To ask if IBS can be "cured"?

[BelieveinFairies]

I've had this going on for a year now, and I'm so fed up of it! I've lost a load of weight and (sorry for excessive information) have diarrhoea aaaalllllll the time. I've even had "accidents", it's just grim and embarrassing too!

It's definitely IBS (my GP says) as they've checked for bacterial things and everything was clear. There's also no sign of anything properly nasty. So I've done all that has been recommended - dietary changes, cutting out things one at a time to "test" if it makes any difference. But I'm struggling to identify any obvious trigger and it's basically just been about managing symptoms. Every day. For over a year. And I'm fed up!

Being realistic: is there any chance to "fix" this, or do I just have to accept that this is how it is, and find ways of managing better?

www.nhs.uk/conditions/unintentional-weight-loss/

www.nhs.uk/conditions/crohns-disease/

www.nhs.uk/conditions/ulcerative-colitis/

I had really bad diarrhoea every time I ate, I could have one mouthful of something and then my stomach would go crazy. It got to the point I didn't want to eat anything, and was going to the toilet 10-15 times a day. I was also losing a lot of weight. I had a thyroid function test done and found I had an overactive thyroid. I had all the symptoms that went with it. Have you had this done? Sorry if you have and I've missed it. Maybe look at the symptoms and see if anything else sounds familiar? Hope you feel better soon

I did actually have thyroid checked, and that was all okay. Thanks for mentioning it though!

I'm definitely going to try the GP tomorrow, at least to see if I can get a prescription for Mebeverine, which seems like it might be worth a try!

I think the advice to see your GP/push for further tests is very good advice. But in the meantime, what's your diet like?

I used to suffer from the very same symptoms you are describing - cramps/diarrhoea especially - (although not the weight loss), and when I started low carbing that was when I realised I hadn't had an attack for a long time.

I started low carbing to lose weight, and it was a while before I realised that as a regime it had other benefits.

My IBS was mainly triggered by emotional stress, but clearly the carb-heavy diet I was on before (which I believed was a healthy diet, given that's what the NHS recommends ) wasn't helping me.

I'm glad you are seeing your gp again. My mum had low ferritin for years and symptoms as you describe. She did have endoscopies and colonoscopies that showed nothing. She became seriously ill and eventually had surgery that showed she had Crohns. Push to get more tests, I think the weight loss should have pushed your gp to take action. Ask about the possibility IBD.

Please do push your GP for a referral to Gastroenterology and at least a faecal calprotectin test.
I have IBS which I manage with the fodmap diet, but that should only be done with a trained dietitian. And they will want to ensure you've been diagnosed with IBS by exclusion of IBD etc etc.
DS has IBD and I have never heard of an ultrasound used in any form of IBD diagnosis. What did your gp refer you there for?

@BelieveinFairies - I have IBS and lymphocytic colitis - the latter was only diagnosed 18 months ago, after a colonoscopy. My gastroenterologist has put me on cholestyramine - which I take as cholestagel tablets, because I was told the powders are horrible to take.

He said it could help my IBS because it is a bile acid binder. In normal conditions, bile acid is released into the small intestine, where it helps with digestion, and it is then reabsorbed before it gets to the large intestine. He says that a lot of people with IBS aren’t reabsorbing the bile acid, so it gets to the large intestine, and causes irritation, leading to diarrhoea and discomfort.

The cholestyramine binds to the bile acid so it can’t irritate the large intestine.

It has definitely helped me - after years of basically having diarrhoea most days, I now am far more normal, and more comfortable too.

I also think that the advice from previous posters, to push for a more expert consultation and a proper diagnosis, is good advice. My IBS was not diagnosed by any sort of tests - I was just told by my GP t’s what I had - but the symptoms are similar to the lymphocytic colitis (diarrhoea, bloating, cramping etc), so it is possible that I’ve had the LC for years - as well as the IBS (or maybe instead of it - the consultant didn’t say whether he’d tested for the IBS, though I assume he’d have said if he thought I didn’t have it - sorry to sound confusing).

FODMAP made no difference to me whatsoever. I just have to eat one meal a day at lunch and that's all I can really manage. It doesn't seem to matter what I eat, although some things make it worse than others. I haven't lost weight because I bloat. It's awful, life limiting and is slowly ruining my life

@BelieveinFairies

I've had this going on for a year now, and I'm so fed up of it! I've lost a load of weight and (sorry for excessive information) have diarrhoea aaaalllllll the time. I've even had "accidents", it's just grim and embarrassing too!

It's definitely IBS (my GP says) as they've checked for bacterial things and everything was clear. There's also no sign of anything properly nasty. So I've done all that has been recommended - dietary changes, cutting out things one at a time to "test" if it makes any difference. But I'm struggling to identify any obvious trigger and it's basically just been about managing symptoms. Every day. For over a year. And I'm fed up!

Being realistic: is there any chance to "fix" this, or do I just have to accept that this is how it is, and find ways of managing better?

How much water do you think? I found my IBS improved substantially after making sure I drank at least 2 litres of water per day

Hi Op, that's a lot of weight to lose. Definitely see your GP. Let us know how you get on