[Vikki-Lou]

May I ask, between 'bouts' of D, are normal IBS sufferers able to eat what they want? or are there still things that make you sick?Im having my first good period since i began suffering with D in October. I had D every single day! Now things are seeming better, but is this a long term thing? am i over the worst?Or will ythe D return just as fierce as before?Is it normal to have good periods where you dont have D? how long do these good periods last for before another 'bout' sets in?

 

[Mike NoLomotil]

Vik-e.Wjile it is "normal" for people to experience their symptoms "episodically". I am curious about what you wrote: _____________________________________"since i began suffering with D in October. I had D every single day! Now things are seeming better, but is this a long term thing? am i over the worst?Or will ythe D return just as fierce as before?" _____________________________________This SUGGESTS you developed this chronic diarrhea suddenly. have you been seen by a Board Certified Gastroenterologist to arrive at a dx of IBS via differential diagnostic workup? There are a number of things that can "present" like this clinically and I am just wondering about whetehr everyone is ceratin that you do not have something more "reversible"?If you have, then I would have some other questions. If you have not, I recommend strongly that you seek another opinion and that it be from a GI doc just to make sure.Eat well. Think well. Be well.MNL

 

[Mike NoLomotil]

Vik-e.Wjile it is "normal" for people to experience their symptoms "episodically". I am curious about what you wrote: _____________________________________"since i began suffering with D in October. I had D every single day! Now things are seeming better, but is this a long term thing? am i over the worst?Or will ythe D return just as fierce as before?" _____________________________________This SUGGESTS you developed this chronic diarrhea suddenly. have you been seen by a Board Certified Gastroenterologist to arrive at a dx of IBS via differential diagnostic workup? There are a number of things that can "present" like this clinically and I am just wondering about whetehr everyone is ceratin that you do not have something more "reversible"?If you have, then I would have some other questions. If you have not, I recommend strongly that you seek another opinion and that it be from a GI doc just to make sure.Eat well. Think well. Be well.MNL

 

[Kathleen M.]

Whether someone has good days and bad days and how long either lasts or how they fluxuate is HIGHLY VARIABLE.There is NO answer to what is the "norm" for IBS as it varies from person to person.SOME people will find that food X ALWAYS bothers them no matter how good or bad the IBS is at any given moment.SOME people find that they when IBS is less they can eat foods that bother them when the IBS is bad. So the food is only bothersome if the IBS is flared up.It varies EXTREMELY between people. The only way to know what YOUR pattern will be is from how YOUR body behaves. It will likely NOT behave like anyone elses body.That you seem to be healing up from post-infectious IBS I suspect that what you may find is that OVER TIME the bouts become less frequent and foods bother you less, and it will either A) eventually go away pretty much all together OR

it will settle down to some more predictable pattern. Like every time I drink a large milk shake I get symptoms, or everytime I eat too much fat I have symptoms, but during the healing process it is REALLY hard to predict exactly where you will end up.But you seem to be changing over from an every day pattern to an episodic pattern and that seems to be NORMAL for post-infectious IBS.There is NO WAY to predict the exact path it will take, but getting too worried about it probably won't help.Try to enjoy the good days and try to remember when you have bad days that it isn't all the time anymore and try to look forward to the next good day.K.

 

[Kathleen M.]

Whether someone has good days and bad days and how long either lasts or how they fluxuate is HIGHLY VARIABLE.There is NO answer to what is the "norm" for IBS as it varies from person to person.SOME people will find that food X ALWAYS bothers them no matter how good or bad the IBS is at any given moment.SOME people find that they when IBS is less they can eat foods that bother them when the IBS is bad. So the food is only bothersome if the IBS is flared up.It varies EXTREMELY between people. The only way to know what YOUR pattern will be is from how YOUR body behaves. It will likely NOT behave like anyone elses body.That you seem to be healing up from post-infectious IBS I suspect that what you may find is that OVER TIME the bouts become less frequent and foods bother you less, and it will either A) eventually go away pretty much all together OR

it will settle down to some more predictable pattern. Like every time I drink a large milk shake I get symptoms, or everytime I eat too much fat I have symptoms, but during the healing process it is REALLY hard to predict exactly where you will end up.But you seem to be changing over from an every day pattern to an episodic pattern and that seems to be NORMAL for post-infectious IBS.There is NO WAY to predict the exact path it will take, but getting too worried about it probably won't help.Try to enjoy the good days and try to remember when you have bad days that it isn't all the time anymore and try to look forward to the next good day.K.

 

[Vikki-Lou]

Thanks so much for advice.K - yes, I am certainly enjoying every single D -free day!!!!! I lve to the full on the days without D!! now ive had a taste of the awful symptoms of IBS - D and severe cramping and urgency - i intend to do my best to keep it away.Ive felt strong enough this past week to try to start loosing weight again. I was scared before because eating veg and fruit gave me pains and more D. But as from today I am trying again to eat a really healthy diet. I need to loose approx 28lb. Ill have to see if this affects my BMs. I guess there is only one way to see if i am getting better or if another 'bout' is looming.....ill just have to WAIT and SEE!!.....xxMIKE - I did see a sopecialist Dr yes - however im not sure what you mean by this "certified etc etc"???.......I saw 2 docs, one for endoscopy and one for colonoscopy. They were both specialists at private hospitals who i paid to go and see. They carried out the tests and said that physically everyting looked fine.Really baffled about it all really.What they actually said was that maybe it was stress (what stress?! dont they always say that!!!!?), a virus infection or bug, gastrointeritis, or food poinsoning of some kind. He said Salmonella can give a person a bad tummy for up to year later. Or - of course - they say it could be a severe case of IBS which could come and go all my life........who knows?!

 

[Vikki-Lou]

Thanks so much for advice.K - yes, I am certainly enjoying every single D -free day!!!!! I lve to the full on the days without D!! now ive had a taste of the awful symptoms of IBS - D and severe cramping and urgency - i intend to do my best to keep it away.Ive felt strong enough this past week to try to start loosing weight again. I was scared before because eating veg and fruit gave me pains and more D. But as from today I am trying again to eat a really healthy diet. I need to loose approx 28lb. Ill have to see if this affects my BMs. I guess there is only one way to see if i am getting better or if another 'bout' is looming.....ill just have to WAIT and SEE!!.....xxMIKE - I did see a sopecialist Dr yes - however im not sure what you mean by this "certified etc etc"???.......I saw 2 docs, one for endoscopy and one for colonoscopy. They were both specialists at private hospitals who i paid to go and see. They carried out the tests and said that physically everyting looked fine.Really baffled about it all really.What they actually said was that maybe it was stress (what stress?! dont they always say that!!!!?), a virus infection or bug, gastrointeritis, or food poinsoning of some kind. He said Salmonella can give a person a bad tummy for up to year later. Or - of course - they say it could be a severe case of IBS which could come and go all my life........who knows?!

 

[Mike NoLomotil]

Hi V.OK that helps...it sounds like you did undergo the typical workup, and received some explnanations of what the known "precurosr events" to developing these symptoms can be. And indeed it is true that many poeple are suspected to develop these symptoms following an aute inflammatory event, which can rsult in persistent heightened inflmmatory reactivity in the gut.Under these conditions the immune cells which live in the gut lining as well as the immune cells that circualte in and out of the small bowel (this is why your colon looks normal...it is an affected organ not the shock organ)...anyway these immunocytes perists in releasing inflammatory mediators but inapproriately, in some cases long after the acute infection is passed.In some cases it can become self-perpetuating due to the specific efects of these mediators on the gut nerves, smooth muscle, central nervous system and then the behaviors we learn as a consewuence of living with these symptoms. Thus we have a situation clinically which presents as KM has described.Suggested reading for d-predominant IBS patients, esp. those who have persistent symptoms like yours. One of the primary mechanisms of symptom generation is "loss of oral tolerance", that is the ability of the immunocytes to resist reacting to safe things, or the inability to detoxify the chemicals found in those foods, or even the inability to digest them properly, any and all of which can contribute to a loss of oral tolerance acutely...which of course is amplified by the neurologic effects and susbsequent learned behaviors:"FOOD ALLERGIES AND FOOD INTOLERANCE: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THEIR IDENTIFICTION AND TREATMENT", Professor Jonathan Brostoff , M.D.. Allergy, Immunology and Environmental Medicine, Kings' College, London http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/089...6487508-3420903 andIBS: A DOCTORS PLAN FOR CHRONIC DIGESTIVE TROUBLESBy Gerard Guillory, M.D.; Vanessa Ameen, M.D.; Paul Donovan, M.D.; Jack Martin, Ph.D. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-h...9085785-1742301 Of all the books I have read, and all the docs I have worked with, I recommend these two books esp. for those trying to learn to overcome the symptoms of IBS, with d-predominance or cyclic d& c in particular.These two symptom sets are particularly responsive to an understanding of and management of specific methods of dietary assessment, coupled where needed with basic stress management methods that can be done on your own.Anyway, the 2 together represent probably $25. [No I am not a book salesman and get nothing from recommending them]. I recommend these to all the doctors, dieticians and other clients we see and to everyone else suffering these same symptoms I suffered for 30 years before achieving remission.These books a together will literally answer every question about the various things that can provoke the symptoms we experience and set forth the various ways of approaching the problem to achieve success, so you can make an informed decision about what makes sense to you to try.While indeed it is possible, depending upon the circumstances, to "recover" eventually spontaneously (that is, the underlying mechanism is removed by self-corrective actions of the body) this is, er, unusual and seems to only occur in those who truly have suffered simply a peristent post-inlfmmatory response. In which case the clinical diagnosis of IBS may or may not be open to debate obout whetehr it was appropriate...in hindsight of course and is thus of little relevance.Eat well. Think well. be well.MNL

 

[Mike NoLomotil]

Hi V.OK that helps...it sounds like you did undergo the typical workup, and received some explnanations of what the known "precurosr events" to developing these symptoms can be. And indeed it is true that many poeple are suspected to develop these symptoms following an aute inflammatory event, which can rsult in persistent heightened inflmmatory reactivity in the gut.Under these conditions the immune cells which live in the gut lining as well as the immune cells that circualte in and out of the small bowel (this is why your colon looks normal...it is an affected organ not the shock organ)...anyway these immunocytes perists in releasing inflammatory mediators but inapproriately, in some cases long after the acute infection is passed.In some cases it can become self-perpetuating due to the specific efects of these mediators on the gut nerves, smooth muscle, central nervous system and then the behaviors we learn as a consewuence of living with these symptoms. Thus we have a situation clinically which presents as KM has described.Suggested reading for d-predominant IBS patients, esp. those who have persistent symptoms like yours. One of the primary mechanisms of symptom generation is "loss of oral tolerance", that is the ability of the immunocytes to resist reacting to safe things, or the inability to detoxify the chemicals found in those foods, or even the inability to digest them properly, any and all of which can contribute to a loss of oral tolerance acutely...which of course is amplified by the neurologic effects and susbsequent learned behaviors:"FOOD ALLERGIES AND FOOD INTOLERANCE: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THEIR IDENTIFICTION AND TREATMENT", Professor Jonathan Brostoff , M.D.. Allergy, Immunology and Environmental Medicine, Kings' College, London http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/089...6487508-3420903 andIBS: A DOCTORS PLAN FOR CHRONIC DIGESTIVE TROUBLESBy Gerard Guillory, M.D.; Vanessa Ameen, M.D.; Paul Donovan, M.D.; Jack Martin, Ph.D. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-h...9085785-1742301 Of all the books I have read, and all the docs I have worked with, I recommend these two books esp. for those trying to learn to overcome the symptoms of IBS, with d-predominance or cyclic d& c in particular.These two symptom sets are particularly responsive to an understanding of and management of specific methods of dietary assessment, coupled where needed with basic stress management methods that can be done on your own.Anyway, the 2 together represent probably $25. [No I am not a book salesman and get nothing from recommending them]. I recommend these to all the doctors, dieticians and other clients we see and to everyone else suffering these same symptoms I suffered for 30 years before achieving remission.These books a together will literally answer every question about the various things that can provoke the symptoms we experience and set forth the various ways of approaching the problem to achieve success, so you can make an informed decision about what makes sense to you to try.While indeed it is possible, depending upon the circumstances, to "recover" eventually spontaneously (that is, the underlying mechanism is removed by self-corrective actions of the body) this is, er, unusual and seems to only occur in those who truly have suffered simply a peristent post-inlfmmatory response. In which case the clinical diagnosis of IBS may or may not be open to debate obout whetehr it was appropriate...in hindsight of course and is thus of little relevance.Eat well. Think well. be well.MNL

 

[JeanG]

Hi vikki:Kmottus has some excellant advice for you. It is all individual, and all varies.Fortunately food has never factored into my IBS and so I've always been able to eat what I want, even when my IBS would flare up badly. During a flare up, you'll find that anything will start it off. It doesn't have to be anything in particular. Stress bothers me more, and for that I use hypnotherapy, which keeps things under control.Hopefully, as kmottus said, since yours appears to be post-infectious it will get less and less, and disappear over time. You never know.Good luck, and keep working with your doctors. The medical community is finding out more and more about IBS and its causes all the time, and there is a lot of research going on.Take care!JeanG

 

[JeanG]

Hi vikki:Kmottus has some excellant advice for you. It is all individual, and all varies.Fortunately food has never factored into my IBS and so I've always been able to eat what I want, even when my IBS would flare up badly. During a flare up, you'll find that anything will start it off. It doesn't have to be anything in particular. Stress bothers me more, and for that I use hypnotherapy, which keeps things under control.Hopefully, as kmottus said, since yours appears to be post-infectious it will get less and less, and disappear over time. You never know.Good luck, and keep working with your doctors. The medical community is finding out more and more about IBS and its causes all the time, and there is a lot of research going on.Take care!JeanG

 

[ohnometo]

Good morning Vikki...There was times that my IBS-D would come in cycles....But, I guess it dependson everyones own body....The books that Mike suggested are really good books and Have seemed to help alot of people ...Julia is one here on the board that hasjust fell in love with Dr Brostoff...untill Mike told her he was married

I emailed Dr Brostoff and told him how much I have improved by making some dietary changes in my life...and he emailed me back and I thought that was neat

I hope you get better real soon ...and find out what soulution works for you...I also used thiscd www.ibstherapy.com for anxiety in the begining...and after my symptoms got betterand the anxiety left I felt like a different person....and I dont have to take any medications today.....

 

[ohnometo]

Good morning Vikki...There was times that my IBS-D would come in cycles....But, I guess it dependson everyones own body....The books that Mike suggested are really good books and Have seemed to help alot of people ...Julia is one here on the board that hasjust fell in love with Dr Brostoff...untill Mike told her he was married

I emailed Dr Brostoff and told him how much I have improved by making some dietary changes in my life...and he emailed me back and I thought that was neat

I hope you get better real soon ...and find out what soulution works for you...I also used thiscd www.ibstherapy.com for anxiety in the begining...and after my symptoms got betterand the anxiety left I felt like a different person....and I dont have to take any medications today.....

 

[Vikki-Lou]

thanks donna and jean.jean, you say "During a flare up, you'll find that anything will start it off"...that is exactly the same as me. when i had that large bout from October to Feb, it seemed to be ANYTHING that i ate started my belly rumbling, and that was followed very quickly by D and cramping. even drinks, soups etc would make me run to the loo.Because this came on so suddenly though, i think that is why the Drs think it was more than IBS, maybe a bug or virus etc.its so hard for them to say whether it was a virus or whether i have IBS for life.....oh dear. only choice i have is to wait and see........

 

[Vikki-Lou]

thanks donna and jean.jean, you say "During a flare up, you'll find that anything will start it off"...that is exactly the same as me. when i had that large bout from October to Feb, it seemed to be ANYTHING that i ate started my belly rumbling, and that was followed very quickly by D and cramping. even drinks, soups etc would make me run to the loo.Because this came on so suddenly though, i think that is why the Drs think it was more than IBS, maybe a bug or virus etc.its so hard for them to say whether it was a virus or whether i have IBS for life.....oh dear. only choice i have is to wait and see........