pi-ibs and feel like my life is over
Hey all.
Back in May I believe I had a bout of food poisoning at a bbq and since then I’ve had continuing issues with my gut where I’ve never suffered before. I’ve been in and out of doctors, have had multiple tests and been to hospital a couple times and I’m not getting anywhere. It’s effected every part of my life, im a 21 year old university student who loves to go out and cook and now I can barely eat, I never leave the house, I haven’t been in work for over a month and I am suffering badly mentally. Even on good days I’m terrified and anxious to leave the house and when I do I feel as though I’m going to have a panic attack. I’m feeling quite alone in this and would really appreciate some support if anyone has ever experienced something similar. I feel like my life has been taken away and I’m trying to get it back but this pi-ibs is ruining it 🙁
I’m supposed to go back to uni in a month and I’m terrified!
Hi
, I'm so sorry that you're dealing with all this. 🙁
From what you said, your symptoms sound quite severe. Among the tests you've done, have you had stool tests and blood work to check for infections or other illnesses?
I've had food poisoning that resulted in severe ongoing symptoms once, and it was because of an unresolved infection that I needed antibiotics for. Once I took those, I was back to normal.
Our Health Leader Hess has shared his experience with post-infectious IBS here: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/did-food-poison-cause-my-ibs, if you're interested in reading it.
I could also imagine that your digestive system has started reacting to certain foods after your food poisoning. Have you tried keeping a food diary (https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/food-journal-download) yet? After that bout of food poisoning I mentioned, I had to give up gluten completely, although I was still able to eat small amounts before that.
In some cases, I've also found probiotics to be helpful after an illness, but that of course depends on the situation. The ones that have helped me in the past were Saccamoyces Boulardii and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus.
Please don't give up advocating for yourself. I really hope that you'll get some answers and relief soon.
Big hugs, Karina (team member)
