[Automan]

All,Just wondering if my situation sounds like IBS.Had constant mild abdominal pain for a little over a year now, with more frequent BM's. My normal was once a day. Now I go 1-3 times a day and its either a little soft or maybe broken up, or sometimes just normal. A little gas sometimes as well. Absolutely no C or D or blood or anything else. Food seems to have no effect. I seem to go through periods of time, say 1-3 days where its even milder and then it goes back to not quite so mild.A barrage of tests (blood tests, ultrasound, 2 colonoscopies, 2 endoscopies, wireless enteroscopy etc) and 5 doctors hasn't found anything wrong with me, except for bacterial overgrowth which could be my problem and I'm currently treating, but I am skeptical.What about CFAP? Its my understanding though that altered BM's are not a symptom of CFAP.Now what about IBS? It seems people who have IBS have it triggered by some event, such as eating or a stressful situation. In any case it seems to be a series of highs and lows. That seems to be a very common scenario but it isn't the case with me. For me it seems to be more subdued... but the pain is always there.- Doug.

 

[Kathleen M.]

What triggers IBS varies, a lot.For some of us the internal physiology is the trigger (signals that the stomach sends to the colon...so not necessarily a stressful event, or eating a specific food). IBS quite typically does the wax and wane thing even in the absense of any obvious triggers.What tests have you had run at the doctors?Once the tests indicate that it isn't something else it sounds more like IBS than CFAP, because you have altered stool frequency and consistancy. The IBS definition does not really require full blown diarrhea or constipation, just an alteration in bowel habit.IBS also ranges from very very mild to very very severe. Many people have IBS, but do not have it bad enough for it to be bothersome. You tend to find people on the severe end of the spectrum on support boards, so when you read people's experience remember that they are usually those that are most effected.K.

 

[Automan]

As I stated in the first post, I've had a number of blood tests, 2 endoscopies, 2 colonoscopies, a wireless enteroscopy, small bowel barium series, ultrasound, CT scan with contrast, and 2 lactulose hydrogen breath tests.The only things that have popped up have been very mild gastritis and the bacterial overgrowth that I'm not skeptical about. I've been on a liquid diet of Vivonex for a week now and I don't think I feel any better. I was told people normally start to feel better after 2-3 days.Mine is only mild but I've had it for so long now on a daily basis I'm having just as much trouble dealing with it as someone who gets it severely at various times.Couldn't CFAP cause altered BM's? Surely if the nerves in the guy are hypersensitive, then that could cause slight changes in stool?

 

[kamie]

quote:Mine is only mild but I've had it for so long now on a daily basis I'm having just as much trouble dealing with it as someone who gets it severely at various times._______________________________________That statement speaks volumes.So very true.Long enduring pain can and will just wear you out.I'm sorry you hurt.I'm sorry that the doctors are not more ON or at very least more comforting.I hope your answers come soon and hopefully you will soon find some new medical help that will answer your questions with good treatment options.Hugs,Kamie

 

[Kathleen M.]

Basically CFAP is IBS without changes in stool consistancy.The problem is at this time there isn't really any difference in how you would be treated for CFAP vs IBS other than they would just focus on the pain symptoms and not give you things for the constipation or the diarrhea. Pretty much antispasmodics or antidepressants.There may not be a really sharp line (how much change is a change If you only have 1 extra/fewer bowel movements a week is that little enough change? 3 a week??, 1 a day? Basically right now it seems that any change is IBS and no change is CFAP). But you do see people with unchanged bowel habits and abdominal pain thus pulling apart CFAP from IBS (well CFAP sounds better it doesn't mean a whole lot at this time, and many doctors call every single functional change in your GI tract IBS...mostly it is the researchers who pull things apart into smaller disorders because we do not know at this time what has each functional problem be different than the others). This is functional, but doesn't meet the criteria for IBS. Like you can have functional constipation or diarrhea without pain. That is basically treated like IBS, but they focus on the diarrhea and the constipation end of thing.K.