Upset stomach every day after food poisoning 8 weeks ago.

[VioletRose20]

Myself and DH went on holiday to Tunisa back in early October and whilst there I came down with some sort of food poisoning/stomach bug with sulpher burps, I couldn't leave the room for 4 days. Since coming back to the UK my stomach hasn't been the same since, I have a upset stomach every single day, I literally cannot eat without getting cramps and running to the toilet within half a hour. Went to my doctors and saw a practitioner who said it was probably ibs related eyeroll but this isn't right for my body and I have lost over a stone in weight.
Any ideas what I can do to try and stop this, its making me feel quite unwell tbh.

Could it be giardia?

Try cutting out dairy. I became lactose intolerant after an awful stomach bug. I hope you get well soon, it sounds miserable.

Go back and see another doctor and request a blood test and stool sample.

I would return to the gP or ring 111. Dh had a diarrhoea bug, and within a week became seriously dehydrated. He ended up in hospital as a result, and was on a drip to replace fluids. His was caused by campbylacter.

Regarding eating, he lived off very plain food. Toast, jacket potatoes.

Dioealyte - have you taken any of these to replace salts etc.

Agree. It is so lazy diagnosing IBS particularly as you told them you had been abroad. My sister had giardia and it went on for ages until she got treatment.

When I saw the title my first thought was secondary lactose intolerance but reading your post the previous posters are quite right that this could be giardia - sulphurous or "eggy" burps are a feature and it can last a long time if untreated.
Either way, you need to be seen again and the cause investigated.
I'm no expert but I do have IBS myself , and it seems somewhat unlikely to me that someone would coincidentally suddenly develop IBS after a trip abroad during which they had acute gastroenteritis. And rapid weight loss isn't common in IBS as I understand it. I mean it's not impossible that it's IBS but I would expect other things to be ruled out first, and even if that was the diagnosis they should be advising you on how to manage your symptoms, not just fobbing you off. Go back and insist on seeing someone else.

Yes. After I had food poisoning, my GP advised me to be wary of dairy products since people often become lactose intolerant (often temporarily) after a food poisoning episode.

An entire party of British students - around 70 of us - caught this in Soviet Russia in 1980, courtesy of the water.

One of the girls was diagnosed at the Institute of Tropical Medicine when we got home and we all got letters telling us to go see our GP for antibiotics.

After reading over the symptoms of giardia you are all quite right it could be, it doesn't matter what I eat (even plain chicken and rice) Tried calling GP this morning to no avail next appointment is after the new year, so christmas is going to be erm, eventful 🙁

What sort of practioner did you see?
You really need to see a proper doctor and you need a stool sample tested.
I agree with pp it sounds like giardia or maybe another parasite.

Sounds like either giardia or campylobacter, both of which need proper treatment, not eye rolls and condescension. Your GP is a disgrace and actually I think both those things are public health issues. If you can't get an appointment I would go to your nearest urgent care centre and tell them that your GP won't see you until the new year and you need diagnosis and treatment now.

Agree with this. I know it’s a trend nowadays to palm patients off on physician associates or nurses, but even a layperson like me can see that a patient presenting with your symptoms after some sort of food related bacterial infection is lazy at best, negligent at worst.

Sorry OP, I had this for up to a year after campylobacter (required 2 days in hospital, never been so ill in my life. Went from being a fit, healthy 19 year old to needing my mum or boyfriend to dry my hair!). Especially after eating rich or spicy food. Couldn't stomach ended cheese for years and went right off alcohol.
FP is vile. I hope you get better soon.

My brother had a similar thing happen to him and he went back to the doctors, he said try taking meds for irritable bowel syndrome as he thought my brothers stomach/ colon was flared and irritated after the illness. Sure enough his stomach settled back down after a few weeks of taking IBS medication.

Ask if you can submit a stool sample, prior to the GPs appointment, so that will better inform what is going on! So when you have the appointment, you'll not be delaying checking for the obvious!

Check your area for a walk in clinic. You can ring them and get seen same day in my experience

I doubt the gp will complete and sign a pathology request form without seeing the patient.
It sounds as though the practitioner the OP saw is not a very good diagnostician.
I was a clinical nurse specialist in general practice and I would have immediately checked with a gp and organised stool and blood testing for any and all potential parasites and bugs that might have been picked up abroad. It is really basic.

Sulphur burps instantly made me think of giardia

I'd call 111 and ask for an ooh appointment this evening. Say you have blood in your stool if necessary and the symptoms are making you feel faint? Easy to get dehydrated. Waiting until after Christmas is miserable.

When I had IBS-like symptoms and I wasn’t sure if the cause was anxiety or an intolerance, bowel cancer etc, I went to my GP. I was examined and then I had bloods taken and stool samples sent off and my GP specifically said they’re not meant to give a diagnosis of IBS until they have at least run some tests to rule out other things. Your GP sounds shocking.