Hi there,
First time caller - with a long, on-going problem. It would be great if someone could help me or send me in the right direction. Ive seen too many doctors etc, nothing has seemed to help long term, I'd really appreciate all advise.

- 2 1/2 yrs of condition
- Male 32 yrs old
- I live in New Zealand
- I have bowel / intenstinal problems with the following symptoms:

a. Massive bloating, this never eases unless I lay on my back or go to bed at night.
b. I feel my 'guts' spasming, 'popping', moving around inside constantly.
c. Flatulence never stops.
d. The 'urge' to pass wind, go the toilet, 'to push' never stops either. That feeling just before you pass gas - its always there and drives me into the ground.
It feels like my bowel system is sensitive to a pocket of gas no matter where it is in my system.
e. It does not matter what time of the day it is, what I've eaten or when I've eaten it - it NEVER goes away.
f. Low energy
g. A mixture of constipation and diareha.
h. The above description comes and goes as it pleases. I may have a good week now and then, but generally not.

- I've tried numerous diets and a bag load of dietry suppliments. (yeast free, gluten free.) Non of which have had any long term or consistent results.
- I dont take sugar, milk products or bread anymore.
- I've had a barium test, gastrosphy test with no problems found.

Help

Regards

You have described Irritable bowel syndrome almost to a tee.

Questions: Have you been particularly stressed out about anything in the past two years? Have you had bowel problems in the past? Is there anyone in your family that has had bowel problems like this? When you are in a stressful situation, how does it normally affect you?

Hey projapoti,
Cheers mate. My high pressure job and hobbies all contribute stress and at times over the last 2 years - however I've never really thought that this stress was a problem for me because "I dont feel stress", or am I just used to it ?(do I ignore it ?).
No one in my immediate family suffers from this "IBS" - but no one in my family does what I do. Its difficult to understand how I feel when I'm stressed, I do however worry a heap and I never get enough sleep.

Not everyone supports that "IBS" is what I have so its hard to know wht to do.

Do you have any more thoughts.

Have you had 3 - 4 stool specimens done to make sure that you do not have some type of parasite? Ameobas? Janetto

Don't know if you have found a solution to this or not but I suffered from the same problems between the age of 12 and 32.

At 32 I unfortunately developed a prostatitis problem and was put on a course of antibiotics (cephalexin).

This helped my prostate but even better after a 2 week course of antibiotics all my IBS type symtoms went completely.

Since discovered that there is something called bacteria overgrowth of the small bowel which can cause the IBS. Some people debate this but for me it is a definite cause.

Anyway the symptoms stayed aay for a while but returned again. Tokk another antibiotic course and was fiexd again.

By the way another way of helping the problem is to go on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. This is basically the Atkins diet except you are allowed to eat as much fruit as you wish. Basically you can't eat and breads, rice, potatoes or any complex carbohydrates. Read about it on the net. Basically the theory is that fruits are simple carbos which are digested high up in the stomach and do not reach the small bowel. Carbos on the other hand do reach the small bowel and this is the stuff that bacteria thrive and grow on.

Appears to work for me but the diet is a pain in the but for me due to my prostate problem and reaction to fruit acid. If potatoes, rice etc make you worse this could work for you.

I just prefer to cut down on the carbos a bit and take the antibiotics when needed. By the way I take probiotics tablets and nystatin tablets to promote good bacteria in the bowel and prevent yeast infections whilst on the antibiotics.

Hope this helps you if you get the message. My own GP totally agrees with me that this is the problem but my hospital consultant is not convinced, too stuck in prehistorics medicine I think.

I have the same problem, except my stomach cracks, snapples, and pops all of the time. It is really embarrassing in quiet places. Anyway, I have been doing some research and I think that it is a lack of enzymes to the pancreas that is needed to digest our foods. Therefore, when the food is not digested in the small intestines it is transported to the large instestines and that is why we have the gas, bloating, and stomach noises.

Long story short, I went to Sun Harvest and a bought a product called Super Digestaway made by Solaray. A girl in the store recommended it for me when I described my symptoms to her. I have been taking a capsule with each meal along with Beano, and so far it has helped my stomach noises for the past two days. My noises and gas are usually massive during the morining. When my stomach noises started up this morining, I took a Super Digestaway along with Beano and noises were gone within 5 to 10 minutes. I also, eat yougurt because I heard that it is also good for your digestive system.

I don't have a cure or solution, but this has helped me for the past two days and counting.

Good luck, and let me know if this works for you or anyone that reads this message