hi, im having a bad episode, although im not sure if it started as IBS or if it is now, but this is how it is:exactly one week ago today at 6.30pm i started suddenly with cramps - in what i thnk you would call the hypogastric region? lower than your navel by about 2/3inches, within 15 minutes to half an hour i had severe D, that just wouldnt stop, like less than 15 minute intervals each time for about 2 hours but the intervals gradually widened, i got a nights sleep and didnt feel too bad the next morning besides some mild sharp pains/discomfort - however, whenever i tried to eat anything, apart from breakfast, but after lunch and dinner that set the D off again but it seemed once i got it out my system i was just a bit achey, a hot water bottle was a god send.but now everyday since it seems food triggers it again to some extent, when i say some extent i mean sometimes it sets it off and sometimes it doesnt. but now, since i ate lunch on monday, went out to a hospital appointment (had to catch two buses there) got sudden excruciating pains i nearly for the first time ever didnt make it to the toilet with D, i was in so much pain, my whole body - its now turned part psychological and part i dont know what, im scared to leave the house, yesterday the thought of it sent me rushing to the toilet and now it seems i have this constant niggle, does anyone know what this pain is, its if i touch even lightly inside my belly button, or a little around it, or if i sit, hunched a little so my stomach put more pressure around the belly button area i get this weird discomfort that i really cant describe! and then i get general sharp pains all over. i really need help and i dont know what to do, ive been taking my antispasmodics for about 3 days now, mebeverine, but they dont seem to work. i have uni tomorow and ive already missed loads of work, i know im stressed and now i just cant stop crying because i feel so trapped in my own home, i would make a doctors appointment but i know how they are when you mention IBS, they cant do anything. is this IBS or did i have a bug and its triggered me off again? and whats this weird pain? and what can i do about the psychological aspect? i really hope someo one here can relate?
fed up - cant figure whats wrong
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If your docvtor is not helping you need to find another one.FYIQuestion: I have been suffering from IBS for well over a year. I can't seem to get it under control, and it is making it very difficult to live normally. I take medications (Zelnorm, hydrocosamine), try to eat a high-fiber diet, and I take medication for anxiety. Is there anything else I can do? See a nutritionist? Take classes in relaxation? My doctor said I would have to learn to live with the pain. I'm only 21 and I just can't accept that answer. Answer: When a single treatment or medication doesn't work, you can try a combination of medical treatment and cognitive behavioral therapies, such as relaxation techniques and hypnosis. I also just presented a study at Digestive Disease Week that shows that cognitive behavioral therapies can reduce the side effects of some drug treatments for IBS. Antidepressants may also be recommended to reduce anxiety in some severe cases. In addition, your doctor might try a combination of medications that work at the gut as well as the brain level for best results. -- Douglas Drossman, professor of medicine and psychiatry at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and co-director of the UNC Center for Functional GI and Utility Disorders. It sounds like the quality of life for this person is severely impaired by the IBS. Sometimes as your life becomes more impaired by IBS, it can make the condition worsen and initial treatments may not longer work. But there are always additional treatments, and you should not accept the answer of "just live with it." That is unacceptable. If that happens, you should look should for another physician in your area with more experience with the condition and the type of symptoms you're dealing with. All of the potential treatments mentioned above can be helpful, and you may have to rely on several different treatments for relief. -- Ray E. Clouse, MD, professor of medicine and psychiatry in the division of gastroenterology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. http://www.webmd.com/content/article/65/79520.htm
This sounds like IBS.If you watch this video on the right hand side it shows the sensory pathways. The article is excellent also.http://hopkins-gi.nts.jhu.edu/pages/latin/...se=43&lang_id=1When the colon is distended it release the neurotransmitter serotonin. In D IBS the gut over reacts, even to eating. The act of eating can also trigger d via the gastro responce.""The gastrocolic reflex, a partly neurogenic process, refers to an increase in colonic motility induced by feeding. Postprandial deviations from the normal motility patterns lead to altered bowel habits. For example, a spastic colon (eg, diarrhea-predominant IBS [D-IBS]) is characterized by an exaggerated motility response to food intake. This exaggerated postprandial response also occurs in response to intraluminal distention or to an injection of cholecystokinin (CCK -- a hormone released in the duodenum) in patients with IBS."The being afraid to leave the house is the fight or flight activation and that can also contribute to d and pain. Also staying home by yourself and thinking about it or dwelling on it all can make it worse as well. This is the vicious cycle and its important to work on breaking it. read this alsohttp://ibsgroup.org/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f...261/m/162105482
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Last winter I had a case of Norwalk that had me vomiting along with D (at the same time) and the awful cramps you speak about. It lasted about 3-4 days before it left. The first night was the worst, much as you describe. I guess the question would be is/was this ever a normal occurance with your IBS. If not, and if it were me, I would assume a virus working it's way through.The knife sharp pain behind my belly button used to come and go. It is, from all I can tell from this Board, an occasional symptom of IBS.We all have a weakened GI system from this. It may be that viral attacks hit us harder and reenergize the IBS stuff.I know how hard it is to catch up on school; but, depending upon your studies, perhaps you can use this time to do some of the readings that can get put off.Good luck getting through this.Mark
This might help: Saccharomyces boulardii
while this is about children it applies to adults and IBS."Question--How do you treat the pain in functional disorders? Answer--Conceptually, functional abdominal pain may be treated 1) with education, 2) from the top down, 3) from the bottom up, or 4) with any combination of these. Sometimes getting a diagnosis and learning about a functional disorder is enough to reduce the worries a family has about the health of their child. All parents ask the same four questions when they see a clinician: 1) what is wrong? 2) is it dangerous? 3) will it go away? 4) what can we do about it? In the case of a functional bellyache the answers are: 1) it's a functional bellyache, 2) it is not dangerous, 3) it comes and goes, 4) there are several ways to treat it. If the answers satisfy and the child is not disabled by pain in any way, further treatment may be unnecessary. The goal is to help the child cope with symptoms so that they don't miss daily obligations and activities. Top down treatment--Children can learn to use the thinking parts of their brains to reduce pain. Biofeedback, guided imagery, progressive relaxation, and hypnosis are different ways of training the brain to help control and reduce pain. If these methods are available, the advantage to them is that they teach the child the skills needed to reduce pain without medication. Bottom up treatment--Children may benefit from small doses of chronic pain medicines, or medicine to take away acid or intestinal muscle spasm. These medications are safe and effective in many, but not all, children. "http://ibsgroup.org/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f...261/m/839104682
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