# New Member IBS-D, with parasite and complications since ileocecal valve removed.



## fieldofdreams (Apr 13, 2014)

Hi,

Sorry in advance as I just posted this in the IBS-D section about 30 minutes ago and then saw this "your story" forum, so thought maybe I should have posted my story in here first. Apologies in advance for any unnecessary duplication, but here goes again with my story.

I am a 48 year old male from Australia and I have suffered from bowel problems for the past 20 years, when I was first diagnosed with Diverticulitis. Since then, I have always put my bowel problems down to this.

In 2008 a colonoscopy was performed with no new findings, however at the time I was experiencing an increase in pain along the lower right side of my abdomen, along the belt line one could say. Over the next few years, the pain continued to increase and so did the number of toilet visits, but now the stools were becoming much more frequent and loose. As a result, a further colonoscopy was performed in August, 2012, with samples taken from the Terminal Ileum and I was then diagnosed with Neuroendocrine Tumour in the small intestine and I was also informed that I suffered from IBS.

In November 2012, I had a small bowel resection, right hemicolectomy and ileocecal vale removed. The histopathology report from the operation showed that they found Well Differentiated Grad3 3, Low Grade Malignant Neuroendocrine Tumour in the small intestine and lymph nodes. At the time of this operation I weighed 114kg and since the operation my body has had some trouble re-adjusting. I have suffered a substantial amount of weight loss now weighing 77 kilo's, which is nearly a 40kg weight loss, I am 195.5cm tall.

My toilet visits per day average around 4, but have been as high as 7 - 10 toilet visits per day. The motion firmness can vary from solid to loose to gastric, then back to solid and then back to loose and gastric, at times there is no consistency with what is going to come out. Some times I do get the old stomach cramp along the belt line and this normally indicates that it will be messy, explosive motion, but when these ones occur the pain subsides once the motion has passed.

Over the past 12 months or so, I have also suffered badly from abdominal pain, plus pain under the right rib, which would radiate around to my lower back. I live in a semi-rural town and the medical practitioners locally have been great, but they were not experienced with the rare form of cancer that I had removed, nor could they explain the weight loss ore current symptoms and side effects I have had post surgery. I have tried numerous medications from Questran, Creon, Gastro-stop, Codeine, Lanreotide Injections to name a few. Anyway, I was finally referred to a Gastroenterologist in Sydney about 4 weeks ago. After meeting this Gastroenterologist, I was admitted into a Sydney hospital the following week and spent the next 2 weeks in hospital whilst they conducted a lot of tests to try and get to the bottom of it all (pardon the punt..hahaha)

As a result of these tests, I was found to have a parasite called "Blastocystis Hominis" in my stool samples, my Gallbladder had gallstones with chronic inflammation and it was thought the removal of the ileocecal valve has now caused me to have a rapid transit system, as the brake mechanism is gone. So the time it takes from when I eat to when I poo is too fast and the body is not getting any nutritional benefit/food etc, so I am severely suffering from Malabsorption and Malnutrition. So what did they do next you ask, well they put me on a course of antibiotics to remove the parasite, I underwent keyhole laparoscopy surgery to remove the gallbladder and I am currently gone off all previous med's and just starting on Endep, Codeine and Gastro-stop to start again from scratch and see how we go over the next few months. They also diagnosed me with IBS-D (Diarrhoea Predominant). I was only discharged from hospital 2 days ago and am now trying to source other people and/or information from others who may have had similar experiences with the removal of the ileocecal valve.

That is pretty much my story in a snap shot. I hope I haven't condensed it too much and it all makes sense. Many thanks for reading this post and I look forward to learning and talking to you all over the coming days, weeks, months, etc etc.

All the best. Keep smiling and talk soon.

Cheers,

Trev


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I don't know much about that surgery, but one thought with the gall bladder out and that you lost part of the small intestine that recycles the bile is you might consider a bile binding agent like Questran (a quick google seems to indicate it may be available in Australia).

Excess bile in the stool can be irritating to the colon so it will tend to add water and flush it out rather than take the time to pull all the excess water out of the stool.

Transit through the colon shouldn't effect nutrients as that is absorbed in the small intestine. Unfortunately I don't know much about how to effect the transit in the small intestine. Not sure if something like Imodium slows down the small intestine as well as the colon.


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## fieldofdreams (Apr 13, 2014)

Hi Kathleen,

Many thanks for the reply and thoughts. That does make sense in relation to the bile that you have mentioned and I still have Questran in the cupboard from when I tried it about a year ago for a few months. Now that the gall bladder has been removed, it might pay to re-visit Questran like you suggested.

Many thanks again and I hope life is treating you well.

Cheers,

Trev


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