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Does this sound like IBS?

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 12/10/2012 7:28 PM (GMT 0)
Hi there. I'm wondering if my symptoms are like those of you who are confirmed to suffer from IBS. I'm 33 years old, male, and otherwise in fine health. Never had any symptoms before.

In September, I relocated across the country for a job. I'm currently living in a city where I don't know anyone, and it's been stressful.

Around the first of November, I may have caught a stomach bug that was going around the office (not sure if it was that, or onset of IBS). I had D for about a week, so I went to an urgent care and they gave me Cipro (an antibiotic). It didn't seem to have any effect.

Over the month, afterward, the D mostly subsided (just occasional), but I do have some abdominal cramping most of my waking hours. When I wake in the morning, I feel good, but it comes on again pretty soon. I also notice muscle aches in my back and occasionally elsewhere like my thighs.

My level of anxiety has been extremely elevated since I originally felt sick (over a month ago) and I've been depressed and suffering from pretty intense illness worry. My GP has started me on Zoloft. I started on 25mg and just increased to 50mg last week. He did not seem impressed or concerned with my GI issues.

So, does it sound like I had IBS brought on by stress, by the stomach bug, or maybe from the antibiotic course?

I really only have the abdominal cramping as a symptom. I wouldn't say the camping is painful, just noticable. I don't usually have D, and I am never constipated. I am fairly regular, once or twice a day. I have never seen blood or mucous. GP did a stool sample, and it was negative for any blood.

Does this seem like IBS to you guys, or does it just seem like anxiety wreaking havoc on my system?
Posted 12/16/2012 4:24 PM (GMT 0)
Hi caldera-
I was given Cipro many years ago and was very sick as a result.
Have never agreed to take it since.
Did anyone suggest that you take probiotics to replace the good bacteria that was lost in your digestive tract?
Antibiotics are a ral problem since both good and bad bacteria are killed.
I had issues like yours years ago and did not know enough to take steps like using probiotics. Ended up with ulcerative colitis years later.

It's interesting that you were prescribed an antidepressant but the root cause of your depressed state were not addressed.

I suggested a book "Why Doesn't My Doctor Know This? by David Dahlman on the forum this morning. There is a chapter that could have been written expressly for you. Describes your situation perfectly.
He also has a website where you can read about your symptoms.

(link removed by moderator)


Hope this helps you :-)

Post edited to remove website link that violates forum rules:

4. No advertising or links to advertising or "Spam" is permitted.

  • Advertising or spam is defined as posting a link for the purpose of selling, soliciting or promoting something.
  • Links promoting fundraising, advocacy, etc. are not permitted.
  • Links to personal blogs/homepages are allowed in member profiles and signatures
  • Sharing of links to helpful and relevant web sites and resources is allowed if they are not used for a promotional purpose.

The link in question is to a website with a commercial interest in selling a medical/diet plan.

Post Edited By Moderator (JasonCPhT) : 12/16/2012 11:48:26 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 12/16/2012 7:44 PM (GMT 0)
Caldera,

Have you thought about seeing a Gastroenterologist? A Gastroenterologist would probably be better suited to help find what is going on with your stomach/intestines.

Sadly, it can take a long time to figure out the cause of some of these problems.

I hope you start feeling better soon.

Jason
Posted 12/16/2012 11:02 PM (GMT 0)
JasonCPhT

Looks like you've proved the old saying "No good deed will go unpunished".

I do not post "spam" and only sought to help this person.
You could have taken a look at the UC forum and seen that I am a serious contributor.
Your move was, in my opinion, incredibly heavy-handed!
Posted 12/16/2012 11:53 PM (GMT 0)
I do see that you are a frequent and serious contributor. I did not take a "heavy handed" action, I simply removed a link to a commercial website whose function is to sell a product or service. Those links are simply not allowed on this forum, per the rule I quoted when I removed the link.

A "heavy handed" action would have been deleting the entire post or reporting you to the Administrator as a spammer, which I did not do.

If you take a second to look, the only thing I did was remove the link that should not have been placed in the first place. I have left 100% of the remainder of the post intact.
Posted 12/18/2012 5:07 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you, everyone.

It's strange, but in the week since I posted this I've begun feeling much better. All bowel issues seem normal, and my anxiety level is much, much lower.

I've been deliberate about diet, getting 30 minutes of exercise daily, caring for my spiritual health, taking time for hobbies and such. It's also been a little over a month on my SSRI, and the dosage was increased about two weeks ago. I guess maybe all these things are working together to help me feel better.

I feel like it was stress related and not a real chronic type of IBS at this point, I'm very grateful my prayers were answered in that respect.

Thank you all for your input.
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