# Winter gut...Or maybe I'm just crazy



## mk_ruah (Jul 10, 2014)

It started eight years ago and took a while before I noticed a pattern. Every winter I would have diarrhea around February that would last so long that I felt like my insides had been scraped with a metal scraper and I'd have horrible pain every time I ate. Right about the time I'd get fed up, cave and go to the doctor - who'd always prescribe an antibiotic - it would clear up. It was three or four winters before I realized it had been happening every winter.

I thought, "Maybe it's Arizona...this never happened in Ohio." I finally went to a doctor and pointed out the pattern. She was compassionate and stymied. For the next three winters I worked with doctors and naturopaths trying to figure it out. The GI doctor blew me off when the upper lower GI showed nothing. I tried benthozyne, gluten free, dairy free, coffee free, gluten/dairy/coffee free at the same time. Was tested for all kinds of parasites, Celiac, etc. I tried several different probiotics. It was tricky because i couldn't tell if treatment/diet was working or if it was just the winter gut going away like it always did around March.

This year I moved to Wyoming and crossed my fingers that some mysterious AZ allergen had caused it. Around Thanksgiving, I started getting the horrible stomach pain every time I ate and some diarrhea but not the kind that made it feel like my insides had been scraped out. The attack wasn't as severe as previous winters, but this time, it never quite went away. There's typically not pain any more but embarrassing gas and diarrhea multiple times a day.

Loparamide calms it a bit. DGL (licorice roots) helps a bit but not totally. When I went to the GI, I practically had to beg for a colonoscopy. In fact, he almost talked himself out of it even after I had convinced him that I had tried every other kind of diagnosis. "Gosh, you're too young to have a colonoscopy." (I'm 36...not that young.) I've now had a colonoscopy and endoscopy with both showed "a little inflammation" but nothing to speak of. I had to press the nurse when she called with the results to give me a "What's next" instruction.

I was surprised to see on this website that there is actually a process for diagnosing IBS. I always thought it was just the doctor's way of saying, "I dunno." I have been surprised how dismissive doctors, especially GI's have been of me. I don't have a polyp growing out my ass, so I guess it doesn't merit their time. I still haven't been diagnosed with IBS. A few physicians have thrown it around but never explained it. I got on this website because I am at my wits end and whether they diagnose me or not, something is wrong. Even the naturopath seemed to discourage me when I talked about doing some kind of elimination or more extreme diet than the gluten/dairy/coffee free. Not that I wanted to, and I sure wasn't going to if she didn't even think it was a good idea. I'm seeing a lot on this website about the FODMAP, so I may try that.

I am single and would very much like to be dating, but I realized the other day that the symptoms were a wall between me and the guy I was dating because I wouldn't "put my wall down" for fear he'd hear my storming stomach, hear me locked in the bathroom in the morning ... I wouldn't say it's ruling my life. Some folks have it much worse, but it is exhausting to live like this and it emotionally wears you down...and I am easily emotionally worn down anyway!


----------



## IBS & Surviving (Jun 24, 2014)

It certainly sounds like IBS! If there is some relief from elimination diet, my advise is to keep following that diet. That being said, you will probably still get symptoms. Flare-ups for me can be caused by stress, either physical or emotional. Sometimes flare ups happen and I'm not sure why. I will try to think of everything I have eaten or wondered if a restaurant messed up my specially ordered plain meat and veggies special. It's all part of IBS.

Seek a second opinion. It took me 20 years before my symptoms became very bad and I found a kind GI who diagnosed me. That alone helped relieve some of my stress.

Learn to laugh about it. And find a guy who can laugh about it too. Believe it or not, some guys think it is perfectly acceptable to spend lots of time in the bathroom  if you can be honest and laugh about how horrible it is, he will be there when you need to cry about how horrible it is.

You are not alone! Keep your chin up.


----------



## mk_ruah (Jul 10, 2014)

Thank you for this thoughtful reply!! Mostly I can laugh about it. The gas is harder to laugh about since it is uncomfortable but I'll keep trying to laugh at all of it.

I just went home for two weeks, and I am almost ALWAYS symptom free. It's always been a debate for me - does that mean it is stress and when I go on vacation it goes away? Or is there an allergen in my Western diet that flares it? All of the above probably.

Really, thank you. I have been happy to find a GP who knew of some great integrated medicine resources so that is helping. Also just good to have a doc that goes, "Yeah, I don't know everything, but I see you're miserable. Let's experiment. Whatever is going on, it's not normal." Wow...strange to find how few doctors are comfortable with that.


----------

