# giving up



## jessica1 (Jan 8, 2011)

hello everyone ..i am a 31 yr old woman with two girls. i have been suffering with ibs for 12 years. i started having symptoms when i was in my 9th month of pregnancy with my youngest daughter. i have seen so many doctors, taken so many pills, finally they sent me to a gi specialist whom diagnosed me with ibs. since then my doctor prescribed me nexium. and i must say it has worked for me i could eat anything i wanted UNTIL NOW! i am going through a very very bad flare up wich is associated with alot of "trapped gas" nausea, headache, vomiting...etc. i get it all and at the same time! i think its being caused by the flu bug i have..but im not sure...all i know is that i am sooooooooooooooooooo fed up with this, i just wanna be able to enjoy my life and i cant anymore. i have been home bound for a week now i have lost 6 pounds in 3 days...im 4ft 11 inches 96lbs so im very small and i am starving but i am very scared to eat anything...i have been drinking water and eating bread, i cannot tolerate anything else. i was just fine before i got the flu....almost 4 years without a bad flare up...idk what to do anymore i am having very bad thoughts...sometimes i feel that i just dont wanna live with it anymore..id rather die..its horrible...and it seems like nobody has a straight answer as to how we can fix this horrible disease....i dont wanna live this way anymore...the trapped gas is my biggest discomfort has anyone else had "trapped gas"?


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## JanetteH (Jan 8, 2011)

Hi, I am new here but I can hear your anguish in your email. I too have felt like you. It does get better but maybe not completely. #1 cut out as much fat as you can in your diet #2 eliminate as much dairy as you can #3eat whole grains #4 drink tea (any kind) that you add 1 inch of fresh ginger sliced thin. Try to get ginger from Hawaii. Ginger has been used for years to calm the digestive system and it works. I drink two cups a day and slowly I am getting better. Good luck!


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## jessica1 (Jan 8, 2011)

JanetteH said:


> Hi, I am new here but I can hear your anguish in your email. I too have felt like you. It does get better but maybe not completely. #1 cut out as much fat as you can in your diet #2 eliminate as much dairy as you can #3eat whole grains #4 drink tea (any kind) that you add 1 inch of fresh ginger sliced thin. Try to get ginger from Hawaii. Ginger has been used for years to calm the digestive system and it works. I drink two cups a day and slowly I am getting better. Good luck!


thank you for responding..i will try it out and see...at this point im willing to try anything!


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## Jackmat (Jun 13, 2005)

Presumably you've had the flu for a week?Sometimes the effects of a flu can last a couple of weeks or longer. Just reassure yourself that it is temporary and that it will pass.You should include and be able to tolerate boiled white rice in a chicken broth.


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## tarla (Jan 6, 2011)

Hi Jessica,I have had an experience with the flu and IBS flaring up at the same time too and I sympathize very much. Get some rest and some help around the house for a few days. And keep your spirits up; it will get better!If you're throwing up you shouldn't put anything into your stomach except some sips of boiled water. Then when you can keep that down try other clear fluids like apple juice or clear chicken broth. Never pop. Drink as much as you can keep down to replace fluids lost. After 12-24 hours, when you can keep the juice down then you can try some white rice or some applesauce. If that stays down, then try some banana. Once the banana kicks in you'll be flying! But take it easy for a few days and be gentle on your tummy! Your first solids after day 3 could be some cooked yam or carrots and some boiled chicken breast. I think the bread might contribute to your tummy gas and you should leave it out until you're better able to tolerate solids. Also keep off the dairy until you're well and truly better.If you're throwing up still after 24 hours you could give your doctor, nurse line, or hospital emergency room a call and see if you should go in for IV fluid replacement.Please check in tomorrow and tell us how you're feeling.Tar


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## jessica1 (Jan 8, 2011)

tarla said:


> Hi Jessica,I have had an experience with the flu and IBS flaring up at the same time too and I sympathize very much. Get some rest and some help around the house for a few days. And keep your spirits up; it will get better!If you're throwing up you shouldn't put anything into your stomach except some sips of boiled water. Then when you can keep that down try other clear fluids like apple juice or clear chicken broth. Never pop. Drink as much as you can keep down to replace fluids lost. After 12-24 hours, when you can keep the juice down then you can try some white rice or some applesauce. If that stays down, then try some banana. Once the banana kicks in you'll be flying! But take it easy for a few days and be gentle on your tummy! Your first solids after day 3 could be some cooked yam or carrots and some boiled chicken breast. I think the bread might contribute to your tummy gas and you should leave it out until you're better able to tolerate solids. Also keep off the dairy until you're well and truly better.If you're throwing up still after 24 hours you could give your doctor, nurse line, or hospital emergency room a call and see if you should go in for IV fluid replacement.Please check in tomorrow and tell us how you're feeling.Tar


hi tar thanks so much for your advise...i ended up going to the ER bcus i could not take it anymore ..they hooked me up to a iv and gave me a GI cocktail that consisted of maalox/lidocaine/donnatal...then they gave me simethicone tablets and ondansteron...wich is helping a little bit but i am still very very umcomfortale and very very gassy. i have been burping and burping i sound like a frog! so embaressing! i asked the doc if this flare up is associated with the flu but he didnt seem to know much about how to treat IBS. what is honestly puzzling me is i realize that IBS is a overgrowth of "bad bacteria" in the intestines. if thats so then why dont they just give us stuff that will kill off the bad bacteria instead of masking it with antacids? i am able to keep food down but it causes alot of trapped gas that is very hard to either burp or fart out. i think i have the IBS-C bcus i am always constipated..but those of you who have the opposite problem wich is IBS-d do you guys get traapped gas too? or is it just with those of us who get constipated?


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## Ausie one (Jan 24, 2009)

jessica1 said:


> hi tar thanks so much for your advise...i ended up going to the ER bcus i could not take it anymore ..they hooked me up to a iv and gave me a GI cocktail that consisted of maalox/lidocaine/donnatal...then they gave me simethicone tablets and ondansteron...wich is helping a little bit but i am still very very umcomfortale and very very gassy. i have been burping and burping i sound like a frog! so embaressing! i asked the doc if this flare up is associated with the flu but he didnt seem to know much about how to treat IBS. what is honestly puzzling me is i realize that IBS is a overgrowth of "bad bacteria" in the intestines. if thats so then why dont they just give us stuff that will kill off the bad bacteria instead of masking it with antacids? i am able to keep food down but it causes alot of trapped gas that is very hard to either burp or fart out. i think i have the IBS-C bcus i am always constipated..but those of you who have the opposite problem wich is IBS-d do you guys get traapped gas too? or is it just with those of us who get constipated?


Hi try Degas I get it at the supermarket or chemist over here in Australia. It really helps move the gas, something you are eating is giving you the gas.I have IBS with chronic diahorea so opersit to you.I wish I could loose weight I have stacked it on.You have to eat as it is not good to have bread and water nothing in it. If I dont eat I am worse off.All the best.


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## Jackmat (Jun 13, 2005)

jessica1 said:


> what is honestly puzzling me is i realize that IBS is a overgrowth of "bad bacteria" in the intestines. if thats so then why dont they just give us stuff that will kill off the bad bacteria instead of masking it with antacids?


Jessica, there are multiple causes of IBS. An overgrowth of "bad bacteria" would exist in only a small percentage of IBS'ers.


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## jessica1 (Jan 8, 2011)

Jackmat said:


> Jessica, there are multiple causes of IBS. An overgrowth of "bad bacteria" would exist in only a small percentage of IBS'ers.


oh okay i am going to go see dr. wangner..in seattle he is a ibs specialist with a very good reputation. i am vvery lucky that he is located in seattle, just a ferry away. i have been doing alot of reading on ibs and different intestianl diseases...and it seems like they all involve some type of bacteria. whether its an overgrowth of yeast or parasites etc. i am feeling better today but still bit gassy and sour stomach. thank you all for your replies it was very comforting to know im not alone in this.


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## tarla (Jan 6, 2011)

Hi Jessica,I'm glad that you're feeling better today. I'd be interested in knowing what your specialist has to say. I agree, sometimes it seems like there are some bad bugs down there that just won't go away, but don't rule out other causes, or interactions between factors. I have IBS-C also. Currently I don't have much gas and the C is under control. I am eating a lot of soluble fibre in a precooked form and when the current pain (lessening daily) goes away I will try adding back some more regular foods again. Tar


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## jessica1 (Jan 8, 2011)

tarla said:


> Hi Jessica,I'm glad that you're feeling better today. I'd be interested in knowing what your specialist has to say. I agree, sometimes it seems like there are some bad bugs down there that just won't go away, but don't rule out other causes, or interactions between factors. I have IBS-C also. Currently I don't have much gas and the C is under control. I am eating a lot of soluble fibre in a precooked form and when the current pain (lessening daily) goes away I will try adding back some more regular foods again. Tar


i went to see a specialist yesterday and it turns out that he doesnt think its ibs at all. i had hpylori found in my blood afew years back and they treated it once but hpylori has to be treated more than once. so he suspects that i was misdiagnosed with ibs and that the hpylori is back. i hope to god that its just that and not ibs! that would be the best news ever. i found relief for my gas by using this product called beano. boy does it work for gas. u can find it anywhere.


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## Jackmat (Jun 13, 2005)

jessica1 said:


> i had hpylori found in my blood afew years back and they treated it once but hpylori has to be treated more than once. so he suspects that i was misdiagnosed with ibs and that the hpylori is back.


If he suggesting you have an ulcer, a worthwhile natural treatment is one cup of freshly blended cabbage juice 3 times per day (before meals) for 10 days.Also stir a teaspoon of chilli powder into hot water, and drink it like you would tea.


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## Nic88 (Sep 29, 2006)

You want to have your gallbladder checked. You may have had the flu (or some type of GI virus as the flu doesn't cause GI symptoms USUALLY in adults. Go on the CDC webiste and check FLU. Flu is fever and feeling like you've been hit by a truck for a week. Hardly able to function.) Gallbladder, and you may not have stones you could have sludge, can cause the runs, vomiting and severe pain lasting hours/days underneath the right ribcage. It may feel like trapped gas and you may try to take Tums, but it will have zero effect on the gallbladder. Again, look up those symptoms on Mayoclinic.com and see if they are comparable. You don't always flare. It can be years inbetween gallbladder flares. I have found drinking almond milk (more protein) and eating soy products...like soy meatballs have a constipating effect on me. I have also found some high protein snack bars (as in 20 grams each) that I eat and that seems to keep the D under control best.


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## Yarm (Sep 18, 2010)

I also get terrible ibs attacks with the flu - cut back on fat, eat soups (chicken noodle, meat and vegetable). Only eat cooked veggies as they are easier on your stomach. I also find dry crackers helpful. You should start to feel better in a few days.Word of warning - I took Nexium for a year and a half- it stopped working for me. I have been off it for a year and a half now.


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## tarla (Jan 6, 2011)

Hi Jessica,I agree with Nic88 about getting your gallbladder checked. If you had the flu, I hope you are feeling much better. If it is H. Pylori then your treatment will probably give you relief. Insist on seeing the results of all your tests and talk about the results with your GP whether they call you in or not. There might be something, like me, on the far range of normal and if there isn't a flag on those results then the GP might not even read it. Ask for a referral to a GI specialist.This is my recent post under "IBS Back Again" by me. It looks like my recent bout with IBS might not have been all IBS. [This is day 15 on my road to health and I feel terrible.I have had another flare up before the previous one had gone away. By coincidence I was seeing my GP for my annual checkup 4 days ago and I wasn't feeling well and told her so. My upper right pain was back and I was feeling nauseous. I attributed it to the toast, butter and nut butter I had with breakfast. My words were "I'm having a hard time sorting out this irritable bowel thingy". She looked back at my recent test results for colonoscopy, blood work, ultrasound, and nuclear scan; all done in the last two months. Apparently there was a result there that she didn't like, and the specialist had failed to think it important. The result showed up in my nuclear scan; my gallbladder is functioning at the extremely low for normal rate of 43%.So add some inflammation to the pot, and some fat to the meal and I'm in pain and misery.She will refer me back to the specialist with her certainty that I have Acholic Cholecystitis. In other words, inflamed gallbladder without gallstones. Of course it is a weekend, so no doctors are working. I'm hoping I don't need to go into ER over the weekend.So; BE A SQUEAKY WHEEL! And I think I was too trusting of my specialist when he said nothing was wrong with my gallbladder, suggesting dairy was the problem. I should have taken the results to my doc and said Help! It doesn't help that she is always taking off on holiday and leaves locums to fill in. So I'm living on watered down juice and vegetable soup with a bit of boiled chicken for now. I think even that has too much fat, because the pain in my back has increased. No temperature so far.]Tar


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## ziggy7 (Oct 24, 2009)

hi Jessica







i cured my IBS-D with a high fat, medium protein, low carb diet it was the atkins diet but i changed it a little. it took me 6 months to fully heal my damaged stomach.for me if i ate any bread or pasta at all then i could not eat a single bite of fatty meat or broccoli with out geting terrible gas. but when i cut all them carbohydrates out of my diet i then could eat as much fatty meat and broccoli as i wanted and get absolutely zero gas from it! it sounds too shocking to be true right? but it really worked for me.anyways i put a list of my safe foods here at this link.http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/index.php?/topic/128769-feeling-alone/just scroll down at it till you see my post telling you my safe foods.only eat the foods i listed as safe and not the ones im testing. but once your stomach is healed you can try eating the ones im testing.here is a useful link too.http://www.biblelife.org/bowel.htmanyways i hope you try my diet but also if you have been eating lots of bread lately and such you will go through carbohydrate withdrawals. you will feel dizzy and wierd and such as your metabolism changes to a fat burning one instead of a glucose burning one. it normally takes 4 days before you start feeling decent again. and then more time for your body to master a fat burning metabolism but mainly the first 4 days will be the hardest part. also you can't cheat on the diet or your body may delay its metabolism change.but i believe one nice thing you can look forward too right away is with in about 3 days you should have about 80% less gas. and the remaining 20% of gas is caused by the remaining damaged stomach which will slowly be healed and eventually you will have no gas at all


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## klf1976 (Jan 23, 2011)

Jessica,Today is my first day on this forum as well. It is 6:30pm and I am currently in bed with a heating pad.I've been here all day, and most of the last two months. I'm writing this to you because I am totally in the same terrible place you wrote about. I can't stand it anymore, and I don't want to live like this.I have a 4 1/2 year old daughter and a wonderful partner, but I can't enjoy my family or my life because I am constantly in pain and discomfort. I can bearly eat and I've lost about 4 pounds in the last few weeks. I'm a small person as well, and even losing a few pounds is significant for me. I don't know what to do anymore, and I really feel like despite seeing countless doctors, naturopaths, etc., I am not seeing any real relief. I can't offer you any answers for your problem, but something about your post made me want to contact you. I guess I'm feeling pretty alone and desperate right now as well, and am having a lot of the bad thoughts you described. I'm starving, I'm sipping water with Iberogast, and I'm missing out on my otherwise wonderful life. Maybe we can stay in touch. No one in my life has any comprehension about what I'm going through. A pal would be nice...Hope you're getting better...k


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## Gabriel (Aug 23, 2009)

Chronic vomiting is not normally a symptom of IBS. Gallbladder is a good thing to check, but also requesting a gastric emptying study would be a good idea because in some cases the stomach may be at fault with something like gastroparesis, which is not a very fun disease at all.Also the standard flu can cause gastroenteritis, though not always. "Stomach flus" are different than the standard flu people talk about each winter and are usually 24 - 48hr affairs with acute diarrhea, nausea & vomiting.


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## Jackmat (Jun 13, 2005)

klf1976 said:


> I can bearly eat and I've lost about 4 pounds in the last few weeks.


I lost over 40 pounds in 3 months. With scans and tests all coming back negative, there was nowhere for me to turn either. And then I looked where I least expected to find the answwer......Click My Receovery Story below.


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