[Guest]

Hey SusanKay,Here are the answers to several of the questions you've asked on different post topics:Right now, yes, I am having trouble with milk. It makes me very nauseous. However, up until this point I've been able to drink it without problem. However, I do not believe I am lactose intolerant as I can eat ice cream, cheese, yogurt and so on. I am going to reintroduce milk in a few days so I'll let you know the results. (I wasn't able to eat pork or beef for two months. Both shut down my digestive system. I had steak and a glass of wine on Saturday, after having pork on Friday -- guess what? No problem).Yes, I run but I am not a long distance runner by any means. Around 6 miles is my max. and I weight lift every other day. I can seem to do this when I am not having a serious attack. However, as you said, I am similar to you in the way that I am generally STRAPPED for energy. From 2-4 pm each day I am exhausted and most days, even though I am up around 6:30/7:00 am, I don't feel 'awake' until around 10:30 or so. Pretty scary. I am really looking to find more energy. I know it's not the food I'm eating because I eat very well. I attribute this lack of energy to perhaps a lower level of seratonin in the old noggin. I've read that people with IBS can have decreased serotonin levels. I'm still working on this.You asked what type of IBS I have. Well mostly D but not chronically. This past attack left me with a serious case of C and I have NEVER had this problem before. Even with the D it's not severe D as I do make a lot of trips to the bathroom some days but mostly they are just poorly formed stools and not watery. (Isn't this charming?)However, all of the sudden, over the past few days, I am only having a couple of bowel movements per day and I've been eating a lot of different things with very little problem. My biggest bother right now is constant burning in my chest, alternating with pain that radiates down my left arm. That is almost always there and makes me think it's my heart but the docs. say no. This has been a recent development. I've only had these symptoms for about three months. In addition, I've just noticed some weird problems like aching pain in my left labia and 'internally' on my left side that seems to come with the heart burning and running to the bathroom. It goes away and all seems normal, but other times I've had this 'weird sensation' for days at a time. This time it's taken me three months but I think I'm finally coming out of this spell.One thing I would like to ask you (since we have very similar symptoms) is how you fair with wine and beer? Two drinks of either is my maximum and I find even with that, that I wake up a lot and feel a bit nauseous in the middle of the night...although not always. However, I am not willing to give up either of these twice a week indulgences. I don't think a couple of drinks with dinner or before on a Friday or Sat. night is too much too ask!Anyway, let me know how you fair and if you have any other questions please fire 'em off.CJp.s. Yes, I am not into drugs if at all possible. I wouldn't even take anything when I delivered my child and I was in labor for three days!!! (The nurses said I was a real trooper) This is why I was taking DGL for the heartburn symptoms. I've read too many adverse effects from taking antacid drugs over extended periods of time. (ie. can damage the stomach lining, etc)

 

[Guest]

Oh, something else I forgot to mention...the reason this attack was so severe is because when I first had the problems in my chest, radiating down my arm, I went to the hospital thinking I was having a heart attack. They ran some tests and said my heart was fine, but opted to put me on something called Losec which made things worse! It made me feel like I had consumed sulphuric acid. Then they took me off that and put me on Domperidone and Pantaloc (an even higher dosage). This completely shut down my digestive system, sent me into convulsions and so forth. Funny enough, the pharmacist I spoke to, when they tried to put me on Prevacid said yes the former two meds. would shut you down if acid wasn't your problem and stay away from more antacids until you get the scope. So I did. It's taken me three months to come back from this...yes, three months of losing 15 lbs. not being able to look after my child or partake in anything that didn't involve lying on the couch. My GI finally did admit that this so called burning is from stress and these pills, which were supposed to help with the acid problem didn't because there WAS NO acid, so you can imagine the repurcussions of that. I couldn't digest my food because these stupid pills weren't letting me produce any bloody stomach acid. Anyway, I digress. I still have severe burning but since they say it is not acid, I am chalking it up to stress and hoping I don't drop dead of a heart attack. I can run no problem, so I suppose they are correct in telling me my heart is not in a risk category. Ho hum! It's a scary thing to lose three months of your life to a misdiagnosis and the WRONG prescribed meds. Let's just say this makes me even more anti-drug than I was before!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Guest]

Oh, something else I forgot to mention...the reason this attack was so severe is because when I first had the problems in my chest, radiating down my arm, I went to the hospital thinking I was having a heart attack. They ran some tests and said my heart was fine, but opted to put me on something called Losec which made things worse! It made me feel like I had consumed sulphuric acid. Then they took me off that and put me on Domperidone and Pantaloc (an even higher dosage). This completely shut down my digestive system, sent me into convulsions and so forth. Funny enough, the pharmacist I spoke to, when they tried to put me on Prevacid said yes the former two meds. would shut you down if acid wasn't your problem and stay away from more antacids until you get the scope. So I did. It's taken me three months to come back from this...yes, three months of losing 15 lbs. not being able to look after my child or partake in anything that didn't involve lying on the couch. My GI finally did admit that this so called burning is from stress and these pills, which were supposed to help with the acid problem didn't because there WAS NO acid, so you can imagine the repurcussions of that. I couldn't digest my food because these stupid pills weren't letting me produce any bloody stomach acid. Anyway, I digress. I still have severe burning but since they say it is not acid, I am chalking it up to stress and hoping I don't drop dead of a heart attack. I can run no problem, so I suppose they are correct in telling me my heart is not in a risk category. Ho hum! It's a scary thing to lose three months of your life to a misdiagnosis and the WRONG prescribed meds. Let's just say this makes me even more anti-drug than I was before!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SusanKay]

Carolyn,I am going to bump this.I can really feel for you because, yes, we are not only very similar in our various problems but also our life-style and body types. I do a lot of sports, nearly every day, either tennis or a work-out at the fitness center (where I usually run 3 k's and work out with weights), but we also bike a lot (30 to 80 k's in hilly territory) and mountain hiking (sometimes 900 meters difference in altitude). Swimming is usually for relaxation. Just to give you a general idea.I am 5ft5inches and weigh about 115 pounds (54 kilos). So I figure that if you are running 6 miles, that must be about an hour of running, right? I think that is, relatively speaking, a lot.I imagine that you are somewhat high-strung, just like I am. I notice that you are careful with your remarks, that you don't want to hurt anyone, and that you take care to pay a compliment with you feel it is should be paid. Very concientious. Almost perfectionist? You talk about a pain in your left side: but you have muscle aches and pains otherwise? From the other things you mentioned, it is possible that you have fibromyalgia (see posting in the meeting place on this subject with HipJan). I do, and that is one of the reasons I work out(and do a LOT of stretching) because this is how I mainly keep it under control. Has your doctor never mentioned this at all? Also, you COULD have an underactive thyroid. Please look at the posting and thread with Carney "IBS and hypothyroidism" on this BB. I have that, too, believe it or not.Alcohol: If I drink a half a glass with my lunch and I feel it very much. I think it is because we have no body fat and so it goes directly into our blood streams. Most of the time, it just makes me sleepy (not witty and so on as other people often react), but because a delayed effect of alcohol is that it is a stimulant after several hours, it does also disrupt sleep, so I drink VERY little. Must run have work to do but I will get back to you and thanks for the email!SusanP.S. Keep checking in on the homeopathy thread as I am getting some more information. Incidentally, I also went to a naturopath a few years back but he only subscribed some oligoelements which did not help. I think now that I am narrowing in on what the source of the problem is (mind-gut) that I will be able to deal with it better. One thing is for sure: neither oligoelements nor homeopathic drugs (taken as directed) ever hurt anyone, whereas synthetic drugs can do a great deal of harm. You might also look at the "IBS and hormones" thread from the RLukich posting.

 

[SusanKay]

Carolyn,I am going to bump this.I can really feel for you because, yes, we are not only very similar in our various problems but also our life-style and body types. I do a lot of sports, nearly every day, either tennis or a work-out at the fitness center (where I usually run 3 k's and work out with weights), but we also bike a lot (30 to 80 k's in hilly territory) and mountain hiking (sometimes 900 meters difference in altitude). Swimming is usually for relaxation. Just to give you a general idea.I am 5ft5inches and weigh about 115 pounds (54 kilos). So I figure that if you are running 6 miles, that must be about an hour of running, right? I think that is, relatively speaking, a lot.I imagine that you are somewhat high-strung, just like I am. I notice that you are careful with your remarks, that you don't want to hurt anyone, and that you take care to pay a compliment with you feel it is should be paid. Very concientious. Almost perfectionist? You talk about a pain in your left side: but you have muscle aches and pains otherwise? From the other things you mentioned, it is possible that you have fibromyalgia (see posting in the meeting place on this subject with HipJan). I do, and that is one of the reasons I work out(and do a LOT of stretching) because this is how I mainly keep it under control. Has your doctor never mentioned this at all? Also, you COULD have an underactive thyroid. Please look at the posting and thread with Carney "IBS and hypothyroidism" on this BB. I have that, too, believe it or not.Alcohol: If I drink a half a glass with my lunch and I feel it very much. I think it is because we have no body fat and so it goes directly into our blood streams. Most of the time, it just makes me sleepy (not witty and so on as other people often react), but because a delayed effect of alcohol is that it is a stimulant after several hours, it does also disrupt sleep, so I drink VERY little. Must run have work to do but I will get back to you and thanks for the email!SusanP.S. Keep checking in on the homeopathy thread as I am getting some more information. Incidentally, I also went to a naturopath a few years back but he only subscribed some oligoelements which did not help. I think now that I am narrowing in on what the source of the problem is (mind-gut) that I will be able to deal with it better. One thing is for sure: neither oligoelements nor homeopathic drugs (taken as directed) ever hurt anyone, whereas synthetic drugs can do a great deal of harm. You might also look at the "IBS and hormones" thread from the RLukich posting.

 

[Guest]

Hi SusanKay,Thanks for your note. No, I have had my thyroid checked several times and there's no problem there. I don't think I have fibromyalgia as I am not stiff and sore all over. That's never been a problem. As for the running, it's usually 40-45 mins.Wow! That is so true about alchohol being a stimulant HOURS later. For example, I'll have a couple of glasses of wine with dinner (around 6:00). Then I'll go to bed around 10:30, then wake up at 1:30 am and pretty much be awake for the next 6 hours on and off (like I've had 15 cups of coffee! My heart beats fast too and sometimes skips a beat or lurches in my chest). What is up with that delayed reaction?!Ha, ha, ha

Yes, definitely not a laid back gal. Perfectionist, yup! Sensitive, ditto. Yes, love to give credit where credit is due, but not afraid to express disdain with something either. I am very straight forward individual. I really enjoy people who are not afraid to speak their mind. Not many secrets here. Some people don't like to hear the truth, but most people do respect someone who they know will always at least be honest. I've noticed, you seem to be of that mindset.

Before I 'retired' I was president of a high tech market research company. Working in excess of 80 hours a week and being a perfectionist pretty much made my IBS intolerable, plus I missed my son! I quit, and started my own business and now I am a much more sane individual. I'm not sure what pushed me over the edge with this last episode, which is why I am sure it was the drugs.Honestly, I am not too sure if I will continue to see this Naturopath I had started seeing just a few weeks ago. She ran some really bizarre tests on me that were very inaccurate. I asked some questions on the BB and Flux and Kmottus told me to look at QuackWatch for more info. These tests are not scientific in the least and very prone to providing false data. I am sure she will be basing her diagnosis on some of these results so I'll hear what she has to say and then decide the next course of action. However, I will definitely be questioning her about these tests and letting her know I do not agree with them.

 

[Guest]

Hi SusanKay,Thanks for your note. No, I have had my thyroid checked several times and there's no problem there. I don't think I have fibromyalgia as I am not stiff and sore all over. That's never been a problem. As for the running, it's usually 40-45 mins.Wow! That is so true about alchohol being a stimulant HOURS later. For example, I'll have a couple of glasses of wine with dinner (around 6:00). Then I'll go to bed around 10:30, then wake up at 1:30 am and pretty much be awake for the next 6 hours on and off (like I've had 15 cups of coffee! My heart beats fast too and sometimes skips a beat or lurches in my chest). What is up with that delayed reaction?!Ha, ha, ha

Yes, definitely not a laid back gal. Perfectionist, yup! Sensitive, ditto. Yes, love to give credit where credit is due, but not afraid to express disdain with something either. I am very straight forward individual. I really enjoy people who are not afraid to speak their mind. Not many secrets here. Some people don't like to hear the truth, but most people do respect someone who they know will always at least be honest. I've noticed, you seem to be of that mindset.

Before I 'retired' I was president of a high tech market research company. Working in excess of 80 hours a week and being a perfectionist pretty much made my IBS intolerable, plus I missed my son! I quit, and started my own business and now I am a much more sane individual. I'm not sure what pushed me over the edge with this last episode, which is why I am sure it was the drugs.Honestly, I am not too sure if I will continue to see this Naturopath I had started seeing just a few weeks ago. She ran some really bizarre tests on me that were very inaccurate. I asked some questions on the BB and Flux and Kmottus told me to look at QuackWatch for more info. These tests are not scientific in the least and very prone to providing false data. I am sure she will be basing her diagnosis on some of these results so I'll hear what she has to say and then decide the next course of action. However, I will definitely be questioning her about these tests and letting her know I do not agree with them.

 

[SusanKay]

*BUMP*Think I did that right, this time.I just saw your reply, Carolyn. Haven't had much time to spend on the BB, and I have found that if I do it in the evening I get so stimulated that I cannot go to sleep (which is rarely a problem with me"You sound so much like a neighbor of mine, who by the way is also Canadian. She was in top management and then started her family and realised she couldn't do it all--now she has four children (the last is two years old) and still struggling with everything (life change, health problems, etc). Oh yes, she quit the fast-race job when the second child came along and now works on demand as a consultant. She works out, too, but obviously her time is limited.I think it is pretty much a fact that alchohol works during the first hour or two as a depressant and then for several hours as a stimulant. KMottus might like to comment on this. The last few days I started drinking one small glass of wine with lunch (we eat our "large" meal at noon) and was not sleeping well, and I am pretty sure it is the wine. So I am stopping that, for a while at least (it is hard, as I LOVE a glass of wine with my main meal).Naturopaths: I am not really a fan. Went to one a couple of years back and he subscribed oligoelements, which did not help because I eat such a balanced diet and fresh fruits and vegetables (usually organic or from my garden) that it is doubtful I lack any elements. I eat very little meat, by the way, but get plenty of protein from tofu, beans (which don't bother me for some strange reason) and such.Glad to hear you had your thyroid checked. Also glad you think you don't have FM. Do you not have any (extemely) tender spots on your butt and thighs, either? This is usually a principal indication.

 

[SusanKay]

*BUMP*Think I did that right, this time.I just saw your reply, Carolyn. Haven't had much time to spend on the BB, and I have found that if I do it in the evening I get so stimulated that I cannot go to sleep (which is rarely a problem with me"You sound so much like a neighbor of mine, who by the way is also Canadian. She was in top management and then started her family and realised she couldn't do it all--now she has four children (the last is two years old) and still struggling with everything (life change, health problems, etc). Oh yes, she quit the fast-race job when the second child came along and now works on demand as a consultant. She works out, too, but obviously her time is limited.I think it is pretty much a fact that alchohol works during the first hour or two as a depressant and then for several hours as a stimulant. KMottus might like to comment on this. The last few days I started drinking one small glass of wine with lunch (we eat our "large" meal at noon) and was not sleeping well, and I am pretty sure it is the wine. So I am stopping that, for a while at least (it is hard, as I LOVE a glass of wine with my main meal).Naturopaths: I am not really a fan. Went to one a couple of years back and he subscribed oligoelements, which did not help because I eat such a balanced diet and fresh fruits and vegetables (usually organic or from my garden) that it is doubtful I lack any elements. I eat very little meat, by the way, but get plenty of protein from tofu, beans (which don't bother me for some strange reason) and such.Glad to hear you had your thyroid checked. Also glad you think you don't have FM. Do you not have any (extemely) tender spots on your butt and thighs, either? This is usually a principal indication.

 

[Guest]

Hi there,Thanks for your reply. I wish you weren't so far away. Here's one symptom where we differ. I have a really tough time with sleep. I can get to sleep, but when I do I seem to wake up a lot through the night -- periodically. Or the reverse, it takes me forever to get to sleep (ie. I'll go to bed at 10:30 and still be awake at 1:30 am). I really need to turn my racing mind 'off'!!I knew alcohol was a stimluant, but I certainly didn't know that it could remain a stimulant 6 or more hours after it is metabolized by your system. Very interesting. Thanks for this.What do you find different about a homeopath. I know you regard yours highly. Wow! My naturopath told me the EXACT same thing...saying I was low in almost all of the key elements. However, I just had a blood test and it says I'm healthy as a horse and not anemic and everything is working dandy.Tender spots on my but and thighs? Not sure what you mean by this. Soreness like bruising? Where on but and thighs. Never noticed this. Perhaps you can elaborate since this is a key FM symptom.

 

[Guest]

Hi there,Thanks for your reply. I wish you weren't so far away. Here's one symptom where we differ. I have a really tough time with sleep. I can get to sleep, but when I do I seem to wake up a lot through the night -- periodically. Or the reverse, it takes me forever to get to sleep (ie. I'll go to bed at 10:30 and still be awake at 1:30 am). I really need to turn my racing mind 'off'!!I knew alcohol was a stimluant, but I certainly didn't know that it could remain a stimulant 6 or more hours after it is metabolized by your system. Very interesting. Thanks for this.What do you find different about a homeopath. I know you regard yours highly. Wow! My naturopath told me the EXACT same thing...saying I was low in almost all of the key elements. However, I just had a blood test and it says I'm healthy as a horse and not anemic and everything is working dandy.Tender spots on my but and thighs? Not sure what you mean by this. Soreness like bruising? Where on but and thighs. Never noticed this. Perhaps you can elaborate since this is a key FM symptom.