Question for people with stomach problems

AchtungBaby80 · #1 11-04-2005, 02:00 PM

I'm going to ask my question on here because I recall seeing some threads on IBD/Crohn's disease a while back...this may be TMI, so sorry!

A couple days ago I went to the doctor because I had this weird "pressure" feeling on my left side, sort of underneath my ribs, and I would get really full after only eating a little bit. The doctor told me that my colon is inflamed and it's most likely due to my IBS. He didn't say anything about avoiding certain foods or anything, just to make sure that I get a lot of fiber in my diet.

Later on, I was talking to an acquaintance who works in the medical field, and she's been having problems with diverticulitis. She told me that I should try this "IBS Diet" because it's the only thing that has worked for her, so I looked it up and basically it says you are supposed to eat tons of soluble fiber like pasta, rice, etc. NO red meat, no fat, no dairy, no whole grains (except oatmeal and barley), no alcohol, and no caffeine.

So now I'm confused...my doctor says I need fiber, but this IBS diet says no. But I can't live on just noodles, and it's absolutely out of the question for me to go without peanut butter and alcohol. What do I do????

AGDee · #2 11-04-2005, 02:27 PM

When I am inflamed, I have to go on a low residue diet because I get pain as things are moving through the inflamed area. Alcohol sends me into a flare for two weeks, so I can't really drink at all anymore. Dairy and high fat foods send me into a flare, as do nightshade plants (potatoes and tomatoes). If I do eat fiber, it has to be soluble. Creamy peanut butter isn't as big a problem as crunchy peanut butter or nuts. Corn on the cob and popcorn are totally out of the question.

When was your last colonoscopy? Are you on IBS meds? Which ones?

AchtungBaby80 · #3 11-04-2005, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AGDee
When was your last colonoscopy? Are you on IBS meds? Which ones?

I've never had one, actually.

I wasn't diagnosed with IBS until I was 19, but I'd been having symptoms probably since around age 14. That's the earliest I remember. I don't take medication because the doctors who diagnosed me told me there was nothing I could do about it, although they did put me on Celexa because my "episodes" were triggered mostly by stress/anxiety. It was a life saver, honestly! I don't take it anymore because my IBS has pretty much been under control for the past few years, up until now. Weird thing is, I'm not having any symptoms other than this weird rib pressure...I've cut out the dairy, alcohol, and wheat bread for the past couple days and I seem to be getting a little better, but who knows.

Oh, by the way, my doc prescribed Librax this time...it's supposed to help my colon but I'm wary of taking it.

Betarulz! · #4 11-04-2005, 07:57 PM

First, just to confirm, you probably are having some swelling enlargement of you colon...the splanic flexure (where your colon turns from traveling across your abdomen head down toward the rectum) to be precise. Or at least that makes sense with you getting full very quickly...it extends up pretty high on the left side, and could compress your stomach somewhat.

I also, just as a cautionary word, want to comment on IBS. IBS really isn't a very specific diagnosis. It's mainly just sort of a catchall for a set of symptoms that could have many different causes. Colonoscopy is really the only way to rule a number of different causes and come up with a more concrete reason for the symptoms you experience. Given the invasivness of it, if you can get the symptoms under control, it's just a lot easier to deal with the illness that way. So it's okay that you haven't had a colonoscopy.

But getting back to my point: your IBS may be very different than someone elses IBS. Dependent on whether you have diarhea prone, or constipation prone types of the syndrome (or others), the foods that set you off vary. In this case, I would imagine that it's okay to experiment with food and see what helps and what doesn't. If getting rid of some things helps, then cut them out for a while and slowly return them later on if they are things you can't live without.

AchtungBaby80 · #5 11-04-2005, 08:35 PM

I really appreciate both your replies! Betarulz, yes, that sounds like the part of my colon he said was messed up--the "transverse colon," I think is what he called it.

Anyway, I haven't had any major IBS problems for a while now (except that my stomach decided it has a strong hatred towards vanilla yogurt, even though I've been eating it my whole life with no problem), not even with dairy, alcohol, or whole grains. However, I'm worried about the fact that my colon is inflamed, and my main goal is to get that to go away but the doctor never really told me how.

amycat412 · #6 11-04-2005, 08:45 PM

OK well I suffered from upper and lower GI issues for years. Two weeks ago I had a colonoscopy and an endoscopy and they took biopsies of small intestines and colon.

Thankfully everything was normal.

Doc put me on acid reflux meds and fiber supplements 3 weeks before my procedure. Prior to procedure and blood tests they though I had Celiac's/Crohn's/Ulcers from the severity of my symptoms.

But as it turns out it is Acid Reflux and IBS. And yes as betarulz stated, IBS is a catch all phrase to describe many symptoms. I am also allergic to a lot of foods and preservatives, which doesn't help.

The colonoscopy and endoscopy were completely painless. I'd recommend getting one just so you know exactly what you're dealing with.

Dionysus · #7 11-04-2005, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AGDee
When I am inflamed, I have to go on a low residue diet because I get pain as things are moving through the inflamed area. Alcohol sends me into a flare for two weeks, so I can't really drink at all anymore. Dairy and high fat foods send me into a flare, as do nightshade plants (potatoes and tomatoes). If I do eat fiber, it has to be soluble. Creamy peanut butter isn't as big a problem as crunchy peanut butter or nuts. Corn on the cob and popcorn are totally out of the question.

When was your last colonoscopy? Are you on IBS meds? Which ones?

Interesting.

I was told that I had IBS in summer 2004.

But, I have ISSUES after eating tomato sauce and peanuts. I can have popcorn, but I can't have regular corn. I don't think these are IBS symptoms.

I'm concerned that I might have inflammation issues too.

AnonAlumna · #8 11-04-2005, 09:59 PM

Wow, does this sound familiar!

Way back in the late 90's, I was in my senior year of college, and I reached a breaking point. I couldn't sit in class without being terribley uncomfortable. I couldn't eat ANYTHING (especially fast food or BBQ) without getting sick (diarrhea or vomitting). My roommate took me to the ER after I left a Saturday class in tears one October. My doctor had done all kinds of tests, and nothing came up. I was only 21, so I refused a colonoscopy...but that's beside the point.

The ER doc told me that they couldn't find anything, but they wouldn't do an ultrasound because the insurance wouldn't pay for it. He told me to call my MD first thing on Monday and demand an ultrasound. I did, and I was in for one that morning. Since this is getting long, I'll shorten it. The ultrasound tech told me that he counted about ten gall stones in my gallbladder. I met with the surgeon that afternoon. I had surgery to remove my gallbladder that Thursday. I had 22 gall stones, and I have them right here in a jar! My symptoms were not typical, and I didn't fit the typical 'gall bladder disease profile'. I have had NO problems since.

I'm not saying that this is your problem. I've just learned to look at EVERYTHING. It is a hereditary problem, and after mine was found several family members discovered the same thing...much to their relief! Several of them had hastily been diagnosed with IBS as well. Just something to think about....

AGDee · #9 11-05-2005, 01:03 AM

I was told I had IBS for two years and was treated with all kinds of IBS meds during that time, none of which worked for very long. Librax gave me blurred vision and made me very drowsy. It messed with my short term memory too. I made tons of mistakes at work on it. My co-worker was concerned that I was actually driving to and from work every day on that stuff. The Lib in librax is librium, so be careful when operating heavy machinery and with alcohol. It reduces spasticity of the colon. I did better on a different medication called nulev (I think that was the name), which was a tiny pill that you absorb under the tongue. It had less side effects for me but helped the colon spasticity a lot.

Anyway, my point is.. until I lost 65 pounds in 5 months, and was too far gone for meds to help, I didn't get a colonoscopy. Had they done one earlier, I may not have needed the bowel resection that I ended up having.

So many people on alt.support.crohns-colitis were told they had IBS for a long time before finally getting the Crohn's or UC diagnoses. Colonoscopy is really the only way to know for sure.

If you start to have problems passing gas or moving your bowels, get to ER to make sure there is not a blockage there. I had a palpable mass in the area of inflammation (terminal ileum for me). You may be able to tell if it's hard there.

Optimist Prime · #10 11-05-2005, 01:49 AM

ruffage works for me, but avoid grainy bread

live on clam chowder for a couple of days

avoid red meat and pork while you are doing this, but a chicken diet helped me out a while back just a little bit of chicken with lots of cucumbers, brocolli, tomoatoes, potatoes, etc.

two weeks of eating like that and should be good again

are you taking any medicine?

AchtungBaby80 · #11 11-05-2005, 01:00 PM

So nix on the Librax, then? I read about it on the Internet and it sounded like some scary stuff (especially since I have to drive a considerable distance almost every day!) so I didn't have my prescription filled.

I'm a textbook case of IBS. At least, I was until a couple years ago when I finally got it sort of ironed out. Before that, I was afraid to leave the house/dorm and would have "attacks" each and every morning, without fail. I would also have them when I got stressed, nervous, or anxious, which was pretty much all the time! In the past year I've only had maybe two or three attacks, so that's good...I'm just really, really worried about my colon being inflamed. I read somewhere that colon inflamation doesn't generally go with IBS, even though that's what my doc said it was. Like I said, I have no symptoms other than the weird feeling in my left side. I have no idea what caused it to get inflamed, either, and that's what's so frustrating.

At any rate, I've been avoiding dairy (*sob*) and wheat bread, and I don't eat red meat anyway so that's not an issue. It's a little better, I think, but I still don't feel quite right, you know?

Tom Earp · #12 11-05-2005, 04:10 PM

Had a buttoctomy (Colonoscopy) and found a lot of polyops in Colon! 3 in 5 days. Watched on the TV screen, was interesting to see what they were doing.

Snagged or lassoed @ 12 off and then was feeling much better S**T started flowing right through. Polyops will clog up colon and then get bloating and preassure.

Pressure=Pain.

Good Luck, hope You can get this straight soon. Any Pain Sucks!

AGDee · #13 11-05-2005, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AchtungBaby80
So nix on the Librax, then? I read about it on the Internet and it sounded like some scary stuff (especially since I have to drive a considerable distance almost every day!) so I didn't have my prescription filled.

I'm a textbook case of IBS. At least, I was until a couple years ago when I finally got it sort of ironed out. Before that, I was afraid to leave the house/dorm and would have "attacks" each and every morning, without fail. I would also have them when I got stressed, nervous, or anxious, which was pretty much all the time! In the past year I've only had maybe two or three attacks, so that's good...I'm just really, really worried about my colon being inflamed. I read somewhere that colon inflamation doesn't generally go with IBS, even though that's what my doc said it was. Like I said, I have no symptoms other than the weird feeling in my left side. I have no idea what caused it to get inflamed, either, and that's what's so frustrating.

At any rate, I've been avoiding dairy (*sob*) and wheat bread, and I don't eat red meat anyway so that's not an issue. It's a little better, I think, but I still don't feel quite right, you know?

I would fill the Librax and try it first on a day when you don't have to work and can just hang around the house. My blurred vision from it was like how people get when they need bi-focals.. close up reading issues. Meds affect people in different ways! But, I would ask about nulev instead because the side effects weren't as bad, it starts working within 20 minutes of taking it and can be taken on an "as needed" basis.

AchtungBaby80 · #14 11-06-2005, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AGDee
I would fill the Librax and try it first on a day when you don't have to work and can just hang around the house. My blurred vision from it was like how people get when they need bi-focals.. close up reading issues. Meds affect people in different ways! But, I would ask about nulev instead because the side effects weren't as bad, it starts working within 20 minutes of taking it and can be taken on an "as needed" basis.

So what do Librax and Nulev do, exactly? The doctor said Librax was an "anti spasmodic" but...I'm not really sure I need that. How would that help my colon un-swell itself?

Ugh...I have to go eat at my boyfriend's mom's house tonight, and she's making beef...again. (Seriously, is that all those people ever eat??) I'm not really sure if I should have it or not...maybe I better stick with the side dishes, just in case.

AGDee · #15 11-06-2005, 07:38 PM

Typically, with IBS, the colon gets spastic.. where it pushes things through too quickly and you can actually feel the spasms through your abdomen. If things go through too quickly, you don't absorb some of the nutrients that you need or the water in your stool, so you get the runs, can become dehydrated and maltrunitioned. Librax slows it down. It's a combination of Levbid and Librium though. (I think I said Valium earlier, but Librium and Valium are very similar too).

Neither really does help with inflammation, they just slow everything down. Anti-inflammatories for the colon include Rowasa enemas and Asacol (a pill), also called 5 ASAs. I'm on a 5ASA that works mainly in the small intestine, called Pentasa.

Is this doc a Gastro or a general practioner?