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SOMEONE PLEASE HELP...multiple issues.
I am a 30 year old fairly healthy male, I have had IBS since the age of 12 and I have been dealing with the symptoms of IBS with no major issues, I just went to the bathroom very frequently, probably about 5-6 times a day. I used fiber in my diet to help with the passing of stool. However, the last 3 1/2 weeks have been very different.
About three weeks ago, I woke up and decided to exercise in the morning. I had a banana before I began. After a 30 min jog, I was naturally sweating, however I started to shake and become very jittery, I had a very water bowel movement, my mouth was going dry, my body was feeling like it was on fire, and I vomited. When I would be in the middle of a bowel movement I would feel like something more had to come out but nothing would. I also felt a lot of anxiety. I attributed this event occurring from over exercise and perhaps dehydration.
However, about 3 days later I was just sitting at my computer and the same thing occurred, just out of the blue, I was fine one minute then, a sudden rush of very watery bowel, and same symptoms described above. These events have been happening every other day or so.
I went to my doctor, he did a battery of blood tests, and found that everything was normal except my liver enzymes are elevated. He had me do a ultrasound on my liver and found that I do have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. He sent me to see a gastro. I went to there and he told me that the symptoms I am describing seems to be related to IBS. He has me going for a colonoscopy on the 20th of Jan.
The medicines that they gave me are: 50mg of Zoloft to help with my IBS, 25mg of Xanax to deal with anxiety attacks (not working), and 10mg of Reglan to help with nausea (Not helping)
I have noticed that three of attacks occurred after I had just ate about 15 minutes before. The only common ingredients are potatoes and bread.
Please help me, the worst part are the panic attacks, is there any meds or treatment to stop this? Also can IBS really cause these issues? Do you know what can be causing these issues?
Thanks in advance for your input.
About three weeks ago, I woke up and decided to exercise in the morning. I had a banana before I began. After a 30 min jog, I was naturally sweating, however I started to shake and become very jittery, I had a very water bowel movement, my mouth was going dry, my body was feeling like it was on fire, and I vomited. When I would be in the middle of a bowel movement I would feel like something more had to come out but nothing would. I also felt a lot of anxiety. I attributed this event occurring from over exercise and perhaps dehydration.
However, about 3 days later I was just sitting at my computer and the same thing occurred, just out of the blue, I was fine one minute then, a sudden rush of very watery bowel, and same symptoms described above. These events have been happening every other day or so.
I went to my doctor, he did a battery of blood tests, and found that everything was normal except my liver enzymes are elevated. He had me do a ultrasound on my liver and found that I do have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. He sent me to see a gastro. I went to there and he told me that the symptoms I am describing seems to be related to IBS. He has me going for a colonoscopy on the 20th of Jan.
The medicines that they gave me are: 50mg of Zoloft to help with my IBS, 25mg of Xanax to deal with anxiety attacks (not working), and 10mg of Reglan to help with nausea (Not helping)
I have noticed that three of attacks occurred after I had just ate about 15 minutes before. The only common ingredients are potatoes and bread.
Please help me, the worst part are the panic attacks, is there any meds or treatment to stop this? Also can IBS really cause these issues? Do you know what can be causing these issues?
Thanks in advance for your input.
I am sorry to hear of all that you have had to go through. Has anyone suggested being tested (CT Scan) for carcinoid tumors. Some of your symptoms seem to indicate that you might want to have that checked out.
Good luck to you - I hope you find the problem and are able to take care of it. I have had IBS since I was six and am now 55 - at times it can control your life. I also have had severe anxiety and panic attacks that, thankfully, are helped by taking Paxil (anti depressant) but it does take a couple of weeks to work.
Go on line and research carcinoid tumors, carcinoid syndrome - just a thought, but might be worth checking out.
Good luck to you - I hope you find the problem and are able to take care of it. I have had IBS since I was six and am now 55 - at times it can control your life. I also have had severe anxiety and panic attacks that, thankfully, are helped by taking Paxil (anti depressant) but it does take a couple of weeks to work.
Go on line and research carcinoid tumors, carcinoid syndrome - just a thought, but might be worth checking out.
Thank you for taking the time to respond to my question. I will research EFT and the elimination diet. I have to admit, I hate taking medicine. My family is big supporters of natural medicine. At this point I am almost willing to try anything. I feel like a prisoner in my own home, I’m scared to use the bathroom because I don’t want to have one of these episodes and I’m afraid to eat anything as well. When these attacks occur I just feel helpless. My mom thinks that I have GERD because she and a lot of my family suffer from it. Also because it seems that when I finally vomit I feel better. The strange thing is up until about a month ago I didn’t have the panic attacks or nausea. I would just run to the restroom about 6 times a day. My doctor is telling me to loose weight because of the fatty liver but every time I try to run, lift, or do anything to increase my heart rate I get sick and start getting very jittery. I’m glad that I am not alone because when your having these attacks you sure feel like your the only one that understands what’s going on.
The only thing I can figure from your description is the possibility of food sensitivities to the potatoes and bread. Food sensitivities can cause your symptoms, including the nausea.
I believe your IBS is definitely behind your panic attacks, from what you're describing. It sounds like your really worried about having all the physical symptoms that seem to be coming from "nowhere", so the worry is expressing itself with these debilitating panic attacks that also seem to come from "nowhere". So, along with addressing your diet, I suggest learning some relaxation techniques. I know how difficult this part is, because I have this issue myself, but my IBS expresses itself differently.
I strongly suggest investigating food sensitivities through the basic food elimination challenge diet. How it is done is by removing the most common allergens from the diet for a minimum of two or three weeks, although my naturopath had me do it for six weeks, and challenging each item on that list of "forbidden" foods and waiting to see if you will have a reaction to the food item in question. Wheat and sugar are saved for last, by the way. While waiting to see if you have a reaction, you must be on the elimination diet for the next two or three days.
Also, are you using psyllium fiber as your fiber supplement? I found that psyllium fiber can be very irritating to the gut, so I switched to flaxseed meal. It's also easier to deal with because you can either mix it with water, like you would Metamucil, or you can simply add it to the foods you're eating, since it's actually a food item itself. People will add it to baked goods. It has a nice, nutty flavor, which I really enjoy, since I'm allergic to nuts and miss being able to eat them. You can buy the flaxseed meal already ground. Trader Joe's sells Bob's Red Mill flaxseed meal cheaper than anyone else I know of. But, I've seen it even in the major chain stores in my area. They just ask for more money for it. The other places that are more likely to carry it are natural food stores, such as co-ops.
As you can see, the elimination diet does take a while to go through. For me, I found that it was definitely worth it. I found that wheat isn't my only issue with grains, because I have a problem with ALL GLUTEN. The grains to avoid that contain gluten are: wheat, spelt, kamut, triticale, barley, rye and oats. Don't confuse couscous for a grain, because it's actually a form of pasta, which is usually made with either semolina or durham wheat. Corn is not a gluten containing grain, but most people with gluten sensitivities can't tolerate corn either. Corn is listed as one of the "forbidden" foods on the elimination diet, too. Before I discovered all my sensitivities, I had already discovered that I am definitely ALLERGIC to corn, because it gives me migraines and makes my colon cramp.
There are other grains besides rice that don't contain gluten, if you discover that gluten is a problem for you. You really need to know this, so that you don't get discouraged. They are wild rice (not really a rice, but used like rice), teff (the grain that is ground into flour and used in the Ethiopian flat bread called Injera), millet, quinoa (there are three colors), and many varieties of whole-grain rices. With the rice I found that white rice is out entirely, since it has no fiber and will actually make my colon cramp. I discovered that there is a white rice called glutinous rice, too--steer clear of this one. I saw a strange white rice colored green one day in the bulk foods section where I buy my gluten-free grains. They had a description of the stuff with the new display. When I read that it uses the glutinous rice, I decided against even trying it. It also costs nearly double what the other rices costs, so I'm not the least bit interested.
Potatoes are also on the list of "forbidden" foods. My naturopath told me to avoid everything in the nightshade family because I have joint and muscle pain. The nightshade family is known for causing inflammation and pain in the joints. It turns out that those foods bother my GERD anyway, so they're still problems for me. The nightshade family includes: Potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams, eggplants, sweet peppers, hot peppers and tomatoes.
I suggest researching the elimination diet, but I also suggest looking for a naturopath to help guide through the process. You're going to need a lot of patience and endurance to go through the elimination diet process. I suggest finding one who uses an integrative approach to medicine. It doesn't make sense to have conventional medicine and natural medicine pitting wars against each other about whose medicine is better. Of course, it's usually conventional doctors who argue about this more than natural doctors. I have found, though, that the naturopath is more helpful with the IBS than the conventional doctors.
I know very well how bad the nausea can be with IBS, since I've had to go to the e.r. a few times with acute episodes of IBS. There are other anti-nausea medicines available. I don't remember all of them, but I'm allergic to one of them myself. The one I took the last time was only partially effective on my nausea that I was having.
If you're not allergic to ginger, ginger tea is effective for nausea. You can still have it while on the elimination diet, but you'll have to drink it without adding any sweeteners to it. But, it's more effective without the sweeteners anyway. It can be made to taste with the same ginger root that you buy in the grocery stores for Asian cuisine. Just peel it and slice it and bruise the slices and make a decoction with the ginger root. Or, you can use a microplane and grate it very finely and just add it to boiled water as an infusion.
How long have you been taking the Zoloft? Most of those SSRI's take several weeks for them to start being effective. There are other medications that can be used for anxiety attacks, but the ones I'm thinking of can be addictive, so you may not want to take them. They're also rather sedating. They're only useful for short-term use, and I don't think they're a good idea to use as the first choice of medications for anxiety attacks.
Something else to consider is looking up information on mercola.com about something called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), which I believe may help address the anxiety attacks and will help you be able to go off of the SSRI medications, too. You do need a way of dealing with the anxiety attacks. I'm sure that if you used this information, you'll actually have fewer anxiety attacks knowing that you have a tool you can use at any moment that you feel a panic attack coming on. And, if you're not stressed out with the negative emotions, your colon will feel better, too.
I believe your IBS is definitely behind your panic attacks, from what you're describing. It sounds like your really worried about having all the physical symptoms that seem to be coming from "nowhere", so the worry is expressing itself with these debilitating panic attacks that also seem to come from "nowhere". So, along with addressing your diet, I suggest learning some relaxation techniques. I know how difficult this part is, because I have this issue myself, but my IBS expresses itself differently.
I strongly suggest investigating food sensitivities through the basic food elimination challenge diet. How it is done is by removing the most common allergens from the diet for a minimum of two or three weeks, although my naturopath had me do it for six weeks, and challenging each item on that list of "forbidden" foods and waiting to see if you will have a reaction to the food item in question. Wheat and sugar are saved for last, by the way. While waiting to see if you have a reaction, you must be on the elimination diet for the next two or three days.
Also, are you using psyllium fiber as your fiber supplement? I found that psyllium fiber can be very irritating to the gut, so I switched to flaxseed meal. It's also easier to deal with because you can either mix it with water, like you would Metamucil, or you can simply add it to the foods you're eating, since it's actually a food item itself. People will add it to baked goods. It has a nice, nutty flavor, which I really enjoy, since I'm allergic to nuts and miss being able to eat them. You can buy the flaxseed meal already ground. Trader Joe's sells Bob's Red Mill flaxseed meal cheaper than anyone else I know of. But, I've seen it even in the major chain stores in my area. They just ask for more money for it. The other places that are more likely to carry it are natural food stores, such as co-ops.
As you can see, the elimination diet does take a while to go through. For me, I found that it was definitely worth it. I found that wheat isn't my only issue with grains, because I have a problem with ALL GLUTEN. The grains to avoid that contain gluten are: wheat, spelt, kamut, triticale, barley, rye and oats. Don't confuse couscous for a grain, because it's actually a form of pasta, which is usually made with either semolina or durham wheat. Corn is not a gluten containing grain, but most people with gluten sensitivities can't tolerate corn either. Corn is listed as one of the "forbidden" foods on the elimination diet, too. Before I discovered all my sensitivities, I had already discovered that I am definitely ALLERGIC to corn, because it gives me migraines and makes my colon cramp.
There are other grains besides rice that don't contain gluten, if you discover that gluten is a problem for you. You really need to know this, so that you don't get discouraged. They are wild rice (not really a rice, but used like rice), teff (the grain that is ground into flour and used in the Ethiopian flat bread called Injera), millet, quinoa (there are three colors), and many varieties of whole-grain rices. With the rice I found that white rice is out entirely, since it has no fiber and will actually make my colon cramp. I discovered that there is a white rice called glutinous rice, too--steer clear of this one. I saw a strange white rice colored green one day in the bulk foods section where I buy my gluten-free grains. They had a description of the stuff with the new display. When I read that it uses the glutinous rice, I decided against even trying it. It also costs nearly double what the other rices costs, so I'm not the least bit interested.
Potatoes are also on the list of "forbidden" foods. My naturopath told me to avoid everything in the nightshade family because I have joint and muscle pain. The nightshade family is known for causing inflammation and pain in the joints. It turns out that those foods bother my GERD anyway, so they're still problems for me. The nightshade family includes: Potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams, eggplants, sweet peppers, hot peppers and tomatoes.
I suggest researching the elimination diet, but I also suggest looking for a naturopath to help guide through the process. You're going to need a lot of patience and endurance to go through the elimination diet process. I suggest finding one who uses an integrative approach to medicine. It doesn't make sense to have conventional medicine and natural medicine pitting wars against each other about whose medicine is better. Of course, it's usually conventional doctors who argue about this more than natural doctors. I have found, though, that the naturopath is more helpful with the IBS than the conventional doctors.
I know very well how bad the nausea can be with IBS, since I've had to go to the e.r. a few times with acute episodes of IBS. There are other anti-nausea medicines available. I don't remember all of them, but I'm allergic to one of them myself. The one I took the last time was only partially effective on my nausea that I was having.
If you're not allergic to ginger, ginger tea is effective for nausea. You can still have it while on the elimination diet, but you'll have to drink it without adding any sweeteners to it. But, it's more effective without the sweeteners anyway. It can be made to taste with the same ginger root that you buy in the grocery stores for Asian cuisine. Just peel it and slice it and bruise the slices and make a decoction with the ginger root. Or, you can use a microplane and grate it very finely and just add it to boiled water as an infusion.
How long have you been taking the Zoloft? Most of those SSRI's take several weeks for them to start being effective. There are other medications that can be used for anxiety attacks, but the ones I'm thinking of can be addictive, so you may not want to take them. They're also rather sedating. They're only useful for short-term use, and I don't think they're a good idea to use as the first choice of medications for anxiety attacks.
Something else to consider is looking up information on mercola.com about something called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), which I believe may help address the anxiety attacks and will help you be able to go off of the SSRI medications, too. You do need a way of dealing with the anxiety attacks. I'm sure that if you used this information, you'll actually have fewer anxiety attacks knowing that you have a tool you can use at any moment that you feel a panic attack coming on. And, if you're not stressed out with the negative emotions, your colon will feel better, too.
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