Possible IBS?

[lightningandsnow]

I'm not really looking for medical advice, but I think I might have mild IBS... I have diarrhea more than the average person would, with cramping and stuff (sorry if that's too much information). Also, it's more likely to happen right after I've eaten at a restaurant (maybe it's a food allergy, perhaps?)

Has anyone experienced similar symptoms, and what was the outcome?

[Warpy]

1. Do you eat salad?

Restaurants use sodium metabisulfite to keep greens from browning on salad bars and at the salad station in the kitchen. A lot of people are very sensitive to it and can get diarrhea from it.

If that's not the case, then think about what you eat at that restaurant and don't eat at home and avoid it for a while. If the symptoms disappear, then you've probably found the culprit.

If the symptoms don't disappear after a couple of weeks, please see a doc and get it evaluated. IBS can really screw up your life, and there are now good treatments for it.

[Digit]

2. I had something similar, but found that it was a combination of stress and HFCS

I discovered by process of elimination (no pun intended), that my stress level had caused me to become sensitive to high fructose corn syrup.

Chocolate would really make me cramp up as well as regular sodas.

I eliminated the offending foods, and got better.

If I eat too much roughage at once, like broccoli, one of my favorites, I could start the cycle over.

YMMV

[hyphenate]

3. Been in that position

more than once! I haven't had a whole lot of it in the past several years, though my stress level is a whole lot lower than it used to be, and that's helped.

Could be many things--an old acquaintance used to have to run to the bathroom minutes after eating; it turned out to be her gall bladder.

On the other hand, I have a niece who has Chrohn's with some of the cramping and diarrhea, and she's had a lot of problems with that. Unfortunately for her, many of her friends and family members kept telling her she was a hypochondriac and she had to go through a whole bunch of obstacles before they did a colonoscopy and found the Chrohn's.

My other niece, her sister, on the other hand, has had good ole IBS for years, but she's really got a Type A personality, and it makes her miserable.

I've got fibromyalgia, and IBS showed up a lot with me, especially when my stress level was high. It does with a lot of fibro patients--just one of the many related syndromes that come with fibro. I recall I suffered from IBS even before I was a teenager, with cramping and diarrhea, long before there was a diagnosis of fibro.

Talk with your doctor about it. He may want to explore further, particularly if there is a history of some other digestion problems with in the family.

Funny enough--my sister in law has had the opposite problem--a history of constipation. A couple of years ago, she was having a really bad time with it, and then thought she had hemorrhoids, so she reluctantly went to the doctor. Turns out she was in Stage 3 rectal cancer. She's been fighting the cancer now in the second year, with chemo and radiation. She's on her second go-round with both, and she currently has an inoperable tumor in the lymph node in her groin which they're trying to shrink and at least to keep the cancer from spreading any further.

So a followup with your doctor to make sure it's not Irritable Bowel Disease instead of IBS, which is a lot worse, at the very least to calm your mind.

[pnwmom]

6. You might want to read my post #5, since you have fibromyalgia, too. n/t

[LynzM]

4. Hi AspieGrrl....

Could be IBS, but many times "IBS" is used as a catch-all for food sensitivities. Many things can cause cramping/diarrhea, especially if they're things your system is not used to. Higher levels of fats or different types of fats (ie, meat fat when you generally eat little meat, things like that) can cause those kind of symptoms.

Other things to pay attention to:

Anything with a lot of sugar in it, particularly high fructose corn syrup, sugary drinks, soda, or fruit juices
Anything with a lot more salt or spice than you are generally used to
When you have a lot of post-nasal drip
I don't think you're old enough for this to apply to you, but alcohol, as well

Cutting back on the sugars and fatty snacks (chips, etc.) can really help. The other thing I found that helped me a lot was to make sure I eat yogurt with active cultures at least every other day, if not more frequently, and to take Magnesium Citrate as a mild laxative when needed.

I hope that the suggestions on this thread can help you feel better! :hug:

[pnwmom]

5. People on the autism spectrum have a higher incidence of gluten intolerance

which can lead to the symptoms you describe. It's common among people from European countries, especially Ireland and Scandinavia. Even if you had the blood tests for Celiac disease or gluten sensitivity at some time in the past, and they were negative, you should be re-tested now -- because gluten intolerance/sensitivity can develop at any time in a person's life.

There is some research showing that gluten intolerance can have neurological effects -- everything from depression and anxiety to epilepsy to aggravating autism symptoms.

Also, people who have gluten intolerance often have lactose intolerance, too -- and that is also true for people with autism. What happens is that the gluten sensitivity damages the villi of the intestine, which then leads to the inability to digest lactose.

I was having irritable bowel symptoms -- alternating diarrhea and constipation and terrible cramps. It had progressed to the point of bleeding, and I had had a zillion other tests, when I was FINALLY tested for gluten intolerance. I was positive on 2 of the 3 tests and my doctor said I should try the diet. It was amazing. I felt so much better, so quickly. And not just the intestinal symptoms, but heartburn, reflux, fibromyalgia, restless legs.

If you are diagnosed with gluten sensitivity/intolerance, the diet will seem daunting at first. But it is SO worth it.

Good luck!