# Any help/advice appreciated!



## Jimbob94 (Dec 27, 2011)

Hello everyone,I've been looking on this site for a while so I thought I’d create a post because I think all the help and support is fantastic. Apologies in advance if this takes a while to read through, I do very much appreciate it! I'm an otherwise healthy 17 year old male and I had had never had any problems with my stomach beforehand, although my dad has had what seems a more stress related IBS for many years. Possibly related problems may be that I’ve had a bad lower-mid back for about 3 years and bladder problems (more frequent and urgent need to urinate and bladder not feeling emptied) since April/May 2010.My IBS started in November 2010 from a bad Chinese fast food lunch during my break at college which affected me very quickly, within 1-2 hours, which was embarrassing because I was in a lesson and was trying my best to stay in the class! I didn't feel well so I went home and tried to sleep it off, and woke up a few hours later still feeling fairly ill. The next morning I went to college but had to leave again with diarrhoea, since then my stomach have never been normal. I got diagnosed with IBS in January 2011 and was given some Colofac which didn't help- my feeling from the start is that I have a bacterial problem of some kind, as I have only had one 'good day' with my stomach in over a year. My bowel symptoms are: diarrhoea (3-10 times a day, slightly improved with codeine), incomplete bowel movements, abdominal pain, cramps, bloating, mucous, gas/flatulence, loud stomach rumbling. Other symptoms which began since include: feeling fatigued, prickly heat, anxiety, and being very unhappy as a result of how much it affects daily life- I’ll be at least 2 years behind my peers before finishing college and i very rarely go out and see friends. Triggers are: Pretty much all foods despite my diet being healthy, drinks- mainly warm ones (i now start my mornings with several herbal teas to try and speed up bm's), being in a very warm room, dairy products- I’m now lactose intolerant since trying the exclusion diet my GP recommended! Tests I’ve had: Barium enema meal- fine, apart from that the drink went through my system quicker than usual; colonoscopy-fine, blood tests for, i think, coeliac disease and diabetes which were fine, and a stool sample (which I hardly gave anything for, my mistake!) came back fine, although I would like to do one properly soon. Would it be worth doing a stool test privately does anyone know? Medicines I have tried include: colofac, buscopan, immodium, fybogel, flagyl (fairly recently) - none of these helped. Colpermin i use occasionally and codeine I use daily which helps a bit with the pain and D. Also I use Pau d'arco, probiotics, Aloe Vera juice, apple cider vinegar (not very often) and have just started drinking slippery elm bark powder. Treatments I’ve had: Hypnotherapy, reflexology with homeopathic remedies, and I’m currently having something called 'body talk'. Also in a slightly impulsive decision I tried a 3 day water fast, where you only consume water, because I saw that could help with IBS however it didn't so it seemed pointless afterwards. Okay, so if you've made it this far,thank you haha! Please feel free to suggest any possible thought or things which may help me, I’ll try anything as you can probably tell by the water fast lol. The gastro doctor I went to says that I should hopefully get better within a few years, but I am determined to get my life back as soon as possible because I hate spending my days like this; I know I'm not alone in that! Have a Happy New Year everybody!


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

How about giving a GOOD probiotic a decent (several weeks to months) try.


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## Jimbob94 (Dec 27, 2011)

Hello, thank you for your reply!About a week or two ago i started taking some 'ultra maximum' strength probiotic acidophilus i found in a health store which are supposed to have 20 billion active cultures per capsule. Are there any names of good probiotics i could try, or do these ones i have at the moment sound ok?


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Align is good..Culturelle..Florastor...Sustenex..??


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## Jimbob94 (Dec 27, 2011)

Thanks a lot, I'll definately look in to those!I know it's probably hard to tell by just a post, but do you think my IBS may be bacteria related from when i had the food poisoning episode? My stomach just changed from that day and got worse over the months last year, that's why i'm thinking of asking for another stool test soon. Thank you for the reply!


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

> I know it's probably hard to tell by just a post, but do you think my IBS may be bacteria related from when i had the food poisoning episode?


No it is not hard to tell...... it is impossible to tell from a post. lol By all means if you think you need a stool test or any other testing... ask your Dr of course. The reason I suggested a probiotic.... after a bout with food poisoning or even a severe stomach virus... all our bacterial flora can get wiped out. Therefore the delicate balance that must exist in our GI tracts gets out of whack. A probiotic can restore a good balance.


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## Jimbob94 (Dec 27, 2011)

Fair enough lol. I appreciate your help, thanks again!


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