Connect
Sudden onset, stomach distress, and inability to eat.
Hi. I posted a couple of months ago I think. In mid November, I suddenly had a really bad attack of what I thought was irritable bowel, but it went on too long. I had eaten an apple and some coconut milk yogurt, and got severely sick about an hour later and couldn’t eat for a week and then finally was able to eat a little bit, but had terrible diarrhea for a week and went to the ER and they did a CAT scan, and said I had inflammation in my lower bowel, which I could feel because it was burning. I’ve had IBS on my life, but I had never felt like this! then I saw my doctor and he wanted me to take an ad acid, but my food felt like it was sitting in my stomach for 10 to 12 hours, so I said no. He recommended aloe vera gel, and I bought some, but I’m highly allergic to all kinds of things and very sensitive, so I never tried it. The burning was starting to go away, so I didn’t think I needed it. I started blending my food and then I was able to eat a little bit more and fast forward to five months later and for the past three weeks I’ve been eating pretty normally, although still blending about half of my food, and I’m always on a bland, mushy diet since they removed my gallbladder in 2012. Well, the other day, I stupidly, decided to try some more coconut milk yogurt, the same exact kind of triggered my stomachache five months ago! Guess what? I was in massive pain all night and I tried to eat half an avocado this morning and I’m in pain and I think I’m gonna go without eating again and I’m scared because I only weigh 82 1/2 pounds. I’m 5 foot four. I can’t believe I did that again. Has anybody else experienced that? When I googled it, it looks like I might have SIBO and the probiotics in the yogurt triggered it. I’m scheduled to go to a gastroenterology clinic this Tuesday and I didn’t want to go because I don’t want to take a bunch of pills or have a bunch of tests. I can’t believe I was feeling better and I screwed it up by eating the yogurt. I’ve also been under a lot of stress lately, but it’s never been like this except for that thing that happened in November. I also had some sleep difficulties when this first came on and I googled it and it’s possible you can get Covid in your stomach (I know someone that happened to) and I had been in a car with someone five days before I got sick, so I thought I might have long Covid. I stupidly didn’t test myself when I first got sick because I’m here alone and I was afraid I would panic. Yes, I’m very anxious. I just wondered if anybody else had reacted to probiotics that way. I was taking probiotic capsules, but they started upsetting my stomach, so I stopped them. Does anyone else suffer from SIBO? Does it sound like what this could be? I’m so scared I’m gonna lose more weight. I can’t believe I was just starting to feel better and had been actually going out of the house which I hadn’t been doing for months because I was so weak. I feel like an idiot. Thank you for any help anybody can offer.
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Digestive Health Support Group.
Connect
First of all, definitely see your doctor. They may be able to help and ease your anxiety.
Try drinking bone broth to see if that helps heal your stomach a little. I am also experiencing stomach upset and that sometimes helps me.
Also, I wonder if you have a food sensitivity?
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionI saw my doctor, but he didn’t do anything. I am going to a clinic though on Tuesday that specializes in gastroenterology. I have tons of food allergies! I’m on a very limited diet. I’m vegan, but at this point, I would probably eat anything that I thought would help me. I can’t have anything that has any spices in it whatsoever, not even a dash of onion powder. I have no idea what’s in bone broth. I’ll check it out. This is so frustrating. Thank you for your help!
@blessedwildapplegirl could it possibly be that you are allergic to coconut … or coconut does not agree either your stomach?
That’s possible. But I also tried some probiotic capsules, and I didn’t take the whole capsules, I opened them up and just took some and put it in some water, and drank it and I used to do that all the time, and it was fine, and then all of a sudden that started hurting my stomach! So I’m confused. I bought a bottle of coconut water at the health food store, but I haven’t tried it yet. I read that it was good for you, but I’m kind of afraid now that it might bother me. It’s a vicious cycle: you have a reaction to something and then you start worrying about everything! And then, of course the stress makes your stomach worse. I’ve had allergy testing done at my doctor’s office before and it told me that I wasn’t allergic to things that I knew I was allergic to! so apparently those tests don’t work. I guess I won’t eat any more coconut milk yogurt. It’s too bad because I love it and I don’t have that many things I can eat. And coconut oil is supposed to be good for you. Oh well! At least I can eat avocados, thank goodness because I don’t get much fat in my diet.
@blessedwildapplegirl
You may benefit from seeing a nutritionist/dietitian in addition to the gastroenterologist. You may need testing to get to the root cause.
Do you think you had food poisoning?
Have you seen a psychiatrist and psychologist to help you with your anxiety? There is definitely a connection between the brain/mental health and stomach/digestive system.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionI’m almost embarrassed to admit that I’ve been speaking with a psychologist for seven years and for the last few years, twice a week, plus I speak with a social worker once a week. Nothing seems to help. I just have too much stress in my life, and I’ve been through too many losses, and I’m suffering from grief and my last family member, my older sister, is slowly fading away with lupus and Alzheimer’s, and I feel like I’m going to die. I’m terrified. So yes, I have tons of stress. All my friends and my support system are 1800 miles away and I want to move back home, and I had planned to go back home for a visit and look around this summer, but then this stomach thing came in November And I wasn’t able to Because now I’m too weak and tired. I feel like every time I take a step forward, something knocks me back. I have no idea what to do, to be honest with you. I eat pretty healthy when I’m able to, but I have many food allergies, as I may have mentioned before. And after they removed my gallbladder, I had to go on a bland, fairly mushy diet. (For the first five years I sub, assisted on steam potatoes and canned carrots and applesauce, and I nearly died because I got so skinny.) Finally, I was able to eat better foods like steamed cauliflower, and broccoli and canned salmon, etc., but that was before my husband passed away. I’m really struggling. Thank you for all your kind suggestions. I’m hoping I won’t be too dizzy to drive to the stomach appointment tomorrow. I just got up after sleeping 9 1/2 hours and I’m so dizzy I could barely walk into the kitchen to get something to eat. I’m eating so I don’t pass out, but my stomach still hurts. It’s either eat or die I guess. I used to think my doctor was good, but I think he’s getting ready to retire and he just doesn’t care anymore. I’m so tired of struggling with this by myself. I’m not sure what to do, to be honest.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionHi,
Probiotics can be the worst thing to try with some forms of SIBO as it can feed the SIBO. If you have SIBO it is not something to be played with. I hope you can make that appointment.
I get periodic flare ups and get straight onto medication as quickly as I can. I keep a two week course at hand for the flare ups so as not to be waiting around for a Dr's appointment.
Stress certainly can affect the stomach but as yet I have not discovered a remedy or found anyone that can stop it. All I have heard is to stop worrying, easier said than done.
Cheers
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionThank you so much for the info. Do you mind if I ask what kind of medication you take? I don’t know for a fact that I have SIBO, but I suspect I do because otherwise I don’t know why probiotics would make me so sick. And yeah, I’m never going to touch them again! And I hear you about the worry. Very difficult to avoid. thank you so much again. I appreciate your input.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionHi,
I have Ciprofloxacin 500mg and Metronidazole 200mg tablets. They do not work with everyone so there is a far more expensive medication in that case. Touch wood always found success with the above. They leave a nasty taste which eventually goes after around 2 weeks off meds. Probiotics have their place but some caution needs to be considered, best to know what you are trying to treat first. If your stomach is totally messed up like I live with then a good prebiotic should be used for the probiotic to live of while esstablishing it'self. In the extreme case of stomach troubles with IBS, probiotics can be just feeding the so called bad yest based enzymes making them ever worse. As far as I remember there are two types of SIBO infection, one I believe is fine with probiotics and the other isn't. I get the methane production.
Anyone with an unhealthy dose of SIBO will undoubtedly think the world is ending for them, far worse than just plain old IBS. After SIBO IBS is a doddle.
With SIBO there are crippling abdominal pains, extended stomach to the point it is difficult to bend at the waist and I usually end up lying down for relief. Typically when I relapse into SIBO it pays to stay around the "throne room" for safety! Along with it goes a fairely bland restricted diet to curtail eating anything that feeds the SIBO.
I'm currently taking probiotics for no other reason than I have them, so why not use them when I can. I would not replace them as I'm well into the incurable and untreatable IBS problems with Autonommia controlling my digestion. I intitially use pre and probiotics to good effect and cleared the IBS but subsequently took another hit and there I stay stuck with it.
Cheers