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Back pain and IBS

Posted , 104 users are following.

hazel28
hazel28

I've recently been diagnosed with IBS after a bad bout of what I thought was trapped wind. The symptoms listed in various articles seem to bear this diagnosis out. However, nothing much is said about back pain. My IBS spasms start with bad back pain which then spreads round the right side to the front (I think it's called the epigastrium).

It mainly starts in the evenings and can end as abruptly as it starts for no apparent reason, leaving me feeling pretty tired. Otherwise I go and lie down and it eventually eases off.

Does anyone else get this with IBS?

13 likes, 153 replies

153 Replies

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  • julia79217
    julia79217 hazel28

    Posted

    Hi hazel I have had back and lower abdominal pain daily for around a month and had ibs for about 30 years, it takes over your life with having to go to the loo several times a day ranging from pencil thin poos to pellet droppings and horrendous flatulence, I hate it 😞

  • Gill_Mack
    Gill_Mack hazel28

    Posted

    I am still really suffering with back pain. I was at my GP about a month ago, very constipated and suffering pain in my lower back (sacral area), and lots of left side and bowel pain. My GP was utterly hopeless. I told her I was terrified and anxious and she glossed over it (I have Health Anxiety, Generalised Anxiety Disorder and OCD, so I feel she brushes off a lot of my physical symptoms). I was changed from Fybogel to Laxido and it has certainly worked - I'm pooping LOGS! But the back pain is actually worse than ever. I'm terrified. Worried to death that I have a tumour, ovarian cancer or bone cancer. My husband thinks I'm mad and we regularly argue about it. I'm seeing my GP next week for a double appointment. I really, really need help. I'm suicidal. If I have cancer, I just can't put my teenaged daughters through this. I need help so badly and I also suffer from terrible headaches, joint pain and pain in my legs. If my GP won't refer me, or help me, I honk I might actually jump off a bridge. 

     

    • ice-cream-sarnie
      ice-cream-sarnie Gill_Mack

      Posted

      Hi Gill,

      Anxiety always causes IBS symptoms. IBS is a panic attack but in the stomach. Some of us are just more prone to stress and by the sounds of it you're a wife and mother with all the modern stresses that takes its toll. The body keeps the score....meaning a lot of non serious ailments like IBS are shown up as aches and pains, tension within the body. IBS will cause joint, back and abdomen pain as well as the alternating constipation and diarrhea. IBS is very hard to figure out and during some bad periods, some foods trigger it but not when IBS is less prevalent. The attacks seem to have no rhyme or reason to when they occur. You are not alone. But its mysterious occurrences can often worry the sufferer from thinking it is some terrible disease like cancer. Rest assured, I think you can stop worrying about such illness when you know all your symptoms are the result of IBS. I had back ache, tummy ache, thigh ache, cramps and just a horrible feeling coming from the tummy. When my life went into a very relaxed stage all my IBS symptoms subsided. I could eat normally and everything was fine for a few years. Then my father died and then some weirdo person decided to stalk my life for 7 years, spreading malicious lies, encouraging others to damage my property and following me around. That all obviously raised my stress levels and slowly but surely the IBS returned with intensity. It sounds like your very anxious and need treatment to reduce it and I am sure that will reduce the IBS symptoms. You're not dying of any illness you have anxiety and IBS, accept it is the cause.

      In the meantime, avoid large meals, eat small snacks slowly and regularly giving time to digest. Consume lots of vegetables like spinach, kale, broccoli. Get plenty of sleep when you can, that can make a huge difference. Avoid smoking and alcohol. Try Kefir, which will help the bacterial function of the gut. I find oat shakes tend to settle my stomach. I mix 100g of oats in my bullet machine with water and a dash of hot chocolate powder to taste. Its a bit `earthy` texture but full of goodness. People have had some good response with L Glutamine supplement, its cheap so well worth trying. I helped me. Lastly try to analyze your worries and put them into perspective. Often, anxious people crystal ball read the future imagining all sorts of scenarios that trigger stress but rarely likely to happen.

  • Gill_Mack
    Gill_Mack hazel28

    Posted

    Sorry, that should read I THINK I might jump off a bridge....
  • bethany96826
    bethany96826 hazel28

    Posted

    I have this pain also starts in my back really bad and radiats to my upper stomach! It's so bad I want to cry and try everything to get rid of it. From Tylenol to gas pills then now the only thing that eases it is to drink this clear citrus stuff to clean out my gut. But then a couple days later it's right back again plus I'm always constipated! I was diagnosed with IBS a while back but it wasn't this bad before. I hope that's all this is. and not pancreatic cancer. Scary stuff

  • cheryl90571
    cheryl90571 hazel28

    Posted

    I have lower back pain, too! Sometimes I just want to replace the whole middle of my body!

    IcyHot roll-on helps my back, and Pepcid helps my stomach.

  • dale04145
    dale04145 hazel28

    Posted

    I've had diarrhea since childhood and am now almost 60. I've been to lots of Dr.s about it. Some have said it's IBS, but my current GI specialist doesn't think so. Haven't seen him for a bit. I was just in the emergency room with terrible abdominal pain on the right side. The pain is in my lower back on that side as well. I'm sad and yet relieved to read that there can be back pain with abdominal issues. They did a few tests and ruled out some stuff. It could? be cramping due to dehydration that is possibly due to all of the diarrhea, but when I followed up with my primary physician, he was concerned that it could be mesenteric ischemia. This can be serious, but it is rare and there are several types. Going to my GI Dr. asap, as my symptoms are pretty on the nose for it. I'm not a healthcare professional, but can personally attest to the fact that back pain can accompany digestive issues. I think it's called "referred pain".

  • JanaDell
    JanaDell hazel28

    Posted

    Sorry you are going thu this. I posted a number of lengthy replies and they've all been deleted by the site moderator without any explanation as to why they were deleted. I think some of them would have been helpful to you as I've posted what's working for me, but now I'm not going to spend a lot of time writing and have them deleted. I hope you understand my reasoning.

  • janet0154
    janet0154 hazel28

    Posted

    I have irritable bowel I have had a really bad back like cramp I think it could be because I have got really constipated I thought I had pulled it bending down but I think it's because of the irritable bowel 

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