# IBS and the Appendix - A theory towards a cure



## mr120 (Sep 1, 2013)

Hey,

I'm gonna say, sure it might work - if you have something wrong with the appendix, but I wouldn't be surprised if you can find people who have IBS BECAUSE they had the appendix removed.. that just the way of IBS.

You could ask a doctor to do whatever tests it is they do to check the appendix - pretty much all you can do there.

I understand your pain and the thoughts but don't give up, there are options - a new one that is going round (i've tried it - but did it wrong - but I'm still seeing bowel habit changes -> going towards normal stool - I plan on doing it again very soon).

It's pretty much untested for IBS but I believe it has a good shot of working to some extent at least, 2 board members here have had 100% success, do a search here for FMT.

This is one of them, and it documents how to do it without a doctor if you aren't afraid to get your hands dirty.. http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/165423-fecal-bacteriotherapy-for-ibs-d-success/

Stay strong!


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## Dragonmao34 (Oct 18, 2013)

Hi Mr120. I will check it out and see how it goes.

Thanks for getting back to me. Appreciated.

Ahmad


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## PD85 (Aug 19, 2010)

At the very beginning of my IBS I used to get intense pains right where my appendix was. The pains were also accompanied by fever and they were so strong I couldn't even stand up. The episodes would last 12-24 hours and were extremely emotionally scarring. I would lay on the floor and cry in pain, blacking in and out of consciousness at times because it was so painful. I always thought my appendix was the cause but after 5 trips to the ER during these episodes and with a CT scan every time, never did the doctor say something was wrong with my appendix. It also turned out I had a hernia where the pain was and that may have been the cause of the pain.

I still have a suspicion that my appendix may be the cause. However, if I can not solve my IBS in some other fashion, I still consider appendix removal to be an interesting experiment for IBS, especially IBS-D.


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## Dragonmao34 (Oct 18, 2013)

Hi,

I would defo keep on top of the appendix issue. Even with cat scans and tests it isn't always visible that your appendix has a prob. You need to get it looked at via a laparoscopic appendectomies, cos a lot of people have been to the hospital with appendix issues but the doctors never really checked it and due to this they have been in worse pain.

I hope your IBs gets resolved as I know how bad life really is due to the illness. Esp the pain side.

Thank you

Ahmad


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## HumanistRuth (Sep 19, 2013)

Didn't you notice that the article said it's just a hypothesis? There's no evidence! Stick to treatments that have a fact-based track record, research and plenty of other IBS sufferers who have found them helpful.

I learned about the trigger foods from the diet link here and eliminated them from my diet. Now I'm much better. It's also recommended you eat small meals instead of large ones. I looked up online information about FODMAP and various foods with IBS , following clues I read about here, educating myself.

Have you kept a journal of everything you eat and all of your bowel movements? I found my journal very helpful in identifying what causes a relapse by scrutinizing what I'd eaten in the previous 24 hours.


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## Dragonmao34 (Oct 18, 2013)

Hi,

Thanks for your post. I have done all of the above, journals, when I go the lot but to no luck.

I know its not a tried and tested approach but I was just wondering if it would work.

Cant do nothing else but try I guess.

Thanks

Ahmad


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## Freud (Mar 22, 2012)

Hi Ahmad!

I'm very sorry to hear about your problems and would like to help if I can. Could you tell us a little more about your symptoms and also your diet? When did your IBS start? Is there anything special you can remember about the time when your symptoms kicked in? What symptoms do you have? Do you get worse by eating certain foods? What are your diet like? Have you tried fasting? Are your symptoms better without food in you stomach? Do you have any other symptoms like fatigue or other bodily issues that's not connected with your gut? What tests have your doctors preformed?

Even though I know how you feel about suicide and all, promise me to stick around for a little longer. Maybe there's a way for you to get better. And remember you're not alone.


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## rmiller1985 (Sep 13, 2011)

Hi Mohammad,

As mr120 speculated, there are, indeed, people who have IBS because of an appendectomy. Or at least, in my case, who have IBS 10 times worse than it was previously because of an appendectomy.

I had three or four attacks of appendicitis in late 2010 and the first half of 2011. I didn't know they were appendicitis attacks at the time; the pain was not excruciating, and I assumed it was just my wonky gut acting up. The final one was the worst, and I was lucky (?) enough to get in to see my gastroenterologist on day 3, when it was already starting to subside a little. He pressed in at McBurney's point and I flinched because of the pain, so he sent me to the ER across the street; a CT scan showed that the appendix was inflamed.

I became quite excited. I started thinking that maybe all of my gut wonkiness for the past 40 years was due to an appendix that was off-kilter somehow. The surgeon told me after the operation that it took him almost twice as long as usual because of all the adhesion in the area, indicating long-term inflammation; he couldn't tell me how long-term, but I continued to think positively about my prospects for having more normal gut function.

The diarrhea started a few days after the operation. This was not unexpected, since they'd administered opiates during the operation, and I knew that once the side effect of constipation wore off everything would probably make its way out quickly. But the diarrhea continued, and got worse, over the next few days.

I went to an urgent care facility, where they ran blood tests and gave me the materials for a stool test. They suspected c. diff., since I'd been in a hospital, but all of the tests came back negative. The diarrhea continued. I saw the surgeon, and he gave me a round of Flagyl (the stool test result wasn't back yet, and he thought it prudent to treat for c. diff. just in case). There was a very slight improvement, which disappeared as soon as I stopped taking the Flagyl. The diarrhea continued. I saw my gastroenterologist, and he ran a bunch of additional stool tests for parasites and pathogens, but all came back negative. And the diarrhea continued.

After a few months, I started taking 1mg of Loperamide twice a day, and that helped a lot; I figure it decreased my symptoms by 80% or so. After a year, I finally went ahead and got a colonoscopy, which showed a healthy colon. I also did a hydrogen breath test to test for SIBO; I thought the result looked positive, my gastroenterologist thought it was negative, and a colleague of his thought it was borderline.

Finally, almost two years later, I started on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. I've been on it for over four months now, and it has helped a great deal. I haven't taken Loperamide since I started the diet, and I would say that my symptoms are probably 90% decreased at this point. I'm still experimenting with new foods from time to time (all SCD-legal at this point), and some continue to seem problematic for me. I've learned a lot about how my body works, and I'm doing much better, so I plan on continuing on this path for the foreseeable future. (Based on how I've responded to the diet, I believe that I did, in fact, have a SIBO situation.)

My advice would be to never, ever get a part of your body removed unless you know for certain that not doing so would put your life at risk. I don't really think I had much of a choice at the time, but if I'd known what was going to happen, I probably would not have had my appendix out that night, and I would have looked into alternative therapies: there are a few doctors who believe that appendicitis can be treated effectively with antibiotics; unfortunately, that's not much of a choice, since antibiotics are probably what caused my lifetime of gut wonkiness to begin with, and if the appendix were ever to rupture my life certainly would have been at risk.

As to why the appendectomy caused my IBS symptoms (which were mild enough that I didn't even realize it was IBS until after the fact) to explode, I'll probably never know. A doctor at Duke University hypothesized 6 years ago that the appendix is not a "useless" organ, but that it is in fact a sort of "warehouse for good bacteria," and lately that hypothesis has been gaining ground. An article can be found at http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/news/20071012/appendix-may-have-purpose, and if you Google the doctor's name you can find more information. Perhaps that's part of my problem. Perhaps there were nerves severed during the operation that had been communicating information between my gut and my brain. Perhaps a bug was introduced during the operation. Perhaps the antibiotics administered during the operation radically altered my gut ecology. I'll probably never know.

Within a few months of the appendectomy, thoughts of suicide had come to my mind as well. To someone not suffering from IBS, I'm sure it sounds a bit silly: "You're thinking of killing yourself because you have diarrhea? Are you kidding??" But those of us who have suffered from this affliction for any length of time understand what an emotional toll it takes on you. You are not alone. Please don't do anything drastic! There are many things to try, and many ways to try them.

You can read more about my journey since starting on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet on my blog if you're interested.

Best of luck,

Rich


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