Hi,
Thanks for writing in.
Your symptoms in totality are suggestive of
irritable bowel syndrome. However, IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion and there are several entities that need to be ruled out. These include sprue,
inflammatory bowel disease,
lactose intolerance,
thyroid disorders amongst others.
Till then, I would suggest the following lifestyle changes to help alleviate your symptoms.
a. Have a high fiber diet which will help you relieve your symptoms to quite a great extent. Good sources of fiber include raw fruits and vegetables, multigrain flour etc
b. Have plenty of water. You should be having atleast 2-3 litres of water daily
c. Avoid a lot of caffeine, legumes and any dairy products. If you are limiting your dairy product intake, you would need a
calcium supplement like Tablet
Shelcal 500 mg once a day.
d. See if your symptoms improve by limiting the amount of wheat that you consume. You would need to stop it completely. If there is an improvement, you would need to limit the amount of gluten you consume,
e. Since
anxiety can increase such symptoms, try deep breathing and yoga to relieve anxiety and improve your symptoms.
Also, see a gastroenterologist who can perform a complete evaluation and start you on the proper treatment. In your case, drugs like rifaximin can provide relief.
Hope this helps.
Regards