[americaninasia]

I was diagnosed only a month ago and I'm having a hard time feeling frustrated and scared.

I contracted an amoeba infection that caused a very severe colitis last October. I seemed to recover from that well but then suddenly started with abdominal bloating, cramping, and loose stools in late December. I went back to the hospital as I was worried about another infection. Bloodwork, stool test, and colonoscopy/EGD were all okay and my GI doctor tells me this is typically of post-infectious IBS.

My symptoms had gotten a bit better initially but now seem to not be stalled. I have almost constant abdominal discomfort - it's not pain, but just doesn't feel normal. I always feel bloated and gassy. My stomach gurgles constantly and in the morning I often feel nauseated. I continue to have 1 bowel movement / day but it is always loose (not watery). Sometimes I will have weird abdominal pain - like tinges that move around.

I am scared to eat and really don't have a normal appetite or taste for anything. As a result I am losing weight. I'm taking probiotics and trying to be careful about what foods I eat, avoiding heavy and fatty foods. I'm so frustrated and anxious to feel back to normal. I have always been healthy before. We are supposed to go on a relaxing beach vacation next week and I am dreading it because I'm worried I will feel bad or get sick and ruin it for my family.

Is this story similar to anyone else? Is there some rare parasite or something that might not show up on normal tests? (I am living in Asia with my family right now.) I welcome any suggestions or advice on how to feel some kind of life. I feel like I've lost mine.

Thank you!

 

[lithium]

I'm sorry to hear you are suffering. I also have post infectious ibs and ibd. Mine started after an incredibly painful full body infection from an unknown pathogen. I am not sure whether the infection has cleared or not.

 

[rockford12s]

I was diagnosed only a month ago and I'm having a hard time feeling frustrated and scared.

I contracted an amoeba infection that caused a very severe colitis last October. I seemed to recover from that well but then suddenly started with abdominal bloating, cramping, and loose stools in late December. I went back to the hospital as I was worried about another infection. Bloodwork, stool test, and colonoscopy/EGD were all okay and my GI doctor tells me this is typically of post-infectious IBS.

My symptoms had gotten a bit better initially but now seem to not be stalled. I have almost constant abdominal discomfort - it's not pain, but just doesn't feel normal. I always feel bloated and gassy. My stomach gurgles constantly and in the morning I often feel nauseated. I continue to have 1 bowel movement / day but it is always loose (not watery). Sometimes I will have weird abdominal pain - like tinges that move around.

I am scared to eat and really don't have a normal appetite or taste for anything. As a result I am losing weight. I'm taking probiotics and trying to be careful about what foods I eat, avoiding heavy and fatty foods. I'm so frustrated and anxious to feel back to normal. I have always been healthy before. We are supposed to go on a relaxing beach vacation next week and I am dreading it because I'm worried I will feel bad or get sick and ruin it for my family.

Is this story similar to anyone else? Is there some rare parasite or something that might not show up on normal tests? (I am living in Asia with my family right now.) I welcome any suggestions or advice on how to feel some kind of life. I feel like I've lost mine.

Thank you!

I am pretty much in the same boat as you. Got food poisoning last Sept. Eventually led to PI-IBS. I was getting diarrhea a couple times a week, then once a week, then once every two weeks, and then once a month is where im currently at. I try avoiding bad foods as well and its tough to deal with not knowing if/when you will feel normal again.

I've been on a probiotic for a little over a month and im not sure if its working but the "discomfort" feeling seems to be less. I don't have as much bloating. The only symptoms that remain are excessive gas after I eat, and worse when I eat lots of breads or pastas. And my stool structure is similar to yours. I go once a day in the morning and its short and soft (not solid but not loose either).

Have you improved at all since your last post?

 

[131769]

Hi americaninasia,

My story is remarkably similar to yours. I came down with a Yersinia infection last July which was diagnosed via stool test. The initial infection seemed to clear up, but I have been left with this constant abdominal discomfort. I totally understand where you are coming from when you say it's not really pain, but more of a discomfort and just acutely knowing that something isn't right. I also get the weird twitches all over my abdomen. My stomach is also constantly gurgling, and I have loose stools every now and then but they aren't really my main complaint. I would definitely say that my bowel movements have slowly improved over time, but the abdominal discomfort is still strong as ever. Fortunately I don't find it aggravated by food, so I'm still eating a pretty varied diet, but it sucks to be uncomfortable 24/7 for months on end. Eventually I found that the best thing I could do was accept that this might stick around for a while, and that I just have to chug on with life. GI has said that PI-IBS can take a couple years to clear up, so I'm hoping it'll fade off eventually. Let us know how you are getting on.

James