Gnawing in stomach, is it IBS? - Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Message Board

rockmom · 02-07-2008, 08:39 PM

Hello all!

I could use some of your IBS expertise! I have had an extremely uncomfortable gnawing in my stomach with gas, bloating. I also tend to have difficult breathing during these episodes. It was so bad I ended up in the emergency room. I went to a gastro and he did an upper endoscopy. He didn't find an ulcer and said it looked like I had a little more gastric fluids in my stomach than normal. H Pylori came back negative, as did Celiac disease. I do have some constipation. He's hell bent on IBS and wants me on Elavil and Xanax. I'm not sold yet. Can you have the discomfort in the exact same area every time? My discomfort/pain doesn't move around. It's always in the same upper abdominal area. Anyone know about this? Thank you!!!

eihcet · 02-08-2008, 01:11 PM

Ay other tests? Any other family problems that may be a factor to other causes (diabetes, etc) Did they check on your gallbladder with ultrasound or hidascan? If not / either way you can try changing your diet up a bit to see if it improves conditions before going on the meds (or even to compliment them).

If you have gallstones you could make things worse by getting the bile going and moving things around and getting one lodged in a duct, so would be better to get checked first but if you search on Gallbladder Diet or Celiacs Diet and try and cut back on processed foods and sugars (eat healthy foods, fruits/vege's/rice/water, avoid transfats and saturated fats) you may help yourself before they can tell you what's wrong.

Some supplements are good to, but, hard to recommend without knowing more. DGL Licorice, Ginger, and Mastic Gum can help with unsettled stomach.

rockmom · 02-08-2008, 06:22 PM

Thank you for the reply! I did have an ultrasound on my abdomen but everything came back normal. Blood tests were normal. I've started to pay more attention to what I'm eating and how that affects my stomach. At this point I can't make any clear distinctions other than spicy foods and carbonated drinks bothering me. The strange thing is that I can eat a food one day and nothing happens, but eat it another time and I'm back to the gnawing, breathing problems and bloating. Another thing, my symptoms used to wax and wane. I could go for a while without a spell. I went off birth control pills a couple of months ago and now I am much worse. Any correlation? Also, besides diet, are there any more natural supplements like probiotics or digestive enzymes that might work?

Thank you!