[Mel31]

HelloI am new to this forum. I was diagnosed with IBS a little while ago by my doctor (two months ago). I've never had issues like this before, and am nervous of course. I want to talk to others and make sure this is really what I have.My symptoms:stomach distension (my actual stomach will get so full and hard after eating sometimes, other times even if I haven't eaten my stomach will be like a tight fist)spasm-like feelings in my intestines accompanied by back painsevere bloating all over, in my stomach and intestinesAppetite that comes and goes, sometimes hungry, sometimes notthe feeling that my food is sitting around and not digestinglots of burpingnot to be crude, but my BMs range from hard and rock like to normal and every now and again some weird semi digested looking mucus-y thing, rarely diarrheaI just wanted to compare to other people. The thing that makes me nervous is my appetite coming and going-I'm not sure if this is common for IBS, and the feeling that food is just kind of hanging out in my stomach. It doesn't always feel like this, each day is different from the next. Or I'll have a bad week, and a good week, etc.Does this sound like IBS? I'd appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

 

[Kathleen M.]

Appetite can vary because of a lot of things, it doesn't mean you have gastroparesis (the stomach loses the ability to empty properly).Some people are just less hungry when they have abdominal pain or any of the other symptoms.Gastroparesis is most common in people who have diabetes, but can occur in other people, but I think that tends to be more consistent rather than some days normal some days feel full for many hours after you should be and feel full after a couple of bites (although functional dyspepsia, like IBS but in the stomcah can cause those exact same symptoms).with the burping and that appetite thing it sounds like you could have FD as well as IBS and that is quite common.

 

[Mel31]

I am very glad you brought up gastroparesis. I'm assuming you guessed that was my biggest fear! I am a 29 year old female, and currently have been on prilosec for over 4 years. I was put on it for a gastric ulcer caused by taking Aleve for a sprained ankle. I had no stomach problems at all before this. I tried getting off the prilosec after the stomach was healed, and had what I now know to be a terrible rebound effect and my doctor at that point told me to stay on it. I didn't want to as an overly acidic stomach was never an issue for me, never had heartburn in my life. I have had a few endoscopies, small hiatal hernia, NO h Pylori or celiac or lactose intolerance-been tested like 6 times w/biopsies and blodd and breath test. My new GI doc is telling me that I never should have been told to stay on Prilosec, that once my stomach was healed the doctor should have helpd me taper off of it. He thinks it possibly is leading to vitamin def. and is causing IBS to become a bigger issue due to stress and also the inability to thorougly digest food. I know this is a lot to take in, but it can get so confusing. I am going to start tapering off prilosec in january, but i guess at this point I'm just nervous that my system is a complete mess. I know stress makes it worse for me. Stress seems to be my biggest trigger for intestinal spasms, although sometimes it happens on its own. I try to be calm about it, but I guess I just needed to find a place to talk to people who go through this. I can't keep worrying my poor fiance who is being very supportive. I've lost a decent amount of weight from all of this.

 

[JerryNyc718]

I am right there with you friend, I pretty much have everything you listen on a daily basis. One thing that is fine though is my Appetite is fine, I can eat like a horse some days if I really wanted to.

 

[Kathleen M.]

Some people feel prilosec is mostly harmless so staying on it to avoid rebound is OK, other doctors want you off it ASAP. Hard to know how big the risks really are for any given person.Lack of acid does not cause gastroparesis. It is usually from nerve damage which is why you see it a lot in people with diabetes as the diabetes over time damages nerves.They could do a gastric emptying study, but it is much more likely you have something functional going on.You might want to use an antacid to help you taper off the prilosec. Something to damp down the rebound without having to take more prilosec. If you tend to loose stools look for a calcium based product like Tums, if you tend to constipation try a magnesium based product like Mylanta. Magnesium tends to loosen up the stools and calcium tends to constipate. A lot of IBSers use magnesium or calcium to help with stool consistency issues.

 

[Mel31]

My current doctor is just concerned about the vitamin issues. I have gotten anemic a couple of times due to not being able to absorb enough B12, and my nails have gotten in really bad shape. Not to mention, I'm getting married soon and want to have children. I can't be on prilosec while pregnant. He told me to use zantac 150 to taper off and to take calcium and B12 supplements in the meantime to deal with vitamin def. issues. It'll be a battle, but perhaps things will get better after I taper off. I guess you never know if a drug could be messing with you in any weird ways. My other big issue is making sure I keep my stress under control. This sort of thing really gets to me sometimes. I'm thinking of trying some form of yoga.