# My gut - my lifelong enemy



## Guest (Aug 18, 2016)

I have been plagued with gastrointestinal issues it seems for my entire life. I was always an anxious person, and suffered with panic attacks in my early 20's. It was around the same time that my GI symptoms started to rear their ugly heads. I experienced several bouts of excruciating pain and diarrhea. Doctors prescribed the usual suspects of drugs, including antispasmodics, antidepressants, etc. Nothing worked for me, except living with and eventually symptoms would subside.

About 10 years ago, I started having pain again, but this time it was very different. I had horrible pain after eating, strained to go to the bathroom, and noticed blood in my stool. I was out of town at a meeting, and had a four hour drive home. Saw my GP the next morning, and she immediately sent me for a CT scan. Turns out I had a non-cancerous mass the size of a tennis ball obstructing my colon, with intussiseption (a condition where the bowl accordions on itself). That said, I had an emergency colon resection where they took out approximately 6 inches of my bowel. Recovery was brutal, but after 5 months felt like myself again. About 2 years later, my gut started acting up again. The specialists all agreed this was IBS, and to go home, have a drink and relax. I persisted in my quest to find a solution. Had every test to rule out Gallbladder problems, and upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. Everything pointed to IBS, but I wasn't convinced. After 3 months of living in misery and having lost 15 lbs ( I am very thin to begin with), I sought out a gastroenterologist in another state. He tested me for SIBO - small intestinal bacterial overgrowth - and voila - we had a diagnosis! Put me on 3 - 4 week of Rifampin, and I was cured. Things were fairly stable for a couple of years, until my gut started acting up once again. Given that I had 2 very complicated issues that were actually treatable, I had a hard time believing the IBS diagnosis. One time I had abdominal pain with nausea. The GI doc thought I probably had GERD, so put me on a combination of antacids and acid reducers. In addition to the nausea, I developed a very sore throat. I was convinced that acid was the cause, and even the physician added more acid reducers. I continued to get progressively worse, and just stopped taking everything. 6 months later, things resolved on their own. I really thought I was losing my mind. Never did figure out what was going on. My most current issue began about 6 months ago. Started with cramping and diarrhea, resolved after a while, and now seems to be a combination of diarrhea, constipation, extreme gassiness and bloating. I am miserable. Doctors feel that because of my extensive colon surgery, I may have adhesions and that might be part of the problem. Started on probiotics and fiber. My GP put me on Elavil for the pain. Took it for 3 nights and stopped due to the horrible side effects! There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason with the food I am eating. Sometimes the pain starts mid-morning and resolves after eating. Sometimes it acts up after a meal. I haven't really done much about my diet as I don't understand what I should or shouldn't be eating. Last Sunday I played golf, and looked forward to my hot dog, french fries and a beer. I should have died afterward, but it was the best I felt in a long time. A couple of days later, the crampy pain is back, with a lot of bloating and gas. I am truly miserable and of course concerned that this time it really is something serious - such as ovarian cancer, etc. I am at a loss, and of course we are scheduled to go on vacation next week. Work has been stressful and no doubt contributing to my problems. If anyone can relate to what I've been going through and can share what is working for them, I would be so grateful. Thank you for reading......


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