# 19 years old! Need advice to return back to college! Please!



## SamSummers291 (Dec 16, 2013)

My name is Samantha and I am 19 years old. I'm just gonna jump right in to my story about struggling with IBS. One morning last May during my senior year of high school I woke up with cramps and diarrhea. All of a sudden. Prior to this I had had no digestive illnesses at all. After a few weeks of symptoms, I went to the doctor and he gave me the antibiotic *Cipro* because he told me that it is probably food poisoning or an infection. After several more weeks of pain and diarrhea, I had scheduled a colonoscopy. Two days before my colonoscopy I landed in the hospital because I had appendicitis. I had an emergency *appendectomy*. A day after I came home from the surgery I dropped off a stool sample and was diagnosed with *C-Diff*. I was put on a round of *Vancomycin.* After finishing the C-Diff, I wasn't having diarrhea as much, but I was still having it as much as I was in May. In August, I left for my freshman year of college. In mid-September, I came home because the symptoms were bothering me to an extreme extent. I had a *colonoscopy* and a *flouroscopy swallow* (which both showed nothing) and then was shipped back to school. I fainted on the plane back (first sign of now-known Vaso Vagal). I called the doctor and was told I had C-Diff again, although they recently informed me that it was a false positive. Now we are getting more to the present. That was all the back story to keep in mind. Now I have been diagnosed with IBS. I have been home from college for a few months now. I was on Lexapro and now I am only on *Remeron* and *birth control*. My symtoms are up and down but I am seeing little improvement from any of the drugs. I am also doing acupuncture. My current symptoms are as followed: *diarrhea* (daily), *constipation* (cramps), extreme *pain *in the lower left quadrant and lower back, *vaso vagal *symptoms (lightheadedness and headaches), and *heart palpitations*. I am supposed to return to college for Spring semester in 3 weeks. At this point I am open to any and all suggestions about how to get rid of this. Please help!!! Any advice is appreciated. I have been through enough!


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## cjal813 (Dec 14, 2013)

I am 23 and my IBS has gotten bad. It has been seven months since I have been able to do anything. I am pretty much a prisoner in my house. Even a trip to the grocery store is a hassle because sometimes I end up spending an hour in the bathroom. Two GI doctors told me there was nothing wrong with me (don't even bother going to one because they have no clue about IBS). I had every test done and everything came back completely normal. I mean I had everything from gallbladder function test to a colonoscopy and endoscopy and everything came back normal but I felt like I was dying because everything I ate went right through me and the pain and discomfort was horrendous. when I had an "episode" which i like to to call it. I would have to run to the bathroom and the pain was so bad I felt like vomiting. My hands got clammy and I had to take all my clothes off because I couldn't have anything touching me. I had explained all these symptoms to both GI doctors and the second GI doctor offered to give me an antidepressant (that made me so angry so I stopped seeing him).

I ended up going to a Naturopathic physician. Make sure to look for an MD, an actual medical doctor who also specializes in natural medicine. Please research if there is one in your area because everything that the GI doctors ignored she highlighted. Turns out I had two vitamin deficiencies (vitamin D and vitamin B1) and one was very rare (vitamin B1). The naturopath tested me for SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) and did a comprehensive stool test, both were ordered from Genova Diagnostics and physicians can easily order those tests. Both of these tests can be done in the convenience of your own home. The SIBO test for me was negative for me but the stool test revealed that I had no growth of an entire beneficial species of bacteria (Lactobacillus species). This told my naturopath that my gut flora was out of whack so I am starting VSL #3 but VERY slowly because I am super sensitive. She also recommended a supplement L-glutamine which is an amino acid and helps repair the lining of you gut (I use Source Naturals l-glutamine powder and its good and has no taste!)I would definitely look into meeting with a naturopath because they know what to do to actually treat IBS and they won't just dismiss you and tell you to deal with it.

A good naturopath will be able to help you with C-Diff treatment and prevention. I don't have C-Diff but someone sent me this article a while back and I thought it was interesting and something to think about. The article is online, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/03/human-poop-pills-cure-gut-infections_n_4037612.html. Here is the link but if that doesn't work then the article is "Poop Pills Cure Serious C-Diff Gut Infections." I just googled it and it came up.

You could also very well be "gluten intolerant" and or have an intolerances to other foods (eggs, dairy, peanuts). Medical testing is not sensitive enough to test for these things. If you suspect a problem then doing a two week elimination of the potentially problematic food items may be beneficial. My naturopath recommended I buy a book called The Inside Tract: Your Good Gut Guide to Great Digestive Health by Gerard E. Mullin and Kathie Madonna Swift. It is very interesting. Although I never actually did the elimination diet because I kept losing weight it is an interesting read and will give you some guidelines if you were to try an elimination diet.

I am not sure how much research you have done on IBS but I came across an article that really gave me hope when the GI doctors were telling me nothing was wrong with me. The article is "5 Simple Steps to Cure IBS without Drugs" by Dr. Mark Hyman. Dr. Hyman makes it VERY clear that IBS is not idiopathic which made me feel ten times better.

You may want to stop your birth control (if you are using only for contraceptive purposes) as birth controls can have negative side effects.

I hope this info helps. Please feel free to write!!


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## nori641 (Dec 21, 2013)

Hi Samantha

My advise to you and all individuals who having IBS, Two points must be followed to eliminate or at least improved:

1- IBS have linked with types of food that eaten and lifestyle of American people in their country So change your life style and

give up of processed, junk, caned and restaurant as you can . told your mother or sister or wife to made food at a home kichen

2- Make stool test again to focusing on new intestinal parasites that ignored by Lab. technician and Doctors which discovered

currently as harmful pathogens . They are : Blastocystis hominis and D.fragilis.

My good luck and fast cure .


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## Adidaphat (Jan 8, 2014)

Dear All,

I am 48 years old and got IBS nearly 5 years. I understand well how do you feel when getting this IBS. at the current I stop all medicines just doing the following things:

1/ Taking Turmeric Curcumin + Fish Oil everyday (Curcumin 95% 500mg). Excellent treatment. I have been taking this 2 weeks (4 capsules per day), will use this for a long time. No more IBS. (Notes: Curcumin is being used in my country for desease treatment related to stomach and colon)

2/ Doing Yoga 1 hour per day (Monday to Friday)

3/ Eating Yaourt and fresh food, no Canned food. (eat enough food for meal, do not try be full)

4/ I still drink coffee every morning and sometimes beer for Party.

Keep your mind peaceful, DO NOT WORRY anything, Do not think about your IBS, try to laugh more.


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