1. Community
  2. Gut, bowel and stomach
  3. Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Recurrent bowel spasms

Posted , 6 users are following.

mike5188
mike5188

Hi all,

Just to introduce myself a bit, my name is Mickael, I'm a 27 year old French living in the UK since not long (February).

It has been 9 years I have been having recurrent and very painful bowel spasms now, as you can imagine during these years I have tried ton of different things and done many sacrifices to sort it out. 

I have seen many doctors, gastroenterologists, taken plenty of different pills/medication (against constipation for example which worked and made bowel spasms a bit less painful but didn't prevent them from happening), done several clinical tests such as colonoscopies, fibroscopies, biopsies, scans, changed my life routine to eat healthier and sleep longer/better, etc... no avail... 

And when I say "it has been 9 years I have been having recurrent and very painful bowel spasms now" it is not one every 6 months, I must have had something like hundreds of them.... sometimes several times in the same week... each time making me KO, unable to work or

whatever....

SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND : even though bowel spasms are indeed extremely painful in my case THE PAIN HAS ACTUALLY NEVER BEEN THE PROBLEM, the main problem is as they are unpredictable, not bearable (as so painful) and therefore need to be relieved right away or... you know what I mean, consequently being able to find toilet has become like a PSYCHOSIS in my daily life, each time I'm outside I'm worried/scared one happens being in the incapicity to do what I have got to do (go to toilet) and the worst is as I know bowel spasms are (often) triggered by stress I'm actually worried/scared to be worried/scared and possibly make one happens ... vicious circle...

Obviously that has had very bad impacts on my life, I stopped going out apart from working, I lost many friends, stayed single 5 years, became kind of antisocial in short...

Until recently I thought I had found out the cause(s) as it seemed finally over (I stopped 2 things in the same time in September 2013 and consequently I have actually no idea which one helped... yes I know not very smart... I was tired to fight so I tried everything) : 

- I stopped smoking after 11 years smoking (I was a very big smoker : ~ 2 packets/30 cigarettes per day)

- I stopped eating gluten (anything based on wheat flour)

As said above I was almost sure I finally figured out the reason (whatever it was : cigarette or gluten) causing these bowel spasms poisoning my life as right after stopping the 2 above things bowel spasms stopped happening... 

You can't imagine how happy I was ! It was like living again as I could finally, after 7 years living everyday in fear, go out without worrying about being able to find toilet or not on my path...

But in last May (2015) (I'm almost sure it is because I ate something out of date but I'm not doctor so no certitude) bowel spasms started again... and the hell with them...

Since they keep happening, not as often as before but the psychosis is back and I live in fear again... 

Having run out of solutions and therefore hopes has made very depressive and I'm now starting having very bad thoughts...

So this is a help call, if you are in the same situation or was or have any idea which might help my condition please let me know.

Mickael.

 

1 like, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • philippa61759
    philippa61759 mike5188

    Posted

    IBS symptoms don't generally go away permanently.   They usually go into remission and then come back.  If you haven't already tried the Fodmap diet, you could give that a go to see if any foods are causing irritation.

    If you are getting symptoms again, this will make your anxiety worse.  I have mild IBS pain all the time but I don't need as much medication as before.  My pain and anxiety was at its worst while waiting 3 months for a diagnosis, having tests and seeing 8 doctors which terrified me because I have a severe phobia of all things medical.  I try as much as possible to avoid doctors because any time I need treatment, something goes wrong.

    • mike5188
      mike5188 philippa61759

      Posted

      Hi Philippa,

      Thanks for your response.

      I'm actually doing the Fodmap diet right now but for the moment it hasn't improved anything as I had a bowel spasm this morning...

  • david44367
    david44367 mike5188

    Posted

    Hi Mike 5188

    I know exaclty where you are coming from you seem to go round in ever decreasing loops and there is no answewr it must be one of the most horrible complainte I am thinking   I have been having councelling to try and help  but it does seem there is no known spolution  So we have to struggle on each day and you are young yet  I have also been to a dietician but they dont seem to understand the problem fully either they did suggest trying the Foodmap  see Phillipa has mentioned it asa well   Good luck my friemd what do you do for work by the way is it stressful at all   ?   Take care

    • mike5188
      mike5188 david44367

      Posted

      Hi David,

      Thanks for your response even though it doesn't really reassure me to be honest wink

      I'm IT technician specializing in telecom and yes unfortunately it is pretty stressful, especially that I deal with British customers who obviously speak english which I'm far from mastering....

  • margaret423
    margaret423 mike5188

    Posted

    It sounds as though you have had a stressful few months - you have moved to a new country, you have a new job and having to communicate in a new language - all of which are stressful on their own.  It could be that stress is the main contributor to your present problems, rather than what you eat.  Have you considered using any relaxation techniques, such as hypnotherapy.  There is a lot of information on how to deal with all aspects of IBS on this website:  http://www.theibsnetwork.org.  It is particularly useful on information about the relationship between stress and IBS.  There is a subscription of £24 a year, but I find it well worth the money.

    Good luck!

    • mike5188
      mike5188 margaret423

      Posted

      Hi Margaret,

      Thanks for your response.

      I had already heard about hypnotherapy and intended to give it a try anyway, thanks for the website I will have a look.

  • irene92935
    irene92935 mike5188

    Posted

    Hi Mike, its a real problem finding a loo in time.  On the IBS network a previous reply mentioned, I believe you can get a letter to show to businesses to explain your need and to ask them to let you use their toilet.  This would widen the options when you are out and about.  You can also buy a disabled toilet key as IBS counts as a disability for this.  This means you can get more privacy if like me your spams give you a noisy explosive release.  My doctor said there are two medications which are effective and put me on Apercap 0.2 ml gastro-resistant capsules of peppermint oil I take one  before meals about 30 - 60 minutes before.  They have certainly helped me.  I am currently wondering about fluid intake.  I have just been away and didn't drink as much tea, water etc as I would at home and I seemed to be better.  Don't know whether there is anything to this as its just a new thought but I will be monitoring fluid intake for a while to find out.  The other thing I discovered is that I am better not eating large meals.  If we go out for a meal (even if I stick to Fodmap o.k. foods) and I eat more than usual that seems to trigger a spasm.    With the peppermint oil I am finding I can reduce the urgency factor which takes some of the stress of finding a toilet away.  If I keep strictly to Fodmap o.k. foods and use the peppermint oil I can manage to feel normal.  Keep trying and keep watching the forum for new ideas.
    • mike5188
      mike5188 irene92935

      Posted

      Hi Irene,

      Thank you very much for your response and all your advices.

      If I resume : 

      - Apercap 0.2 ml gastro-resistant capsules of peppermint oil

      - monitor how much fluid I drink

      - avoid large/heavy meals (eat too much in one take basically)

      Ok I will ask my doctor for the 1st suggestion.

      I had never thought about the second one, interesting point, how fluids could influence spasms? (I'm not judging, i'm really interested)

      Regarding meals I had also noticed that, especially very fat ones.

      By the way I have read somewhere that it is advised for IBS patients to not eat in one take but in several little ones, I will give it a try as well, nothing to lose...

      Thanks again.

  • sam18386
    sam18386 mike5188

    Posted

    Hi mike I think you need to ask your doctor about i.b.s - this sounds like this condition.  I.b.s can come after doing something wrong with food like eating the wrong thing.  I hope your doctor can help you and your English is fantastique!

     

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.