can this really be IBS?

[jen2469]

Hello and thank you in advance.  I have had some symptoms for a few years now and they seem to be getting worse.  Here they are :  alternating constipation and diarrhea
                        nausea ( more constant now)
                        gas , bloating
                        abdominal discomfort and pelvic pain at times
                        back pain
                        and now an unexplained slow wieght loss
My GP shrugged it off and said that it's only IBS.  Is this correct or do you suggest further investigation?
jennifer-***@****

[FurballsMom]

You're absolutely right that it's not helpful for doctors to be so dismissive of IBS.  I've had the same experience myself.  This is why I tell people that the integrative approach to problems like IBS are the most helpful.  I didn't get a lot of help with conventional medicine with my IBS.  I found naturopathic medicine to be the most helpful approach to IBS.  I don't write off conventional medicine entirely, like some people do, though.  We wouldn't know for sure what we were dealing with without conventional medicine and all the tests we end up going through.

[Hathani]

I have had IBS on and off for about 30 years.  It was originally brought on by a very stressful time in my life and the first attack lasted quite some time.  I had all the symptoms apart from the weight loss.  Yes it does sound like it could well be IBS but I do not think that it is helpful for the dr to dismiss it that way. Hopefully you will find someone to help you control the worst of the symptoms as they can be very debilitating esp from the social aspect of life.  One thing I learnt never to do was pass wind away from the toilet.  LOL

[jen2469]

Thank you so much for the input.  I will try out a naturopath to see if things ease up.

[FurballsMom]

Well, those GI problems sound like IBS to me.  You might want to investigate food sensitivities and allergies.  This really helped me with most of the nausea.  So did switching from psyllium fiber to flaxseed meal.  I suggest doing some research on the basic elimination diet.  There are approximately 16 foods on the list that are big triggers for a lot of people with food sensitivities.

I strongly urge you to find a naturopath to help guide you through this elimination diet, too.  Although, once you figure it out, it's not really all that complicated.  The complicated part is the patience and endurance needed to stick with it.

Normally, a person is on the eliminatin diet for two weeks before starting to do any of the food challenges.  My naturopath had me do this for six weeks before starting to do any of the food challenges.  This helps to put the body into neutral, so that you can be sure of what you're reacting to when you do start the food challenges.

Then, when you do the food challenges, you do this with whole foods rather than complicated recipes.  Whole foods means that you are eating only that item and nothing else.  Wheat and sugar are to be challenged at the very end.  On the day you choose to challenge a food item, you eat a significant amount of that suspected food item.  Then, you are back on the elimination diet for the next three or four days.  If you don't have a reaction to the suspected item, then you can add that item back into your diet.  If you have a significant reaction, go back on the elimination diet for about a week or longer before challenging the next item.  This gives your body a rest from what it thought was an assault on the immune system.

And, too, consider this:  As an added bonus for me, when I eliminated gluten out of my diet, I no longer have significant dysmenorhea.  My periods are much more normalized and I no longer have the giant blood clots.  I also don't have nearly the amount of cramping.  I just get a little bit that first day, which doesn't even last the entire day.  

Try this elimination diet.  I'm sure it will help a lot.