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Frequent Bowel Movement, Lower Abdominal Cramps, Loss Of Appetite And Nauseous. Sign Of IBS?
Question: Hello! Could you please confirm if the following symptoms correspond with IBS: diarrhea (or sometimes if not diarrhea it's unusual stools, watery), occasional low abdominal cramps, regular spasm/palpitations in low abdomen especially at night, loud gurgling noise from intestines (especially at night), increased frequency of bowel movements, feeling the urgency to have a bowel movement especially after a meal and feeling better after having the bowel movement, feeling that bowel is not fully emptied, chills, loss of appetite, loss of weight, sometimes nausea? Please note that CT scan, blood and urine test came back normal. Doctor suspects IBS but he did not give an actual diagnosis. He recommended probiotics therefore I would like to know if Florastor can help with IBS (with diarrhea) and if this can be taken with a bacterial probiotic, like Bacillus Laterosporus (BOD)? Thanks.
Hello!
Thank you for the query.
Yes, all mentioned symptoms can be explained by IBS. But, before such diagnosis, all other possible reasons of such symptoms should be ruled out. CT scan, blood tests and urine analysis is not enough to do that.
Yous symptoms can be caused by inflammatory bowel disease, large intestine polyps or even colon cancer. Severe intestines infection is also possible
Diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea can be a symptom of partial bowels obstruction. Weight lost is very neglecting symptom.
I suggest you to have colonoscopy performed, abdominal CT with oral contrast (called enteroclysis - regular CT wont tell anything about intestines), stool tests for parasites and pathologic bacterias.
Rifaximine treatment (400 mg 3x1 for 7 days) is always worth to try and gives many positive responses with such symptoms.
If all this tests will come negative, food allergies should be also checked. To do that, elimination diet should be order.
Only after all this tests, IBS can be diagnosed.
Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.
Thank you for the query.
Yes, all mentioned symptoms can be explained by IBS. But, before such diagnosis, all other possible reasons of such symptoms should be ruled out. CT scan, blood tests and urine analysis is not enough to do that.
Yous symptoms can be caused by inflammatory bowel disease, large intestine polyps or even colon cancer. Severe intestines infection is also possible
Diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea can be a symptom of partial bowels obstruction. Weight lost is very neglecting symptom.
I suggest you to have colonoscopy performed, abdominal CT with oral contrast (called enteroclysis - regular CT wont tell anything about intestines), stool tests for parasites and pathologic bacterias.
Rifaximine treatment (400 mg 3x1 for 7 days) is always worth to try and gives many positive responses with such symptoms.
If all this tests will come negative, food allergies should be also checked. To do that, elimination diet should be order.
Only after all this tests, IBS can be diagnosed.
Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you for your quick response. Would an ultrasound help? Also, is the use of probiotic recommended in this case?
Thanks.
Thanks.
Hello!
Ultrasound is very sketchy test, good for gallstones diagnostics and large tumors. However accurate intestine examination can not be done with this test. Probiotics can be used, it always improves intestines function and protects from bacterial infection.
Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.
Ultrasound is very sketchy test, good for gallstones diagnostics and large tumors. However accurate intestine examination can not be done with this test. Probiotics can be used, it always improves intestines function and protects from bacterial infection.
Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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