Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

I hope your doctors can help you out on Monday. Here are some thoughts, in no particular order:

I don't know what kind of diagnostic tests you've had, but you might want to take a look at the diagnostic tests Heather recommends and discuss getting them done with your doctor.

Given that the pork chop was undercooked, you might also want to check with your doctor about the possibility of some type of parasite. My high school biology teacher was absolutely convinced that eating undercooked pork was just asking for trouble. That was 35 years ago and my impression is that things have improved as far as food safety, but it wouldn't hurt to talk to your doctor about it.

Assuming for the moment that you don't have long-lasting food poisoning; you test negative for parasites; and any other of the Heather-recommended diagnostic tests you get done are going to come back negative, it sounds like there are three possible explanations for why you're so sick and miserable: digestive problems from losing your gall bladder; excess stomach acid; and IBS. One approach to discuss with your doctors would be to assume you have all three of them and treat accordingly: take the cholestyramine for the gall-bladder related bile problem; take Prevacid or something similar for the stomach acid; and follow Heather's diet strictly for the IBS. Once you start feeling better and have been stable for a while, you can try stopping the meds or the diet, one a time, and see how you do.

This is similar to the approach my pulmonologist is taking with me. Over a year ago I got a terrible respiratory virus that left me with a dreadful cough and wheeze. Over the course of several months, my pulmonologist tried every drug she could think of: antibiotics, prednisone, Advair, Flonase, Flovent, Protonix, Claritin - all one or two at a time. Some did nothing; some helped for a while, but I soon relapsed. Finally, a few months ago, she put me on all of them at once. The antibiotics and prednisone were short term, of course, but she kept me on everything else. Sure enough, I got better and now that I've been stable for a while, she's taking me off the other drugs one at a time and watching me to be sure I don't relapse. Maybe this approach would work for you, too.

Perhaps this is all just too much for your system all at once and if you can get it leveled off, you might not need the meds. When I lost my gall bladder years ago, I didn't have a lot of problems, but foods that were high in both fat and dairy made me feel awful - nauseous and like the food wasn't digesting. I never took any meds for it, but gradually - it took more than a year - my ability to eat whatever I wanted without problems returned. It was like my body had to figure out how to cope with its new configuration. Maybe that will be the case for you, too.

I hope some of this helps. I can only imagine how frustrating - and maybe a little scary - it must be to feel so miserable when you want and need to give your time and attention to your baby - not mention wanting to feel well enough to just enjoy him. I hope you and your doctors can start getting you sorted out on Monday. Good luck.

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