physical for employment.

My symptoms have increased since then, and only now have I realized that they are symptoms of thyroid disease. My symptoms include,
I’m tired most of the time
I have a hard time falling asleep, staying asleep, or falling back asleep when I’ve woken in the middle of the night.
I get occasional ringing in my right ear
I have dry bumpy and/or scaly skin on my arms, parts of my back, my neck, sides of my thighs and on my buttocks.
I am depressed
I have a terrible time concentrating or staying on topic, as well as memory problems.
I am overweight and am having a really hard time gaining the bodily and emotional energy it requires to exercise
my toes are 80 percent of the time cold
I sweat 24/7 but only in my underarms, private areas and under my breasts
I used to have an increased menstrual flow, but now I’ve been so light, I can only see very little pink on toilet paper when I wipe, and some months I go without a period which is a huge change from how my periods used to be. But whether they’re light or heavy, I get terrible cramps in my ovarian area.
I am extremely irritable, and my emotions are all over the place one second happy the other sad…
I feel anxious and nervous, and can never stand still for long
my hands shake for a couple days after any sort of exercise
I have had panic attacks and nervous breakdowns
I have frequent bowel movements, which are usually loose
my appetite is outrageous
my blood pressure always used to be low, but with a fast heart rate, now its high with an even higher heart rate
i get to where i feel that i hate myself at least a few times a month, and its taking a terrible toll and making my depression worse
i get light headed and i get dizzy every time i use the elevator at work
i have very little desire to do anything but lay in bed
i have a puffy face, although i am overweight, but i lost a good deal of weight once before and even then my face stayed puffy
im snoring more lately
I have developed carpal-tunnel syndrome
Things that I have going on with me, that I’m not sure have anything to do with thyroid diseases are my butt cheeks stay cold all the time, even if I’ve been laying in bed for hours on them, my knuckles and toes have been bothering me, my breasts are swollen and tender no matter what time of the month it is, ive developed a cough that wont go away, my inner right ear itches and swells, goes away and then itches and swells again, my inner right ear tends to hurt sometimes too…. and i’ve read that a loss in sex drive or no sex drive can come from hypo, but i have an increased sex drive, like want it all the time, could that be a symptom too?

but so basically ive been all kinds of jacked up, and my symptoms keep piling, but i never thought about thyroid until recently when my memory has been foggy. I’ve been trying to conceive and with my missing periods and sore breasts I was searching to see if a foggy brain was a symptom too, and then i came across thyroid symptoms. and now that ive had them laid out in front of me i realize how bad ive felt, well i guess i always new, but i put it in the back of my mind, and just lived with it all, but im getting too depressed, too forgetful, and i only ever sleep well with a sleep aide, and its all becoming too frustrating, and too much to live with.

I get insurance with my new employer this month and will be going to the doctors, but what im wondering until then is, if ive had these symptoms for so long, and it turns out i do have some form of thyroid disease, what sort of things could of by now gone wrong with my thyroid gland, or other parts of my body by now. I mean…. I’ve gone undiagnosed and untreated for so long, what could this mean for me? any one know from experience?

Best answer:

Answer by D V
When you stay away from doctors for 13 years that’s what happens. You can die from thyroid problems that are untreated for years… I would go NOW if I were you.

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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.

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Question by Mommy Of Girls: Strange pregnancy symptoms?
My story begins 3 months ago on July 11. On a camping trip my mother suddenly passed away. We were VERY close & i have been highly stressed every since. On July 20 i found out i was pregnant with my 2nd child. August 1 i ended up going to the ER with chest pains, turned out i had a sinus infection & bronchitis. The ER doctor gave me Amoxicillin 875mg to take twice a day. 5 days later i started throwing up yellow stuff & had yellowish stools. I talked to my OB & was advised to stop the amoxicillin. 4 days after stopping the medicine i started getting painful abdominal cramps that were relived by gas, bowel movements or hot baths. These pains lasted for about a week then left as oddly as they came. About 2 weeks later they came back & lasted for 1day. Another 2 weeks later they returned & again lasted one day.

The past week or so the pains have come back & have been more on my right side under my ribs & on my left side too & ive been nauseous since yesterday. My bowels have some mucus in them, and the stools are very loose.

Im 18wks pregnant & am wondering if anyone else has experienced this?! Ive been reading a lot online & have read that antibiotics can induce IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) any ideas?

Best answer:

Answer by *Kelly*
Sounds like it could def be IBS. I’m sorry you’re goin through this, it sucks I know.

If your OB isn’t helping with the GI symptoms, ask for a referral to a Gastroenterologist.

Good luck!

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Question by Ben: Can you help me figure out what is wrong? I’ll give you the symptoms?
Ok so this year has been a stressful one, considering I am competing to get into medical school. My diet has not been the best, and my exercise level is very minimal. In saying that, I wouldn’t say I am unfit. I can still run without passing out lol.

Now, I’ve been experiencing a few things this year, most of which have increased recently, and here are a few:

- I pee way too much (like at least twice an hour)
- I am having dull aching pains in my middle- lower abdomen and back region
Sometimes that pain radiates up to my arms and shoulders?
- My arm just goes numb every now and then
- I have acid reflux (sometimes almost all the way up to my throat)
- My feet become swollen (not very swollen but swollen) when I walk perhaps for 15 minutes straight?

Those are the most important, annoying symptoms I can think of. Although I am a pre-med student, I have no idea what this could be. I was thinking maybe a urinary tract infection or irritable bowel syndrome? But then I don’t understand the acid reflux. Can someone please advise?

Btw, I am 18 years old. 193 cm and weigh 105 Kg.

Thanks for your help guys

Best answer:

Answer by Brad
My guess would be the urinary tract infection or possibly kidney disease?

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Question by ★☆W.a.b.b.y✿❀: I was diagnosed with IBS & Fibromyalgia, but the symptoms are now all gone!?
I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in 2008 (aged 18). Prior to that and up until 1 year ago I had chronic wide spread body pains. But in the past 6 months nearly all of my symptoms have gone or changed. I rarely get headaches, I don’t have wide spread pain (I have worse pain in my knees only) and most of my other symptoms have disappeared.

I was also diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I’ve been running to the bathroom 3+ times a day and would be in a great deal of abdominal pain. But I have been symptom free for at least 6 months now

Is it likely I’m in ‘remission’ of these symptoms? Or that I never had them in the first place? Or that I’m ‘cured’?

(I’m seeing a rheumatologist about my remaining symptoms as they seem to fit in with an autoimmune condition, rather than Fibromyalgia)
Nothing else has changed. If anything, I’m more stressed.

Best answer:

Answer by Joan Haworth
Have you had a change in your life, like a new love, a new job, happier with your job or life now, any stresser that is gone, or any infections that have bee n treated, like periodontal [gum] disease, or any medicines you stopped or started,or have you changed your diet to be more healthy, or have you found a way to relax, as with yoga?

The Mind-Body connection is very real and can make a big difference in your health and pain.
I have personally experienced it and know others that have also.

You really had them, but something improved them.

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