Help With IBS Symptoms
#74251 - 05/28/04 12:26 PM
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xkittenx
Reged: 05/28/04
Posts: 5
Loc: Rockford, IL
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hello
Im new to the board but i have a few questions
Im 20 years old and i have just been recently diagnosed with IBS after a year and a half battel of constant nausea, fatigue, constapation/diaoriea, headacks, dizziness, sever weight loss ( Im not a very big person to begin with, only weighing 110 before i became ill to now only being 85). I cant find anything to help be get my weight up and my docs cant seem to either. Nothing has really helped me much i was on zelnorm.. It did nothing for me but make me feel worse. Im now trying garden of life products, primal defense its working well so far but i have only been on it a month. My main concern is my weight and the terrible dizzy spells that i have had off an on for over a year. Nothing has given me any relief. I have read some of the other post an I see Im not a lone in being homebound. I cant drive to work most days because the dizziness is so bad. Is dizziness even associated with IBS?..I know weight can be a factor in it, but still there must be something, an herbal tea or herbs in general if anyone knows of any that help with lightheadedness and dizziness I have tried the prescription approach and didn't have any results.
if there is any answers to my questions that someone could help we with it would be greatly appreciated
thanks to all who answer
kerissa-
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Dizzy spells are not a standard symptom IBS, and neither is severe weight loss. You should never have been put on Zelnorm if you have diarrhea - that's totally unacceptable. I'm not sure what's going on here, but I'd want to see a neurologist, maybe an inner doc, and persist in being tested for disorders that can cause such severe dizziness you can't even drive.
There's an in-depth page about IBS symptoms and diagnosis in the glossary here IBS
Please keep us posted.
Best,
Heather
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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I've had problems with dizziness in the past, although more transient than the sort of nasty stuff you're dealing with now. I would definitely keep bugging doctors until they check you out more thoroughly.
In the meantime, however, there are a couple of things I've learned to do. First, make sure you're getting enough salt, particularly if your blood pressure is low. Snack on pretzels or pickles or whatever your favorite salty snack is. Second, make sure you're getting some sort of nutrition in your body. I'm a big fan of smoothies - just take wee little sips on it whenever you can. If something really fruity is a bit too challenging for you right now, see if you could handle banana milk: put a banana in the blender with about a cup of rice/soy/oat/whatever milk and a bit of grated nutmeg.
Hope you get some satisfaction from the docs real soon!
--AC
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thanks so much for answering me..
I have been to 4 diffrent doctors in all, and i have been to a ENT an had CAT scans an they showed nothing..if theirs a test for anything that could cause dizziness i have been tested for it already. in fact anything that one could be tested for with any of these symptoms i have, and has showed me being fine..( i have had my glucose levels checked, h pylori, thyroid, all my major organs, blood cutlers, had tests for allergies, celiac decease,and countless others, but i had kidney stones a year ago an was on a heavy antibiotic dose for a month, then developed a urinary track infection). i don't understand. but i would like to. i have tried medication to help an nothing has helped (with exception of the primal defence for the nausea an the constapation)..when i was diagnosed with IBS my GI doctor performed a encoscope an a flex sig colon scan..and it showed that i was healthy and had no malabsorption and no real reason for lousing the weight other than being stressed and nauseated all the time. so im at a loss as what to do. i am able to eat and i eat well, healthy meals spread out through out the day. an i try to stay active as i can.. but its hard to with being so weak..regardless of the weight loss i still do have a regualr menstral cycle, but like i said my doctors have pretty much dismissed me.. cuz they cant find anything "really" wrong with me.. i was at one point told that it was all in my head an to see a shrink.. that and being told i was anorexic and self inducing it all which im not i have more respect for myself than that.
but anything you can think of would be so helpful cuz i really dont know what to do. im tired of wasting my money on doctors that are telling me an crazy when i know that im not.
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Kitten,
I really feel bad for you and wish more than anything that you find some decent help. I just wanted to say that no doctor should treat you in such a condescending way and telling you that you are anorexic or its all in your head is dispicable. Sometimes I can't believe how some of these people are actually doctors! I might have not read properly but are you C or D? What do you normally eat and what meds do you take? Im assuming you've tried just about everything for your dizziness!!! It must be frustrating, and we can all sympathize, we've all been through the frustration unforntunately. Well I hope you are ok, please reply when you can!
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Heather's right honey, get a new doctor FAST! This isn't good. If you have D at all, do NOT take Zelnorm. NOT a good idea.
But having said that, I've had problems with dizziness - I have Fibromyalgia as well and it could be that. It sounds like you've got to the "scared of food cos it hurts" stage. What with that and D, no wonder you're losing weight! And being so tiny and not getting enough nutrition could be causing the dizziness in the first place. Get some rehydration sachets from your pharmacist and use these whenever you have D. Make sure you eat bananas (potassium) and enough salt and plenty of protein. A protein shake (make sure it's dairy free) would probably help - put it in a banana shake? Eat tiny meals REALLY often and try and make sure there's some protein (chicken, fish, nut butter, veggis substitutes) with most of them. And drink loads of water.
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thanks
yea i had my mother with me when i had a doctor tell me this an she about flipped on him. she knows im not doing this to myself. everyone is really not satisfied with the way all the docs i have see are just dismissing everything. i really dont know where to turn. but i have gone this far with out giving up an i can go all the way and beat it. i just have to find the right path and stick to it.
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thanks for the concern
at the beginning i was D about February 03" that stopped really with out any warning and changed to C. this was before i had even seen a doctor. i had my first of many doctor appointments in April of 03". now im just C. i have seen about 4 different doctors in all. anything from GIs,ob gyn to psychologist. the thing is that there isn't any more GI's in the area. the last one i went to was the best the one that actually diagnosed me finally . i haven't found another thing other than the weightloss to be the reason for the dizziness im making my bets that's why i am and have for some time. there is nothing showing from any test that there's anything wrong. but i do eat well when i can.. i don't ever allow myself to go to sleep at the end of the day with out eating something nutritious, i have been eating a rather bland diet, rice an beads, fruits, veggies soft foods like apple sauce and smoothies i know drinking milk is a "no no". but i keep being told that i need the calcium so i take small amounts. would taking a supplement be better for me?. the docs that i have are not really sympathetic for the "alternative" forms of medication. so i have asked a herbal doctor what i should take and hes suggested most of the same things that heather has posted here on her site. the only things i have took for the IBS are zelnorm an what im on now the primal defense, fiber supplements and for the weight im taking boost and making smoothies with lots of protein.
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Most soy milk is fortified with calcium, so you can get it this way and it's better for you. Dairy is NOT a good idea. Are you eating any other triggers?
Are you on Zelnorm now?
Are you careful with eating the fruit and veggies? If not, you can over-stimulate the digestive system, which can actually make you C (d*mn IBS!). I'd suggest eating lots of small portions of pasta with either chicken or fish and veggies like carrots or zucchini chopped up small.
What dose of Acacia are you on?
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Im not talking zelnorm anylonger I called the clinic when it made me worse an all the nurse said to do what keep on it even tough it gave me D. im sorry but going 8 times in one day isn't going to fly by me. so I took myself off of it.
Im not taking Acacia ( sorry but i dunno what that even is )hehe 
I have some yogurt here an there for the calories to maybe help the weight.. But yes I try to plan my meals out so that im eating smaller portions through out the day.
I did some research on Fibromyalgia an it sounds like maybe.. i have the fatigue, all the classic symptoms but, how did you have it diagnosed?.. and what kind of doctor would one go to?. i have talked to my general doctor about CFS and he didn't really know much about it. what did you do to over come some of the symptoms if you don't mind me asking? like the dizziness an always feeling drained?
Thank you so much for the suggestions.
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I'd say it sounds like your symptoms are from the weight loss, but...
Fibromyalgia is diagnosed by seeing a rheumatologist who will look at your case history and then do a test that involves finding tender points on your body. If you have a certain amount of these tender spots (they're in definite locations) AND you have suffered pain for at least 3 months AND you've had Rheumatoid-Arthritus and Chrons (sp?) ruled out, then you'll get a Fibro diagnosis. You haven't mentioned joint pain, so I doubt it's Fibro. I'm not sure how CFS is diagnosed though.
I find lots of sleep at regular times, not pushing myself, eating healthy safe foods and drinking loads of water help. Yoga is also fantastic. And I take Echinacea, a multivitamin and 500mg Vitamin C to boost my immune system as bugs knock me out. (be careful - vitamin/mineral supplements can affect IBS).
Well done on taking yourself off the Zelnorm. No-one who gets D should EVER be prescribed with Zelnorm. Your doctor should have known this.
Acacia is just the soluble fibre supplement that Heather supplies. It seems to suit many of us with IBS-A or D best. Maybe give it a go - I love mine!
Snacking is fine, snacking is good! But cut out the dairy. You can get soy yogurts and loads of high-cal safe snacks (esp if you bake your own) so needing calories is not a good excuse for eating trigger foods. In fact, more of us here are having trouble LOSING weight than gaining it. Favourites include ADBs (Anti-Depressant Brownies) and RKTs (Rice Krispy Treats).
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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