Your Feedback Would Be Appreciated

[Zeb]

I would appreciate your help in terms of feedback and advice.

I'm male,51 years old, and was told about 18 years ago by a physician that I have IBS. In the beginning I went from being normal to being very sick with multiple bouts of diarrhea per day that none of the over the counter meds would help. It seemed to have begun after taking an antibiotic. At first the doctor thought I had ulcerative colitis and I was on a med for that for about a year which really did not do a thing. Then I had a colonoscopy at that time and it was determined I had IBS. Doctor said to increase my fiber intake such as taking Fibercon -- which I did and after a while things greatly improved. Later I was able to go off the Fibercon and seemed to be over the intestinal problems for the most part. I still had bouts of diarrhea usually after eating a large meal but other than that I've been fine for the last several years.

Well, for whatever reason, for the last three weeks I've been dealing with multiple bouts of diarrhea per day. For the first two weeks it was nothing but watery, explosive diarrhea several times per day blowing out yellowish particle material that mostly floats in the water and stinks to high heaven. Then for the past week the diarrhea BMs have become less watery but still explosive with particle material that floats. When I have a BM there is usually a huge amount of gas/air that comes out as well. I have always been a daily gas passer some of them very foul. When the need to have a BM suddenly hits, I have to find a john fast. I do have abdominal pain in various places in the abdomen right now but sometimes that's relieved after passing gas or having a BM but for the most part the pain is present. By the way, over the counter meds to not help and neither is the Fibercon.

I went to my GP doctor last week and he felt around and ordered a ultra sound of my abdomen which came out normal in terms of my gallbladder and liver. He was concerned it might be appendicitis but I'm pretty sure that's not it but it could be, I guess. After the tests were shown negative he's pretty much blown me off as it being IBS. Anyway, the diarrhea persists and a few days ago, when the need for a BM hit me, I did not make it to the toilet fast enough and literally messed my pants -- fortunately I was at home. Before that time as well as after there have been times where I've come close to not making it in time to the john. My symptoms are mainly:

- Explosive, foul-smelling, sometimes watery but always very loose diarrhea that generates a particle-like matter that floats and some of it sinking and a lot of it gets plastered on the walls of the toilet. The color was a yellowish color for the first two weeks now it's the some consistency explained above but it's more of a brown color now.

- Pain and bloating but the pain is not too noticeable most of the time but is felt when pressure is applied to the abdomen and sometimes noticeable when there is no pressure on the abdomen.

- General feeling of bloating but not all the time.

What do you think? Does this sound like Celiac Disease? By the way, I am on an antidepressant mostly for anxiety and some depression. I don't usually get bowel problems associated with the anxiety, though. I've been on antidepressants for about 10 years.

Thanks for your help.

[GlutenFreeManna]

Could be. Talk to your doctor about getting a celiac panel blood test and an endoscopy with biopsies of you small intestines. Don't cut gluten out of your diet until the tests are done (it will affect the results), but you can start a gluten free diet as soon as you have had the biopsy (even before the results are in). If the diet relieves symptoms then you have a problem with gluten regardless of your test results. The tests are often false negative, so keep that in mind. Many people here are diagnosed by diet response alone.

[ravenwoodglass]

  On 7/27/2010 at 8:05 PM, GlutenFreeManna said:

Could be. Talk to your doctor about getting a celiac panel blood test and an endoscopy with biopsies of you small intestines. Don't cut gluten out of your diet until the tests are done (it will affect the results), but you can start a gluten free diet as soon as you have had the biopsy (even before the results are in). If the diet relieves symptoms then you have a problem with gluten regardless of your test results. The tests are often false negative, so keep that in mind. Many people here are diagnosed by diet response alone.

I second this reply. As she said you can start the diet the day the biopsy is done. Your body may give you the answer before the results are back.

[GFinDC]

3rd the reply. Also, get a new GP who is more up to date with modern medical knowledge. Hopefully find one who has some knowledge of celiac disease.

[Zeb]

I appreciate the replies. After stumbling upon the possibility that it could be Celiac Disease I was pretty surprised my doctor did not even mention this as a possibility and do the test. I still need to give the lab a stool sample for possible Geardia and E coli even though I've not traveled anywhere recently or come in contact with contaminated water -- but it still could be so I'll have the test done even though I think that's a long shot possibility. Today has been pretty good, one BM but I do feel I'm somewhat constipated. This is compared to a week ago when I had 13 BMs in one day. My old record was 7! It all could be IBS and just a flare up that will eventually go away but so far I don't see that happening in the near future. I did do some research on Celiac Disease and find that I do have many of the symptoms -- regarding the bowel and abdominal issues, but do not have the mouth sores, bone or joint problems, no vomiting, no weird itchy sores, but I DO have the unexplained weight loss and anxiety (had this for years), and may have some of the fatigue symptoms that are part of it.

I am going to set an appointment with an MD gastro specialist since I haven't seen one in many years. But for now, I'm just sick of all the cramping, bloating, very loose diarrhea, spending a lot of time on a toilet, having to run to the toilet unexpectedly and with great urgency, and the on and off pain and discomfort in the abdomen, and worry about messing my pants. All of this is starting to get to me. 3 weeks is long enough for me to be dealing with it all. If it's not IBS then what the heck is it?? That's a rhetorical question.

Thanks.

[GlutenFreeManna]

You don't have to have ALL the symptoms to have celiac. Some people are even "silent celiacs" and have no symptoms at all. Your doctor probably didn't mention celiac because he doesn't know much about it or got his medical degree many years ago. They used to think it was only in children and that children could grow out of it. Now they know you can develop celiac at any age. They used to think it was rare. Recent studies have shown anywhere from 1 in 133 to 1 in 100 people may have it. They also used to think that only digestive issue like what you are having could be an indication of celiac. Some people have only the fatigue/joint pain/mouth sores, etc and no gastro symptoms. You symptoms are actually considered the "typical" ones for celiac by most of the medical profession that knows anything about celiac and you have a better chance, imo, of getting diagnosed because of it. It is only in the last few years that research has started to show more celiacs have neuro symptoms. But it is hard to find a doctor that knows a lot about celiac/gluten intolerance. I don't know how true this is, but I read somewhere that out of four years of medical school a doctor might hear ONE 30-minute lecture on celiac's disease. So you may have to educate your doctor and you may have to even read the test results for yourself (I have read on here of people being told it's negative when it actually was a positive indication of gluten intolerance).

And about the "IBS": IBS is not really a diagnosis, IMO. It is a set of symptoms. They don't know what causes your bowels to be irritable, so they label you IBS-D or IBS-C and give you meds. Celiac may be the CAUSE of your IBS (or it could be something else, but celiac is very likely based on you posts). Many here have IBS, but it goes away with a strict gluten-free diet.

[Zeb]

  On 7/28/2010 at 12:01 PM, GlutenFreeManna said:

You don't have to have ALL the symptoms to have celiac. Some people are even "silent celiacs" and have no symptoms at all. Your doctor probably didn't mention celiac because he doesn't know much about it or got his medical degree many years ago. They used to think it was only in children and that children could grow out of it. Now they know you can develop celiac at any age. They used to think it was rare. Recent studies have shown anywhere from 1 in 133 to 1 in 100 people may have it. They also used to think that only digestive issue like what you are having could be an indication of celiac. Some people have only the fatigue/joint pain/mouth sores, etc and no gastro symptoms. You symptoms are actually considered the "typical" ones for celiac by most of the medical profession that knows anything about celiac and you have a better chance, imo, of getting diagnosed because of it. It is only in the last few years that research has started to show more celiacs have neuro symptoms. But it is hard to find a doctor that knows a lot about celiac/gluten intolerance. I don't know how true this is, but I read somewhere that out of four years of medical school a doctor might hear ONE 30-minute lecture on celiac's disease. So you may have to educate your doctor and you may have to even read the test results for yourself (I have read on here of people being told it's negative when it actually was a positive indication of gluten intolerance).

And about the "IBS": IBS is not really a diagnosis, IMO. It is a set of symptoms. They don't know what causes your bowels to be irritable, so they label you IBS-D or IBS-C and give you meds. Celiac may be the CAUSE of your IBS (or it could be something else, but celiac is very likely based on you posts). Many here have IBS, but it goes away with a strict gluten-free diet.

Very helpful information. Thank you. I'm going to try and get into a gastro specialist asap. I figure if there's an MD out there that ought to know something about Celiac it ought be him/her. Like I say, I'm surprised my GP didn't even mention it but now from what you say that doesn't surprise me. Too bad because now I have to deal with another MD when I was just with one last week.

[GFinDC]

Make sure to as the GI if they are familiar with celiac also. Some of them are not. If you can find a local branch for a celaic support group you could ask them for doctor recommendations. The CSA (celiac sprue association) or GIG (gluten intolerance group) There is a forum on here with doctor info to check also.

[jackay]

I agree with Glutenfreemanna. IBS stands for "It's Bull poop". In other words, doctors through on that label because they don't know what it is. There is a reason behind why our guts react to things. It may be gluten and it may not be, but something has to be causing your problems.

Doctors all to often tell their patients it is IBS and to deal with it. Unlikely they would accept that if they had it.

[Skylark]

Depression is a major symptom of celiac. This could be celiac, and even if you're negative on the tests it's worth trying the diet. If you just became celiac, there may not be the extreme sort of damage the tests are designed to pick up.

[Zeb]

  On 7/29/2010 at 5:14 PM, Skylark said:

Depression is a major symptom of celiac. This could be celiac, and even if you're negative on the tests it's worth trying the diet. If you just became celiac, there may not be the extreme sort of damage the tests are designed to pick up.

In terms of my emotional state of mind, I've been dealing with anxiety issues my whole adult life with some depression mixed in there -- currently on meds for that. I have an appointment with a gastro specialist tomorrow so we'll see what happens.

[Zeb]

By the way, thanks everyone for all of the great information and helpful advice.