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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 7/30/2014 11:15 PM (GMT 0)
Hello.

I have had Diarrhea for 10 months now and have gone through every test imaginable checking for anything and everything that could be wrong with me basically. I have been on the FODMAP diet for IBS and several other diets/medications used to help treat IBS (because that is what my GI doctor believes I have...just a severe case of it).

Currently, I am taking Cholestyramine. I had seen no improvement until last weekend when I went to a bridal shower in a different state. Whole there for 4 days, I had normal bm's everyday except once...so I thought the Cholestyramine was the answer to my problem! But, when I got home, my D came back and now it's as if those normal bm's never even happened.

Now here is my question, I have 3 outdoor cats and they only come inside when it's cold and to sleep at night and even then they are in the basement. I got the cat in late July/Early August of this year (little did I know that she would become pregnant shortly after..so now I have 3) and my D problem started in September....has anyone heard of an allergic reaction to cats being Diarrhea??

Any reply back would be great! Thanks!
Posted 7/30/2014 11:27 PM (GMT 0)
Guest - I have never heard of that. But I personally have IBS-D and severe environmental allergies (grass, weeds). I have done a little bit of research on it and I see some others posting about a connection between the two. Try googling "Environmental Allergies and IBS" and you will find some articles and lots of forum postings about the very thing.

Have you gone to an allergist at all? I highly recommend it. I learned all about my "severe" allergies and that I am actually mildly allergic to my dog, but I still love her.
Posted 7/30/2014 11:28 PM (GMT 0)
Hmm no, I haven't heard of allergic reactions in the form of D unless it's ingested. BUT it doesn't mean it can't happen tho.

Did you have anything particularly stressful happen during that time when you took in the other cat?
Posted 7/31/2014 5:05 AM (GMT 0)
AubreyBear

I have not gone to an allergist. Are your "severe" allergies related to your IBS and make it worse for you?

Thanks for the info on the relation between IBS and environmental allergies! I will definitely look in to that.
Posted 7/31/2014 5:10 AM (GMT 0)
Red_34

Thanks for the reply back!

No...that's what my doctor asked too, so I've been thinking back and there wasn't anything more stressful going on at that time. But it's just so weird since it was all of a sudden & it seems like there is no medicine that can help. So now I'm just thinking of anything and everything it could be..that's why I thought maybe a D allergic reaction to cats but when I Google stuff about it, nothing comes up so I don't think it's heard of.
Posted 7/31/2014 3:32 PM (GMT 0)
Guest - I have no idea about the allergies and IBS. This connection is not something I ever even considered until I went to the allergist, which was about 2 weeks ago.

about 2 years ago, out of the blue, my IBS started. I cannot pinpoint it to anything other than that I moved back to the Southwest. My allergy test indicated severe allergies to particular grasses and weeds. I have been tested for food allergies, and had a false positive wheat allergy blood test (done by the gastroenterologist), that was then ruled out by the allergist. Other than that, I can pinpoint nothing in that time that would send me into IBS. The GI doc did a colonoscopy and he said it was very clean and showed no signs of Crohn's, etc. and took a few biopsies which came back negative.

So my doc is really at a loss at this point. He wants to do an endoscopy at some point, which I am opposed to for some reason (the tube down the throat and the IV needles scare me). So I'm looking into the environmental allergies. But personally, I think my IBS is mostly related to my stress levels (I do have severe anxiety) and the food I eat. I have been able to narrow my diet down to a list of foods that work for me and I try to stick with them. If I venture off that list, it's not enjoyable to me, especially spicy foods. And I do eat gluten free for the most part. That took me quite a few months to figure out, though.
Posted 7/31/2014 7:28 PM (GMT 0)
eosinophilic colitis maybe?
Posted 7/31/2014 10:36 PM (GMT 0)
AudreyBear

Let me just say this first-- I have had to have both a colonoscopy and endoscopy....I was terrified to have it done but afterwards I realized there was nothing bad about it at all. The worst part was the prep for it...drinking that nasty stuff because I had the colonoscopy and endoscopy done at the same time. If your doc thinks that's the next step, go for it! Don't stress about it because it's not bad at all!

I don't know where my IBS started from..because I'm not stressed and I've done different diets trying to pinpoint a food and can't seem to find one!
Posted 8/1/2014 2:24 AM (GMT 0)
Try a gluten-free diet. You should see results in a couple of days. If it doesn't work then gluten is not the problem. I did that a year ago and all of my IBS symptoms are gone. I had suffered from IBS for 30 years or more and did not know that gluten was the culprit. You have nothing to lose by trying this. Good luck!
Posted 8/1/2014 3:21 AM (GMT 0)
rwkoch

Thanks for the reply!

I have actually already tried a gluten-free diet and it didn't help :(
I've done dairy-free too and can't seem to find anything that makes it better.

I'm wondering if IBS is my actual problem...even though I've been tested for what seems like every possible disease and such and everything comes back negative. So if you don't mind my asking, what were your symptoms that lead to the diagnosis of IBS for you personally?
Posted 8/2/2014 9:35 PM (GMT 0)
I just posted on another similar thread and directed the person to the thread on the next page called "Bowel/rectal spasms for years" and a little on the "constant diarrhea" thread on this page.

As I mentioned before, I've tried numerous elimination diet with no success. But the gastro doc said my issue is about motility. Evidently, things don't go through as they should; the bowel doesn't function correctly.

Perhaps some of the things I do (mentioned on those threads) may help you, too.

Best wishes and I hope you're better soon. :-)
Posted 8/11/2014 3:49 AM (GMT 0)
I can only think that it is something in your environment at home that wasn't when you went to visit? Perhaps, you ate differently there, or maybe the water supply was treated differently then it was at home, or it could be different pollens, or maybe you were more relaxed. Cats? The only way you can find out, is let them visit somewhere for a few weeks, and disinfect your floors and walls (everywhere the cats were) and see if there is a difference, or you could just go somewhere and stay with someone for awhile, to see if there is a difference with the diarrhea? Wish you the best.
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