Newbie and needing advice!

Peabee:Your symptoms sound exactly like what I've been going through for about 2 months now. I put myself on a liquid only diet and the symptoms went away. Thank God for Jay Robb's Egg White protein shakes! The minute I introduced any form of carbohydrate back into the mix, my system went bonkers again. I agree, get tested by someone who will pay attention to you and not file away your log like that. And, be careful how much peppermint tea or pills you take. Too much peppermint can cause GERD which only complicates things more.Get a celiac test and perhaps a lactose breath test. These will indicate SIBO or gluten intolerance. In the meantime, cut wheat from your diet and see how you feel. But be aware, when you cut wheat you may cut out something that is the real culprit. I've suspected sugar is the basis of my issues for some time, but in cutting wheat or carbs, I also cut the sugar so I've never been able to make an accurate determination as to which is the real problem for me. And to make things worse, as my doctor explained, the mystery of IBS is one day you can react to something and the next you're fine with it. Thats been a big source of confusion for me. One day I can go have something in a restuarant but a week later the same meal sets my stomach off.

Hiya Fullogas~love the name!. Wow,you've got some willpower!. I'm not sure if i could do the liquid diet,i really love crunching food. Ive not heard of those protein shakes~are they from a health shop?. I have thought of cutting out wheat,gluten and already swapped my regular milk for soya which has helped aa little.As for the peppermint tea,i only have 1 or 2 a day and drink other herbal teas instead. Ive probably only used the peppemint pills twice and thats when i got mega bloated!. I will be calling in on my GPs surgery tomorrow for an appointment and will ask for every test thats needed to get a proper diagnosis. Unfortunately for me,the state of the NHS means i'll have to wait months for the tests to be done. I have a feeling that lactose is one of my problems and artificial sweetners,i guess the test will tell me eventually!. I forgot to mention in my first post that 2 sisters have IBS symptoms,a niece was allergic to cows milk as a baby and another niece has a bit of a problem with it too. I'll be mentioning this to the GP,see what he thinks. This IBS is a real pain (literally),so complicated. I was wondering,have you been to your GP?. With similar syptoms,im curious!

Peabee:My symptoms were and are all over the chart so I've had about every test that could be done. I tried to find a doctor here in LA to do a fructose tolerance test but had no luck. I've heard it's similar to a lactose test but different in ways to detect fructose problems. A friend had one in New Jersey but I could not find a doctor who did that test out here.I've also read that it's possible to be negative for celiacs (as in my case, serval times) but have all the same reactions. It's called gluten intolerance. For me, symptoms range from:

• Dizziness (the first symptom)
• Sour stomach/ nausea
• Cramping/gas
• bloating
• Occasional bouts of frequent/urgent BM's
• Lethargy
• Brain fog

Going off solid food was great for a few weeks. My energy levels sky-rocketed, my symptoms all cleared up. But I also lost weight, a lot of weight. I was only 165 pounds to begin with and I dropped to as low as 138 pounds at one point. I couldn't tolerate carbs so I couldn't eat enough to keep weight on. So, I finally started adding in carbs to stop the weight loss but all the symptoms came back, only this time with a vengance. Now I'm trying to ween myself back off the things I think are currently causing problems to get the stomach back under control.I'm also under a tremendous amout of stress right now. Stress is a major contributor to IBS and I've got enough these days to keep a good number of people on this forum in IBS symptoms for a long time. I suspect that as the pressure lets up, some of what I'm experiencing right now is my body letting go and beginning to relax finally, kind of like how you get sick after working like a dog for a few weeks. I'm hoping that as this job I've been doing the last 2 1/2 years winds down by the end of February that my health will start coming back around.Never underestimate stress as a factor!

Fullofgas;I would be very careful about doing just a liquid diet. It can do you more harm than good in the long run. One of the things with IBS is that there really is no rhyme nor reason with foods. Like was said above, you can eat one thing one time and it will be fine and another time, a flareup! I've had IBS for 9 years now and this is what I've learned, along with a multitude of other things if you eat something that gives you a flareup every time you eat it, those are the food's to eliminate. That is a trial and error. I don't mean eat that thing twice and make a decision. I would suggest #3 would be the charm. For me, corn is a major no-no!! I haven't eaten it in over 5 years, and don't ever plan on eating it again! EVER! If carbs are hard for you to eat, try with very small amounts, eat fruit, vegetables, meat. See what happens. You are better off not depriving yourself of the nutrients. If you indeed have IBS, you will have flareups regardless!! And, yes, stress/anxiety is a huge factor, but they can be dealt with in many different ways. You could read posts on here for days and days. There is good, knowledgeable people on here that offer not only support, but solid information. Good luck to all of you.I manage my IBS with Cymbalta 60mg a day, Librax as needed for cramping/pain, Immodium is a lifesaver used as a preventative if I have to do anything that going to the bathroom 7 or 8 times cannot be in the schedule; also I use it for when I've gone several times, and need to get it under control to continue with my day. Everyone is different, and what works for me, may not work for you.

Jan:Thanks for the concern. The strict liquid diet lasted about two weeks. I was in pretty bad shape at the time so this was a last resort taken simply to allow the stomach to rest a bit. After two weeks I began introducing one, simple meal a day, then after about 4 weeks I was up to two meals. I've since largely gone off it because the weight loss. It was never intended to be a life-long or long term solution, simply to help me get over a really tough period. Sadly, the only thing that really came of it was the weight loss. Then again, December was a pretty good month pyshically so that was good.I feel that sometimes there's a place for this kind of action but not all the time and certainly not for everyone. I wish my doctors and I could find something to help manage the IBS. We've tried so many different SSRI's it's not funny. I tried Cymbalt in December. The reaction was immediate and kind of weird, full body shakes that started within hours and lasted almost all day. The Cymbalta ended up in the trash. The one thing that has helped recently is Levson (Hyosciamine) at night right before bed. One tablet under the tounge calms the stomach enough that I can get about 5 solid hours of sleep each night. I don't know anything about this drug and it's long term use but for now it's helping.

Morning all. Riayn,I asked the GP if it was possible i had celiacs and she practically laughed in my face~i wasn't impressed i can tell you!. Hopefully my own GP will take me seriously. I'd like the test done(both allergy and intolerance)and if i am can get my two children tested,keep an eye on their diet.It would be so so nice to be able to talk to a pro' and know they know what they're talking about!. I honestly didn't know there was fructose in wheat. I guess i have a lot to learn still!. I can't imagine what living with IBS for 5 yrs does to you?. Im about 2yrs in and am so frustrated with the lack of energy. I could have a good 8hrs sleep and within the space of 2-3 hours am desperate for a nap. I'm not sure (depending on any test results)if my breakfast of oats,fresh blueberries and soya milk is a bad way to start the day?!. Hi Fullogas, I've been reading up on fructose and lactose,seems to be down to sugars~makes me wonder if my sweet tooth was trying to tell me something!. I was also reading an article about cows milk yesterday and they claim that it shouldn't be consumed by humans. There were so many side effects~if i can find it i'll post a link if the mods will let me!. You've triggered my memory here~i had terrible dizziness not too long ago. I felt like i was going to fall over,the room would spin. I almost fell off a ladder putting the Xmas dec's up. Is this a symptom of IBS too?~i thought it might have been my ears or something!. I think i'm gonna have to watch my carbs too but being only 118lbs will have to be careful. I look like a pregnant weeble!. Last night i was already bloated so i only ate a chicken salad on wholemeal~for hours i could feel wind rolling around under my ribs and my belly getting worse. As for stress,im a lone parent to a 13yr and an 8yr old!!. About 2 1/2 yrs ago i had to move house and had nowhere to move to,frantic packing and that on my mind caused me to go into stress overload. I ended up with a spinal injury in my neck. By the time we'd settled into our new home 8 months later my pain disappeared!. I've found that when i am stressed,my neck aches and yes,the belly symptoms worsen. Catch 22!. I hope things improve for you,doesn't sound like you're having a good time of it. Once the stress has gone down,like you say your health will improve. I'm glad the medication's helping,a good nights sleep helps you cope a bit. Hiya Jan, I agree with you where you said certain food can be ok one day and another day,flare ups. I found this when doing my first food diary. I thought maybe it was because i wasn't eating the exact same foods on both bad days?!. I thought maybe the different lunch played havoc and gave similar symptoms. It is so very confusing sometimes!. I get so frustrated at times! I have eliminated some things but wish packaging companies would state what their hidden ingredients are~it'd make all our lives a heck of a lot easier!. Have any of you ever drank a Chinese tea called Pu-Erh?. Its a detox tea and breaks down bad fats. I used to drink this twice a day and found my symptoms worsen. I'm not sure if it was because the tea was clearing my colon out and making the intolerable foods give me worse symptoms?. As for the stress,because i stress that im getting stressed i was thinking of buying that de-stressing stuff you spray on your tongue. I cant think what its called but its fairly new here (in UK)and in yellow packaging. Has any of you tried it and does it work?!.

Hiya kjgalaxy, Ive finally got an appointment with a nicer GP in 2 weeks time. I'll be asking him to explore every allergy and intolerance so's i can get some sort of life back!. I really feel for my children sometimes,when im tired,i either drop off or am snapping at them. Yesterday,i had tuna,sweetcorn and pasta for lunch. By 6:30pm i was out like a light for 3 hours. Ive fallen asleep for an hour but never that long. I will have to try that meal again next week and see if the same thing happens. My migraines are sometimes stress related. I can wake up with a migraine also get migraines through stress release!. I even had an eye test but they're fine. Looking round the local supermarket for lactose/wheat etc free foods is a complete joke!. There is about an 1/8 of an aisle with 'free foods' and are rather expensive!. This is enough to give anyone a migraine! Glad you're able to keep your migraines at bay. I'll have to mention to my GP,mine seem to be one side one day then the other side the next oblivious to what pain killers ive taken.

I'm not an expert on migranes but I found a clear connection between food and migrane attacks years ago. I used to get really bad migranes. I'd go home and sleep it off as best I could. One day a co-worker mentioned he noticed they happened after I ate Oreo cookies. I dropped the cookies and the migranes subsided. I later dropped most junk foods, especially heavily processed foods like Oreos and the migranes went away completely. I haven't had an attack in probably 10 years.Gluten free food can be expensive. If you're in the States, you can deduct the difference in cost between GF food and normal food on your taxes. I kept track for a year and found I was spending about 12% more on GF food than normal food. My accountant was overloaded with deductions so this one didn't really help me (I run my own company), but it could help people who don't have a lot of deductions.I've become a firm believer in not simply treating stress, as with SSRI's, but trying to eliminate it from your life as much as you can. About 2 1/2 years ago I embarked on an endeavor designed to ultimately reduce stress in my life as much as possible. It's the biggest reason my stress is so great right now, and, even though it's been really bad, the ultimate goal is to reduce it to minimal levels in my life. I'll know in as liitle as 2 weeks if that goal will pay off when I debut what I've been working on. If it goes well, within months my life should change and my goal will be accomplished. Even if it doesn't go well there's a positive. I'll simply fold up shop, declare bankruptcy and do something else. I'd much rather it's the former and not the latter.

Apart from the odd chinese take away(once a month if that),i eat pretty healthy~always have. It seemed to me the healthier i ate,the worse my symptoms got. At Xmas,i ate so much 'rubbish' and my symptoms were bearable! I dont eat crisps,biscuits,sweets or cakes but occasionally had a snack size choc bar. Since its started bloating me etc ive not eaten any for a long while and funnily enough haven't had a migraine attack for weeks. One of the 3 c's!. Im from the UK so no chance of deducting the difference!. I am quite shocked at the lack of 'free foods' available in stores. I will have to search for IBS recipes on here and work around it that way for now!. As for the stress,both my children are at difficult stages!My son's hormones are changing and im feeling it!. My daughter's becoming very head strong which can (if i dont keep a lid on it!)cause conflicts. I try not to get stressed by it but is difficult at times!. I need to go to some kind of de-stress class,learn how to control it and realise when i'm stressing!. I hope your goal pays off. You seem to have the right attitude to it all which is better for you. I'd be freaking out!. Running your own company must be stressful,keep thinking positive and fingers crossed for you!. Paula.

Hi Peabea: "My GP said its IBS symptoms but pouring thru so much info on the net,i'm confused as to whether it is IBS or celiacs/food intolerances"That's a good question...rememeber that the term "IBS" is just something to write on your chart. Its simply a catch-all term to describe any symptoms describing Bloating, gas, c, d both etc. The KEY to getting the "IBS" diagnosis is they can't find anything wrong.What's so ridiculous is that there's people that actually believe that "IBS" is a separate condition when in reality...it could be 100 conditions all showing the same symptoms. Or it could simply be just someone who likes to eat Hotdogs & Icecream before going to bed & notices that he mysteriously gets diarrhea everynight. He complains to his Dr. And sure enough he now officially has "IBS"In order to better, you have to figure it out" what's causing your symptoms!!Dr. Pimentel's Protocol may be a good start but if that doesn't work....You may have to try lots of experimenting with foods and supplements. Good Luck!

IBS is a specific diagnoses, based on a cluster of symptoms, minus "red flag" symptoms. IT is a SECURE diagnoses, many people don't understand this and a misdiagnoses is rarer in less the 5%, using the Rome criteria and a good gi doc.There is newer research also that altered motility in IBS can lead to sibo in some patients.In Post Infectious IBS, clearly certain bacteria cause gastroenteritist which RESOLVES and leaves celluar changes in important cells embbed in the gut and predisposed individuals then develop a subtype of IBS called Post Infectious IBS. AlsoDoes Bacterial Overgrowth Play a Role in IBS?Bacterial Overgrowth & IBS: Too Soon To TellBy Philip Schoenfeld, MD, MSEd, MSc (Epi)Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Michigan School of Medicine Chief, Division of Gastroenterology, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been described as a “functional” disorder, which is a “diagnosis of exclusion.” Thus, many physicians still think IBS has no demonstrable pathophysiologic defects and that it can only be diagnosed after other “organic” disorders have been ruled out with multiple diagnostic tests.Recent data demonstrate the fallacy of this assumption. Irritable bowel syndrome IS characterized by multiple pathophysiologic defects:Altered gastrointestinal motility (1-2) Visceral hypersensitivity (1-2) Abnormal IL-10/IL-12 ratios consistent with pro-inflammatory Th-1 state (3) Infiltration of lymphocytes and neuronal degeneration in the myenteric plexus (4) Defects in serotonergic signaling mechanisms in the enteric nervous system of the GI tract (5) Unfortunately, these pathophysiologic defects cannot be identified by conventional laboratory testing. Therefore, we rely on the symptom-based IBS diagnostic criteria of the ROME committee (i.e., the presence of abdominal discomfort for at least 12 weeks in the past 12 months associated with a change in the consistency/frequency of stool or relief of discomfort with passage of stool) or the American College of Gastroenterology (i.e., IBS is defined as abdominal discomfort associated with altered bowel habits) (1-2). However, the reliance on symptom-based criteria to diagnose IBS should not de-emphasize the pathophysiologic defects expressed by IBS patients.http://www.gastro.org/wmspage.cfm?parm1=1703So looking into sibo is an option, however it being the cause of IBS is very controversial and there is problems with the test to diagnose sibo and the relationship between the two has not be established yet, other then perhaps a subgroup of IBSers have IBS and sibo.There is a lot of new info coming out soon about the connections of sibo and IBS. There is also newer evidence that the antibiotics maybe helping some IBSers even if they don't have sibo for other reasons possibly, by altering gut bacteria.Also a side effect of one of the antibiotics in C.