IBS? (tmi in places)

[mrsflibble]

ok bit of back story. for the past few years (yes: years, please dont have a go at me for ignoring this) i have been having random tummy pains and inconsistent poop (from day to day it's never normal, it swings from liquid to constipation so severe I tear...) and i often poop mucous. I get bloated too, but never really noticed it 'cos I was about 5 st over weight.

anyways, last tuesday i had the random tummy pain and thought nothing of it until the evening when it got so bad it was like labour pain again. James ended up calling an ambulance ad for once I didn't argue with him and pretend to be fine.

Well, after numerous internal examinations, various drs, nurses and orderlies asking if i could be pregnant, writing down the answer then waiting til james left the room and asking again (what part of "my husband had a vasectomy, it wasnt the cauterised kind, i only sleep with him" do they not get?) and a 2 hour stint on a gynae ward, the diagnosis has come back as IBS. i had no idea how painful it could get.

Ok, i have antispasmodics from my GP and have changed my diet with her help but i am still trying to work out my own particular triggers. something I had yesterday has messed me up royally today and i have no idea what!

So, my questions are:
1. what can i do naturally so i dont have to take the antispasmodics all the time? or should i suck up my iner hippy and just take the goddamned medicine?
2. how the heck do i work out what my triggers are?! i already know excess grease and too much red meat do it, but i am starting to worry about bread too....

[Loobyloo]

Hi Mrs F,

I can totally sympathise with you on this one. I get bouts of IBS irregularly but its always horrible when it appears.

I have had to go for months without eating wheat before as it is one of my triggers but once the IBS is under control I can reintroduce it gradually and will be fine for up to a year before the next bout comes along.

The best way to work out what your triggers are is to keep a food diary, write down everything that you eat and when and how you feel. It should gradually become apparant what are problems.
For me stress and emotional trauma are also triggers but wheat is my worst foody one, some people I know have problems with garlic, spicey food, etc so it may be completely different triiggers for you.

As for medication my doctor put me on colpermin which is just peppermint oil in capsules that don't dissolve until they get to your intestines. They are really good and peppermint oil is natural and you can get them over the counter too, no need for a prescription. (although make sure you follow the instructions, if you take them at the wrong time, after eating I think, you get bizaarely minty poos )
You could also (or instead) start drinking peppermint tea after every meal as it soothes the whole digestive system. There are also loads of other herbs and spices that help digestion, I can't list them all at the mo as I'm at work but if you google natural remedies for IBS you should turn up a few.

Hope thats of some use to you and that you feel better soon!

Loobyloo

[Millymollymandy]

Medication, goodness me, things have changed! When I saw a doc about it (decades ago) I was told to take a tablespoon of bran a day (or was it 2?) to increase the fibre in my diet. That actually made it worse.

Stress is a big trigger. However I just get it now and again, although sometimes it can be 3 or 4 evenings in a row then nothing for weeks on end. It's the stomach ache that I get but I'm fine if I lie down as it goes away. Can be bent over double in pain if standing up though! It's just something I've lived with since I was about 13 years old.

Probably worrying about it makes it worse! Anyway my sympathies Mrs F.

P.S. What's TMI stand for? I know it as IBS or Spastic Colon!

[StripyPixieSocks]

Yep, I have IBS too and it's a nightmare, for me dairy in the morning can set me off very badly so I can't have cereal or anything with milk or cheese if it's the first thing I eat in the day.

Soluble fibre is the best remedy which is in things like porridge (or more precisely oats) so add a handful to bread mixes or things like Shepherd's Pie and what not.

Keep a food diary and note times when you get flare ups of IBS and your triggers will soon become apparent to you!

There's also places like this: http://www.ibsgroup.org/ which could help you as well.

There's loads of information around on the net about it, just make sure it's from a reputable source and not one of these 'Hi, let me tell you how wonderful this book is and it only costs ninety nine ninety nine and with it you can cure anything blah blah blah'

You do learn to manage it slowly and ward off alot of the painful flare ups but stress can also bring it on so try (I know it's hard) to keep your stress levels down as much as possible :)

[mrsflibble]

thanks peeps...




tmi means too much information. i put it on there 'cos i was talking about poo!!

[TheGoodEarth]

I think the psychosomatic element is a major factor in IBS. A couple of people I know only ever suffer when they are really stressed or worried about something. So chill if you can.

[Masco&Bongo]

My OH has IBS, which is triggered by a lot of processed foods, but also fatty red meat and very spicy food.

However, his biggest trigger is stress... his tummy goes funny whenever we go somewhere new, or eat out somewhere unfamiliar, or in an unfamiliar situation.

He has antispasmodics, which he carries everywhere with him, but only takes if he feels the need to. He will often take 2 before we eat out. As much as he hasn't wanted to rely on medicines, they are invaluable in helping him to have a 'normal' life

[ellie12022]

Another IBS sufferer here. Stress can upset the tummy but I have found my stomach is difineitely sensitive to what goes in it. Also hormones play a part with me too (too much oestregen really bloats me up)

What has helped me tremendously is the Blood type diet, this helped me to start really identifying what foods affect me (it was impossible before) and explains why. I recommend visiting www.dadamo.com for more information.(there is a wonderful forum on there too, with so many helpful and lovely people) It is still an ongoing process but at least I do have some control and have had to learn a lot about my genetic heritage in the process!

If you suspect hormones may play a part this website has a lot of information, and this page lists what foods are herbs are oestregenic http://sensiblehealth.com/Journey-04.xhtml

It may take time but don't give up. There is hope.

[Ellendra]

The best advice I can give, as a fellow sufferer, is find something that is NOT a trigger and eat only that for several days, then gradually reintroduce things. Me, I lived on chicken broth for a long time, but I got better because of it.

Make note of not only the trigger, but also what it does. When your tummy settles down, you can sometimes mix opposing triggers and they cancel each other out. For instance, if strawberries give you diarrhea and milk makes you constipated, you might be able to eat them together safely.

Learn to ignore dietary advice that treats all people as interchangable. Your triggers are not the same as mine. And the fiber and fresh spinach that some vegetarians live on would probably kill me.

Don't be afraid of salt. I and several other IBS sufferers that I know have found that it sometimes helps settle the tummy. If low-salt diets aren't working, try adding some in.

Oh, and once you learn your triggers and have recipes that work, being able to can up meals-in-a-jar helps a lot!

[Ellendra]

I forgot to add, sometimes its not the food that irritates, but the air in the food. Fluffy breads, ice cream, carbonated beverages, etc can introduce air to the digestive tract which acts as its own trigger.

[ellie12022]

Interesting point about the air, Ellendra..

One thing that can help me also is peppermint tea with (ideally) fresh grated ginger or powdered ginger.

Chamomile tea may help as well, it is very soothing & healing to the digestive tract and was actually prescribed for me when I got ill in Romania(I cannot have this very often as it is too oestregenic).

[Thomzo]

Fellow sufferer here too. Mine tends to be the windy type. I was first diagnosed when I got such painful stomach cramps I fainted. The doc gave me antispasmodics but they made me sick and didn't really help.

Stress is a major factor for me as well. But I also find that if I don't eat regularly then it really flares up. If my stomach is empty, the gas builds up and gets trapped. I'm now in the habit of having small, regular meals. It gets a bit difficult if I'm out or stuck in a meeting but most of the time it really helps.

Coffee is another trigger for me and hormones play a part too.

You probably have a bit of an idea what's setting it off if you've been having symptoms for some years but a diary will help.

Best of luck, I hope it settles down soon.

Zoe

[Millymollymandy]

tmi means too much information. i put it on there 'cos i was talking about poo!!

lol I thought you meant it was known as TMI in some places i.e. countries!!!

[Silver Ether]

My diet is water to drink/coffee herble teas not fruit they kill me.
nothing containing wheat it just kills me ... so no bread biscuits, tinned souups, sauces unless I make them. I survive on veg,potatoes,some fruit but not much, fish by the ton.

in fact a ceileacs (sp) diet is close to mine ... and been like this for years. If I try to readd anything I am even worse than befor I eliminated them.

Porridge ...I am just trying an oragnic Irish one as I believe it isn't contaaminated with wheat like regular oats are. And Fibre arrrrrrrrrrrgh keep it away.

[prawncracker]

I get occasional symptoms like yours and also occasionally a severe pain in my right side which I thought was due to the IBS (occasionally worried it might be grumbling appendix if there is such a thing).

I took peppermint and aloe vera which didn't help the pain. Have since found out there is a mid cycle ovulation pain that some women get called mittelshmertz (sp?) and this is what i appear to be getting every month on the same day. It can be quite severe sometimes, but normal painkillers help a bit. This might not be what you experienced but it answered some questions for me

Incidentally - have you been checked for gallbladder trouble? I have two friends who suffered a lot of pain for a while and for some reason docs refused to believe it might be gallstones, but it was.