Is this really IBS? Please help!

[charlie208]

My husband and I are at the end of our ropes. He got sick two years ago; we live in a small town and although no one is sure what is wrong with him, they've labeled it IBS. He first got sick after a weekend out with the boys at the Portland Brewer's Festival. He ended up in the emergency room with severe diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal pain. He missed almost two weeks of work and could barely get off the couch. (This is a guy who worked 40 hours a week while going to pharmacy school full time and worked two jobs after he graduated.) Ever since then, he's had abdominal distention that gets much worse throughout the day, odd bowel movements with undigested food and occasionally a coffee grounds look to it (blood?) but his bowel movements and gas do not smell at all, severe nausea especially after bowel movements, facial flushing, double/blurry vision, and abdominal pain. He's always tired. He had an upper and lower GI when he first got sick and they didn't find anything. He is anemic despite taking iron twice a day, other than that, his labs have come back normal. What he eats doesn't seem to have an effect on his symptoms (everything upsets his tummy) and we haven't found any medication that alleviates his symptoms. We're desperate. He shouldn't have to live like this and we're putting off having a baby until we can figure out what's wrong with him. Have any of you had these symptoms? What was the diagnosis? Treatment?

[beentrying2quit]

Anything with a "syndrome" on the end of it means that doctors dont know what is wrong.  I too have been in the exact same position as your husband....trips to the ER in the middle of the night with SEVERE abdominal pain, cramping, gas, bloating, anxiety and dizzyness.  All tests came back normal so they send me home with antispasm meds and pain pills.  A few nights later I'm in the same boat.

After finally getting mad and realizing that there was something going wrong I took matters into my own hands and began to change my diet.  I first eliminated dairy and noticed an improvement within 5 days but I still had other symptoms to deal with like body aches and headaches.

After a few weeks without diary I decided to eliminate gluten which means all bread, pasta, beer, croutons, condiments..etc and I began to get better.  As of now I no longer have the severe stomach cramps and abdominal pain.  If I eat something containing gluten or dairy I pay the price.

I think your husband may be in the same situation as I am.  The good news is you can find out by simply eliminating the above items.  Teh bad news is it is extremely difficult to do  You are no longer able to eat out and it is a major lifestyle change but it can be done.  I've been at it for about 4 months now and am still finding out what I can and cannot eat.  

Another thing to be aware of is when he starts to cut out certain foods to not become deficient in vitamins and minnerals.  You can purchase a good multivitamin that is gluten free and dairy free.  Good luck and please keep me posted on his progress.  

[lagoya]

was he checked for parasites ---thyroid---celiac---lactose----stools tests---fecal fat tests--
liver function ...pancreatic function---h-pylori-- yeast overgrowth-- vit b12 deficiency etc  all of these will give off ibs symptoms i dont know if he is losing weight but he should not do so with ibs unless it is from food avoidance
now some people actually quite a lot of people get ibs from a stomach or after a stomach bug which  sounds like what happened to your husband --the lining in the stomach or more so the nerves get  damaged by this virus and while they look ok on tests and such they become very sesitive.........if u have gone through all the tests and are tired from doctors u could try a neuropath or someone who deals specifically with ibs and try and come to terms with treating and help yourself get back to a more normal life.

[charlie208]

Thanks for the feedback. He's been to two GI doctors, both of which have said they don't know what's wrong but have tentatively labeled it as IBS as they continue to do more tests. We're trying to get a referral to a research hospital. He definitely has a GI bleed somewhere, they just haven't found it. He has cut all caffeine and alcohol out of his diet but there doesn't seem to be a correlation between the foods that he eats and how his tummy feels (he'll get the same reaction to oatmeal as to spicy Mexican food). He gets dehydrated very quickly. We've been to ER several times after he's passed out. His symptoms just seem so odd. I'm desperately looking for someone who's had similar symptoms.

[snoozies43]

As long as he has colon checked and stomach checked out, this sounds like ibs.

The doctor has said it is ibs..so it is.

The treatment is change in diet. no caffine, low sugar intake, no spices, greasy foods, oils and fats. incorporate fruits, vegetables cooked well, fiber. Also some doctors find that some form of therapy including, biofeedback help. Meditation, yoga also work well.

The idea here is to heal the gut from being on overload, and to change our stress related triggers.

Each person is different as to what foods they can tolerate. best to start with bland diet. I know blechhh. But has to be done for awhile.

It is a lifestyle change. I know this may not be what you want to hear, but it is the only way to help.

Do follow up with you family doctor and have a GOOD talk with him about this.
best to you