Another "it wasn't IBS" post
Hello!
I'm writing this post in hopes that I can help someone.
So late 2024, I started experiencing digestive issues. I would have intense gurgling and floating loose stools/diarrhea within an hour or two of eating. The fattier the meal, the worse the consistency and transit time. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, I finally went to see a gastroenterologist. My PCP said it was diet and IBS, but I insisted. Underwent several tests which showed severely low pancreatic elastaste but everything else was fine. I also had a colonoscopy which was normal. Basically, my pancreas is not producing enough enzymes to break down food. So the next step was a CT scan to show why my pancreas is not functioning properly. Well, that came back normal. I have Sjögren’s disease and there's a link with EPI.
So my doctor put me on Creon, prescription digestive enzymes. And when I tell you I feel so much better...I still feel some anxiety when eating because of what I went through last year but nothing like it used to be. My poop sinks, is well formed (tmi lol), and I don't have to worry about being near a bathroom or eating around others or restricting my food to just bread and crackers. I also believe you can get digestive enzymes OTC because this kind of testing is not cheap, unfortunately...
Pancreatic insufficiency is kind of uncommon for my age (32) but I'm just sharing my story in case this may be the cause of someone's symptoms. You can ask your doctor for a fecal elastaste test. I wish you all the best!