# Do I have IBS? Or is it something else? -My IBS tale



## sbuenger (May 21, 2015)

Hey all,

This is my first post, and I'm desperate for advice.

I've been suffering from lower abdominal distension, gas, and abdominal pain for 10 months. It all started suddenly, in just one day--I still remember the exact date. I thought it was food poisoning, with a massive bowel movement which resulted in watery diarrhea, severe abdominal pain, and chills with pain that didn't go away until I took a nap. I proceeded to be constipated for literally weeks, until finally I went to the doctor. After being diagnosed with mycoplasmic pneumonia, I took an antibiotic and for an entire month everything went away. But it came back: the bloating, the intolerance to just about any food, the whole nine yards.

I discovered I couldn't eat dairy, gluten, or just about anything except meat. So I went back to the doctor, thinking the pneumonia was back. I was prescribed several weeks of two different antibiotics for pneumonia (without testing), which didn't help, and in fact seemed to make my bloating and irregularity worse. I was referred to a GI doctor, who prescribed me Xifaxan for what he empirically diagnosed as SIBO as a result of the recent antibiotic use. It worked wonders, and to this day I feel somewhat better, three months later. The bloating went from a 9 out of 10 to probably a 5 out of 10. I read more about SIBO, and discovered that carbs and sugars can feed the bacteria, so I went on a full blown SCD diet, literally eating nothing except meat, some vegetables, and eggs. The diet worked even better than the Xifaxan. Even today, I have almost no symptoms while I'm on the diet. Great news, but I've lost 35 pounds in 10 months, and I really miss being able to eat more than just meat and plain vegetables. Even fruit gives me trouble.

Not satisfied with having to live on such a strict diet, I went back to the GI doctor, who told me to eat right and 'get my stomach back in balance'. Needless to say that didn't mean or do anything for me. He recommended some probiotics (Culturelle), which didn't help either, and in fact seemed to make it worse. I went back again and requested another treatment of Xifaxan, since we had such dramatic results with it before. Before prescribing them, I was required to take a hydrogen breath test, then a barium test. Both, according to my doctor, showed up normal. I've also been tested for inflamed bowel disease, h. pylori, flu, and various parasites, but nothing comes up.

How can this be? Is a hydrogen breath test accurate? Could his interpretation be wrong? He initially diagnosed me with SIBO, and the Xifaxan decreased my symptoms immensely, which would indicate that there was an overgrowth. Also, while following the SIBO diet, I have almost no symptoms. Maybe my breath test was altered because I had taken Xifaxan only a month before, and was following the strict diet ever since?

As of now I just want answers! As long as I'm on the diet, I barely experience symptoms. But one mistake--a single dessert or cheat food--and I bloat up and may even experience severe abdominal pain during a bowel movement the following day. I would do just about anything to make this problem go away, even if it were just the bloating. What could be causing it? Any ideas?

I read that extreme coffee consumption can damage your intestines, but I'm not sure this could cause such a long term problem. Before "the fateful day" this all started, I was drinking about 3 cups of coffee per day while taking a Dulcolax stimulant free stool softener everyday. Could either of those be a cause? Anyway, I stopped taking stool softener a month after it started, and I rarely drink coffee now.

Please help! Any advice would be appreciated at this point.


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## jaumeb (Sep 1, 2014)

If you can control your symptoms sticking to the diet, congratulations.

In my case the diet is not enough so I am trying to combine diet and boulardii.


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## maide (Jun 1, 2015)

Hi, I'm new to this blog so came across your post. It might be off topic but did you try Apple Cider Vinegar? I'm not sure what kind of condition I have myself, it's all very confusing, but I find it very relieving sipping ACV when I have stomach cramps and feeling bloated after a meal. It's natural so maybe you can check it out.


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## nicholesea (Jun 29, 2015)

Through the research I have done, antibiotics can disrupt normal gut function by killing off "good" bacteria. So the continued antibiotic use could be causing at least part of the problem (that is why it may have helped your SIBO short term but caused other problems after a while). Also, you mentioned trying a probiotic, but it made things worse. First, make sure it is a high quality one with multiple strains. Second, probiotics can cause "die-off" (look it up for more info) but basically all of the bad bacteria that has grown over time die in large amounts and release toxins that temporarily make your symptoms worse. For me, my IBS has been relieved through the low fodmap diet as well as consuming probiotics through foods and a supplement. I also know that stool softeners and laxitives, with prolonged use, can cause multiple problems, one of them being constipation once you stop taking them because your body becomes dependent on them. Hope this info helps  continue to research would be my number one suggestion. Take your health into your own hands and educate yourself through reliable sources. There is a lot of info out there and it can be overwhelming; some of it is false, some isn't accepted by many, etc... I am still on my journey to healing my gut. I hope that everyone is able to, someday! Overall, I would choose symptom relief over eating whatever I want. But being on a strict diet can be very challenging at times. Hopefully you can work with your current doctor or a new one to fix your problems


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## slow (Jun 30, 2015)

I'm glad to hear from someone else who took Xifaxen and may have SIBO. I'm a long term diabetic with gastreopareses and feel that this, the slow emptying of the bowel, has caused this. Anyway, I have had diarrhea with abdominal pain, etc, for over a month. The xifaxen, which I took for ten days, 3x a day, really helped with the pain and bloating, but not the diarrhea. I do eat a lot of carbs, potatoes, gluten free bread, little fruit, and a lot of protein. I have lost 10 lbs in one month. I don't think I can cut back on the carbs w/o losing more weight. Tomorrow I am starting Cymbalta, not only as an antidepressant but because it is somewhat constipating. I read about it on this forum. My priorities right now are keeping away the pain, gaining weight, eating more variety food, (even the fodmap diet would be a step up) and ending the diarrhea. I am having a colonoscopy in two weeks and am starting to worry about the matching symptoms between IBS and colon cancer.


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## PYT (Jul 3, 2015)

I'm taking MiraLax once a week and Fiber supplement (2 chewable tablets), everyday has helped my symbols tremendously, such as the gas, constipation, bloating, and the uncontrollable seeping of the feces smell. Hopefully this will help your symbols as well. Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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