# This is pretty good and important



## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

I will go over this some more, but this is one of the clearest statements I have seen in print on this really. Other then the dicussion I have had with doctors and researchers on this aspect. It has to do with people such as myself that had a previous gut infection and after the major inflammation goes away your left with IBS. "IBS symptoms develop, it isthought, because the offending gut infection results in a subtle andsignificant inflammation in the gut wall and that in turn may result inthe over production of the chemical serotonin 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT) from the specialised entero-chromatic cells lining the gut." http://www.ibs-research-update.org.uk/ibs/travel1ie4.html I will go into this with some more info. and how this also applies to pain.


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## Lauralee (Jan 4, 2002)

OK, Eric. I think I am in trouble. I was going to ask this anyway, but since it directly relates to this link, I will post it here.I came down with a quite severe case of food poisoning over the weekend. I ate the bad food Saturday and was sick Sunday until now. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday were the worst with severe D, vomiting, unbelievable stomach cramps, weakness, fever, sweating, dehydration, headache, and all the other nasty things that go along with it.My question...I know that food poisoning can CAUSE IBS, but, can it change existing IBS? I know that my whole digestive system is still in an uproar and very irritated and upset and may take awhile to fully settle down, but I really don't want to have to live with these "new" symptoms that have lingered around for the past couple of days after the acute pain stopped. For example, I now have low grade cramping in my stomach that was not there before. My dinner last night just seemed to sit there and bloat me, making me quite uncomfortable. I realize it takes awhile to fully recover from such a bad infection, but I am curious if it can change the nature of my IBS and linger on indefinately. Am I worrying about this too soon? Will these things pass if I just give them a few more days? Or, have I given myself a new IBS?Thanks!Lauralee


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## JeanG (Oct 20, 1999)

Thanks for the info, Eric. BTW, a while back I had a link to a site that listed, in chart form, the different types of food poisoning, what causes them and their symptoms. I must have deleted the link, and I've been looking for the info. Do you have anything like that? I thought it was the CDC website but I don't see it there.Laura, I'm really sorry you had food poisoning so bad. I work in a department with 21 people and at least once a month someone comes down with food poisoning, and I see how they suffer. I hope you get over it soon. Probiotics would probably help.Take care.JeanG


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

Lauralee, the first thing it depends on the bug that got you. Some linger in the gut until they are destroyed by antibiotics, some resolve on there own. Its impoortant to see a doctor about this.It will certainly aggravate the IBS for a bit until the bacteria in the gut normalizes again. I do not believe it causes any long term damage to the IBS though. I havejhad food poisoning a few times and it made the IBS worse for a bit, until balance was restored. It is however important to kill the bug though, some of these bugs can linger in the digestive tract for years, until they are taken care of. Most however, do reolve pretty quickly however. There are a bunch of different kinds of food poisonings so it depends on that. A stool test might be a good idea. Probiotics like Jean mentioned may also help to restore good bacteria to the gut. Aslo go easy on the fooods your eating here, stay away from sugars for a bit and easy on carbs for a bit and a bland easy diet that doesn't make your gut work harder then it has too.Hope that helps and I would talk to your doctor about this however.Jean, I have not seen that I don't think. I do have charts like this for IBS however and will post them to this thread.


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## Nikki (Jul 11, 2000)

Thanks for this link Eric, I am going to Italy in July and to Bacelona in August an no how dodgy the water is in these countries. THis is always my main worry when travelling abraod. That i'll get some bug or something. I have so far been to Austria and the Czech Republic without having problems. Most of my friends did though!My uncle lives in spain and has told me not to drink the water there, just bottled. In one restaurant we went to you are not allowed to order tap water because it comes from the snow on the mountains. we were eating salas as well as a fondue though and i hightly doubt that the salad was washed in bottled water! I did suffer a bit the next day.Do you have any thoughts on what i can do about the water situation? Is it ok to drink the water if you use water purification tablets? Or should i just drink bottled?


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

Spliff, bottled water from the right source is the way to go on this.


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

This is some info on this and there are some graphs.go to the page and click on Robin Spiller, Nottingham, UK: Post-infectious IBSHe is an expert studying this. http://www.cgf.gu.se/fouschema.html#Robin When the bowel distends those cells release the serotonin for gut contractions. The serotonin is also activating the brain although differently then normal people. The researchers are studying this and also believe chronic stress plays a major role also in this by keeping micro inflamation active of certain cells. Part of this if you have read here and there is the HPA axis triggered. Even though there is no antigen, the brain is still thinking the inflammation is present from the gut infection and seems to be working aganist itself and the body. This may in trun be also what some foods trigger those cells, they are already set up to be trigger by chronic stress and the brain which thinks the cells are being attacked, when in fact there not for most or in some cases they are.The hopeful news maybe in the future for people who start off this way is it may be reverseable in the very begining stages foor people just getting IBS.


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