# Post infectious-IBS



## Sweetpea32988 (Nov 6, 2014)

My name is Allison, I am 26 years old and I have Post Infectious IBS. I was diagnosed a year ago this month. Before this I was very healthy and kept myself in good shape. I do work in a Pediatric office and am surrounded by germs. I ended up getting a stomach bug which turned into this lovely IBS I have. Also going from loving dairy products to not being able to eat anything even baked with butter or milk was very hard. So far I have been one year with my PI-IBS, dairy free and still not being able to find a happy medium. When my IBS first started I had bouts of dizziness and pain in my side and stomach. With change of diet and lifestyle I got the discomfort to subside by using align and drinking more water rather then sugary drinks. I need to be very careful when eating certain foods. Now I am in a stage where I avoid social situations because I never know how my body will react to food I have eaten. I unfortunately don't go to the gym anymore because I am afraid of feeling sick. I am afraid its running my life and I will never be back to the same person I was. Does anyone know if there is a positive outcome to this at all? I would love to chat with anyone who has had the same experience as me.


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## millyimp1322 (Sep 18, 2014)

Hello Sweetpea,

I have just read your posting ,and I have to sympathise with you .I too have (as you put it )this lovely IBS .I have never thought of it in this way LOL. However you are not alone in this ,I also have problems going out anywhere now.

I find myself more and more not wanting to go places because of the (just in case scenario). I do not want to dishearten you Sweetpea,but I have had IBS now for 25 years ,since my eldest Grandaughter was a baby of 19 months ,and she is now 26 this month.

Over the years I have tried to go out more ,however there is always that underlying feeling ,of what if I need the toilet and cant get to one .

My Husband bought a touring Caravan co that we could get away ,that was good, I knew if I did need the toilet ,it was there for me .Sadly he can no longer drive so ,we have had to sell the car and the caravan ,I am finding this so hard to adjust too,not having the convenience of our own transport for shopping etc. In turn this has now made me more unable to want to go anywhere yet again.

Regards taking things ,all I have ever taken in all the years in a capsule called Acidophillus ,bought only from health shops,it is not a drug,this is what I take if I am going out anywhere even just to the corner shop,and when we had our caravan on a long trip ,this is all I needed to take,it got me to wherever we were going ,I don't take them daily ,only if I have to go out.

It maybe helpful for you to try them Sweetpea.

I too need to be very careful with what I am eating ,as one time I can eat something and be ok ,but then next time I eat the same thing ,it can cause an IBS bout,

Well I hope it has helped you to feel not alone in this ,sorry I cannot be of more help to you ,but if you do need to chat in real time ,in here then please feel free ,we can arrange a time for us both to be in here

Take Care

Millyimp


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## Jesse1234 (Jan 4, 2009)

Hi Allison,
I have had IBS-PI for 8 years. I was 17 at the time and now I am 25. It has certainly been a roller coaster ride. One bit of advice I can give to you is that if you suffer from depression or anxiety you need to do everything you can to get control of these. To give you a bit of hope, many studies have revealed that people diagnosed with IBS-PI can eventually recover from the illness, if they do not have depression or anxiety. I for one have found it extremely hard to get on top of these conditions as I have had it for my whole life and IBS only makes it worse, but each day I continue to try knowing that there is even the slightest possibility that I can wake up without this horrible illness anymore.

For the first few years my IBS was really bad but it got so much better and so much easier to control bowel movements. My main issues now are with excessive gas and reflux disease. Do your best not to socially isolate yourself much now, because it will eventually become a habit that is almost impossible to break. This is what I'm going through now. Diet is a big factor I found lactose products to be a huge disturbance for me.

I hope you can find some symptom relief soon.


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## Butch (Nov 16, 2014)

Very similar experience. I got food poisoning earlier this year and now have a Post Infectious IBS-D diagnosis. All tests from the GI doc came back negative (blood and colonoscopy, as well as SIBO breath test). Once you've ruled all that out, they just don't know what to do with you. It's very hard emotionally. I'm older than you (40s) and I think maybe when you're older it might be easier to deal with. I think if this had happened to me in my 20s it would have been so much harder.

Know that you are not alone. There are a lot of people dealing with this - and probably people you know who have it and just don't tell others. There are ways to cope - many of them well described in this forum. There are also things you can try. I'm sure you've been doing research, but if not i would start with a Low FODMAP diet (google it and find the Monash University site) and see if it helps. It supposedly helps 74% of people with IBS-D - a pretty positive stat! Otherwise, there are other things to try to from supplements, probiotics, to other diets. I'm personally trying a very extreme elimination diet right now because FODMAP didn't work for me.

If you want more detail, visit me here: bodyhealyourself.wordpress.com . I'm blogging my experience for the greater good (I hope)!


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