# IBS-C or Diabetes or both?



## rosiebud777 (Aug 25, 2014)

Hiya









I'm new to this forum (apologies if this discussion is in the wrong topic) and I'm desperate for some answers, I hope someone can help me!

I'm a 20 year old female and I've been suffering from IBS-C for 9 months now. When I first visited my doctor, I was told that my 'stomach wasn't bloated and it was all in my head and I need to stop being so anxious and just to calm down' (haha). To be taken seriously and to get an appointment at the hospital, I ended up visiting my doctor 9 consecutive weeks in a row. It was only after my Celiac test came back negative and I told my doctor that I didn't think it was accurate that I got an appointment at the hospital (which I had to wait about 12 weeks for). However the hospital appointment was a waste of time. I was given a sheet on a low-FODMAP diet, prescribed Laxido, told to eat lots of fruit and veg and try to incorporate more fibre into my diet like 'All Bran' and then told to cut out sweets and chocolate (which I agreed with and I already knew I had to do). The laxido does work, I do pass a stool when I take it and I have been trying to follow the low-FODMAP diet but it's extremely hard to keep it up.









When I don't take laxido, I suffer with constipation, usually one stool per 5 days. When I do pass a stool, I always feel that I haven't fully cleared my bowels as the stool breaks off and I'm too constipated to clear the rest. I feel that no matter what I eat, my stomach always bloats and feels tight. I always get trapped gas and when I do pass gas, it smells extremely foul. I start my day with a mug of hot water with a chunk of lemon squeezed in, I eat plenty of fruit (about 5 portions a day), I've been trying to eat healthy, less carbs and more veggies and I drink 2litres of water a day. No matter how much water I drink, I am still constipated! My downfall is chocolate and sweets but recently, I have cut down on them a lot. I tried cutting it out completely at first but I just couldn't handle it, so now slowly but surely I am cutting down. Nobody is really supportive of my healthier diet though as I already am skinny (45.4kg) and they think I'm trying to lose weight. I'm just trying to ease my symptoms!

However, what's been bothering me recently is disturbed sleep, headaches and frequent urination both during the day and night. I put these headaches down to cutting down on sugar and all the water I drink. This week, for 2 nights, I have woke up with a headache, feeling thirsty, needing to urinate and I have felt like the inside of my veins were literally buzzing. Now, last night I did go to Pizza Hut as a treat and I did have lots of carbs: garlic bread, deep-pan pizza and cookie dough for dessert. After I ate, I had the horrible tight feeling in my stomach which I put down to eating too much. When I got home, I ran straight to the toilet and had an episode of diarrhoea. I felt sick and shakey, I was literally running to the toilet every 10 minutes. To try and stop running to the toilet, I went to bed but I woke up feeling thirsty and with a headache, which I initially put down to possible salt overload as I only managed to drink 1litre of water yesterday and did indulge in salty foods. However, that didn't explain the need to urinate and the feeling of buzzing in my veins. I literally laid awake for 3 hours, even after drinking a glass of water and taking 2 5HTP, I still didn't sleep. I eventually drifted off but woke up a few hours later, still thirsty, needing to wee and with a buzzing feeling in my veins and here I am writing this. I am sick to death of this disturbed sleep, I am so tired but I just can't get to sleep and when I do eventually fall asleep, I can't manage to stay asleep. I've also noticed this week that my urine smells like sugar puffs, even though I haven't eaten sugar puffs in a very long time. After googling my symptoms, I'm anxious that I could be diabetic. I want to make an appointment with my doctor but I'm scared to do so because I just feel like they don't take my seriously!









Sorry for essay, I just wanted to give as much info as I could. I hope I'm not diabetic and it's just IBS then I hope someone finds a cure for it soon and I learn to manage my symptoms because it's driving me crazy and ruining my life! Can anybody offer any help or has similar symptoms to mine? Any help would be much appreciated, thank you.


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## MissBellyPain (Sep 13, 2014)

Hi Rosie!

I'm afraid I can't help you with the diagnosis, but we do have many similarities. I'm suffering from constant constipation, extreme fatigue, severe abdominal pain, frequent urination, pain after eating (anything) and insomnia. I also lead a gluten-free lifestyle because I have a gluten and corn intolerance, and can no longer eat either of them. I get extreme pain, swelling, and foul gas when I do. This week especially has been terrible for me pain-wise, and I have been eating very basic, clean foods. I've had to up my dose of pain meds, which is only going to make my constipation worse!

I never thought about being diabetic. I don't think I am, but the symptoms are very much there, and diabetes runs in my family! Did you find out any more information, or run any more tests? Does diabetes run in your family?

My doctor has told me he thinks I have IBS-C, which I am skeptical about, because IBS is the first thing doctors point to. He has me on a medication called Linzess, which has helped me go #2 again. Maybe ask your doctor about that. For all else, I would just steer clear of gluten all together. Celiac test can be wrong, and you best bet is just never eat them!


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