[Tiss]

After years of my IBS being in control and I've been having this new symptom off and on for some months but it's really gotten worse over the last few weeks. I was having trouble with heartburn and nausea and bitter taste in my mouth so my doctor took me off my Fosamax and put me on Prilosec. I took the Prilosec for a week but couldn't tolerate it so I went off but the heartburn is gone. So this is a good thing. But I've noticed that when I eat, particularly in the afternoon or evening my stomach gets very full feeling (fast), my stomach bloats, and then I have to run to the bathroom for loose stools. My pancreatic levels were a little elevated a few weeks ago but I don't know if that has anything to do with this. Anyway, I'm getting to the point where I'm afraid to eat anything and this is very different from my IBS or maybe it's changing I don't know.

 

[Kathleen M.]

That is a fairly common IBS symptom (running to the bathroom with a meal as the stomach tells the colon it ate and then there is a burst of colon activity).Smaller more frequent meals tends to help with the diarrhea after meals, but usually people tend to wait as long as possible to eat, which makes it worse.While lack of enzymes doesn't cause the fill up too fast, feel way too full, bloated stomach thing. They do also act as chemical signals (most things in the body do more than one thing) and for some people digestive enzymes that contain pancreatin in them taken at the start of a meal can help with the stomach.If the stomach is over-reacting to meals it could be sending a bigger "get a move on" signal to the colon than it usually would.

 

[Tiss]

K., Are these symptoms related to Crohns in any way? I found out last year that a 1st cousin was diagnosed with Crohns at my age (54). I think others in our family have had it too.

 

[Kathleen M.]

I wouldn't expect either diarrhea after meals or feeling too full after you've had some other upper GI issues to be a sure sign of Crohn's.They are both more indicative of functional problems, not inflammatory ones. Inflammatory problems tend to cause issues when you aren't doing something to activate the gut as well as when you do. Functional problems tend to be associated with gut activation times (so mornings or around/just after you eat). Your immune system doesn't really pay attention to when you eat. Your digestive tract is very aware of when you eat as it has to respond to that.If you get bloody diarrhea, fevers, skin rashes, joint pain (so symptoms of other autoimmune issues as people often get more than one at a time and the common and/also issues tend to be skin and joints) and start losing weight no matter how much you eat (which is hard to eat twice as much as usual when you feel full too quickly) I'd get in right away to be checked out.I would let the doctor know about the new issues with stomach fullness, if you keep having problems you may at some point need a stomach emptying test. However this could all be fall out of healing up from whatever reflux/stomach irritation you had from the medication and it may just clear up, especially if you keep telling your body "this too shall pass" rather than spending a lot of time worrying that "this means something potentially deadly". The feedback you send the nervous system as it heals up can effect how well it heals and what bad behavior it hangs on to.

 

[Tiss]

I am doing better--eating much smaller meals and no fat. I think my imagination has been running a little wild with these worries.

 

[Kathleen M.]

The worries can often be a lot worse than the disease. Hopefully the smaller meals will help.