Hi guys,I thought i'd share with you my latest experiance with you.I wont make it long.I suffer from IBS C. Diagnosed as post infectious IBS c. I have had all the tests colonoscopy, barium enema etc.I have constipation every day. Manageable but constant chronic constipation and bloating.Recently I changed my heating system. I had a water tank and immersian heater. I upgraded to a combi boiler. This was because my heating system was old and needed replacing. Nothing to do with my IBS.My plumber commented on the dirty water my old tank was circulating round the house.Anyway to cut a long story short as the new system was installed I began to feel better. More energy, no bloating and a slight improvement in my BM. As the weeks went on my skin felt great and my BM were returning to normal. My stomach flattened out and I felt great. This went on for weeks. My BM's returned to near normal and I thought that the water quality (or lack of) had caused my IBS. I didnt want to post to get people exited until I was sure. Unfortunately my symptoms are gradually starting to return. Im still not as bad as I was but im heading in that direction. Im constipated again and the bloating is starting to return. I feel like crying.Have any of you out there got any water quality issues. Do you have uncovered water tanks at home? Old boilers?I'm sure there is some connection. I havent managed to reason out why my symptoms have returned. Its frustrating.I should mention that my Partner and daughter have both seen improvements in their health since we changed the water supply.Any thoughts on the matter would be welcome.
I thought I had cured my IBS. Sadly I havent.
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First of all, I'm sorry for your that you are having some symptoms return. I can only dream of having my sypmtoms go away after two years of this, and I know if they did I would be very upset to have them return. I had someone mention to me they had years of stomach issues that finally went away when they realized they had serious mold in the place they were living. The stomach problems were part of multi sypmtoms from years of being exposed to high mold. I only relay this because if changing the water worked briefly, perhaps mold is the larger issue where you live? Just a thought to get it checked out.
I don't know but it is good to keep in mind that sometimes more than one thing can trigger or aggravate symptoms. So in other words it could be the water was part of the problem of what was aggravating your gut but there might be other things as well.Have you tried any good probiotics? (Like Align etc...)
I have long considered the possibility of mould. I cant find any in the house. My fitted wardrobes are a bit musty but i had them cleaned and moved into my spare room for 6 months. Didnt see any benefit. I certainly dont have any black mould or anything like that.Also the mould air tests dont look reliable.I have never had any benefit of probiotics.I wonder if there is a medical test to see if you have some sort of mould poison/allergy?
Why not see an allergist Dr? See what they can test you for.
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They usually do mold when they do a standard medical allergy test. Mold as well as dust mites and some other usual indoor allergens are in the panel as well as the common outdoor things like ragweed and other pollens.I'm not sure about other mold over-exposure testing, but usually once the house is cleaned that shouldn't be a problem (and most of the toxic mold makes you a lot sicker than IBS generally does, not that IBS is easy to deal with, but you usually don't get a lot of respiratory stuff that puts you in the hospital like some respiratory things tend to do).
Hi Gmonkeysorry to hear your IBS is getting worse again. But is still remarkable how the new boiler changed things. It might even be the case that whatever caused the trouble in the first place is now already accumulating again in the new boiler...not sure if these things can be cleaned on a regular basis?One question that would really interest me: Did you actually drink the water we are talking about here and how long did it take, after you change the boiler, for you to notice an improvement? Was it a few days or a few weeks?The reason I am asking is the following: I've had IBS for about 8 or 9 years. Thinking back I had the first symptoms after moving to Spain from my native Germany. While living in Germany I would always drink mineral water out of bottles. When I went to Spain I drank tap water, just like anyone else in Madrid, people said the water quality there is really good. A couple of years later I moved to England and I kept drinking tap water here, mainly out of convenience. I don't have a car here and dragging water bottles around is no fun. Also, many people here drink tap water, it's even encouraged by some councils to reduce plastic bottle waste...Nevertheless you hear all sorts of horrible things about old London victorian water pipes and all the toxic stuff that could be in there. So sometimes I am wondering if my IBS is exacerbated by the water I am drinking. On the other hand I usually go to Germany for a week each year and while there only drink bottled water but there's usually no improvement to my IBS. Nor is there one on other travels when I only drink bottled water for 2 weeks or so. That's why I never bothered switching to bottled water.But if you'd say it took you a few months to notice an improvement then I think I should probably give it a go! Anyway, I hope your IBS reverses again and would be great to get an answer.Sito
Im not talking about the drinking water. Drinking water in the UK does not go through the boiler.The taps in the bathroom sometimes go through the boiler. So i am talking about the cold water in the bathroom, all the hot water and water I bathed/showered in.So I was brushing my teeth in the dirty water.It took me about two to three weeks of the water change to get better. It was a gradual change. I once responded to antibiotics (metronidole and amoxicillin combination) and that changed my symptoms instantly. The water change was more a gradual improvement. I was better for about a month and then my symptoms gradually started to return.The change in symptoms i think was linked to the water quality. Maybe something did 'accumulate' and return. I am going to avoid my water again for a couple of weeks and see if I improve again.One important thing to tell you. I had two days of really bad diorreah in the third week. Also my mouth felt squeeky clean. Just like it does when you take antibiotics. Very strange sensation.Whatever causes my IBS 'got used' to the antibiotics. I know this because a repeat prescription didnt have the same effect. Maybe the IBS 'got used' to the new water supply.I am convinced that an agent causes IBS. I dont pretend to know what it is but now more than ever I think something is causing this. My stools were normal and easy to pass. No bloating. Extra energy (and i mean incredible amounts of extra energy). In a word cured. I have lived at my address for about 6 years. After a year I had a bout of diorreah that made me ill and from that day on my constipation gradually got worse. I was diagnosed post infectious IBS C.I have tried to logic out the reason my symptoms have returned but I cant. The same way that they cant explain why antibiotics work at first and then fade.Frustratins
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If the antibiotics are treating SIBO (normal bacteria in the wrong spot, so in the small intestine when they should be in the colon, only) there is a fairly normal drop off in effectiveness.It is probably from the bacteria becoming resistant to the antibiotic. This is a pretty normal process and once they are resistant to an antibiotic it doesn't kill them anymore. Antibiotic resistance is a major issue with treating any sort of bacteria, even if you are just trying to kill off the normal flora in the wrong spot.
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