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Suggest Treatment For IBS

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Posted on Mon, 24 Nov 2014
Question: My 13 year old daughter feels sick every morning and every night. Also she needs to empty her bowels after each meal. What could this be? She also loses alot of hair after each wash.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Shoaib Khan (2 hours later)
Brief Answer:
?? suspecting irritable bowel syndrome

Detailed Answer:
Hello ma'am and welcome.

Thank you for writing to us.

I have gone through your query with diligence and would like you to know that I am here to help. Based on the provided information, only one condition comes to my mind that can be linked to all the symptoms she is experiencing, it is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Before I explain the symptoms of IBS, I would first like you to understand a few facts about IBS, as better understanding can often help to completely relieve symptoms. IBS in most cases presents as episodes, and comes and goes. The reason why it is this way, is because IBS has certain triggering factors (food and drink), that cause the symptoms to appear. When these triggering factors are consumed, the symptoms of IBS appear. Let me list some of the most common triggering factors for your reference, but please also note that different individuals can have some extra triggering factors as well (in addition to those I am listing below). They are:
-Chocolate
-Caffeine (coffee, some medications, some chocolates)
-Popcorn
-Milk and dairy products
-Gluten and gluten-containing products
-Fried/oily/fatty food
-Carbonated drinks
-Spicy food
-High fiber diet
-Alcohol
-Bread and cereal
-Chips
-Cookies
-Large meals
-Some vegetables and fruit (not all) and a few others.
Please also note that not all these factors need to trigger symptoms of IBS in your daughter, but most of them do.

Symptoms of IBS include the following:

+Abdominal bloating
+Increased flatulence especially after eating triggering factors
+Diarrhea or constipation especially after eating triggering factors
+Need to visit the loo to pass bowels almost immediately after eating triggering factors
+Pain and cramping in the abdominal region which is only relieved once your bowels are cleared (usually diarrhoea)
+Constant mild pain around the rib
+Increased mucus passed along with the stools
+At times blood passed with stools (not always seen)
and a few others.

Now coming to the hair loss part of your query; in IBS when a triggering factor is consumed the intestine gets irritated which causes the symptoms and also the diarrhoea. Each part of the intestine has some role to play, and one of the most commonly effected parts of the intestine is the large intestine which plays an important role in absorbing iron and vitamin B12 from the stool that is passed. If this part of the intestine is irritated and inflamed due to the IBS episode, the iron and vitamin B12 will not be absorbed and so will be lost in the stool.

Vitamin B12 plays an important role in the health of hair, nails, skin, libido, etc. I would thus recommend you to get your daughter's blood checked for the level of 'serum vitamin B12'. It will most probably be low, and if it is then our diagnosis is almost 95 % confirmed. Get back to me with this level, and I shall guide you from there on.

I hope you find my response both helpful and informative. I also hope I have explained things in a manner best understood by you. Please do not hesitate to write back to me for any further clarifications, I am always here to help you ma'am.

Best wishes.
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Shoaib Khan

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2009

Answered : 9409 Questions

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Suggest Treatment For IBS

Brief Answer: ?? suspecting irritable bowel syndrome Detailed Answer: Hello ma'am and welcome. Thank you for writing to us. I have gone through your query with diligence and would like you to know that I am here to help. Based on the provided information, only one condition comes to my mind that can be linked to all the symptoms she is experiencing, it is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Before I explain the symptoms of IBS, I would first like you to understand a few facts about IBS, as better understanding can often help to completely relieve symptoms. IBS in most cases presents as episodes, and comes and goes. The reason why it is this way, is because IBS has certain triggering factors (food and drink), that cause the symptoms to appear. When these triggering factors are consumed, the symptoms of IBS appear. Let me list some of the most common triggering factors for your reference, but please also note that different individuals can have some extra triggering factors as well (in addition to those I am listing below). They are: -Chocolate -Caffeine (coffee, some medications, some chocolates) -Popcorn -Milk and dairy products -Gluten and gluten-containing products -Fried/oily/fatty food -Carbonated drinks -Spicy food -High fiber diet -Alcohol -Bread and cereal -Chips -Cookies -Large meals -Some vegetables and fruit (not all) and a few others. Please also note that not all these factors need to trigger symptoms of IBS in your daughter, but most of them do. Symptoms of IBS include the following: +Abdominal bloating +Increased flatulence especially after eating triggering factors +Diarrhea or constipation especially after eating triggering factors +Need to visit the loo to pass bowels almost immediately after eating triggering factors +Pain and cramping in the abdominal region which is only relieved once your bowels are cleared (usually diarrhoea) +Constant mild pain around the rib +Increased mucus passed along with the stools +At times blood passed with stools (not always seen) and a few others. Now coming to the hair loss part of your query; in IBS when a triggering factor is consumed the intestine gets irritated which causes the symptoms and also the diarrhoea. Each part of the intestine has some role to play, and one of the most commonly effected parts of the intestine is the large intestine which plays an important role in absorbing iron and vitamin B12 from the stool that is passed. If this part of the intestine is irritated and inflamed due to the IBS episode, the iron and vitamin B12 will not be absorbed and so will be lost in the stool. Vitamin B12 plays an important role in the health of hair, nails, skin, libido, etc. I would thus recommend you to get your daughter's blood checked for the level of 'serum vitamin B12'. It will most probably be low, and if it is then our diagnosis is almost 95 % confirmed. Get back to me with this level, and I shall guide you from there on. I hope you find my response both helpful and informative. I also hope I have explained things in a manner best understood by you. Please do not hesitate to write back to me for any further clarifications, I am always here to help you ma'am. Best wishes.