The IBS Journey

Hi everyone,

Welcome to my blog.

I have had post-infectious IBS for over two years now and am suffering from daily abdominal discomfort. As a result from this illness I have been unable to work, socialise and do activities that I love, such as dancing.

I started with this problem not being aware of the seriousness of the condition until a year later when I showed no signs of improvement and the negative impact it was having on my life.

I started proper treatment of this condition a year after my infection in India with the help of my partner and his mother who is a doctor.

Timeline is as follows:

November 2010
Got amoebiasis from what I believe was contaminated bottled water. Symptoms included green diarrhoea, frequent vomiting, nausea, high fever, urinating blood, dizziness, numbness of hands and feet, blurred vision, drop in blood pressure, and severe gastroenteritis.

December 2010 - January 2011
Returned from India parasite free, but was having abdominal discomfort. Attempted to relieve discomfort by eating Yakult. Went back to work full time.

January 2011 - June 2011
Symptoms began to worsen with strong nausea. Went to see a doctor who prescribed Nexium. A couple of weeks to a month later symptoms were not improving and it was too difficult to cope with therefore decided to take four months off work to attempt to resolve the problem. Continued taking Nexium. Went to see a Gastroenterologist who performed a gastroscopy and found that I had GORD (reflux). He prescribed Somac. Months went on and no signs of improvement.

June 2011 - February 2012
Went back to work full time but was still struggling to cope with the symptoms. Went to see a Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner. Every weekend I was getting acupuncture and everyday drinking herbal medicine. I reduced socialising drastically just to try to cope with it all. Although I thought things were manageable my health took a turn for the worse at the beginning of 2012. My body no longer could even slightly cope I reached a point of daily dizziness, abdominal pain and heavy nausea. I had to take the year off work.

February 2012 - now
The year of 2012 I have been dedicating this time to recovery.
To date have seen the following:
- 3 gastroenterologists
- 3 dieticians
- 1 psychologist
- 1 homeopath
- 4 general practitioners
- 1 traditional chinese medicine practitioner
I have undergone the following tests:
- blood tests
- urine and stool tests
- 2 gastroscopies
- 1 colonoscopy
- a number of ultrasounds
- solid and liquid gastric emptying tests
- chest x-rays
- and probably more that I don't remember
What I've discovered I have:
- Gastroparesis
- PI-IBS
- GORD
- Intestinal Hypersensitivity
- Low enzyme count
- Bacterial imbalance

This blog focuses on my IBS journey in 2012 and will continue into 2013.

I hope that all those suffering will find a solution and feel better soon.

Shikha