New poster here, been looking at the site for a while.
Was "diagnosed" with IBS a couple years ago. I quote the "diagnosis" since it's just a label like "migranes" is to headaches. They got to call it something, so they give it a meaningless label.
I spent 8 months of 2005 in bed with herniated disks, diverticulitis and "IBS". I gradually got a handle on the bad back and the diverticulitis, but the "IBS" was a constant bother. All the doctor wanted to do was cram Cypro or Flagyl in me or some other drug that "might" provide relief for spastic colon or whatever he dreamed was spastic. It was those antibiotics that screwed things up in my stomach a few years back and the other little meds that "might" work had nasty side effects.
So after a month of constant diarrhea recently, I spent hours looking for a answer to provide me with relief. My chiropracter had suggested acidophilus/bifidus which seemed to make it worse. Oddly at the time I was having severe itching after showering in hot water and shaving left me with welts. So I began not taking any various meds I was on that I could do without. After a month, the itching/welts had practically gone away. But not the diarrhea.
So I began a intense research on the web. What the heck, couldn't go far from the bathroom as it was. Then I ran across this article,
http://www.medicinenet.com/small_intestinal_bacterial_overgrowth/article.htm
If this article has been mentioned before, forgive me,this site has a lot to wade thru.
Reading that made sense. It had seemed like I had hyper digestion. This gave me a reason for why things were happening instead of "take this, it might help" from the doctor.
So I began with the peppermint oil caps. WHAT A RELIEF! It took a few weeks to find out exactly what worked best with me. I take one capsule in the morning 2 hrs after breakfast, then 50 mins after that, I eat something to "put a cap" on the peppermint oil. Then not too long before bedtime, I have a bit of kefir. So far, this has given me the best relief in years.
BUT .... I had read that you needed to add some probiotics to maintain some of the good digesters. So I took a capsule of the acidophilus/bifidus. Next day took a shower and shave. The welt were back as well as the itching. Doing small doses of kefir keeps those effects to a minimum but still is a slight problem.
So off I went to my doctor's appointment this last week, armed with my new knowledge. I told him of what I'd learned and the good results I'd enjoyed. I also told him that I'd like to have the small bowel looked at via a upper GI or someother test to rule out a obstruction or a lazy muscle. Or even stomach cancer.
He ignored me. Went totally deaf. Said if I had any more problems with diarrhea that he had some other drugs for me. Same doctor, upon my insistance had some blood work done that showed a hormonal imbalance the visit before. He would have never done that blood work on his own. I had to ask.
Needless to say, I will be looking for a new doctor. If anyone knows of a knowledgable doctor that can listen to a informed patient in the Mid Missouri area, please tell me! I still need to figure out why the probiotics are causing a allergic reaction.
Sorry for the saga. Mods, if it's too long or in the wrong spot, feel free to do what you got to do!
Thanks all and good luck.
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IBS-D, SIBO
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