# IBS-D or food poisoning



## Debbie Howell (Apr 22, 2014)

4 yrs ago I had my Gall Bladder removed because of stones and possible blockage. Every since then, *about every 3 months*, I am having to go to Urgent Care or After Hours with what seems to be Food poisoning. About 1 hour after eating something (cereal with milk this last time) I had to go to After Hours. Symptoms - nausea, severe diarrhea, chills, headache, WBC 17,000 after taking CIPRO 2 hours before to stop from having to go because I though it was food poisoning. Doc said it was by blood work. I was seen in Jan for the same thing - lasted 4 days, same symptoms and before that in October.

I have been diagnosed with IBS for 18 years. I have added a probiotic which may or may not help.

*HOW DO YOU KNOW IF IT IS IBS OR FOOD POISONING? MY GI DOC SAYS HE DOESN'T TREAT FOOD POISONING BUT IF I HAVE AN IBS ISSUE HE WILL SEE ME. MY GEN PRAC. DOC IS GREAT - SHE SAYS THAT SHE HAS NEVER SEEN ANYONE WITH IBS LIKE MNE. IT IS SEVERE. *

I have been on medications like, Bentyl, Lotronex (which almost caused me to go into Antiphalactic (?) shock) It clashed with my regular meds I take daily. i have taken lomotil when I travel to stop some of the watery stools. I have been on antibiotics (Cipro and Flagyl) at these times when this flares up. I have taken Levbid, Levsin, and Robinul.

I am at a loss as to what is REALLY going on. Is it food poisoning or IBS???

I could try to eliminate milk, but I don't drink milk frequently. I can try to not buy products with gluten.

Do i need to increase probiotic?

Should I find a doctor? What type of doctor would that GI, IMMUNOLOGISTS< ALLERGISTS???

Hoping someone on here can relate and have some answers...


----------



## Jen37 (Nov 10, 2011)

First off, I am sorry you are going through all this. Have you ever had tests like colonoscopy to rule out Inflammatory bowel disease? I cannot imagine you have food poisoning for so long, and that it keeps coming back. Now it is possible to have a bacteria or a parasite that can cause these issues. Have you ever had your stool checked for bacteria and parasites? If not, I probably would. My heart goes out to you. Having gut issues is no fun at all. If you feel your gastro doc is not helping you, maybe look for a second opinion from a different one.


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Usually for me (and I've never gone to the ER no matter how bad the diarrhea was) food poisoning/GI virus is watery diarrhea every 20-60 minutes for more than 3 hours usually lasting 1-10 days.

IBS is a few times a day loose stools.

One thought is histamine issues in food. I had this once from canned tuna and it is almost like food poisoning but only lasted about 3-4 hours then was over.

http://www.diagnosisdiet.com/histamine-intolerance/

One of the things with histamine issues is that it can be some of the time. Most tuna is fine, but you get an occasional can where it sat just a bit too long....

Now 1 hour or so after eating sounds more gastrocolic reflex, although the poisoning from a few hours to several days earlier may hit after a meal as that is when the colon gets more active so most likely to start moving things on out.

The other thing without a gall bladder is some people are sensitive to the unregulated bile so if they eat just a tad too much fat in the diet on a given day they may make more bile than they can handle. Has anyone talked to you about bile salt diarrhea and have you tried either the home remedy (calcium carbonate supplements 300-600 mgs with each of three meals a day) or Questran or other bile binding agents? There is a Calcium thread pinned in the diarrhea section and LNAPE had severe diarrhea until they told her to take calcium for some other health problems.


----------



## Debbie Howell (Apr 22, 2014)

@Jen37 - I have had all the tests you can name done several times. Something is triggering this reaction I am having and making it feel like food poisoning even though it may not be.

my question is - HOW CAN I STOP IT.....

@ Community Managers- I started having the watery diarrhea 45 minutes after and went for about 2 hours. I am having a feeling all over of a heated rush burning feeling also sort of like i had taken niacin or something. my skins burns and a rashy appearance appears on my face and arms.

no body has talked to me about the bile salt diarrhea and I have not tried a home remedy for the binding agent.

thank you both for the suggestions. i am at a loss as what to do. it upsets me so bad. i can't help what happens in my body or I can I just don't know what is going on.


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

You might try the low-histmine diet for awhile, especially with the rashy stuff and the timing/amount of time you are having diarrhea.

The other thought is latex allergy (especially if you react to latex products), so here is the low latex diet as well.

http://www.histamineintolerance.org.uk/about/the-food-diary/the-food-list

http://latexallergyresources.org/latex-cross-reactive-foods-fact-sheet

Have you kept a food diary (and with cell phones you can just keep a picture of each meal) and see what kinds of things you may be eating the days you have this reaction.


----------



## Debbie Howell (Apr 22, 2014)

i have not kept a diary. I will though. Today I ate a baked potatoe. First food since Friday. Now I feel sick at my stomach, hurting in my lower intestines.

I don't usually eat much after I go home from work.

I am too tired too cook so normally I will eat a bowl of sometype of cereal or sandwich.

I don't have energy to stand after I have been working all day and go home.

I have told my Doc that I stay exhausted constantly. She runs blood work and comes back normal.

My WBC is always elevated some (10,000-11,000) normally. She says it is because of the IBS

I have alot of issues I am dealing with - my husband has CML. He has been diagnosed since Jan 2013 but symptimatic since Dec 2011.

He is on 2 PTSD meds along with a BOX full of other meds.......

Thanks for the links....

I will print them out


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Anyone who doesn't eat for days on end may feel a bit funny when they first start eating again. It really isn't good for the GI tract to shut down from no food at all for days on end, and it can be a bit grumpy when you finally try to turn it back on again by breaking the fast.

The normal number of WBCs in the blood is 4,500-10,000 white blood cells per microliter (mcL). from what I saw and remember the normal range is not 100% of healthy people and all other numbers are a sign of serious illness.

The normal range covers about 95% of the healthy people used to generate the range (usually average +/- 2 standard deviations if you want to be technical). There is also usually a range larger than that which is clinically irrelevant. So there is a lot of elevated or lowered but still no where near the range you see in a diseased person. Some people always run just a tad high or just a tad low on any given number, and some people will do it once in awhile and you'll catch it with enough testing sooner or later (so most of us are in that outlier range on something at least once in our life).

If you are totally exhausted all the time and you are not working more than is what a normal person works (like an 8 hour shift of normal activity level not 8 hours of continually strenuous activity or you always work 12 hour shifts 6 days a week) I wonder what may be going on in addition to IBS.

If the rest of the blood work is normal (no anemia) your thyroid is fine and you normally eat enough food with enough nutrition and enough calories to support you (which you may not be doing unless you are eating really well for breakfast and lunch if you skip/scrimp on dinner most nights)....although the chronic stress may have you exhausted...a check up with a doctor who does chronic fatigue work or fibromyalgia may not be a bad idea...at least to get a work up.


----------



## Debbie Howell (Apr 22, 2014)

*I have fibromyalgia - for about 20 years now.* I take Lyrica for that and it helps. I have tried to get off of it and all of the pain returns. I take 150 mg a day and the pain is managed with that dose. I don't hardly eat breakfast. Sometime a Bacon, Egg, Cheese biscuit thru the drive thru and sometimes a piece of toast. NORMALLY - I try to eat a sandwich for lunch or soup or maybe Chick Fil A kid meal. I fill up quickly. Maybe a plain hamburger every now and then. I try yo eat some type of fruit and sometimes cottage cheese., yogurt and for supper about 3 times a week - a bowl of cereal and the other days I may bake chicken and fix rice. I tryo to not eat spicy foods but I like tacos every now and then and I make them. I don't eat out much because 30 min after I do I am in the bathroom. That is at home too after I ate - 30 min after I eat a whole meal so I don't do that much.

I take Synthroid 100 mcg a day, 300 mg Dialtezem, 12.5 hydrocholorathiazide, 1 mg estradiol, 5 mg Percocet (1 a day for chronic pain)

I have MVP, i have had 3 lower back surgeries, 4 knee surgeries (which will have to be replaced at some point), hysterectomey, tonsilectomy, nerve damage in my left foot from breaking 3 bones. I have acid reflux and take carafate and nexium but not on a daily basis.

I have had Bell's Palsey for a time about 4 yrs ago. I have arthritis in my knees and back - per neurosurgeon and ortho

All I know at this point is I am tired of every 3 months being sick like I have food poisoning. It is a terrible violate sick!!! I don't recover for about 6 days.

I may try GLUTEN FREE stuff to see.

I went this morning and they drew blood. I have an appt next THurs to see my Doctor.

I am 55 yrs old and feel 80 most days. I should eat better but who has time to fix stuff. I do eat Tuna Salad and fresh chicken salad sometimes when I fix it. With my knees and back it is hard to stand at a stove and cook. That is why I bake stuff.

thanks for all of your input. I appreciate any advice at this point. I feel hopeless, helpless.

*It is not normal for a person to hate to leave the house because they have to know where the bathrooms are on the way to where they are going. *

*And then, you don't know what is going to trigger the "food poisoning" event that comes or when it is going to happen.*


----------

