IBS and weight loss. Doc thinks it might be something more serious

[Enoughnowplease]

I have recently been diagnosed with IBS (and fibromyalgia) I had a colonoscopy but was given the all clear.

I still have bleeding when I poo and have lost nearly 2.5st in 6 months. (Was significantly overweight even with that loss I am still overweight)

I saw the consultant who is sending me for a CT scan to check my whole body in case the problem is elsewhere.

The main concern seems to be the weight loss and according to google weight loss is not common in IBS.

That’s the bit I don’t understand. The less I eat, the less ill I feel. Anyone who ate as little as me would loose weight.

Is that not common in IBS? Can other people eat when they have IBS?

It seems to me that if what I have is IBS then weight loss would be the most common symptom. Basically if I eat too much (or even a normal amount)/anything fatty or drink alcohol then I get really bad stomach cramps and diarrhoea, if I don’t I get constipated. Buscapan has helped but makes me really blocked up.

Please can you tell me if this is how IBS works for you?

Doc is checking in case I have cancer elsewhere and I am scared, but if the weight loss is down to the IBS then it’s not ‘unexplained’

[canteatcustard]

has celiac been ruled out as cause?

[Goodasgoldilox]

IBS doesn't cause weight loss.

Not eating does cause weight loss.

If you haven't been eating - then there is a cause for the loss of weight.

However it is good that they are looking at the whole matter - just in case there is some other cause for your loss of appetite/loss of weight.

[PurpleDaisies]

good is right, you don’t typically get that scale of weight loss with IBS. It’s good you’re being investigated. Good luck with everything.

[leighdinglady]

I've always had ibs. Sometimes flare ups are horrific. I've still never lost weight like that. You have to push push push for more investigation. Don't be fobbed off

[Enoughnowplease]

Canteatcustard they said celiac was ruled out by the colonoscopy.

Goodasgolilox absolutely the not eating is causing the weight loss, but that is because eating makes me ill.

Purpledaisies and leighdinglady thank you for the confirmation. That was the question really. Does IBS lead to that kind of weight loss.
I am having blood tests this week and then they will book the CT scan.

[canteatcustard]

colonoscopy cant totally rule out celiac, needs investigation in upper digestive tract as well. blood test can also be done.
also normal to have blood test for anemia as well.

[charliebear78]

I have IBS and early last Year I became convinced it was something else, I also stopped eating in part due to pain but also through sheer worry, I lost quite a bit of weight.
I had lots of tests and as each one came back clear the worry started to ease and the weight crept back.
So no IBS does not cause a big weight loss.
I had a CT scan but only of my abdomen .
I still worry now and again.
Good lick and I hope you get to the bottom of it.

[Enoughnowplease]

Ok, so thanks for the info on celiac. I have googled it and it was stupid to take their word for it. I will ask them about it next time I see them. I presume a ct scan won’t be able to diagnose celiacs.
I had all my blood tests today so now they can schedule the scan. 🤞

[DoTheFandango]

I have IBS which manifests as severe diarrhoea. It all started after I had severe food poisoning. I lost a lot of weight as anything I ate was going straight through me. Had colonoscopy etc to rule anything else out and was diagnosed as IBS. I take loperamide hydrochloride (Immodium) everyday to manage it which is what the consultant recommended, and after doing this for a while I have my symptoms more or less under control and have got back to a healthy weight.
So- for me, IBS definitely caused weight loss.

[MelloDee]

I have IBS. It started when I was around 15 yrs old.

I suffer crippling spasms, diarrhoea or constipation, trapped wind or excessive wind (I've been belching excessively every day since christmas, for example!) from both ahem, exit points! Which can also smell reeeeeally bad (my poor dh!). Pain during intercourse due to the cramps and spasms and bloating that genuinely makes me look 5-6 months pregnant, awful acid indigestion that makes me wretch...

But I've never lost weight due to IBS.

In fact one factor that is sure to set off an IBS attack fir me is NOT eating regularly and letting myself get ravenously hungry. If I leave it too long between meals I'm in an IBS mess for the next 36-48 hrs. I've had to adopt a 'little but often' eating pattern to minimise it.

[timeistight]

I also started with IBS after food poisoning and ended up weighing 6.5 stone at one point because I couldn't eat.

[OpalIridescence]

I have IBS and have never lost weight from it.
Did they check for Crohns?
I'm pretty sure that has weight loss as a main symptom.

[Twoweekcruise]

Did the colonoscopy reveal where the bleeding was coming from? IBD would have been picked up during the procedure. I’ve had IBS for years and I have not lost weight.

[Enoughnowplease]

Colonoscopy revealed nothing apart from some ‘grey’ areas.
They said it ruled out IBD, Chrohns, ulcerative colitis and bowel cancer.
Consultant said given weight loss they need to check the rest of my body. CT scan in two weeks, then the wait for results.
Very interesting to see that a few people do loose weight with IBS.
MelloDee that’s really interesting. I find that the less I eat, the less my system gets upset.
Still loosing weight. I am still considerably overweight but much less than I was. I find it a really strange mental disconnect between ‘yay I’m thinner’ and ‘oh god, this weight loss is for the wrong reasons and potentially serious’

[BigGreenOlives]

I think it’s really good that you are being persistent in chasing a diagnosis. Good luck.

[DoItAgainBob]

Definitely check coeliac disease. I had a similar thing before diagnosis

[Fish1981]

Hi, I’m going through similar & had a CT which showed nothing. How are you getting on? X

[BlackInk]

How can those of you who suffer with daily stomach pain, nausea, diarrhoea, indigestion, etc. NOT lose weight? How can you eat enough to maintain or even gain weight if you're feeling ill all the time?

I ask this kindly. I'm suffering with stomach issues lately and have lost a stone I can't really afford to lose. Any time I feel ok and have an appetite I eat well, but there are so many days when I feel so awful I miss meals...

[Thymeout]

Just in case anyone with IBS symptoms, post menopause, is clicking on this old thread...

It's unusual for IBS to present for the first time in later life. Your symptoms might be related to an ovarian issue. Bloating, indigestion and bowel issues can be caused by an ovarian cyst. It doesn't have to be sinister. I had a huge tumour which turned out not to be malignant. But I spent a year experimenting with diet and beneficial bacterial supplements before being diagnosed.

Other women weren't as lucky as I was. Just mention it as a possibility to your GP, to jog their memory. They see far more patients with IBS than with ovarian cancer.