[17524]

Over a year ago, i started having symptoms like colitis, cramps, big d, nausea, some blood, mucous, etc. I also had discomfort in the solar plexus and belching. An old doc of mine prescribed pentasa. I had never taken it before.Took if for about 5 days. Big d got worse, and around the 5th day, started getting pain left shouder blade, tingling and numbness in my arms and legs, and the soles of the feet. Figured it was the med, stopped it, and i still have it all a year later. All of this lead to panic and depression.Very ill with the bowels and nausea, belching, churning of water in the bowels, had gastroscope,colonoscopy, and to my shock, they see nothing. At this point, i could no longer work at my business. Went for small bowel series,nothing. extensive bloodwork, nothing.Tingling turns to burning in my limbs, muscle twitches etc.Especially after a bowel movement. Bowel movements decreased to one a day, but always soft, and on the pale side.There is a little yellow on the toilet tissue after the stool.stool tests, nothing, more blood nothing, accupuncture, vitamin/minerals, diet changes nothing. I had one slightly higher celiac count, only 20 one above the norm. Tried no gluten, still do no luck.Ultrasound of gallbladder, nothing. So after all this time, and losing most of my life, doctors either say, "anxiety" or "ibs"To me it seems like a bile related malabsorption thing, but i dont know. Now terrified most of the time, terrified of the testing, and of losing my life and family.Can IBS be this bad???

 

[kitkat17 Lady of the Loo]

Sorry to say YES it can. Has taken over and as far as I an concenred it has ruined my life. there are SO MANY things I would love to do an can't. My poor Hubby ans kids. I hate this IBS-D more than I can say. If you read on here you will see you are not alone. And there are all kinds of meds and remedies, but some are trial and error and soem just don't work.Take care and good luckKat

 

[17524]

Thanks for the reply. Im sorry this has ruined your life, so far anyway.The thing ive seen so far, is most people dont know what they have and thus are labeled ibs.I dont really fit the symptoms menu. For one thing i have neither d or c. Im pretty regular, once a day, but it is always soft, pale, and i am sick before during and after.Then there is the neuropathy thing. Horrible.joint pain, muscle spasms, burning feet, burning arms, and this for a guy who is terrified of hospitals.I will read on.

 

[Screamer]

I don't mean to alarm you but generally IBS can be this bad, however burning feet, burning arms, joint pain aren't symptoms of IBS and I'd say you have something more going on like fibro (just guessing totally here). I hate to say it but I think you probably need more tests. Welcome to the boards by the way. I hope you find some answers soon. I answered your other post. Hope that helps some too

 

[17176]

littlehope hello & welcome to the site

 

[17524]

Screamer, I agree, but all the nerve things seem to revolve around the bms. In fact, if i have a nastier bm, the neuropathy is much worse, and vice versa.upper and lower scope negative, small bowel series negative, ultrasound negative, stool and blood studies negative.thanks

 

[Screamer]

I do know that when I have an attack, the worse the bowels are the more I ache. I tend to ache all over on a regular basis but I get a lot worse when I have an attack. I don't get the sore feet and stuff though. I do get shoulder pain and chest pain quite frequently but I'm pretty sure that's caused by my reflux rather than my IBS. It sounds like you've pretty much had the range of major tests done for IBS. Like you all mine came back negative except the reflux diagnosis. Does anything help the pain? Panadol or heat? If so I'd say it's muscular. Still not sure on the feet though.

 

[Guest]

Little Hope - this is the cruel thing about testing isn't it and why - probably wrongly - I avoid testing like the plague - I think you can get on a treadmill - you become so afraid of the tests (or in my case - the results) - you actually make the classic IBS symptoms - bloating, cramping, discomfort, lethagy and gruesome BMs all the worse for the fret of waiting for results. Mind you I think its also a cultural thing - sorry, not sure if you are US or UK? I've had IBS for 10 plus years and have hardly been tested - not that I'm advocating that either just that I really do empathise - you seem to have spent far too much of your recent life being tested and waiting for results.May I wish you all the very best - IBS is survivable promiseSue, Manchester

 

[16485]

Hi Little hope, I like you have had every test under the sun, not because I wanted them but because my docs wanted to do them. I also had the neuropathy thing. Howecer, the neuropathy was finally traced to a neck injury, I had both. Just because you have ibs doesn't mean that all your symptoms are due to this one thing. Ibs is a disorder, but doesn't preclude other disorders.On the good side, I've had this for years, and although I was only recently diagnosed, I had more or less learn't to cope with it. That was until I tried to lose weight and crammed myself full of fruit. (I've discovered I'm fructose intolerant). My friends and most of my family are very understanding now. But my poor old husband is still very concerned. Anyone out there got any advice for hubby, I've tried the when I'm feeling bad I just want to be alone, it doesn't work, he just gets more anxious. Suev, i've been reading your posts, and have found them helpful, moving and in some cases hiarious. Thanks for cheering me up.

 

[Guest]

No problem doll - thats what this board is for - god knows we all need plenty of support!!Take careSue