IBS? (tmi in places)

[Susie]

Sorry it's an awfull subject,

No, it could have been a far worse subject. You could have been telling us about how industrialisation is TERRIBLE AND WE MUST DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT NOW or how if everyone just drank juice we would all be thin like whippets, or, I shall not even mention vaccines. IBS is fine ;-).

I get IBS (although the main symptom I get is pain). As far as I can tell, my triggers are:

1/ stress
2/ menstrual cycle (sorry, that doesn't help you)
3/ sugar
4/ coffee
5/ alcohol.

I can manage any of them up to a point, but if I have too much of a combination of a few of them I somehow go over a tipping point and have an attack; it's the same triggers I have for migraines (I can't imagine they're related, but I do wonder). It also helps my stomach generally if I don't eat too much processed food and cook most things myself, that isn't an anti-processed food rant, it's just what seems to have worked (although, when I'm in the grip of an attack I only want to eat things in tins, so go figure) - when I ate a lot more processed food I had about 1 attack a fortnight (but I also had a lot more stress then and that affected things).

Sympathy from me, IBS is rubbish, also I think unless you have it it's difficult to believe quite how painful and debilitating it is!

[fifi folle]

I had bowel issues after several courses of antibiotics, put up with it for ages, tried colpermin etc after docs diagnosed IBS (had the joy of colonoscopy too) but they did nothing. Ended up trying colon hydrotherapy. Nurse I saw diagnosed thrush in the bowel, put me on yeast free, sugar free diet and some supplements and after a few months I was so much better (and lost 3 stone!)
It's a bit extreme but worked for me.
Are they testing you for coeliac? Could it be dairy intolerance? It may be worth keeping a food/symptom diary.

[boboff]

Well I don't eat allot of bread at the minute.
Not sure when I am seeing Bowel Boy, so unsure of what the tests are.
I am starting a food diary as well.
I never really thought of potatoes as a trigger ( thats coleac? is it?) and as I eat lots of those I am going to avoid for a day or too and see how I get on, just as a starting off point really, oh and I am going to stop the Diet Coke & coffee, which I do over indulge in.
How Hum, Bo diddly, I just hope it helps me feel better if I can get it sorted.
Thank you anyway for your comments, it helps.

[fifi folle]

coeliac is gluten allergy. I'm sure they'll do lots of checks. The colonoscopy is a camera up the bum to check for any weird stuff and sometimes take tissue sample.
Hopefully it's something simple!

[oldjerry]

I've changed my mind,wasn't going to post on this.I'm no Dr. but I've been in and out of Gastro depts. for the best part of 30 yrs.My advice would be to bone up on all the symptoms and possible outcomes and specifically have your gasterenterologist eliminate them one by one.(So, Diverticulitis,Colitus,Crohn's,etc etc,).I've found the quality of Gastro depts. to be patchy,and there is a tendancy to palm people off with a diagnosis of IBS (a painfull and debilitating condition in it's own right.).Don't be scared of Colonoscopy,it ain't that bad.

In terms of dealing with it,as some have said,stress doesn't help,change you're diet by all means if it helps,but don't get TOO strung out about that,it all contributes to the stress.(obviously Coeliacs are different).I've had acute Crohn's since the 80's,several drains and sections(in fact I was going to ask them to fit an abdominal zip!) I 've concentrated on the ethereal stuff that interests me (don't ask) because so much of this stuff is played out in your head.So don't give your head time to feel ill,my daily 5-6am toilet break is spent reading Blake,I like to think he'd have appreciated that.Any how,still don't know if it was right to post,everyone's different,but cut down the stress. Genuine best Wishes to you all.

[boboff]

Sorry to hear that Jerry. Thanks for the advice. I've not read Blake, one of the advantages of a 2 second BM I suppose!

[boboff]

This has moved on a bit.
I know that internet diagnosis is dodgy, but I have an outpatient appointment now in May.
I have been dieting, and then not, and part of the low fat diet was not eating bread, then one day off the diet I had a couple of sandwiches with sausages! Now I not only had quick BM but I felt like absolute crap, tired and fed up. I thought then wheat was best avoided and haphazzardly tried and didn't work all that well ( who knew some crisps have wheat in them! After about 10 days I did feel allot happier in myself, went out and had a KFC... Felt ill and tired and fed up for days. Read up on internet then, and found Gluten intollerance can give the IBS symptoms and the tiredness and depression stuff. Since then I have been allot more carefull, and started shopping at the free from counter a bit more. The thing now another 10 days on, I feel so so so so much better. I don't feel fed up, my guts don't hurt, and I have ENERGY!!!!!

It really is a revalation to me, how it has stopped me feeling tired, I thought I was depressed about my Mum being a cow when I was a kid, but actually it was (hopefully) just Gluten!

So do any of you lovely people have any comments or tips on a Gluten free lifestyle? I am not finding it hard to eat what I want, and have been using the Maize and rice flours etc in cooking.

I just hope that I am right and this isn't a co-incidence etc.

[demi]

i used to have IBS in high school when i was living off pot noodles and 1/2 deep fried pizzas.
the stomach pain was crippling and i often passed out on the bathroom floor.
the doctor told me to eat more fruit and veg ( as i hardly ate any at the time ) i became really health concious from this point on.
became vegetarian and started eating loads of fruit and veg and my IBS went away. although it was replaced by my eating disorder but i'v rarely been bothered by IBS since
i was sent for a colonoscopy too but freaked out at the last min when i realized they werent going to knock me out for it bums are exit holes only!!!

[the.fee.fairy]

Funnily enough Boboff - It could be the sausages!

I have had IBS for about 15 years, and my trigger is pork. I can't eat pork products, like the meaty products (gelatin is fine, and so i lard). I can't eat it in the UK, but here it's fine. I think its to do with something the pigs are given, either in their feed, or in some kind of hormone or something.

Here in China i watch the piggies running to market, and they're usually fed a diet of veg and leftovers. Their meat is fine, but one bacon sandwich in the UK sits me on the loo for a while...

[boboff]

I cooked a massive Ham for Easter SUnday, and have been picking at it all day! Still only 1 slice left!
Thanks, I don't know really, the shock for me though was relating the tiredness and lethargy to food, it's a revalation actually, and since I have avoided bread I feel better, so a few loose stools here and there I can cope with.

[oldjerry]

Glad your feeling a bit better..I'm sure one of the most effective treatments is to CHILLAX!.... (as my daughter would say.)

[Thomzo]

Bob, why not try gradually re-introducing wheat products that aren't bread? I've recently worked out that bread is one of my triggers but pancakes and pasta aren't. Apparently, the way the eggs bind with flour makes it different to the flour/yeast combination in bread. Fortunately, cakes don't seem to bother me either.

Another of my triggers is being hungry. Sounds odd but if I get to the point that my stomach is rumbling, I get an attack. Well, actually, I don't get to the point where my stomach is rumbling as I'm in too much pain by then. The problem is that if I then eat, I pass out. I've learned to eat small regular meals which makes losing weight a nightmare but I've found that a glass of squash (not plain water) is enough to stop the pain temporarily which allows me to get something sensible to eat.

Some people swear by real garlic to alleviate symptoms but others say that it causes them.

Zoe

[boboff]

Sound Advice Zoe, thank you.

I am happy at the minute "detoxing" a bit, as I feel better, it's not a big issue, lots of spicy chilli's and rice etc!