Options for my friend who has IBS

[FortunateOne]

Hello everyone,

 

My best friend is suffering from a debilitating form of IBS that was due to her diet when she was a model in her teens and early twenties. All the doctors she's seen tell her there's nothing they can do to help her, but the conventional medication that doesn't work. Plus she follows an extreme diet to help alleviate the pain and function for a few days of the week.

 

It's now to the point that it takes her between two to ten hours just to get ready every day before work. Thank God she has an understanding employer, but it's really limiting her personal and social life. Oh, to add more issues she went through successful chemo therapy a few years back for thyroid cancer and is currently taking medicine to regulate her body.

 

Now, as I researched this during the last few years I've suggested that it might be either Coeliac Disease or Candidiasis Syndrome, but I'm no doctor. I did discover that there are some different treatments outside of the United States FDA rules, but I need more information.

 

So, is anyone out in the world with any possible suggestion for treatment or cure can help me find alternative options for this disorder? Or maybe, can I have some diagnostic option to fine tune this to a more specific disorder?

 

Thanks,

MG

[vandgsmom]

I suffered for years with IBS, and then had my gallbladder removed and the symptoms changed.

 

First she needs to get her gallbladder checked, and then if that is all fine, she needs to visit a colo/rectal specialist.

 

They will evaluate many different markers for determining if her IBS is due to some kind of medical condition that can be treated with the drug Zelnorm (tegaserod maleate) or other inhibitors.

 

If not, he can do Pelvic Floor testing, biofeedback, a sitz marker test, etc to see if she has some musculature problem.

 

There are surgical last choice options like a colectomy, but first conditions like ulcerative collitis or Crohns need to be ruled out.

[Lboogie23]

I'm no doctor either, but it seems to me that with all the technology out there that there would be something that could be done about your friends condition, besides the ordinary medication.

You said she has already seen plenty of doctors regarding this issue and they have all given her the same answer, but i would keep researching, and also, keep your eye opened to different doctors. They can't all have the same opinion. Sorry i couldn't be of better help. My sister has IBS and i know it can really interfere with her life, but not to any degree of what your friend is going through.

Good luck, i really hope you can find something for her.

[will_ow]

I lived with undiagnosed Celiac disease for at least 4 years. I had symptoms similar to IBS and was diagnosed with that at one point. Another doctor also thought that it was my gallbladder for a while. If your friend has not been tested for Celiac, she should be. First they do a blood test, and then if that comes back with a positive result they do a biopsy of the small intestine to confirm it. The treatment is a gluten-free diet, which means no wheat, barley, rye, or oats. I felt better within 2 weeks after starting this diet. However, the diet should not be started before the disease is confirmed or it may result in a false negative on the tests. Good luck and I hope your friend finds a way to get better.

[Bethany]

I'm not a doctor either but are you sure it's not Crohn's Disease? Because that CAN be treated or at least stabilised. Also Continence classed as a 'Disibility' and she could have disabilty rights and she should look into it before giving up.

 

Must be hell, I don't envy her.