Hi
Thanks for the update!
I am sorry but muscle spasms are one of the most stressful symptoms of IBS. There are many things you can do to lessen the discomfort until you meet your gastro doctor.
"Keep a stress diary. Persons with an irritable bowel have an intestinal system that overreacts to food, stress, and hormonal changes. "Think of your irritable bowel as a built-in barometer, and use it to help you determine what things in your life are most stressful," “Log in your food and beverage intake, too. Certain foods and beverages, just like stress, can activate an irritable bowel, so it's also helpful to record in your diary the foods and beverages that give you the most trouble.”
“Add fiber to your diet. Many people with IBS do much better simply by adding fiber to their dietsFiber tends to be most effective with people who tend toward constipation and small, hard stools, but it may also help you if you're suffering from diarrhea. The best fiber to add to your diet is the nonsoluble type—found in bran, whole grains, fruit, and vegetables.
Call psyllium seed to the rescue. An easy way to increase your fiber intake is with crushed psyllium seed,
Go easy on the bran. If you are adding fiber such as bran to your diet, add it slowly to give your body time to adjust. Too much fiber, too fast, can produce gas”
Read more on this link: http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/47/86.cfm
Hope this helps. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!
Thanks so much for your response! Since my mom had colon cancer, that's always my first concern but I've had regular colononscopies every few years for the last 10 years. I am now 57 had my last colonoscopy a few weeks ago. My doctor finds the polyps and always removes them so no problem there. I have been diagnosed with IBS and GERD. Doctor put me on 30mg previcid which I'm been on for a couple of months but it doesn't seem to help. I have also been having excrutiating muscle spasms. Is there a connection between muscle spasms and some of the conditions you mentioned above? II have an appointment set up with my Gastroenterologist for July 30th so I guess I'll have to hang in there for the next 30 days. Hope he gets to the bottom of this.
Hi
Thanks for writing to the forum!
You could possibly be suffering from Celiac Disease/Ulcerative Colitis/Irritable Bowel Syndrome/Crohn’s disease/ GERD. I would strongly recommend you to see a gastroenterologist (a specialist who looks after the diseases of our digestive system). A number of times a gastroenterologist is able to diagnose these conditions by clinical examination and detailed medical history. Blood tests to rule out anemia, stool test to look for white blood cells, sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy etc are used to diagnose ulcerative colitis. Braium meal and follow through, endoscopy etc are done to rule out GERD, Crohn’s disease etc. Irritable bowel syndrome is diagnosed by elimination of other causes. Gluten is a complex protein present in four main grains---wheat, rye, barley and oats. If you have gluten intolerance, then you probably have celiac disease or Non Celiac gluten sensitivity. There are blood tests called celiac test to detect gluten intolerance.
Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!