[18429]

My 17 year old daughter has extreme pain, getting worse when she eats. Her stomach bloats up sometimes she looks pregnant. She wants to throw up everytime she eats. She is losing weight. We have been to Mayo's and still she is no better, she is getting worse. They say it may be IBS, does anybody have an idea, or have similar symptoms.We sure could use some ideas.

 

[18429]

I am replying to myself. I forgot to say she can't go to school or work because of the pain. Thank you for helping.

 

[Kathleen M.]

Are you doing any of the treatments for IBS pain?AntispamsodicsAntidepressantsZelnorm or Lotronex if that fits her type of IBS.Throwing up is usually more an upper GI thing than an IBS thing but some people have both.There are also lots of things they can try to reduce nausea as well.If she is that bad she needs to see the doctors and start trying some treatments for what is going on.I can't imagine no doctor would say they won't try any medications at all, but you could try peppermint for the pain and ginger for the nausea if no one will treat her, but I'd find a doctor that would at least start running through the standard meds to see what works.For bloat you can try probiotics and digestive enzymes, the kind that has pancreatin in them, not the all vegetable ones. It does make a difference as the ones with pancreatic enzymes also effect our internal signalling where we don't have anything to detect the vegetable ones.K.

 

[18429]

She has tried Zelnorm. It made her sick and she would almost pass out.She has tried 2 kinds of antidepressants. They give her panic attacks and she sleeps over 14 hours a day on them.She as also has tried an Antispamsodic. That has no effect.One doctor treated her for 18 months for crhons's disease. She took pentasa. It helped for a while then she got worse. She is waiting for her last test. She is going to swallow a camera.We also tried ginger. We haven't been able to find the pepermint oil.She has has every test imaginable. Most twice. Thank you for your help.She is at the end of her rope.Do you have any other ideas?

 

[22896]

Has she been to a gynocologist? some female issues could be causing her pain and bloat.Have her try the peppermint tea - can get it at any grocery store.I totally know what she is going through. I started with all this stuff at 16 and it really changed my life. Hopefully you will find an answer for her and she can get back to living.Best of luckMindy

 

[18429]

Thank you Mindy, Yes, she has had that all checked out. Thank you for asking. She is right here and wanted you to know she is grateful for you and will pray for you. She too wonders what a day with no pain and being comfortable feels like.We will try the peppermint tea, good idea, thank you,again.Oh, my daughter's name is Kayla.grateful for everyone who answers this,Torrie

 

[eric]

TORRIE Why did this doctor treat her for that, what tests or history made them think she had and inflammatory bowel disease?"One doctor treated her for 18 months for crhons's disease."Does she ever have digestive problems at night? Does the pain wake her up at night. How long was she on the antidepressants for and does she have high anxiety other then the digestive issues? What ones did they put her on?Is she losing weight because she doesn't eat enough, because when she eats she is in pain. Is the pain 24/7 or just servere pain when she has an attack?Have you ever noticed her not have problems in certain situations? Say when she is at home distracted from her stomach problems?Has she ever had a colonoscopy?Was it a gi doc at Mayo?

 

[Guest]

Has she ever been tested for, or treated with antibiotics for SIBO?

 

[18429]

MMandM No, could you explain what that is?thank you, torrieFor eric,so many questions!I try to answer some.She is in pain all the time.Is she losing weight because she doesn't eat enough, because when she eats she is in pain. Is the pain 24/7 or just servere pain when she has an attack? Yes to all.How long was she on the antidepressants for and does she have high anxiety other then the digestive issues? What ones did they put her on? 6 months , no, can't spell it. it was a low dose to stop the pain. no she does not have high anxiety.Does she ever have digestive problems at night? Does the pain wake her up at night. Keeps her from sleeping, but does not wake her up most nights.Why did this doctor treat her for that, what tests or history made them think she had and inflammatory bowel disease?They think ibs because they have ruled out everything elseOne thinks Crhon's because of some blood test that said it was 83% chance that was Crhon's.Different doctor different verdict.It was a GI doctor at Mayo.and she has had all the major test.Thank you everyone for caring and the help.Torrie

 

[Kathleen M.]

SIBO=SmallIntestinalBacterialOvergrowthUsually they test for this with a breath test. It is fairly new, and isn't always done.

 

[eric]

TORRIE Of course no one can diagnose here, but hopefully give you some help.Because of her age and that she has had quite a few tests it sounds more like IBS, especially if the pain doesn't wake her up at night for the most part. However it still also sounds like a little more investigation is in order. There are some other symptoms in clusters in IBS patients that help confirm a diagnoses of IBS.Also depending on where you live there might be other docs to go see.I would suggest her getting this test and to ask the doctor about it."Clin Lab. 2005;51(3-4):117-26. Links Fecal leukocyte proteins in inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome.Silberer H, Kuppers B, Mickisch O, Baniewicz W, Drescher M, Traber L, Kempf A, Schmidt-Gayk H. University of Heidelberg, Germany.The aim of this prospective study was to compare five different leukocyte proteins in feces of patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and healthy persons who underwent prophylactic colonoscopy. METHODS: The leukocyte proteins calprotectin, lactoferrin, lysozyme, myeloperoxidase, and PMN-elastase were determined with immunoassays in fecal samples of three consecutive feces (e.g. three days) in 40 healthy persons, 39 patients with chronic IBD (of these 21 with Crohn's disease and 18 with ulcerative colitis), and 40 patients with IBS. RESULTS: ROC curves calculated for healthy persons and patients with IBD yielded the following areas under the curves (AUCs): PMN-elastase 0.916, calprotectin 0.872, myeloperoxidase 0.750, lysozyme 0.726, and lactoferrin 0.693. The AUCs of PMN-elastase and calprotectin were not significantly different (p = 0.327), whereas PMN-elastase or calprotectin vs. the other proteins were significantly different (p < 0.001). PMN-elastase and calprotectin correlated with the endoscopically classified severity of inflammation. All fecal leukocyte markers in IBS were found in the range of the healthy persons. Data on storage stability of leukocyte proteins in fecal supernatants are given. CONCLUSION: Fecal PMN-elastase and calprotectin support the differentiation of chronic IBD from IBS and correlate with the severity of inflammation.PMID: 15819166"Not eating can also contribute to pain in IBS and losing weight. So its important to figure out why she is losing weight from the actual problem or a disease or from not eating and having IBS. IBS itself does not cause malabsorbtion of nutrients.How long after she eats does the pain come on? right away, 30 minutes and hour etc?Is the pain collicky?Does she ever have the sensation of incomplete evacuation?Does she ever get relief after a bowel movement?also next time you take her to the doctor print and take this with you.Questions to Ask Your Doctorhttp://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art...rticlekey=13683also has she ever kept a diary of what she is eating and her symptoms? That may help.a personal symptoms journalhttp://www.ibsgroup.org/brochures/Journal.pdfalso this page shows some diagnostic testing http://hopkins-gi.nts.jhu.edu/pages/latin/...se=43&lang_id=1and on the next page also has a symptoms diary.

 

[17697]

Hey Torrie, I'm so sorry to hear that your daughter is going through all of this. It's a painful and sometimes embarrassing problem for adults to deal with (I'm a single women in her 30's and I've got a few dating nightmare stories!) I can't imagine what it's like to have all these difficulties at 16 when your biggest worry should be who's going to invite you to prom! Anyway, I have a few suggestions too. Definitely work the peppermint teach, it's a god-send for nausea. Also, see if you can find Aloe Vera suppliments, I have a friend with IBS who swears by them. I think they sell them at Walmart. She could try two or three tabs a day. Another "alternative" method is to try yoga and meditation. It sounds wacky but I did an IBS trial where they had us do these things along with drug treatment and they really seemed to work. Sometimes you can lessen symptoms with mind over matter. It's kind of like lamaz for IBS sufferers. I find that I make my symptoms much worse if I'm concentrating on them, so having a distraction or being able to "leave your body" for a few minutes with meditation techniques seems to stop me from panicking (thus making the situation worse). On the medical side, has she had an ultrasound to rule out gallstones or gallbladder issues? I had some success with a medication called Desiperamine, which is an anti-depressant, but for some it has unpleasant side-effects. Unfortunately it seems this is all a trial and error process, but I was diagnosed with IBS about 18 years ago and we've made a LOT of progress since then and we're continuing to move forward with new treatments. Good luck, I'll be praying for Kayla.