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My wife with IBS - 4 months and not going away

Hi everyone,

For the last 4 months my wife has been experiencing nausea every morning and it's really severe, as the day goes on the nausea is still present but does ease off a bit.

The last 10 days she also now has diarrhea in the mornings, as well as the nausea. She has now also encountered severe stomach pain, the nausea and pain seems to come in waves and it is extremely bad in the mornings when she is waking up. It can be anytime between 5am and 8am where it's extremely bad and she is unable to get out of bed and is extremely agitated. Also today she is going a wee a lot more and said it feels like she has an infection, whereas frequent urination is a common IBS symptom.

She had a few blood and still tests performed to rule out her thyroid and celiac, they came back negative and all clear. So from this the doctor suggested it's likely IBS with possibly gastritis as well.
The biggest thing for my wife is the mornings, no one can tell us why she feels like this in the morning and why it's more painful at that time of the day.

Has anyone experienced anything similar? Could this be gluten? Or something else? We are totally stumped and at the end of our wits.

On top of this she also had dizziness in the last 4 months, an MRI revealed lesions on the brain (after initial vertigo diagnosis) but the neurologists suggest the brain lesions and stomach issues are not related and 2 separate issues.

I'm reaching out to the masses to see if this is totally normal for IBS and see what worked for some people and didn't for others.
Were looking at a new food plan but the information online (Google) is so contradictory.

She is also on medication to control her sickness, anxiety and Lansoprazole to reduce the amount of acid in her stomach.
She has only just started that but has made no positive effect yet.

Appreciate any thoughts.

Thanks for your time.

  1. Oof I'm so sorry she's going though all of this. It sounds very painful and frustrating. I cannot give medical advice but I can recommend, as well as seeing a doctor, I highly suggest seeing a nutritionist that specializes in gut health. They can help immensely with the relationship between her body and food and help her body start to heal. Seeing a gut health nutritionist has helped me more with my acid reflux and IBS than any doctor has. I hope this helps and that your wife starts to feel better soon. I wish you both the best. Michaela (irritablebowelsyndrome.net Team Member)

    1. I did not leave my message but just wanted to say that peppermint, which is helpful to most people, is a nasty trigger for me, unfortunately. I tend to react badly to most beverages, especially soda, tea (all types) and coffee.



    2. Thank you for sharing , it's so strange how some things can be beneficial to some and triggers to others. I have very strong reactions to carbonated sodas as well. Wishing you all the best, Karina (team member)

  2. Thank you Michaela I will certainly look at doing this for her. Great advice

    1. You're welcome! Glad I could offer some advice. Michaela (irritablebowelsyndrome.net Team Member)

  3. I’m so sorry for what your wife is going thru. A nutritionist is a great idea. I know the dr said her brain lesions and gut issues aren’t related. But I’ve heard the gut is your second brain! So….🤷🏼‍♀️ Has she had a colonoscopy? An endoscopy? She might start there. Was she checked for H pylori? That’s treated with antibiotics. My IBS usually starts with stomach cramps. Then if it gets bad enough I get nauseous. When a spell is over I’m tired, weak, and my lower back hurts. I could have issues for a couple days or just the one time. IBS has so many different ways to show itself. She could have IBS along with something else. Do certain foods bother her? Chamomile tea calms my stomach down. Maybe she needs to see an allergist, too. My heart goes out to you and her. Don’t give up! Keep searching for answers. Those answers are out there. Find the right doctors, too. Keep going. She will figure this out. 👊🏻

    1. Thank you for your encouraging words! That's what is so great about our community-we're all here to support each other up. Thank you for being a part of that! Best wishes, Michaela (irritablebowelsyndrome.net Team Member)

  4. I'm so sorry she's going through this, it's beyond hard 🙁 Did they check her gallbladder function? That can cause this as well for sure. The lesions also are concerning, make sure they don't rule out MS if she starts having other issues non stomach related. Praying for ya'll!

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