What are all your symptoms?

For Anyone with IBS,

I would ask you to look at yourself and write down all of your symptoms not just the stomach one. Do you feel weakness all over before suffering from gas, stomach pain and diarrhea (sometimes with blood).  Do you get a rash on your chest the next day or sooner?  Also, write down what you ate.  Food allergies and intolerances can cause some/many of these symptoms.  You can also develop an allergy to something that you never were allergic to before.  Now Doctors tell new mothers to introduce their toddlers to new foods one at a time to see how they react because they could have an allergic reaction.  But what about adults?  We too can get allergies and have reactions.  It may even take a few times of having something to really start having reactions.  I have learned this by my own experiences, reading medical books and some bits and pieces of things Doctors have said and my spouse a nurse.  I am new to this site, but decided I better say something because I didn't like the idea of so many people suffering from "IBS" when I used to suffer but rarely do any more.  Was it really IBS that's what they may call it when they don't know. So is yours really IBS? 

Tests I've had -

Stool sample - positive - from foods causing bleeding

Barium x-ray - neg

Colonoscopy - neg. - Visual examination of the colon

Gastroscopy - neg. - Visual examination of the stomach

So what was going on?  I was having all of the problems listed above in bold letters.  However, the possibility of a food allergy was never addressed.  I mentioned on a previous reply to Sami of the foods that I finally figured out that were causing these problems.  Now about 2 years later I rarely have these symptoms. I will mention the foods again in case you haven't read that post.

Citric Acid - A preservative (pesticide) added to to many foods (over kill). Also, used to clean soap scum off your shower wall (or intestines).  (Citric Acid is in almost all sodas except A&W Rootbeer, Shasta Rootbeer, Sam's Club Rootbeer, and Caffeine Free Coke - I can actually drink these with no troubles - Yes!)

Peppers - Red and Green not Black pepper

Pineapple - High in Vitamin C

Oranges & Orange Juice - High in Vitamin C

Melons

Beans

Oatmeal

Metamucil - was sand paper for my already raw and burning intestines

Well, if you have a bleeding issue you do need to check with your Doctor, but you can at least try to avoid these foods and see if you improve.  You may have other Allergies such as milk, so you'll have to keep your own diary or remember well what you had to eat. If I accidentally eat something that bothers me, biting off a 1/4 of an Imodium tablet helps and also Benadryl (but Benadryl also makes causes sleepiness so I have to be sure I'm not driving any where). You have to do what works for you and you can only take medicines that you don't have an allergy too or other health or medicine issues with. I hope this helps someone out there that's suffering. 

My Mom died from what a Doctor called Colitis.  The medicine that he gave her ruined her liver.  She had all the symptoms I have mentioned.  Was it Colitis? I don't think so.  She used to break out with a rash on her arms and had lots of sinus infections too.  I also have sinus problems, but less when I watch carefully what I eat. Time to get off my Soap Box. 

God Bless,

NoPeppers

 

 

Post Edited (nopeppers) : 6/29/2006 7:30:23 PM (GMT-6)

dbab,
Thanks for noticing my post. I'm not sure how to get anyone else to notice. All I can do is try.

nopeppers

pb4,
I am wondering why you think my Mom had Colitis? I really only briefly mentioned her. From what I have read about people with Crohns disease they are very thin, have constant diarrhea, and are usually diagnoised as a child. My Mother didn't always have constant diarrhea nor was she thin. In the beginning of her life she didn't have this problem with her intestines. Also, her later year weren't all bad either but she did deteriorate after years of being on Azalfadene (for Colitis) and it gave her liver disease. Some of the rash she experienced was related to liver failure, but not all of it. When she was diagnosed with Colitis the Doctors didn't even use the term IBS. She died 10 years ago and she was diagnosed probably 15 to 20 years before that. Also, I hope you didn't get the impression I don't believe Doctors at all. They have their place, but I do feel that they don't have the time to really treat people as a whole and completely because they're to busy rushing people through their offices. At least where I live they are and also I have been told by a very good Doctor (from out the L.A. Area) that saved my spouses life, that in the area I am from there are frequent stories of Doctor mistakes. It makes it hard to find a good Doctor here and now I only have catastrophic insurance since my spouse had to stop working for health reason. But in the past I have had all the tests and I was told everything was fine, so the Doctor have to call it something when you have symptoms. But now that I don't eat the stuff that bothers me I am fine. Also, I didn't mention my mother was allergic to milk and avoided it. Anyway, she thought she was. But I really think she was allergic to citric acid because she was very allergic to aspirin. The problem is citric acid is an additive not a specific food which makes it harder to figure out. It was a miracle I figured it out. Nice talking to you.

nopeppers

pb4,
I agree to do the research. I don't think Doctors have the time to figure out all the problems on everyone. It is time consuming and they can barely handle all the patients they have. They do make mistakes sometimes too.

Later,
nopeppers