Sunday, March 24, 2024

Does Ibs Cause Fatigue And Weakness

Must read

Fatigue: A Distressing Symptom For Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Why Does Irritable Bowel Syndrome Cause Fatigue?

Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

University of Gothenburg Centre for Person-Centered Care , Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

Department of Internal Medicine & Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

University of Gothenburg Centre for Person-Centered Care , Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

Department of Internal Medicine & Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

University of Gothenburg Centre for Person-Centered Care , Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

Center for Functional GI and Motility Disorders, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

Department of Internal Medicine & Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

University of Gothenburg Centre for Person-Centered Care , Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

Correspondence

Sofie Jakobsson, RN, PhD, Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Box 457, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.

Correspondence

Gas And Bloating Within 90 Minutes Of Eating

Although excessive intestinal gas and bloating are common symptoms in IBS, the timing of the onset of these symptoms can provide you with some valuable information.

It generally takes about 90 minutes for any undigested carbohydrates to arrive at your large intestine, where they are set upon by gut bacteria, resulting in a fermentation process that produces gas.

Therefore, if your gassiness shows up prior to that 90-minute mark, it could indicate that you have more bacteria in your small intestine than you should. This is a condition known as small intestinal bacterial overgrowth . SIBO is diagnosed through the use of hydrogen breath testing and can be treated with select antibiotics.

If your gas and bloating happen within an hour and a half of eating, it doesn’t mean that your doctor was wrong about your IBS. It is just that it might be worth your while to be tested for SIBO.

Remember that these conditions are relatively rare and it is possible that your diarrhea after eating is simply a symptom of your IBS. But, if reading about these conditions makes you wonder, discuss your thoughts with your doctor.

How Does Nutrition Impact Fatigue With Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer-related fatigue is often made worse if you are not eating enough or if you are not eating the right foods. Maintaining good nutrition can help you feel better and have more energy. The following are strategies to help improve nutritional intake:

  • Meet your basic calorie needs. The estimated calorie needs for someone with cancer is 15 calories per pound of weight if your weight has been stable. Add 500 calories per day if you have lost weight. Example: A person who weighs 150 lbs. needs about 2,250 calories per day to maintain their weight.
  • Get plenty of protein. Protein rebuilds and repairs damaged body tissue. The estimated protein needs are 0.5-0.6 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Example: A 150-pound person needs 75-90 grams of protein per day. The best sources of protein include foods from the dairy group and meats . These are general guidelines. Be sure to discuss your specific protein needs with your doctor or a registered dietitian.
  • Drink plenty of fluids. A minimum of 8 cups of fluid per day will prevent dehydration. . Fluids can include juice, milk, broth, milkshakes, gelatin, and other beverages. Of course, water is fine, too. Beverages containing caffeine or alcohol do NOT count. Keep in mind that you’ll need more fluids if you have treatment side effects such as vomiting or diarrhea.
  • Also Check: What Can I Take For Diarrhea While Pregnant

    Pain Unrelated To Bowel Movements

    The official diagnostic criteria for IBS specifies that abdominal pain and cramping related to bowel movements. Although many patients will tell you that that is not always the case, in IBS there is a sense that their pain and cramping is related to their diarrhea or constipation symptoms.

    Any persistent pain symptoms should be brought to the attention of your physician. If you already have an IBS diagnosis but suspect that your pain is not typical of IBS, tell your doctor immediately.

    The Weird And Wonderful Symptoms Associated With Ibs

    Fibromyalgia Center

    People with IBS often suffer from additional symptoms outside of their digestive tract. Doctors call these extra-intestinal symptoms. These symptoms are sometimes linked to the digestive tract. But at other times they can affect other parts of the body that seem to have nothing in common with the gut.

    Those strange, seemingly unexplainable symptoms you have could actually be related to IBS!

    The GI-related symptoms of IBS include:

    • Abdominal pain and/or cramping
    • Constipation
    • Diarrhea
    • Gas
    • Anxiety
    • Irritability

    If youve already tried to get conventional treatment for IBS, you know how frustrating this can be. It only becomes more challenging when your IBS causes fatigue, headaches, or anxiety. Thats because medical professionals often dismiss these symptoms as they dont realize they are related.

    And unfortunately that includes fatigue. Even though IBS and fatigue usually go hand in hand. Ill show you why IBS makes you tired in the next section!

    Recommended Reading: Align Probiotic Capsules

    Try An Elimination Diet

    Its important to identify your individual triggers. To do this, your doctor may recommend an elimination diet. This involves:

    • removing certain foods and drinks from your diet
    • monitoring your symptoms for improvement
    • slowly reintroducing these foods one at a time

    Keep a food journal to track what you eat and drink and log any IBS symptoms you develop. This technique helps pinpoint foods or beverages that cause your attacks.

    An elimination diet might reveal a gluten sensitivity. If so, maintaining a gluten-free diet may improve your symptoms. If you introduce wheat, barley, or rye back into your diet, your symptoms could return.

    Similarly, your symptoms may improve if you avoid high-gas vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli.

    Can An Irritable Bowel Cause Fatigue

    Its difficult to say whether IBS itself can cause tiredness, but theres evidence to show they are often found together.

    One published study looked at 24 previous studies to search for a link between IBS and fatigue and found that there was a very strong correlation between the two more than half the IBS patients studied felt tired for much of the time.

    Also Check: How Do You Stop Heartburn

    Effects Of Inflammation On The Gut

    Patients with CFS manifest symptoms suggestive of disturbed gut function, such as abdominal pain, diarrhea and/or constipation . Under both physiological and pathological conditions, the ENS, the intrinsic innervation of the bowel, regulates intestinal mucosal function and coordinates the activity of the GI tract. The ENS is a component of the autonomic nervous system with the unique ability to function independently from the CNS . Enteric ganglia are organized into two major ganglionated plexuses, namely the myenteric and submucosal plexus, and contain a variety of functionally distinct neurons, including primary afferent neurons, interneurons, and motor neurons, synaptically linked to each other in microcircuits.

    Risk Factor: Some Members Of Your Family Have Ibs

    IBS-C and Chronic Fatigue Cure with Functional Medicine – #LifeAtOptimal

    Its very common to see familial trends in IBS. If your mother, sister, and aunt have IBS, you might have it, too, Dr. Quigley says. But a clear genetic pattern hasnt been found. Right now, its uncertain if genetic factors are at play or if its something in the shared environment that impacts disease prevalence. Next, learn some easy ways to naturally relieve IBS symptoms.

    Recommended Reading: Is Align A Good Probiotic

    Risk Factor: You Suffer From Fibromyalgia

    Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory, and mood issues. Researchers believe that fibromyalgia amplifies painful sensations by affecting the way your brain processes pain signals, notes the Mayo Clinic. According to Dr. Quigley, 50 to 60 percent of fibromyalgia patients also have irritable bowel syndrome.

    Possible Ways The Conditions Are Connected

    So, whats the connection between the two conditions? Dr. Chang says that many factors may contribute to the development of both conditions. Here are some possible scenarios.

    1. Post-infectious syndromes IBS sometimes develops after a stomach bug or food poisoning, says Chang. Likewise, chronic fatigue syndrome has been seen in people after a bacterial, viral, or parasitic infection. In fact, in chronic fatigue, one of the biggest theories is that some sort of infection is causing the symptoms, she says.

    Studies from Norway have linked Giardia infection, or giardiasis, with both the development of IBS and CFS. The most recent study, published in 2018 in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, tracked what happened after the parasite got into the water supply in Bergen, Norway, in 2004. In total, more than 1,200 exposed patients had confirmed giardiasis, causing diarrhea, stomach pain, and other intestinal problems, that was traced back to the outbreak. The long-term study followed nearly 600 individuals who recovered from the infection and compared their health with people who had not been infected. At the 10-year mark, 43 percent of the exposed individuals had developed IBS, compared with just 14 percent of those who had not been affected. CFS was reported in 26 percent of the infected group, compared with 11 percent of the others.

    RELATED: Gut Bacteria May Influence Whether Youre Successful on a Diet

    Recommended Reading: What Does It Mean When You Keep Having Heartburn

    Other Reasons For Overlooking Ibs Symptoms

    Most of us have been taught that its not polite to discuss bowel habits in society. Too often, people are willing to overlook symptoms rather than get them diagnosed. This is never a good idea. If your symptoms are IBS, modern treatments can help keep them under control. Even though there is no cure for IBS, you can reduce the discomfort. If your symptoms turn out to be something more serious, getting an early diagnosis will make treatment more effective.

    Carolina Digestive Health Associates has some of the best gastroenterologists in the Charlotte region. Dont let misconceptions about IBS symptoms or embarrassment prevent you from getting tested and having your condition diagnosed. Contact Carolina Digestive Health Associates and schedule an appointment today!

    Is Sibo A Root Cause Of Fatigue

    What is the Link Between IBS for Weight Gain or Losing ...

    Early on in my functional medicine career, I thought SIBO was the root cause of many different gut pathologies. I was confident that SIBO caused IBS. Yet whenever I treated SIBO with antimicrobials or antibiotics, my patients symptoms either marginally improved or didnt improve at all.

    SIBO was not a root cause of fatigue. SIBO was a symptom of fatigue. But I couldnt explain why it was this way. It wasnt until I did a deep dive into toxic mold illness and its connection to fatigue that I figured it oute.

    The illness caused by toxic mold is known as Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome or CIRS. Ive come to learn that CIRS is almost always at the root cause of chronic fatigue syndrome. And I say that with a great deal of confidence.

    Don’t Miss: Lactobacillus Deficiency Symptoms

    What Happens After Surgery

    Nothing, really.

    Good surgeons are able to leave healthy parathyroid glands intact. It is helpful to get enough calcium after surgery so that they do not have to work too hard.

    Once the first few weeks have passed, the remaining glands pick up the slack for those that were lost and the calcium balance is normal again.

    Risk Factor: Youre A Woman Under Age 50

    For unknown reasons, women sufferers outnumber men two to one, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The form of IBS tends to differ by sex, as well. Women are more likely to experience constipation and bloating, while men are more likely to have diarrhea, Dr. Quigley says. Irritable bowel syndrome becomes less common after people reach their 50s. Whether thats due to the hormonal changes of menopause, or alterations in the gut bacteria that come with age, or something else connected to aging, no one knows, says Dr. Quigley. Learn which foods you should avoid if you have irritable bowel syndrome.

    Don’t Miss: Salad Gives Me Gas

    Is Ibs Even A Real Condition

    IBS is a common chronic GI disorder that involves problems with how fast/slow contents move through your intestines and how your brain interprets sensations in the bowel.

    More than a tenth of the worlds population is affected by IBS. Thats 836 million people! Yet only a third of those people will seek medical help.

    IBS can occur in any age group, though it is most common in people between the ages of 20- and 50-years-old. It is also a disease primarily reported in the first world, making it likely that there is a connection to the modern, industrialized diet, as well as the higher stress levels found in modern-day careers.

    In all likelihood your hunter-gatherer ancestors did not suffer from IBS. The diet of your ancestors did not include chocolate bars, microwave dinners, or takeout. While I cant say for sure that modern convenience foods cause IBS, they certainly dont help. And they may very well be contributing.

    Just like chronic fatigue, irritable bowel is a syndrome, not a disease. That means it is a collection of symptoms. There is no specific cause of IBS. Unfortunately this means that without a cause it is difficult to manage syndromes like CFS and IBS in conventional health care.

    When you dont know the cause, finding a solution becomes challenging. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to better manage both your IBS and your fatigue.

    Are There Different Types Of Sibo

    Adrenal Fatigue and IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

    SIBO comes about through two different types of bacteria:

  • Methane-producing.
  • A combination of both hydrogen- and methane-producing bacteria.
  • SIBO associated with hydrogen overproduction:

    An overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine may cause hydrogen dominant SIBO. These bacteria ferment unabsorbed carbohydrates before they are broken down. This fermentation creates hydrogen gas as a byproduct. In hydrogen dominant SIBO, the main symptoms tend to be loose stools and/or diarrhea.

    SIBO associated with methane overproduction:

    This type of SIBO is due to a microorganism called archaea. Archaea actually isnt a bacteria but something called a prokaryote. In the gut, archaea can use the hydrogen gas produced by other bacteria and create methane gas as a byproduct. High methane levels are often associated with constipation, which may be a symptom of this type of SIBO.

    Recommended Reading: Laxatives For Weight Loss Pro Ana

    How Does Exercise Impact Energy Level

    Decreased physical activity, which may be the result of colorectal cancer or its treatment, can lead to tiredness and lack of energy. Scientists have found that even healthy athletes forced to spend extended periods in bed or sitting in chairs develop feelings of anxiety, depression, weakness, fatigue, and nausea.

    Regular, moderate exercise can decrease these feelings, help you stay active, and increase your energy. Even during cancer therapy, it is often possible to continue exercising. Exercise also improves the outcome of patients with colorectal cancer.

    Here are some guidelines to keep in mind:

    • Check with your doctor before beginning an exercise program.
    • A good exercise program starts slowly, allowing your body time to adjust.
    • Keep a regular exercise schedule. Exercise at least 3 times a week.
    • The right kind of exercise never makes you feel sore, stiff, or exhausted. If you experience soreness, stiffness, exhaustion, or feel out of breath as a result of your exercise, you are overdoing it.
    • Most exercises are safe, as long as you exercise with caution and don’t overdo it. The safest and most productive activities are swimming, brisk walking, indoor stationary cycling, and low impact aerobics . These activities carry little risk of injury and benefit your entire body.

    Whats Behind Ibs Fatigue

    “We don’t have a definitive answer for why IBS causes fatigue, but we do know that there is an extreme form of fatigue known as chronic fatigue syndrome that tends to occur with IBS, and researchers think that an imbalance of good and bad bacteria in the gut may be responsible for both conditions,” Dr. Bulsiewicz explains. When the bad bacteria outweigh the good in the gut, IBS symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation or fatigue may occur.

    When a team of researchers analyzed stool samples from 50 people with CFS and 50 without this condition, they found clear differences in bacteria patterns among those with CFS. What’s more, 21 of the 50 people with CFS also had IBS, and their bacterial milieu was different from that of their counterparts who had just CFS. In particular, people with IBS had higher levels of a type of bacteria called Alistipes and lower levels of a type of bacteria called Faecalibacterium.

    These findings, published December 2017 in the journal Microbiome, suggest that dysbiosis, or the imbalance of bugs in the gut, may be a smoking gun, and if this proves true, diet may play a big role in reversing IBS fatigue, Dr. Bulsiewicz says.

    Read More:Foods That Make You Tired

    Don’t Miss: Does Turmeric Give You Diarrhea

    Fibromyalgia Symptoms You Should Know

    Fibromyalgia, commonly referred to as fibro, is a painful condition that increases the bodys sensitivity to sensation, causing pain. Because this condition cannot be diagnosed by traditional tests, it can sometimes be difficult for patients to receive a definitive diagnosis. Doctors rely on the presence of symptoms to determine if the patient may have fibromyalgia.

    If you experience pain and tenderness on a regular basis, but cant explain it, it is possible you may have fibromyalgia. Your doctor can discuss your symptoms with you and investigate other causes or potential treatments for your pain. Here are some of the common symptoms that can indicate fibromyalgia.

    Experiencing Fatigue After Using The Bathroom

    Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Fibromyalgia and CFS/ME ...

    A small number of patients also report a feeling of tiredness or faintness after a bowel movement.

    Jane has had symptoms since the age of 14 and says I continued feeling ill, tired, foggy-brained and generally awful. Although the chronic fatigue has eased, boy it comes back with a vengeance when I have had a ‘toilet episode’!

    Its not entirely clear what causes this feeling, although it could be linked to the vagus nerve which is stimulated when we bear down to use the bathroom. Stimulation of this nerve can cause a drop in heart rate and blood pressure through something called vasovagal syncope .

    Usually, this will be a short-lived symptom and unless you are fainting, probably not something to worry about.

    Read Also: Does Peanut Butter Cause Heartburn

    More articles

    Popular Articles