# Fatigue/Malabsorption?



## beans1234 (May 20, 2007)

I have been a serious IBS-D sufferer for the past 15 years (I am 30). My original symptoms started to arise in conjunction with athletic activity and over the years have turned into a lifestyle. I have had colonoscopies, endoscopies, biopsies, blood tests and the doctors all point to IBS. I have been doing therapy, meditation, hypnosis and of course immodium on a daily basis. Still, no results. I could go through the litany of panic attacks, episodes, etc. but I don't want to stray. Also, the irony to all of this is that I am a professional chef! Imagine that. I realized one of my symptoms that could be a variable is that I am ALWAYS tired, no matter how much sleep I get. Falling asleep in any situation is always a concern (I would rather fall asleep, however, then have the urge). I also have read a bit about malabsorption (and fatigue being a symptom of that). Does anyone have any insight into these two connections and the possibility of this being a route to consider for treatment?Any advice is appreciated!


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## crstar (Jun 29, 2009)

when u have a lot of D, it can make u very tired, because u end up with malnutrition.............i've been there..........but & it's a big but............which came 1st, the chicken or the egg................here is what i recommend............the exhaustion sounds very familiar.............google adrenal fatigue & hypothyroidism............both of these have alot to do with exhaustion & the each compensate for the other when 1 is under stress............it goes back & forth, until either the problem is take care of or u end up with both of them being exhausted.............lab work from drs don't always tell the whole pix...........there is 2 really good books about these things.......#1= hypothyroidism, the hidden illness, by dr broda barnes & #2= adrenal fatigue, the 21st century syndrome, by james wilson, i think............the title is right tho..........it's a very complicated issue & i will tell u, that when the adrenals r exhausted, u feel like roadkill.............tired all the time, headaches, D all the time & many other symptoms..........it's also no easy to find a dr to treat u for this..........testing for T3 & T4 & TSH don't tell much............u need to test for cortisol, reverse T3 (rT3)& many others...........even if they come up in the low range for cortisol, normal for u maybe a lot higher...........& let me tell u, even the ranges they use can vary from lab to lab............u need a dr who knows what he's doing & looks at the labs, but also listens to ur complaints............most don't, they only check labs & if the labs say u r fine, well then it must b in ur head............that's a nice road to go down too.............(she says, with tongue in cheek).............anyway..........hope u get the help u need...........


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Malabsorption of nutrients happens in the _small_ intestine.... not the colon (IBS is a disorder of the colon). So no connection there.Have you had an Upper GI with small bowel follow thru? This would be good to see how fast thngs are going through your small intestine. And have you had stool cultures done? (Can look for microscopic evils... etc...)If not I would suggest you talk to your Dr about those two.Having D everyday CAN make one feel some fatigue also.... just on it's own. Once you get a group of days without diarrhea.... you may feel a positive difference in your energy level. But SEVERE fatigue??? Unless you are dehydrated... could be something else.Also have a regular CBC (Blood count) blood test done to check for any anemia. (Anemia can make you feel fatigue)Another thing is to have them check your Vitamin D level. Low Vitamin D can cause fatigue as well.Ask your Dr to check out why you are feeling the fatigue.Also you can ask your Dr. about bile salt binders like Questran (powder form) or Colestid (pill form). Many find they can firm up their BM's.Keep us posted on how you are doing!


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## Diana63 (Oct 20, 2009)

IBS in itself is exhausting!Have you had blood test for your thyroid?that in itself is worth trying and if you are always exhausted there is also Chronic Fatigue Syndrome also.I suffer from this as well as severe IBS.Take care.


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## overitnow (Nov 25, 2001)

I used to live on the very edge of killing myself while driving, due to nodding off every afternoon, wherever I was. While I do believe it is important to get to the bottom of these problems, sometimes addressing the symptoms is important, all on its own. If, after you run through the tests and whatever remedies are suggested, you don't recover all of the energy you have lost, drop me a line. I was talked into taking the Melaleuca line of vitamin/minerals by a friend who was in the same boat, and within 10 days they reversed the problem. (It all has to do with advances in mineral absorption.) This increase in energy has held for over 12 years. Mark


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## Jackmat (Jun 13, 2005)

I use to suffer fatigue/diarrhea whenever a particular food disagreed with me. Once I determined which ones they were, I stopped eating them. Because you've had it for so long I can only presume that you've tried an elimination diet, but maybe its time to try again?I would eat plain white rice, chicken and green veg for a couple of days to see if the fatigue and diarrhea ease off. Jackmat


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## Guest (Nov 7, 2010)

BQ said:


> Malabsorption of nutrients happens in the _small_ intestine.... not the colon (IBS is a disorder of the colon). So no connection there.The above logic is false. On a "real/full" IBS-D attack, the small intestines are emptied as well as the large intestines, and therefore, the small intestines do not have anything to absorb until the next meal.


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## anonymous313 (Jul 6, 2010)

I don't feel this too often, but I do have a problem with just not taking in enough food or processing it correctly. Most of this has to do with the fact that eating causes me pain, and most of the day I'm in pain so I barely have a chance to eat, and I jump on that chance quickly lol.I would try doing things like Gatorade and maybe some sweet drinks or something to see if you can get your energy from liquids, I at least have noticed liquids are "easier" to take than solids. I know sometimes they hurt a bit, but they are a lot safer than solids and I can usually stay fairly "ok" energy-wise with eating one meal a day. I'm not sure, but pretty sure, that this is not healthy, but I'm trying to figure out a way to eat better and get out of pain for that long!


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

IBS should not cause malabsorption, so if you have anemia or other deficiencies on your blood tests you should be checked for celiac if you haven't as most of the other things were likely ruled out with the various scopes (unless the fatigue, etc is new since then).A lot of things cause fatigue. You may need to be checked for chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and sleep disorders. Not breathing properly when you sleep will cause a lot of fatigue no matter how many hours of sleep you get, and tends to cause the can fall asleep during the day during about anything type of symptoms. Also the usual fatigue causes (thyroid diabetes, etc.) should also be checked out.A certain amount of sick and tired of being sick and tired is expected with IBS (as anything painful tends to make you feel a bit run down) but if we are talking it interferes with your life type of fatigue that needs to be investigated to see what else may be going on.


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## thePIXEL (Nov 10, 2010)

Have you had your B12 levels tested?I am tired constantly, and my memory is not great these days (you noticed any change in yours?) along with other things. The Drs noticed that B12 has been low for a few years now. They finally gave me vitamin B12 injections in September, because my body won't absorb it (therefore b12 tablets will do nothing for it).You have 6 over two weeks, and then an extra one every 3 months or however long your Dr requests. I've only had the first 6 so far, not felt any change unfortunately but I'll stay at it and hopefully see improvement soon.Worth checking out.


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## Guest (Nov 15, 2010)

thePIXEL said:


> Have you had your B12 levels tested?I am tired constantly, and my memory is not great these days (you noticed any change in yours?) along with other things. The Drs noticed that B12 has been low for a few years now. They finally gave me vitamin B12 injections in September, because my body won't absorb it (therefore b12 tablets will do nothing for it).REPLY:An alternative to the injections are the "sublingual B-12". Of course, the doctor will not make any money if you just buy the sublingual B12 (500 mcg) at the drug store, so he prefers that you "pay" him a visit for the shots
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## thePIXEL (Nov 10, 2010)

IvanQ I assume me and my doc will speak about it when I go for my next appointment in January (haven't seen him since before I started the jabs) so we will have to see and I'll ask him about sublingual B12 as well. As for paying, it's done over the NHS so I don't have to pay anything for the jabs. As for the multi-vit, I already take one but I think I may switch to a better one. Thanks for the info!


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## On Edge (Aug 25, 2009)

There is a chance you may be dehydrated from losing water from the D.


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## faze action (Aug 6, 2009)

You may want to get tested for SIBO or sugar malabsorption (fructose or lactose)... SIBO (bacterial overgrowth of small intestine) can cause malabsorption issues, and any other sugar malabsorption can cause you lose micronutrients/minerals, which will cause fatigue. All of thse things can be tested via hydrogen breath test; you should ask your doctor. I had SIBO for about 3-4 years before I was finally diagnosed and didn't even realize how tired I had been until after I got rid of the bacteria overgrowth. SIBO can also cause (or it can happen spontaneously) fructose or other malabsorption issues. Definitely something to look into if you haven't already.


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