Back pain and IBS

im glad to have read these comments....i definatly think im suffering with ibs, i also get unbelievable pain in my right flank area most nights, more so painfull a week before i get my period?? that relieves when i lay down with a hot water bottle on the painfull area, or if i pass wind, or go to the toilet, the pain comes in waves, that i can only describe as feeling like labour pains, 3 times so far, the pain has gone into my right flank area, and was constant, not in waves any more, i got rushed into hospital with suspected kidney stones and pumped full of morphine to stop the pain, and sent home with no diagnosis, and after numerous tests, scans and x-rays, they cannot find anything wrong with me, i hear ibs is hard for a doctor to diagnose?? im back in hospital this wednesday, i have taken notes form this forum, and will be telling him, i seriously think i have ibs.......

My pain seems to be moving round my body during the current bout. It's covered the lower back/pelvis area, my RH side, the upper back/shoulder blades, and epigastrium with trapped wind feeling. Have also been finding that lying down in bed triggers the need to open bowels, which is a new one for me.

On this occasion I'm blaming gardening. Have been doing an awful lot of it recently, with much bending and stretching which seems to put pressure on and irritate the bowel. Also think I aggravated it by stretching & weight exercises at the gym. Last week I was able to rest up a lot and it went off but as soon as I went back to the exercise class, back it came.

Being anxious about it makes it worse too.

LISTEN UP FOR SOME GOOD ADVICE

I suffered from IBS for last 12 years.

My problems started around 6 months after of getting food poisoning but this was also a very stressful period in my life, so the exact cause is not known.

Trust me, diet changes are rarely the answer for curing IBS. Eating little but more often is best as the bowel seems to get more distressed when eating more volume of food. Of course a better diet will make you generally feel good over time and eating less processed foods is best anyway.

I can eat a curry and be fine or just a glass of water will set it off. However, some foods may trigger it more often when in a period of IBS and if you notice one in partiular then avoid. If anything boiled potatoes are less reactive. Often it rarely is one food type. When the stomach feels fine you can eat anything and it will not trigger it.

It is a mystery illness that seems to be triggered for no apparent reason.

I believe its basis is in stress related or psychological changes. Some chemicals in the brain related to mood, Seratonin are also present in the gut to regulate function. The spasms or cramps are due to the muscles in the gut not working properly. But the direct cause is not known by the medical profession.

Anxiety, stress or worry will make it worse.

Pain symptons start with cramps in stomach, bloating and enlarged abdomen. You may feel pain, ache and tenderness in the lumber or upper back region. In fact both front and rear of the trunk feels affected by IBS but generally go when the IBS is subdued. You may have problems disgesting food with wind at both ends. Passing wind and emptying the bowels seems to help with cramps. I also notice my saliva is very frothy. Faeces are with muscus and not well formed. You can feel tired and fatigued during bouts.

All of these symptons disappear when IBS is subdued.

Sometimes excercise will also bring on the onset of IBS.

Dont eat much when you have bad IBS. It only triggers the worse symptoms and you lose the nutition through diarrhea. Only problem I have I that I eat only once a day now through habit and have lost weight but feel tired a lot. Psycologically I have no confidence in eating much food.

I have found Meberevine 135mg or trade name Colofac will subside the bloating and cramps and most associated trunk pain. This works very very well! However, you are never far away from the next bout.

Eating less but more often helps and more than likely you can monitor your own triggers and adjust accordingly. It just very worrying when you dont know what it is.....and the doctors piss about diagnosing it. They are USELESS!

**I have been still taking mebrevine but for the last 6 months & IBS free apart from one bout. I have been carefree, going out drinking, eating fast food, staying out late and been fine. So my guess its more stress than anything.

Do you believe any stress relieving methods such as acupuncture could help at all?

If IBS has some physiological basis then I cannot see acupuncture working. It needs a medical cure or treatment. However it is so widespread but no single identifying cause is attributed to it.

I have tried all the fibre bulking agents, linseeds and general advice..........and staying up late, sedentry life and drinking has seemed to help! I had a huge fried chinese meal the other week and not a problem for weeks. Work that out?.....so maybe it is neurologically linked between stress hormones. Flight or flight syndrome possibly?

So if it is based on that then any treatment, alernative remedies, maybe yoga or accupuncture or whatever that convinces the mind all is restful then why not.

People are looking for a one fix solution without knowing what causes it. All I know is mebrevine relieves the symptoms very well.

yeh I was initially put on mebeverine and it helped for a while then my symptoms worsened again so i'm now on colpermin peppermint oil capsules but again although they worked initially I seem to be getting worse again so I was wondering if all me worrying about what i'm eating and how it will make me feel could be causing some symptoms ... it's all so complicated but i'm finding it hard to go out and do much at the moment only recently I had to leave a meal with the girls as I got bad cramps after eating and had to go to the loo

Yup they started me on colpermin too, didnt do a thing...except make the loo smell nice!

Watch colpermin, make sure it swallowed and not crunched that peppermint oil is quite strong outside of the gut. Try both maybe?

Of course a stressful worry of "will my ibs effect my evening out" is a worry.....and that adds to the anxiety. The cramps are painful and debilitating I know.

Just eating less and try to relax, take the meds and hope.

Dont expect a fix on the nhs as the docs are only worried about the £160,000 lump sum and £60k a year pension.....i feel sorry for them having to deal with the dreggs like me.

I complained about the attitude of my doctor for accepting it so long without investigation........ I said I expect my condition to be taken seriously and if not I will complain. She replied "Complain, I dont really care. Do it." I find this totally unprofessional. If a person responsible for my health has this manner, I do not feel I am being adequately given due care.

That's definitely not on! I'm thinking about changing my doctor too as i don't feel he is taking me seriously!

Thank you for the advice it's good to know i'm not the only one feeling like this i've been so emotional with all this at the moment i'm running out of people to cry on haha I'll try both tablets and making sure these ones are intact thank you xx

Oh loads suffer in silence from it but some peoples stomachs are more sensitive to it so obviously want a satisfactory solution. You arent alone but thats no help at 2am sitting on the loo in pain.

Personally I think its anxiety attack for the stomach hence they cannot prove it. Some antidepressants relieve it....so I think I am on the right track.

Or all these chemicals on/in the food are having a reaction with the immune system in certain prone to it.

Plus I am ugly, so that makes me feel even worse...Bwhahaha lol