Stomach Problem Any Idea What It Could Be?

Question

ok for almost 4 weeks now ive had these stomach problems..so i wake up i have this upset stomach pain and have to go to the bathroom every time it would be diaherra or broken up or just loose..for these 4 weeks i havnt been eating as much as i usually do cause there isnt much i can eat right now ive been eating very bland..some days when i first go to the bathroom i go like 4-6 times back to back within an hour thats not all the time then i eat dinner and for the rest of the night i feel like i have to go but cant i have occasional pain through out the day sometimes pain in my back but i dunno if thats because of what i have or from going to the bathroom so much i feel hungry alot cause like i said im not eating as much as i do when im healthy i went to the dr he thinks it is ibs i dont have insurance so he couldnt send me to a stomach dr so he gave me prevacid and said it should clear in a few days its been a week since i saw him still pretty much the same any idea what it could be?

by the way it all started with me getting light headed and having tightness in the chest me and family think its cause of this bronkaid medication i started taking and mixing it with my inhaler and other medications i went to the dr they took a chest xray ablood and urin and found nothing so i was told to wait it out that all went away and the stomach got worse after that so now its just the stomach

i think i do have acid reflux but i dont have heart burn or any pain my chest for the last week especially after starting the prevacid and from what i know about ibs i dont think it would be constant like this like right now theres not a moment where i feel normal

i proably should have mention that i did try a few different over the counter meds over the weeks i tried pepto and pepto max and i try mallox pills and mallox liquid and then he gave me the prevacid and clidinium

like i said if it were ibs would be constant and ive been eating bland for 4 weeks toast,rice,steamed plain chicken and nothing has changed

yes i basically have done the brat diet just added steamed chicken into it this week cause im very hungry but cant eat anything

Answer 1

Home Treatment
For most people who have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), home treatment may be the best way to manage the symptoms. It is also helpful to learn all you can about IBS so you can effectively communicate concerns and questions to your health professional.

Although there currently is no cure for IBS, careful attention to diet and stress management should help keep your symptoms under control and perhaps even prevent them from coming back.

Diet modification
In many people who have IBS, eating may trigger symptoms. However, for most people, there is not a particular type of food that triggers symptoms.

Increasing the amount of fiber in your diet can help control constipation. High-fiber foods include fresh fruits (raspberries, pears, apples), fresh vegetables (peas, brussels sprouts), wheat bran, and whole-grain breads and cereals. Beans such as kidney, pinto, and garbanzo are also high-fiber foods, but they should probably be avoided if gas is one of your symptoms.

You can take steps to reduce the possibility that certain foods will cause symptoms, such as avoiding or limiting gas-producing foods (including beans and cabbage), sugarless chewing gum and candy, caffeine, and alcohol.

Controlling irritable bowel syndrome with diet
Stress management
If stress seems to trigger your symptoms, the following may help you better manage stress and avoid or ease some IBS episodes:

Keep a diary or journal of your symptoms as well as life events that occur with them. This often helps clarify the connection between symptoms and stressful occasions. Once you have identified certain events or situations that bring on symptoms, you can develop ways of dealing with these situations.
Get regular, vigorous exercise (such as swimming, jogging, or brisk walking) to help reduce tension.
A hobby or outside activity can provide a break from stressful situations.
Psychiatrists, psychologists, hypnotists, counselors, social workers, and biofeedback specialists can provide methods for coping with stress.
Because there are no structural problems in the intestines of people who have IBS, some people may think this means that the symptoms "are all in their head." This is not true. The pain, discomfort, and bloating are real and have many different causes that can be addressed to help relieve symptoms.

While the symptoms are quite real, psychological factors often play a role in the development of IBS. People who have IBS are more likely than people without the condition to have depression, panic disorder, or other psychological conditions.4 Acknowledging these factors may help you and your doctor successfully manage your condition.



Topic Overview
What is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is an intestinal disorder that causes abdominal pain or discomfort, cramping or bloating, and diarrhea or constipation. Irritable bowel syndrome is a long-term but manageable condition.

What causes IBS?
The cause of irritable bowel syndrome is not well understood. In IBS, the movement of the digestive tract is impaired, but doctors can find no change in physical structure, such as inflammation or tumors. The symptoms of IBS are thought to be related to faulty communication between the brain and the intestinal tract, which causes abnormal muscle contractions in the intestines.

What are the symptoms?
The main symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome are abdominal pain or discomfort that occurs along with constipation or diarrhea. Other common symptoms are bloating, mucus in the stools, or a sense that you have not completely emptied your bowels.

Many people with IBS have alternating periods of constipation and diarrhea, but often one problem is more common than the other. A given episode may be milder or more severe than the one before it, but the disorder itself does not become worse over time. Irritable bowel syndrome does not lead to more serious diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease or cancer.

IBS is one of the most common intestinal disorders. Most people's symptoms are so mild that they never see a doctor for treatment. However, some people may have troublesome symptoms, especially abdominal cramps, bloating, and diarrhea.

How is IBS diagnosed?
Irritable bowel syndrome can usually be diagnosed from symptoms. Your health professional will conduct a medical history and physical examination. In most cases, a few additional tests-such as stool analysis or a sigmoidoscopy, which allows a doctor to examine the inside of the lower part of the intestine (colon)-are needed. IBS is diagnosed when a person has the typical symptoms of the disorder and routine tests have ruled out other possible causes.

How is it treated?
Irritable bowel syndrome is a long-term but manageable condition. Active involvement in treatment is important to managing it successfully. Treatment is adapted to fit individual needs and usually focuses on changes in diet and lifestyle, avoiding foods that trigger symptoms, and managing stress. Medications may also be used.

Symptoms
An expert panel has outlined a list of symptoms common in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Doctors often use this list of symptoms, known as the Rome II criteria, to distinguish IBS from other intestinal problems. However, people who don't have all of these symptoms may still have IBS.

You are believed to have IBS if abdominal pain or discomfort is continuous or comes and goes for at least 12 weeks (need not be consecutive) during the past year, and two of the three following conditions occur:4

Pain is relieved by having a bowel movement.
The frequency of bowel movements changes.
The stools' appearance or form changes.
The presence of any of the following symptoms supports a diagnosis of IBS. The severity of your symptoms will indicate the classification of your IBS.

Bowel movement patterns
In IBS, your pattern of bowel movements varies at least 25% of the time. Two or more of the following may happen:5

Bowel movements may occur either more often (diarrhea) or less often (constipation) than usual, such as having more than 3 bowel movements a day or less than 3 per week.
Bowel movements may differ in size or consistency (may be hard and pelletlike, pencil-thin, or loose and watery).
The way stools pass changes. You may strain, feel an urgent need to have a bowel movement, or feel that you haven't completely passed a stool.
You may have bloating or a feeling of gas in the intestines.
Other intestinal symptoms
Some people may have lower abdominal pain with constipation that is sometimes followed by diarrhea. Other people have pain and mild constipation but no diarrhea.

Symptoms that are sometimes present include intestinal gas and passage of mucus in stools.

Nongastrointestinal symptoms
You may sometimes have other symptoms that don't affect the intestines, such as:

Anxiety or depression.
Fatigue.
Headache.
Unpleasant taste in the mouth.
Backache.
Sleeping problems (insomnia) not caused by symptoms of IBS.
Sexual problems, such as pain during sex or reduced sexual desire.
Heart palpitations (feeling like the heart skips a beat or is fluttering).
Urinary symptoms (frequent or urgent need to urinate, trouble starting the urine stream, trouble emptying the bladder).
Symptoms often occur after a meal, during stressful times, or during menstruation.

There are many other conditions with symptoms similar to IBS.

Answer 2

Are you doing the BRAT diet? Bananas, rice, apples and toast. Try not to eat too much outside that, and be sure to keep hydrated with an electrolyte solution or gatorade. Even small sips regularly will keep you on the right track. If you're eating the wrong things and not keeping hydrated, this could exacerbate the situation.

Disclaimer to all of what I'm suggesting: I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on TV.

Stomach problems: my husband and I have had quite a lot of experience from it. A few years back I had a bacterial infection or food poisoning that went on for about a month. After two weeks, it seemed to pass. Then after a couple days it came back with a vengeance, including fever and shakes.

Eventually I went on a full course of antibiotics and I stuck to the treatment and it passed. The same thing happened with my husband. 3-4 weeks of diarrhea and upset stomach, finally being prescribed antibiotics and then it went away.

I know how horrible stomach trauma can be. I hope it passes dude and you get better.

Answer 3

hi,
i have ibs and what you describe sounds just like it. though what we eat has a part in this, the major cause is nervousness and stress. our mental state of mind has a major affect on our digestive system...what really irritates the bowel in some people is eating vegies, raw or cooked, and raw fruits. we need to eat a fiber cereal or a fiber capsule found in the vitamin area of most stores. drink extra water... going to the bathroom that often dehydrates our body. never lie down right after eating or you will have backwash up your esophagus. previcid is fine but any over the counter anti-acid will do the same in neutralizing the stomach acids. your back pain isn't associated with the ibs... but it could be to stress. stress affects our whole body in a variety of ways.
no need to go hungry, you have to eat to replenish your body of all the vitamins and minerals that your body is being depleted of by the ibs. do some relaxing body stretches... do some deep, slow breathing to get your body calm... a warm bubble bath..aromatherapy..etc. the less stressed you are, the less problems with ibs. if you have a situation or person causing you stress of any kind, you need to deal with it and get to where it doesn't bother you. i hope this helped. i wish you the best! :)

Answer 4

It may be ibs but the medicine you were given isnt right for you. You should try some other over the counter medications and see if anything helps to clear it up. Pepcid is a good one to try.

Answer 5

it might be acid reflex i have it. Do you feel pain in your chest after you eat? Or IBS that is you get a stomach ache over everythings

Answer 6

You may have Crohn's disease and you really need to see a doctor. Stop messing about with diet and home remedies. You need some tests and a diagosis.