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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 4/9/2008 9:35 PM (GMT 0)
Hey everyone! I'm Kristyn. I was diagnosed with IBS 5 years ago and I'm still confused. At times, my symptoms are bad enough to make me believe its something else, such as Celiac or Crohn's. I've been hospitalized and put on Prednisone and had doctors do further tests including blood work, flexible sigmoidoscopy(5 years ago), Colonoscopy(2 years ago). I was to go for a barrium swallow 2 years ago and didn't. None of my symptoms started until after I gave birth to my first child 6 years ago.

I can go a while without symptoms and then go in and out of symptoms for a year. I've always felt that my symptoms have had more to do with my immune system not acting properly, than the first diagnoses that was thrown at me, IBS. I might also add that I already have autoimmune thyroid disease and must take synthetic hormones daily. There is a fairly strong link between autoimmune diseases and the fact that you are then more likely to have another autoimmune disease on top of it.

Lately, my symptoms are returning full power. I went from normal BM's with occasional constipation, gradually into diarrhea. The change is gradual, with the between stage being sticky, tar-like, or just frothy, with undigested food and mucus. I have cramping in lower ab, and very painful cramps before and during BM's. My BM's are now watery and the change in my BM's began 4 days ago.

So my question is, why do my symptoms seem to go away for long(wonderful)periods of time, and then come again and make me so sick? Is undigested food in BM's typical of IBS? I'd just love to know if my story makes sense to everyone because I've really never talked to anyone else about this before.

Thanks so much!
Kristyn :)
Posted 4/9/2008 9:44 PM (GMT 0)
Prednisone --I was under the impression that this is only given to people with Crohn's. If you had no visible inflammation, why on earth were you put on it? From what I've read from Crohnie's, it's got a lot of side effects and they prefer to not have to take it.

Sarita on here has thyroid problems too (not sure if too much or not enough), but actually bowel problems are very much linked with thyroid problems. Are you getting checked frequently to make sure your thyroid medicine is working good enough?

Also, how are your female hormones? Those can wreak havoc on your bowels if they are out of whack, and it seems telling that your bowel problems started post-baby. Also, have you had your gall bladder checked with a hida scan when you are in one of your bad periods? Your symptoms aren't overwhelmingly gall bladder-like, but then they are not inconsistant with them either and, actually, gall bladders have a tedency to go bad during pregnancy or just after.

And yes, undigested food is commonly seen in anyone having diarrhea/loose stool. I think everyone on here who's had diarrhea has seen their food floating in the toliet! Totally normal.
Posted 4/9/2008 9:56 PM (GMT 0)
They put me on prednisone because I was very sick and had blood in my BM. They didn't know what else to do and it worked. It was right before I had my colonoscopy surgery done. I had a polyp removed at that time, which they did not attribute to the cause of bleeding. They could not give me any more answers. The other reasons I was put on prednisone were that I had swollen glands and a persistant high fever with no other symptoms of illness. Based on the facts at the time, I think they did what they needed to to snap my body out of whatever it was doing.
Posted 4/10/2008 1:02 AM (GMT 0)
Hello ,
I am new as well. I realy dont no were to start. But i will start with the year 2000 ,i had endometriose.Found by laporscopy. After ...my pain was gone till 2004. Pain came back worse then ever. I thought the endo came back again was the cause of my pain . from 2004 i been through 5 gyno docters , trying to get one to do another lap on me. Finely January 14th 2009 i had surgery a nother laposcopy. Was so happy ! finely i can get rid of this pain for couple more years and get off pain meds . Surgery found no endo but they found 4 inchs of bowel that attached it self to my belly button. And my utars the lineling of it is very giveing . Befor this surg i been bleeding for a year stright . Also a cest on ovary.They cut the walling out of it so i dont get another one to carry around for as long as i did .5 years of so much pain , ER trip after ER trip no answers of wy till now . Well its been 4months sence surg . I still have same pain ,so i just had a Endoscopy and Colonoscopy.I had this done the 3d of april not long ago . I have a hurnia the size of a golf ball , that causes me so much heart burn and pain in chest .So i have GERD And My GI thinks IBS-C he thinks . I am use to being in the gray area of such things like this . But i am realy tired of it because its somthing else to not be belived or treated as a drug seeker or addict. I been on oxycodine a year 4 months now . I felt the colonoscopy :( Docter said is because i been on oxycodine sigh. So i went to my reg docter monday . He droped me to hydrocodine 7.5 because i stay like a pluged up bath tub that is cloged by to much hair LOL . Sence i can rember i have had bowel problems . I have had 3 hurnia surgerys from childhood in to my adult hood, caused by pushing to have a bowel movement . I have been on pain meds off and on sence 1999 but only the last year and half have i been on them every day . My GI put me on a bowel med called AMITIZA 24 mgs . And for the hurnia 1100 mgs of gerd . I tryed the bowel pill the night of the colon nightmar . And oh my G! i had the chills so bad and puked for couple hours. I called my GI back and he said its not the pill you need to go to the ER . Wait couple days and try the pill again *he says. Has anyone tryed this pill ? would like to know and if did did it work ? . I am 31 years old and i have been through hell with medical problems. I also have epilepsy and i started haveing seisures again the last year as well. Not had one in years till now . My Gyno has offerd to take my utars out sence it likes to be giveing . And from what i had read that time of the month makes IBS even worse . And i know i am in bed and stay there till it at least slows to a drip . But when it gears up hell brakes loose . I always have fevers pain up in my rectum, cramps ,shooting pain in my legs at times . Sharp pain in my belly area like someone draging my insides out while i wake . 5 years of hell and just when i get a answer i think ok i should be well . I get this IBS-C that docters dont realy know how to treat it but with , Anti-D bowel meds and pain meds . I cant help but wounder if its somthing else but from what i have read . This is the norm , would love to here anyone who has any advice for me . Or just want to tell me your story .I feel more alone then ever . I thought i had problems with the endo shiz! now i got more then i can handle .Sorry for the spelling i am on so many meds for this and that .Hydro 7.5 3 times aday zanxs 0.5 twice aday , birthcontrol low does >dont work .Now Gerd 1100 mgs and this bowel pill AMITIZA twice a day . I have not started these last two pills , i am waiting for my husband to be home in case it cause me problems . I dont do well with pills lucky to be on what i am . Also has anyone droped from oxy to hydo ? i feel more pain :( sence i droped down to the hydro sigh ..i ask to do this . Because if i get my utars out here soon . I want to be able to manage my pain unlike the colonoscopy . THAT was like being awake in surgery as they cut in to you , i was screaming through the hole thing . Anyone else had this problem of manageing pain with up coming surgerys ? I am despreat for anyone to give me any info . With this said i wish you all a day of relief from this pain .And its nice to meet all of you :)
Posted 4/10/2008 8:20 AM (GMT 0)

Hi tiny_rooster_girl!  Welcome to the forums.  I am so sorry you are having such a terrible time with pain.  You will find many empathetic and compassionate friends here.

My first thought regarding your IBS C has to do with meds you are currently taking.  Speaking for myself, as one who has struggled with C for 30 years, I couldn't take even ONE oxy or hydro without ending up with a colon impaction.  These drugs are notoriously constipating.  You probably already know that.  For those of us who lean toward C, trying to control pain without the aid of drugs like these is a challenge.  Are you taking a stool softener?

The degree of pain that I experience daily is always the direct result of the quality of BM's.  If I am plugged up at all, I will have discomfort all day long, until I have sufficiently emptied my guts.  For me, even gas and trapped gas is the result of waste that is not moving itself out efficiently.  The goal is to keep things moving regularly.  I manage this by taking herbal supplements daily, drinking TONS of water, avoiding foods that I know will bind me up, and eating foods that I know will help me go.  In addition, some kind of activity is helpful in getting things going, even if it's nothing more than cleaning the house or walking to the corner store.  When I'm in a particularly bad way with pain, I will use a heating pad on the belly and do some gut massage in an attempt to "stir things up and out".  When it comes to medications, the first question I ask the doc is how will it effect my gut.  I was recently told I am borderline anemic but I know that iron supplements will cause extreme C.  Instead, I have increased my intake of iron rich foods, in conjunction with vitamin C for absorption.  Hopefully, I can correct this situation without taking a pill that will cause more problems than the original diagnosis.

Amitiza has been discussed at great length on this forum.  Many people have had adverse side effects from this drug.  If you check out some of the older threads I am sure you will find lots of info on how people have responded to this treatment.

After 35 years of dealing with IBS, and after taking every drug available to "treat" the symptoms, I have concluded that there is nothing in pill form that is going to work for me.  That is only my experience, of course.  Many folks found relief with Zelnorm (not on the market any longer) but for me, it had terrible side effects.  I've taken the anti-spasmodics, anti-depressants, and anti-anxiety drugs as well.  Nothing works for my condition.  I have had to turn toward more "alternative" treatments (such as the herbal supplements) and dietary approaches to improve my condition.  Even these methods don't work ALL the time.  But sometimes the most effective approach is to eliminate the things we know will have a negative effect.  It's as good a place to start as any!

Hope this helps!

Posted 4/10/2008 4:37 PM (GMT 0)
thanks for the reply gut
I not been doing anyover the counter bowel softners. Good point you have , i will start today on that . I have been on every diet there is , over 5 years tryed everything . No fruits that did'nt work so i went after this surg on to a high fiber . I found it blowed me up even worse!.Bad nough i look prego all the time it just made it more painful . So now i just make a book of foods that bug me , i write down and try to stick with that . All i know to do at this point . I know its taken a toll on my my reltionship this last year and my self . I dont want the pain meds , i know there are bad for the bowel :( but i fear at this point geting off them . Because i still have at least 3 times aweek , were i am on my knees praying god please. But i am cuting back and going down , as i do this trying to make sure its not fake pain while i have real pain . Thanks for the reply i feel less alone and i feel i have a place to go to outher then my hubby . He carrys the load alot and its goten heavy .
thanks again :)
Posted 4/10/2008 4:49 PM (GMT 0)

KristynS,

I have Crohn's and Thyroid Disease.  I also believe I have IBS, as that was my original diagnosis (that and gallbladder issues) for 8 years before being diagnosed with Crohn's, and my biggest stomach issue seems to be stomach spasms.  Years of multiple tests showed nothing but GERD (and endometriosis), until finally, a capsule endoscopy showed inflammation and ulcers in my small intestines.  If you really believe you have something more than IBS and it's not showing up on your colonoscopies, see if your doctor or any doctor in the area (I had to switch doctors) can do a capsule endoscopy.  They can also do blood work to check for Celiac's Disease.  One other word of advice is that changing medications can throw off how you are absorbing the Synthroid (I'm assuming that's what you take for your thyroid).  Changing Crohn's treatments has thrown mine off before, so my endo. has asked me to start having blood work done after switching treatments, to make sure we don't need to adjust the Synthroid.  Not all meds have thrown my levels off, but a few have.  I completely understand your frustration of not knowing for sure what you have.  I hope you get answers soon.   

Posted 4/10/2008 5:30 PM (GMT 0)
I haven't heard of polyps bleeding before, but we'd have to ask someone on here who has them--I think Canyonbabe has them fairly frequently.

A persistant fever with no known cause is not indicative of IBS. You sound like Sarita; weird stuff with no answer. Even Mayo couldn't help her. Have you, like her, had an infectious parasite before (stuff you get from drinking water in a third world country)? That seems to have been what started her problems. She was getting some help from periodic rounds of strong antibitoics. I think right now, though, she's getting her best help from some high-dose probiotics.
Posted 4/10/2008 6:49 PM (GMT 0)
No, I have never been to a third-world-country. Its interesting to see that there are others like me out there. Strange symptoms that really make me feel like theres something not right. I think the capsule scope sounds like a good idea. Either that, or I'm going to do an upper GI scope and barium swallow. I hope I find some answers, too. And I hope that you are all finding yourselves having a 'good' day.
Kristyn.
Posted 4/11/2008 4:35 AM (GMT 0)
yikes, I am known for my polyps! There is really no bleeding from polyps that I have ever experienced nor was I ever warned about any or anything special I was to do. These things are really tiny and they just loop them and squeeze that loop tight and hopefully catch it. Last time they lost one but they had a picture and could tell it was benign. Maybe they even flush you out a little as I heard they flush all the leftover stuff before they start. Anyway, the bleeding if there is any would not even be noticable unless they punctured something.
Posted 4/12/2008 3:48 PM (GMT 0)
Ok my turn, IBS for 25 years, started when 5 months pregnant with 2nd kid. My bouts would come and go for sometimes 2 wonderful years. I was told it was stress and diet related so always worked on that. However 5 years ago started with severe D and could not get it under control. Lost 40 lbs in a few months. Have since been treated by family and 2 specialist. They tell me IBS will come and go for years, now mine is here to stay mad still trying to reduce my 9 month pregnant stomach and control D and pain but havent found a good solution yet. They thought for sure I had developed cancer with symptoms but havent. I too have alot of polyps everytime they do scope. I also have food in bms not digested at all. However I have NEVER had blood in stools and have been told by DRS. that was not a symptom of IBS. IF you have ?s about any symptoms this is the place to ask cause someone here can almost always relate. I just read about the hormones and I have TERRIBLE hot flashes and have for 5 years so now Im gonna go check out that route. Thanks for another idea guys. And before you ask YES I have had all the test for female and blood work for hormone levels. They told me at 45 I was thru the change. Lost husband of 22 years so figured that cause the early change. Anyway I am going to go to anoher site and see what they are saying about hormones and digestion. Suppose to be out of town right now enjoying but coulnt go,so have lots of free time.
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