What IS wrong with DH's gut??

[WellWorried]

I'm getting really concerned about DH. About 9 weeks ago, we all had a cold-with-gastric-component and we, adults and small children, were pretty squitty with it. DH and I had churning nausea as well as dashing to the loo a lot, esp. first thing in the morning. While the boys recovered after a couple of weeks (poo was last to improve), DH and I continued to have periods of nausea, stomach churning and noise, wind and squitty poo. This went on for about 5 weeks with me and is still happening with DH 9 weeks on.

A couple of weeks ago, he finally acknowledged that this was Not Normal and took himself to the GP. He was weighed and found to have lost about a stone (since the last time he was weighed, but his weight usually stays stable). A stool sample was taken to check for bacterial growth, which came back normal. (SURELY they also tested for blood? They didn't say and DH didn't ask.) A week later, because he hadn't improved at all, he returned and had a blood test, which has also come back normal (including negative for Coeliac). Again, he didn't ask what it was being tested for and GP didn't say. He's been put on a 'bland' diet (no dairy or eggs) by GP to see if his gut improves, but is still having massive amounts of farting (vv smelly ones too!), very loose or liquid poo first thing in the morning and sometimes during the day, frequent dashes to the loo because it's urgent, and now and then, painful stomach, which he says feels like 'tensed muscles' . Not sure what he means, tbh. GP seems pretty laid-back about it but hasn't suggested what it might be. Surely this isn't normal for the after-effects of a virus, for 9 weeks?

Please tell me that the stool and blood samples they've done will have tested for signs of bowel cancer? I'm terrified that this might be what's going on. I know, it's rare and DH is only 41, but a friend's husband died of this recently and wasn't that much older. It's easy to panic when someone you know has recently died from bowel cancer and initially presented with the same set of symptoms, but I'm still scared that we should be getting to the bottom of this faster. DH is tired all the time, it seems, and getting very worn down by the constant assault on his guts.

Has he been tested for giardia?

Sounds like IBS. My DP has it and has all the symptoms you describe.

It sounds like irritable bowel syndrome to me - as a former sufferer. And I think mine was caused by an initial bout of gastroenteritis.

The tensing is the gut going into spasm, which can be very painful as well.

However, I agree that the GP should be testing for something more significant - just to rule it out as much as anything.

I would start eating dairy and eggs again, as eliminating these hasn't made any difference, and would cut out wheat - bread and pasta - and sugar.

Go and buy a good probiotic supplement. You need to get one from a reputable health food shop, where they will be kept in the fridge. This will help to rebuild the good bacteria in the gut that will help deal with the problem.

I don't think giardia was tested for unless that was the initial stool sample? GP said 'bacterial growth' so perhaps that was it. (Grrr, am really cross both at GP for not explaining what was being tested for - who nowsdays takes blood and says not a word about why it's being taken or what tested for? - and also with DH for being a MAN and not asking anything in the surgery.)

IBS is a distinct possibility, I've suspected he had a sensitive bowel before now. I have a little bit of this myself but never had such a bad run of symptoms as DH. Interesting you say it was triggered by a gastric infection to begin with, BIWI.

His blood tests ruled out Coeliac Disease so I thought we were safe with gluten again? Or would that help the possible IBS?

I had some posh (i.e. expensive, fridge-stored) probiotic capsules left over from when I was worried I was getting thrush, and have been shoving them at him. Are those drinks any good for IBS or do they merely make you feel like throwing it back up?

I'm still going to push him to nag the GP to rule out everything more serious than IBS though. Am sorely tempted to go with him to the appt, but I can't really do that, can I?

I would not use those drinks ( overpriced sugar with a low level of pro-biotic). Get a decent from a health food shop. I would also keep the diet bland but balanced and eat feel small meals but more often - so the tummy isn't getting a big hit 3 times a day but getting smaller 5 times a day.

Apologies OP - dunno what that 'feel' word is doing in my response.

No - avoid things like Yakult/Actimel as they are full of sugar, and sugar is one of the things he should be avoiding.

In my own experience, cutting right down on carbohydrate is something that has a major, beneficial effect. I only discovered this, though, when I started eating a low carb diet in order to lose weight. It was a very pleasant 'side effect'!

Ok, no overpriced Yakult then! I have no idea where to start with low-carbing it but I'm sure it's something I could benefit from too. (I'm a keen bread-baker though. ) Pulses like beans and chickpeas are lower carb than white pasta, right?

They are, but they might still aggravate things for him at this stage.

When I was going through the process of being diagnosed, the first thing they advised at the hospital was to increase the amount of fibre that I was eating (i.e. more wholegrains/veg/pulses) but this actually made it worse.

My Osteopath had me eating rice every day for weeks. I could add in chicken ( even do the chicken in a honey and lemon sauce which is easy to make and yummy) ), peas and then gradually added in other things. I did this for 6 weeks. My stomach got out of balance following a trauma. It really helped.

Diverticulitis or perhaps polyps, aggravated by the tummy bug ? A scan and colonoscopy would rule these out at least.