IBS and Weight Loss
Hi! This is my first post, so I will try to keep this brief. I am in my late 40's. I have had IBS-D for many years and have been doing great up until the beginning of March. I went to a dinner party on March 5 where I had new food that I never had before. Felt like I had mild food poisoning or the food didn't agree with me for 2 days. At this point, I started looking at houses to purchase and where I am, the market is insane. On the 12th, I had chicken cooked by someone else at a function. Seemed to be okay. On the 16th, I had a long talk with a therapist about my worries I won't get a house before my apartment lease is up in June. She said to trust more in God and to let it go. I agree because it isn't my timing, it's God's and to hand things over to him. Later that night, I had about 3 BM in one sitting. I just exploded (sorry). Also, I had the loudest gurgling I have ever had in my intestines. Ever since then, things have not been normal. I have had watery diarrhea off and on since and broke down last week and took Kaopectate pills. I went to my nurse practitioner on the 22nd and she said it was probably related to stress. I had also lost 5 pounds since January when I was last there. I don't lose weight easily. She chalked it up to the diarrhea. She said wait and see and if things get worse, she would order tests. Things haven't gotten better and I had a stool test (so far negative for parasites), good blood work and they took X-rays of my abdomen chest, all normal. Thank God and I am happy about. But, I lost another pound. I still have an appetite. Diarrhea had no blood. Thankfully, not any pain. No one seems too concerned about the weight loss but I am. I also had a colonoscopy in July 2020 because I was losing weight and had diarrhea but was also moving and it was normal. Guess my question is, has anyone had diarrhea and lost weight like me? Normally, I have a flare with IBS for a few days and go back to normal. Sorry for the long post but this has been bothering me a lot all month.
Forgot to add that I had normal BM's since yesterday.
Thanks for sharing your story and reaching out. Weight loss is something that many struggle with during a flare, absolutely! Glad to hear that your diarrhea has stopped since yesterday and that you've been so persistent in getting checked out. It sounds like you've done a great job communicating with your doctor and getting the tests and lab work done. This article from one of our contributors on weight loss may be helpful to you: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/weight-gain. I'd encourage you to continue to speak with your medical team about it if you continue to lose weight or have concerns. Wishing you continued relief ahead. Best, Kelly, Irritablebowelsyndrome.net Team Member
Hi Kelly,
Thanks so much for responding and your kind words. I did read the article and can sympathize. But, I am eating and still losing weight, which is concerning. I will definitely keep following up with my doctor. Thanks!Just wanted to throw this out there if anybody can read and respond. I did leave a message for my NP, so I am waiting to hear back from her. How long after regular BM's do you gain the weight back that you lost? Since my post, mine have been normal but my weight has stayed the same. I think for the most part I am eating normally again, although not eating a lot of snacks or dessert after dinner, which is good I know. I am just trying to get a better idea for piece of mind. Thank you!
Thanks for updating us. Hope that you are still feeling better and on the mend. It's hard to say how long before you start gaining weight again. Everyone is truly different. You can start by recording what you eat and consider using a free app to track your calorie intake. That will give you a good idea if you're eating enough calories to support gradual weight gain.
You are certainly on the right track to focus on making healthy food choices, however if weight gain is the first priority, you may need to add in more calorie-dense foods to achieve that. Be sure to speak with your doctor about any concerns and to set some achievable goals for yourself. Best, Kelly, Irritablebowelsyndrome.net Team Member
