Question:

Hi Michael, "Michael N. Goldshteyn" wrote:

Thanks for the informative well written reply! I am going to make this reply as detailed as I can, in the hopes of relating my symptoms with anyone else who has had similar ones. What puzzles me most about my pains are the things I’ve read about IBS and how they relate to my symptoms. For example, the stomach pain I have sometimes starts its cycle at night and can wake me up, with a pain in the stomach or a "gurgling" stomach.

Yep, I have experienced the same problem. For 16 years now.

This is in direct contradiction to things I’ve read about IBS, which apparently is not supposed to strike at night or wake you up. Also, the pain is always dull and well centered in my lower abdomen, never to one side. I’ve read that many IBS sufferers feel their pain in the lower left quadrant, while mine is very well centered and very low, about two inches below the naval, approximatelly at the height where the triangle of pubic hair begins.

No that is different. With me it’s feeling very bloated. The pain can be upper left or lower right side.

I am almost inclined to think that the pain is in my bladder, but I am experiencing no problems or pains when urinating, where as gas and bowel movements do affect the pain, nullifying that hypothesis.

Passing gas helps, but often it seems stuck, cant’ pass it.

My gastroenterologist diagnosed me with IBS after checking for blood in my stool and doing the usual stomach tap, finger in the rectum, etc… I also had X-Rays done to exclude calcium deposits anywhere in the lower body (e.g. gall bladder, kidneys, etc…). I don’t have an appendix, so I know that is not the problem. The gastroenterologist prescribed Levsin, to be taken twice daily, although I don’t think it is having any effect on my symptoms.  However, I am experiencing some of the drug’s side affects, such as drowsiness and dry mouth, inclining me to soon discontinue taking it. When I have my lower abdomenal pains, which is about once or twice a day, for several hours, I often completely lose my appetite. I can’t even stand the thought of food, let alone smells, etc… I think, in fact, that my appetite has been significantly affected. It has diminished to the point

With me it doesn’t affect my appetite. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

that I feel like I am slowly losing weight, because I am eating less. Unfortunatelly, I have been unable to correlate symptoms with any particular foods or with moments of stress.  Sometimes a particular meal will cause a bout of pain and other times it will have no effect whatsoever. At times the pain will come on long after I’ve eaten, making it hard to corelate with a meal at all. I’ve had several anxiety attacks, since the pains came on and it seems that stress has neither exacerbated the symptoms, nor triggered their onset. One thing I noticed is that my symptoms are exacerbated when I wear tight clothing around the affected area (lower central abdomen). The looser the clothing I wear (e.g. underwear, belt) the less the chance of and the severity of symptoms. I am almost inclined to believe that the entire pain is being caused by wearing clothes that are too tight around the lower abdomen, as foolish as this may sound, since none of the clothes I wear are really all that tight.

This is the think that stikes me most. This exactly my problem. I am now (sunday) sitting at home wearing sports shorts with very loose elestic band. I have no problems. But wearing any normal trousers, like jeans or any other sort, pain and bloatedness start to affect me. Sitting or bending over to pick things up excasserbate the problem. The ‘normal’ trousers I am talking about aren’t really very tight at all. Rather slack. That is my problem. I never feel comfortable or confident when out. Or I feel pain, bloating and because of that I feel cold yet sweaty, or I feel ill at ease because the trousers I am wearing are to wide and look ridiculous or at the very least don’t fit comfortably. Couple of years ago, a docter checking me for insurance purposes suggested it might be scar tissue or adhesions because of my appendix operation. This happened when I was 12 years old. The problems started when I was 20, now I am 36 and the problems have stayed. I have had a barium series. But nothing strange to be seen on that. But adhesions are (so I have read) notoriously difficult to diagnose and not always show up on barium contrast X-rays or even MRI scans. One way to be sure is laproscopy. But doctors I spoke to are reluctant to prescribe this, as the procedure itself might cause more trouble. So I still don’t know what really causes my condition. When I rest my hand on the right side of my abdomen, just right of my navel, I get the same problems as with pressure from clothes. I can hear my bowels starting to rumble or ‘gurgle’ withing a couple of minutes. Slowly the bloated feeling comes on as well. Also I sometimes wake up at night with pain. I have found out that a soft matras gives the problems. When lying on my right side my rib-cage and pelvis sink in the soft matras the foam or springs of the matras push against the right side of my stomach. At least that is still my theory. I have to find a reliable method of finding out what side I was lying on when waking up with pain. Because normally when I wake up I turn round still half asleep, so it’s difficult to see what side I was lying on when pain woke me up.

In addition, as I mentioned previously, I’ve been having regular bowels – no constipation or diarrhea *knock on hard wood*. Stool frequency and consistency have suffered no change, whatsoever. This is also contradictory to common IBS symptoms. I do feel some relief, when experiencing a wave of pain, after passing gas or having a bowel movement, although the relief is only temporary.

My stool frequency is fairly normal. Since problems started, consistancy soft to almost diarrhea.

Another strange thing is that exercise (weight-training that is semi-aerobic for approximatelly 30 mins) can make the symptoms go away completely, if they were present before the training. This seems to be quite the opposite of what I’ve read about IBS sufferes feeling MORE pain, when exercising. I suppose this could be caused by the release of hormones during/after exercise.

When I do some exercise where I have to stretch the right side of my abdomen, afterwards I sometimes do feel a sharp pain lower right side of the abdomen, just at the spot where the appendectomy scar is.

I am beginning to think that this whole episode, which is now starting on its third week, is just a temporary condition I am experiencing. Is this possible? Are there such problems as lower central stomach pains that come and go daily for a period of a few weeks and then permanently subside. I

Well I hope it won’t last as long as it has been with me. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst ennemy.

suppose I am wondering whether non-IBS sufferers sometimes have bouts of daily pain lasting a few weeks and then leaving entirely. I, being 29 years of age and in very good physical shape, certainly have never experienced stomach pain that has lasted longer than a day or two, before.

Before the problems (digging back far in my memory) I almost never had stomach pain. Still these days very often when there is cold or flu around when collegues suffer I don’t.

Thanks for listening, Mike

Marc.

Response:

One should be careful of the "conventional wisdom" about IBS, much of that information is less than accurate in describing the huge variation in symptoms that can be associated with IBS. Pain at night is more often associated with Inflamatory Bowel’ problems, although they usually cause blood in the stool and diarrhea.  Celiac can cause abdominal pain.  You could try a gluten-free month and if that resolves it then continue on that diet (no wheat, no rye, there are quite a number  of websites that can help you do this) There can be functional pain syndrome of the gut that is not IBS.  These are less well understood, and AFAIK there isn’t any treatment for them other than IBS.  And mostly I don’t think docs make much of a distinction between the two  (Basically there is pain, but not enough symptoms to diagnose IBS, and no other organic findings)  and at this time I think there is no other treatments for that beyond what they do for IBS. Adhesions from past surgeries (I presume your appendixlessness was not natural?) can cause pains and are not uncommon. IBS pain can come and go, in about 1/2 of the people it eventually goes away.   One thing to try with the Levsin, is to take Levbid which is time-released. In general the concentrations in the blood do not spike as much so the side effects are less in some people (they are with me, and I found the Levbid did a better job). If the pain continues to interfer and not much controls it (FWIW, low dose antidepressant therapy is often useful for controlling pain and is often useful for IBS so that is one thing that might be worth trying.  Some of the older tricyclic drugs seem to be some of the most useful for this) you might want to get a referral to a pain clinic. There are various techniques that can be used to make it easier to cope with the pain. K. ********************************************************* Access to power must be confined to those who are not in love with it. -Plato kmot…@aol.com

Response:

Hey, Mike, Am recovering from a minor bladder infection, and a lot of what you said in your message resembles the symptoms I had.  I tried the cranberry juice route which had worked in the past but didn’t this time so the doc gave me meds, and they are working great (what a relief). Couple of things; yes, you can wake up during the night with discomfort from bladder inflammation.  Can you bend over without discomfort.  How about jogging or jumping or even sitting down hard on a chair.  If any of these cause discomfort, it could be a bladder infection.  I also had discomfort during BM’s.  Another sign is you will be urinating more frequently but the quantity will be less.  For men (I’m a woman), I read that the force of the stream may be reduced. The woman’s urethra (urethra is the opening from the bladder to the outside of the body) is much shorter than the male’s so it is easier for her to pick up bugs that end up in the bladder but men are not immune.  There may or may not be burning during urination. It’s your decision whether or not you see a doctor, however, bladder infections can spread up the ureters to the kidneys (most people have two ureters, one running from each kidney to the bladder).   In either case, you should increase your fluid intake but avoid coffee and sodas.  I guess water and fruit juices are the best beverages during a bladder infection. Good luck, Mike! Barb, mother to the world. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -"Michael N. Goldshteyn" wrote:

Thanks for the informative well written reply! I am going to make this reply as detailed as I can, in the hopes of relating my symptoms with anyone else who has had similar ones. What puzzles me most about my pains are the things I’ve read about IBS and how they relate to my symptoms. For example, the stomach pain I have sometimes starts its cycle at night and can wake me up, with a pain in the stomach or a "gurgling" stomach. This is in direct contradiction to things I’ve read about IBS, which apparently is not supposed to strike at night or wake you up. Also, the pain is always dull and well centered in my lower abdomen, never to one side. I’ve read that many IBS sufferers feel their pain in the lower left quadrant, while mine is very well centered and very low, about two inches below the naval, approximatelly at the height where the triangle of pubic hair begins. I am almost inclined to think that the pain is in my bladder, but I am experiencing no problems or pains when urinating, where as gas and bowel movements do affect the pain, nullifying that hypothesis. My gastroenterologist diagnosed me with IBS after checking for blood in my stool and doing the usual stomach tap, finger in the rectum, etc… I also had X-Rays done to exclude calcium deposits anywhere in the lower body (e.g. gall bladder, kidneys, etc…). I don’t have an appendix, so I know that is not the problem. The gastroenterologist prescribed Levsin, to be taken twice daily, although I don’t think it is having any effect on my symptoms.  However, I am experiencing some of the drug’s side affects, such as drowsiness and dry mouth, inclining me to soon discontinue taking it. When I have my lower abdomenal pains, which is about once or twice a day, for several hours, I often completely lose my appetite. I can’t even stand the thought of food, let alone smells, etc… I think, in fact, that my appetite has been significantly affected. It has diminished to the point that I feel like I am slowly losing weight, because I am eating less. Unfortunatelly, I have been unable to correlate symptoms with any particular foods or with moments of stress.  Sometimes a particular meal will cause a bout of pain and other times it will have no effect whatsoever. At times the pain will come on long after I’ve eaten, making it hard to corelate with a meal at all. I’ve had several anxiety attacks, since the pains came on and it seems that stress has neither exacerbated the symptoms, nor triggered their onset. One thing I noticed is that my symptoms are exacerbated when I wear tight clothing around the affected area (lower central abdomen). The looser the clothing I wear (e.g. underwear, belt) the less the chance of and the severity of symptoms. I am almost inclined to believe that the entire pain is being caused by wearing clothes that are too tight around the lower abdomen, as foolish as this may sound, since none of the clothes I wear are really all that tight. In addition, as I mentioned previously, I’ve been having regular bowels – no constipation or diarrhea *knock on hard wood*. Stool frequency and consistency have suffered no change, whatsoever. This is also contradictory to common IBS symptoms. I do feel some relief, when experiencing a wave of pain, after passing gas or having a bowel movement, although the relief is only temporary. Another strange thing is that exercise (weight-training that is semi-aerobic for approximatelly 30 mins) can make the symptoms go away completely, if they were present before the training. This seems to be quite the opposite of what I’ve read about IBS sufferes feeling MORE pain, when exercising. I suppose this could be caused by the release of hormones during/after exercise. I am beginning to think that this whole episode, which is now starting on its third week, is just a temporary condition I am experiencing. Is this possible? Are there such problems as lower central stomach pains that come and go daily for a period of a few weeks and then permanently subside. I suppose I am wondering whether non-IBS sufferers sometimes have bouts of daily pain lasting a few weeks and then leaving entirely. I, being 29 years of age and in very good physical shape, certainly have never experienced stomach pain that has lasted longer than a day or two, before. Thanks for listening, Mike In article <20000108095017.27933.00000…@nso-ff.aol.com, KMottus <kmot…@aol.comspamtrap wrote: In article <854v8v$…@masu.wwa.com, mi…@news.wwa.com (Michael N. Goldshteyn) writes: The pain is lessened by passing gas or having a bowel movement. However, I don’t really have any changes in stool frequency or stool consistency. If it’s not IBS, what is it, assuming Chrohns and UC have been excluded? The thing that distinguishes IBS from other things is the pain. AFAIK if pain is relieved by defecation it is almost always IBS. The good news is IBS, while annoying and frustrating, is not fatal, require surguries to correct, or have serious complications. Crohns and UC almost always have diarrhea, often bloody associated with them, although a few individuals will have severe constipation Celiac is another possibility that usually requires an endoscopy with a biopsy to confirm.  If you have that you will have to control it with a restrictive diet that contains no gluten.  This condition is pretty difficult to diagnose and a lot of doctors won’t look for it.  It may be worth doing a gluten free month to see if symptoms improve (some people with IBS may be sensitive to gluten that is not celiac but in that case, the treatment is the same) In studies in which patients with pain consistant with an IBS diagnosis were given very thourough workovers 90% or more had IBS.  Of those that did not, it was either a stuctural abnormality, Chrons or UC, or Parasites. A thorough work up would include a blood test to rule out major diseases, diabetes, etc, some of which can affect the bowels.  A scope (either sigmoid or colonoscopy) to rule out the Inflamatory Diseases and Cancer.  Stool sample to rule out parasites.  They may or may not want to do a Barium series that would help to rule out structural problems. Fortunately there are a number of drugs just about ready to be approved for IBS and there are some treatments already available that can help. If the only advise you get from your doctor is eat more fiber, and nothing else, it is time to find another doctor.  While that was standard practice some time ago, times have changed. Even without the new drugs there are available treatments and you need to find someone who will help you try a number of things to find the one that works. K. ********************************************************* Access to power must be confined to those who are not in love with it. -Plato kmot…@aol.com

Response:

I’ve been experiencing stomach pains for the last two weeks. The pain is dull and occurs in the lower stomach, below the naval. It is pretty centered, not shifting to the left or right. I have bouts of this pain about twice daily, for periods of 3-5 hours. The pain has gone from excruciating, a week ago, to an anoyance, lately. Just a few days ago, my wife took me to the ER, because I had bad pain and wasn’t acting rational. This is really devastating me, mentally. I went to see a gastroenterologist, who told me it is most likely IBS, but if I wanted to I could have tests run, to exclude other diseases. The funny thing is, I have neither diarrhea, nor constipation. The attacks do seem to be somehow related to the food I eat, although it’s hard to pinpoint specific foods. I am trying to increase my fiber intake, per my gastroenterologists advice. Also, he has me on Levsin, taken twice daily, which may be what is making the sympromps not as painful. What I don’t understand is, if I don’t have constipation or diarrhea, is this really IBS? Also, since three months haven’t passed yet, is there any possibility that this isn’t IBS, but some other syndrome/disease with similar symptomps? Any advice/guidance would be appreciated, Mike

Response:

Is the pain relieved by passing gas/having a bowel movement? You don’t have to have full-blown diarrhea or constipation, but the pain of IBS is generally associated with a change in stool frequency and/or stool consistancy.   For me I don’t get big changes in that, but ones that are noticable. K. ********************************************************* Access to power must be confined to those who are not in love with it. -Plato kmot…@aol.com

Response:

Could be your gallbladder.  Have doc check that.. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Michael N. Goldshteyn wrote:

I’ve been experiencing stomach pains for the last two weeks. The pain is dull and occurs in the lower stomach, below the naval. It is pretty centered, not shifting to the left or right. I have bouts of this pain about twice daily, for periods of 3-5 hours. The pain has gone from excruciating, a week ago, to an anoyance, lately. Just a few days ago, my wife took me to the ER, because I had bad pain and wasn’t acting rational. This is really devastating me, mentally. I went to see a gastroenterologist, who told me it is most likely IBS, but if I wanted to I could have tests run, to exclude other diseases. The funny thing is, I have neither diarrhea, nor constipation. The attacks do seem to be somehow related to the food I eat, although it’s hard to pinpoint specific foods. I am trying to increase my fiber intake, per my gastroenterologists advice. Also, he has me on Levsin, taken twice daily, which may be what is making the sympromps not as painful. What I don’t understand is, if I don’t have constipation or diarrhea, is this really IBS? Also, since three months haven’t passed yet, is there any possibility that this isn’t IBS, but some other syndrome/disease with similar symptomps? Any advice/guidance would be appreciated, Mike

Response:

The pain is lessened by passing gas or having a bowel movement. However, I don’t really have any changes in stool frequency or stool consistency. If it’s not IBS, what is it, assuming Chrohns and UC have been excluded? Mike In article <20000106220626.01522.00000…@nso-cb.aol.com

,

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -KMottus <kmot…@aol.comspamtrap

wrote: Is the pain relieved by passing gas/having a bowel movement? You don’t have to have full-blown diarrhea or constipation, but the pain of IBS is generally associated with a change in stool frequency and/or stool consistancy.   For me I don’t get big changes in that, but ones that are noticable. K. ********************************************************* Access to power must be confined to those who are not in love with it. -Plato kmot…@aol.com

Response:

In article <854v8v$…@masu.wwa.com

, mi…@news.wwa.com (Michael N.

Goldshteyn) writes:

The pain is lessened by passing gas or having a bowel movement. However, I don’t really have any changes in stool frequency or stool consistency. If it’s not IBS, what is it, assuming Chrohns and UC have been excluded?

The thing that distinguishes IBS from other things is the pain. AFAIK if pain is relieved by defecation it is almost always IBS. The good news is IBS, while annoying and frustrating, is not fatal, require surguries to correct, or have serious complications. Crohns and UC almost always have diarrhea, often bloody associated with them, although a few individuals will have severe constipation Celiac is another possibility that usually requires an endoscopy with a biopsy to confirm.  If you have that you will have to control it with a restrictive diet that contains no gluten.  This condition is pretty difficult to diagnose and a lot of doctors won’t look for it.  It may be worth doing a gluten free month to see if symptoms improve (some people with IBS may be sensitive to gluten that is not celiac but in that case, the treatment is the same) In studies in which patients with pain consistant with an IBS diagnosis were given very thourough workovers 90% or more had IBS.  Of those that did not, it was either a stuctural abnormality, Chrons or UC, or Parasites. A thorough work up would include a blood test to rule out major diseases, diabetes, etc, some of which can affect the bowels.  A scope (either sigmoid or colonoscopy) to rule out the Inflamatory Diseases and Cancer.  Stool sample to rule out parasites.  They may or may not want to do a Barium series that would help to rule out structural problems. Fortunately there are a number of drugs just about ready to be approved for IBS and there are some treatments already available that can help. If the only advise you get from your doctor is eat more fiber, and nothing else, it is time to find another doctor.  While that was standard practice some time ago, times have changed. Even without the new drugs there are available treatments and you need to find someone who will help you try a number of things to find the one that works. K. ********************************************************* Access to power must be confined to those who are not in love with it. -Plato kmot…@aol.com

Response:

Thanks for the informative well written reply! I am going to make this reply as detailed as I can, in the hopes of relating my symptoms with anyone else who has had similar ones. What puzzles me most about my pains are the things I’ve read about IBS and how they relate to my symptoms. For example, the stomach pain I have sometimes starts its cycle at night and can wake me up, with a pain in the stomach or a "gurgling" stomach. This is in direct contradiction to things I’ve read about IBS, which apparently is not supposed to strike at night or wake you up. Also, the pain is always dull and well centered in my lower abdomen, never to one side. I’ve read that many IBS sufferers feel their pain in the lower left quadrant, while mine is very well centered and very low, about two inches below the naval, approximatelly at the height where the triangle of pubic hair begins. I am almost inclined to think that the pain is in my bladder, but I am experiencing no problems or pains when urinating, where as gas and bowel movements do affect the pain, nullifying that hypothesis. My gastroenterologist diagnosed me with IBS after checking for blood in my stool and doing the usual stomach tap, finger in the rectum, etc… I also had X-Rays done to exclude calcium deposits anywhere in the lower body (e.g. gall bladder, kidneys, etc…). I don’t have an appendix, so I know that is not the problem. The gastroenterologist prescribed Levsin, to be taken twice daily, although I don’t think it is having any effect on my symptoms.  However, I am experiencing some of the drug’s side affects, such as drowsiness and dry mouth, inclining me to soon discontinue taking it. When I have my lower abdomenal pains, which is about once or twice a day, for several hours, I often completely lose my appetite. I can’t even stand the thought of food, let alone smells, etc… I think, in fact, that my appetite has been significantly affected. It has diminished to the point that I feel like I am slowly losing weight, because I am eating less. Unfortunatelly, I have been unable to correlate symptoms with any particular foods or with moments of stress.  Sometimes a particular meal will cause a bout of pain and other times it will have no effect whatsoever. At times the pain will come on long after I’ve eaten, making it hard to corelate with a meal at all. I’ve had several anxiety attacks, since the pains came on and it seems that stress has neither exacerbated the symptoms, nor triggered their onset. One thing I noticed is that my symptoms are exacerbated when I wear tight clothing around the affected area (lower central abdomen). The looser the clothing I wear (e.g. underwear, belt) the less the chance of and the severity of symptoms. I am almost inclined to believe that the entire pain is being caused by wearing clothes that are too tight around the lower abdomen, as foolish as this may sound, since none of the clothes I wear are really all that tight. In addition, as I mentioned previously, I’ve been having regular bowels – no constipation or diarrhea *knock on hard wood*. Stool frequency and consistency have suffered no change, whatsoever. This is also contradictory to common IBS symptoms. I do feel some relief, when experiencing a wave of pain, after passing gas or having a bowel movement, although the relief is only temporary. Another strange thing is that exercise (weight-training that is semi-aerobic for approximatelly 30 mins) can make the symptoms go away completely, if they were present before the training. This seems to be quite the opposite of what I’ve read about IBS sufferes feeling MORE pain, when exercising. I suppose this could be caused by the release of hormones during/after exercise. I am beginning to think that this whole episode, which is now starting on its third week, is just a temporary condition I am experiencing. Is this possible? Are there such problems as lower central stomach pains that come and go daily for a period of a few weeks and then permanently subside. I suppose I am wondering whether non-IBS sufferers sometimes have bouts of daily pain lasting a few weeks and then leaving entirely. I, being 29 years of age and in very good physical shape, certainly have never experienced stomach pain that has lasted longer than a day or two, before. Thanks for listening, Mike In article <20000108095017.27933.00000…@nso-ff.aol.com

,

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -KMottus <kmot…@aol.comspamtrap

wrote: In article <854v8v$…@masu.wwa.com, mi…@news.wwa.com (Michael N. Goldshteyn) writes: The pain is lessened by passing gas or having a bowel movement. However, I don’t really have any changes in stool frequency or stool consistency. If it’s not IBS, what is it, assuming Chrohns and UC have been excluded? The thing that distinguishes IBS from other things is the pain. AFAIK if pain is relieved by defecation it is almost always IBS. The good news is IBS, while annoying and frustrating, is not fatal, require surguries to correct, or have serious complications. Crohns and UC almost always have diarrhea, often bloody associated with them, although a few individuals will have severe constipation Celiac is another possibility that usually requires an endoscopy with a biopsy to confirm.  If you have that you will have to control it with a restrictive diet that contains no gluten.  This condition is pretty difficult to diagnose and a lot of doctors won’t look for it.  It may be worth doing a gluten free month to see if symptoms improve (some people with IBS may be sensitive to gluten that is not celiac but in that case, the treatment is the same) In studies in which patients with pain consistant with an IBS diagnosis were given very thourough workovers 90% or more had IBS.  Of those that did not, it was either a stuctural abnormality, Chrons or UC, or Parasites. A thorough work up would include a blood test to rule out major diseases, diabetes, etc, some of which can affect the bowels.  A scope (either sigmoid or colonoscopy) to rule out the Inflamatory Diseases and Cancer.  Stool sample to rule out parasites.  They may or may not want to do a Barium series that would help to rule out structural problems. Fortunately there are a number of drugs just about ready to be approved for IBS and there are some treatments already available that can help. If the only advise you get from your doctor is eat more fiber, and nothing else, it is time to find another doctor.  While that was standard practice some time ago, times have changed. Even without the new drugs there are available treatments and you need to find someone who will help you try a number of things to find the one that works. K. ********************************************************* Access to power must be confined to those who are not in love with it. -Plato kmot…@aol.com

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -JR wrote:

For many years I have had intermittent severe abdominal cramping usually after eating certain foods, notably: popcorn bran flakes fruit (in large amounts like alarge fruti salad) leafy vegetables mushrooms brown rice It always starts with a feeling of pressure, like gas pains in the area directly below my navel.  It will progress slowly over an hour or two until I am having agonizing cramps that come in regular intervals (30 seconds to 5 minutes).  It feels like something clenching in my gut then releasing. The worst of these attacks will keep me bed ridden for 6-12 hours.  Sometimes, when it is very severe, I will have dry heaves, although this more likey seems a result of the distress of the pain.  Often the only way I am remotely comfortable is in a kneeling or fetal position.  It will usually go away quite suddenly or I will eventually fall asleep from pure exhaustion and wake up without symptoms. My abdomin will be sore for several days afterwards and I will often have 2-3 days of loose stools/diarreah.  It feels as if I literally have pulled muscles in my digestive tract (is that possible?) as I can swear I feel every bit of food digesting over the next few days.  It feels like if you walk with a calf sore from a bad muscle cramp. My Doctor has never really pinpointed what it is, he proscribes Fiber or Donatal.  The Donatal never really helps. This happens to me several times a year very severely, usually when I forget and eat too many of the above foods in a single day (ie have a big salad at lunch then a bag of microwave popcorn later). Does this sound like IBS to you folks?

In my opinion, no.  It just sounds like too much fiber.  I read my low-fat microwave popcorn package and one serving provides 20 percent of the recommended daily fiber.  If you are including spinach as one of the green leaves you eat, that could give some people diarrhea.  Every time I eat cooked spinach, it never fails; lots of looseness the next day.  Spinach has a lot of iron, which could cause loose stools depending on how much of it you eat, of course. Barb

Response:

Possibly.  Although my experience has been that IBS is a catch all phrase for when they don’t really not what is wrong.  I suffered for years without really knowing what was going on.  I finally figured out some key foods to avoid.  Greasy foods like coffee shop muffins are brutal.  I used to have one every day for breakfast and was wondering what was going on.  Obviously french fries etc.  What was surprising to me was raw vegetables and nuts. Apparently they are hard to digest and I now stick with lightly cooked or steamed vegetables and stay away from nuts.    For me probiotics were a miracle, so I eat copious amounts of yogourt and kefir is even better and you can make it yourself very easily and inexpensively. Hope this helps. Alex For the very best enzymes on the market – at the best price! http://bestzymes.com/member/scentsiblehealth/ "JR" <jrsspamcatcheracco…@yahoo.com

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For many years I have had intermittent severe abdominal cramping usually after eating certain foods, notably: popcorn bran flakes fruit (in large amounts like alarge fruti salad) leafy vegetables mushrooms brown rice It always starts with a feeling of pressure, like gas pains in the area directly below my navel.  It will progress slowly over an hour or two until I am having agonizing cramps that come in regular intervals (30 seconds to 5 minutes).  It feels like something clenching in my gut then releasing. The worst of these attacks will keep me bed ridden for 6-12 hours.  Sometimes, when it is very severe, I will have dry heaves, although this more likey seems a result of the distress of the pain.  Often the only way I am remotely comfortable is in a kneeling or fetal position.  It will usually go away quite suddenly or I will eventually fall asleep from pure exhaustion and wake up without symptoms. My abdomin will be sore for several days afterwards and I will often have 2-3 days of loose stools/diarreah.  It feels as if I literally have pulled muscles in my digestive tract (is that possible?) as I can swear I feel every bit of food digesting over the next few days.  It feels like if you walk with a calf sore from a bad muscle cramp. My Doctor has never really pinpointed what it is, he proscribes Fiber or Donatal.  The Donatal never really helps. This happens to me several times a year very severely, usually when I forget and eat too many of the above foods in a single day (ie have a big salad at lunch then a bag of microwave popcorn later). Does this sound like IBS to you folks?

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For many years I have had intermittent severe abdominal cramping usually after eating certain foods, notably: popcorn bran flakes fruit (in large amounts like alarge fruti salad) leafy vegetables mushrooms brown rice It always starts with a feeling of pressure, like gas pains in the area directly below my navel.  It will progress slowly over an hour or two until I am having agonizing cramps that come in regular intervals (30 seconds to 5 minutes).  It feels like something clenching in my gut then releasing. The worst of these attacks will keep me bed ridden for 6-12 hours.  Sometimes, when it is very severe, I will have dry heaves, although this more likey seems a result of the distress of the pain.  Often the only way I am remotely comfortable is in a kneeling or fetal position.  It will usually go away quite suddenly or I will eventually fall asleep from pure exhaustion and wake up without symptoms. My abdomin will be sore for several days afterwards and I will often have 2-3 days of loose stools/diarreah.  It feels as if I literally have pulled muscles in my digestive tract (is that possible?) as I can swear I feel every bit of food digesting over the next few days.  It feels like if you walk with a calf sore from a bad muscle cramp. My Doctor has never really pinpointed what it is, he proscribes Fiber or Donatal.  The Donatal never really helps. This happens to me several times a year very severely, usually when I forget and eat too many of the above foods in a single day (ie have a big salad at lunch then a bag of microwave popcorn later). Does this sound like IBS to you folks?

Response:

It sure sounds like my IBS, but could be something else. I went undiagnosed for years by my g.p. who kept telling me it was acid, until finally he sent me to a gastroenterologist just because there was colon cancer in my family and I was in my fifties. From interviewing me about my symptoms the gastroenterologist said he was sure it was IBS. None of the antacids, or ranitidine or anything else had relieved my bouts of pain. My pains are kind of like yours, but the thing is that there is no really standard or typical set of symptoms from what I’ve read. It is IBS if they rule out everything else so you have to go to a specialist to get those tests and be examined. Recently I had 8 hours of continuous pain after eating a banana in the morning that I guess was not ripe enough. I never can figure out why something will make me sick sometimes and not other times. I gave up grains and was so much better and then this happened so I realized it wasn’t just grains. I continue to avoid all grains and to avoid eating in the evening and now of course I will avoid bananas. I have had severe attacks of pain from such wholesome and harmless things as a freshly made chef’s salad, a bowl of strawberries and cream, a dish of spaghetti (all made by me carefully with the freshest of ingredients). I notice that your list of foods includes 3 grains, one fungus and two carbohydrates. In fact reading that list I would not dare to eat any of them as I know they would give me a stomach ache. It does sound like you also might be sensitive to grains and that each of these foods is causing you to have fermentation and bloating that cause the pain. Notice none of these are protein. I do much better with fish, lean meat and eggs with some plain cooked vegetables. I also found tomatoes don’t hurt. Just a suggestion as to what worked for me since our symptoms are so alike.

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In article <MPG.f373a2de3ef7ea989696@flood

, shul…@pobox.com says… Sugar drinks seem to give me a dull ache in my midsection. [snip]

One of the causes of IBS can be an imbalance of intestinal flora. Sugary foods stimulate the growth of Candida Albicans (a fungus) and some other harmful microbes. At any rate….as your problems seem to be affected by sugar, try this angle with your doctor or gastroenterologist. Apart from that, I can sympathise with your problems, I also often get a violent movement after eating a big meal. This certainly does sound like IBS of some sort. I have had problems similar to what you describe for over a year. However, in my case sugar doesn’t do anything to me!! So do try out the Candididiasis angle with your doctor. The sugar problem is quite unique, and it hit me as a strong possiblility, because I have seen it happen to people and sometimes a course of anti-fungal medicine totally eleviated their problems. cheers Adrian

Response:

In article <6b27hi$fh…@news.wantree.com.au

, eplanin…@cc.curtin.edu.au

(Adrian Planinc) wrote:

One of the causes of IBS can be an imbalance of intestinal flora. Sugary foods stimulate the growth of Candida Albicans (a fungus) and some other harmful microbes.

Actually, sugar has not been signficantly connected to anything more than tooth decay. As far as the gut is concerned, non-absorbable sugars (e.g., in honey) are good for the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. — Maurice Volaski, Flux Software         supp…@fluxsoft.com http://www.fluxsoft.com/     ftp://ftp.fluxsoft.com

Response:

It’s probably more than just acid reflux. Unfortunately many doctors can do something for acid reflux but not IBS so they treat what they can. Try cutting out the fruit for a few days–and the orange juice. You could have a problem digesting fructose, the sugar found in fruits and many processed foods. This is very common. And the OJ is highly acidic as well. Also cut out the dairy since it’s sounds like you may have lactose intolerance. Since you mention pain with sugar drinks as well, cut them out. Sugars of all kinds can cause gas and pain in some people. And remember, alcohol is made up of sugars. Eating "healthy" with IBS is different than eating healthy as prescribed by the so-called expert nutritionists. Recent studies have shown that lack of sleep can increase sensitivity in the "gut." although they’re not sure why. Research into IBS is still very new and not much has been published. Most doctors don’t have any ideas as to what’s going on. You must learn as much as possible about the illness. Fortunately, there are dozens of sites on the internet to help. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Sam Hulick wrote:

I went to see a gastroenterologist, but he wasn’t too helpful.  I told him my symptoms (below), and he prescribed Prilosec and told me to call him back in a week. Sugar drinks seem to give me a dull ache in my midsection. The pain usually lasts 15-30 mins.  Drinks include pop, alcohol, koolaid, some fruit juice drinks, etc.  This part of the symptom made my doc believe I have gastroesophogeal reflux.  It also seems that milk and ice cream now bother my system.  Sometimes lack of sleep will cause cramps/gas in the morning and a slight nausea.  When I become hungry, if I don’t eat right away, it usually leads to cramping and/or nausea.  Most foods that are considered "harsh" don’t bug me: Mexican food, spicey stuff, etc.  There are also times when I really have to make a trip to the bathroom.. it hits me suddenly, usually after a meal, and if I’m even just two minutes late to the bathroom, there could be a potential "accident."  Needless to say, this has had a huge impact on my social life.  Other times I’m constipated. It all seems very random. I really disagree with my doctor’s pseudo-diagnosis.  This doesn’t have anything to do with acid being released (reflux).  But strangely enough, the Prilosec seems to be helping a little bit, though not entirely.  Does this sound like IBS?  What about the stomach pains after drinking alcohol, pop, and other sugar drinks? Other facts: I don’t exercise at all (maybe this would help?).. but I do eat fairly well, eating some sort of fruit every day, and drinking a glass of orange juice every day as well. If a doctor is reading this and could reply, that would be great. Thanks. — ======================================================================== Sam Hulick                 shul…@pobox.com     www.pobox.com/~shulick/ Consultant / Programmer    hul…@lucent.com CGI / Lucent Technologies  Work: (630) 979-5318

Response:

In article <34ce009e.153240…@news.goodnet.com

,

mat…@advweb.com.nospam! says…

1) Take at least a 20 minute walk every day.  This really does help your digestive system.  I’m not sure how but it does.  Several doctors have told me this and I believe them.  I usually walk 30 minutes a day.

Actually, any type of exercise helps, according to some good IBS FAQs on the net.  And now I exercise..tonight I felt great.  We’ll see what happens.. — ======================================================================== Sam Hulick                 shul…@pobox.com     www.pobox.com/~shulick/ Consultant / Programmer    hul…@lucent.com CGI / Lucent Technologies  Work: (630) 979-5318

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Sam Hulick wrote:

I went to see a gastroenterologist, but he wasn’t too helpful.  I told him my symptoms (below), and he prescribed Prilosec and told me to call him back in a week. Sugar drinks seem to give me a dull ache in my midsection. The pain usually lasts 15-30 mins.  Drinks include pop, alcohol, koolaid, some fruit juice drinks, etc.  This part of the symptom made my doc believe I have gastroesophogeal reflux.  It also seems that milk and ice cream now bother my system.  Sometimes lack of sleep will cause cramps/gas in the morning and a slight nausea.  When I become hungry, if I don’t eat right away, it usually leads to cramping and/or nausea.  Most foods that are considered "harsh" don’t bug me: Mexican food, spicey stuff, etc.  There are also times when I really have to make a trip to the bathroom.. it hits me suddenly, usually after a meal, and if I’m even just two minutes late to the bathroom, there could be a potential "accident."  Needless to say, this has had a huge impact on my social life.  Other times I’m constipated. It all seems very random. I really disagree with my doctor’s pseudo-diagnosis.  This doesn’t have anything to do with acid being released (reflux).  But strangely enough, the Prilosec seems to be helping a little bit, though not entirely.  Does this sound like IBS?  What about the stomach pains after drinking alcohol, pop, and other sugar drinks? Other facts: I don’t exercise at all (maybe this would help?).. but I do eat fairly well, eating some sort of fruit every day, and drinking a glass of orange juice every day as well. If a doctor is reading this and could reply, that would be great. Thanks. — ======================================================================== Sam Hulick                 shul…@pobox.com     www.pobox.com/~shulick/ Consultant / Programmer    hul…@lucent.com CGI / Lucent Technologies  Work: (630) 979-5318

I agree with the comments that the sugars in fruit and/or veggies may be contributing to your problems.  Many of us are intolerant of natural and/or refined sugars, especially in the levels found in many fruit-flavored or sugary drinks, as well as fruit juices.  Also, alcohol is a frequent culprit, as well.  You might want to find a diet you can tolerate and then add one item at a time for 2 or 3 days.

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