IBS

Ho popcorn, there are several other posts here about IBS, trawl through and have a read of them.

I have answered a few myself.

It's a rotten thing to have to live with and as you know stress pays a big part in it's flare ups. I'm afraid we are all different but usually a careful diet and occasional medications get us through most bad flare ups.

You must ask you doc directly why he/she says you have to come off the meds you are on. Many of us are on these type of meds for years. It may be that he/she is hoping that you will bring your symptoms undercontrol with diet and stress management.

You can buy oat bread (sliced) in Waitrose instead of wheat bread. Some people eat Rye bread but it is quite heavy.

As you are taking a probiotic and linseed you are doing all you can. I would mention that some people find linseed undigestable, this may be one of your problems.

Eat foods that are cooked rather than raw foods, as cooked foods are easier to digest. Try to avoid cheese ,pasta, chocolate, alcohol, ice cream/creamy puddings, spicy foods, all legumes.Rice as a sweet pudding or a savoury is fine.

What bread you do eat is better toasted. Decaff tea/coffee is better than ordinary.Do not drink fizzy drinks or squashes/cordials or eat sweets. Lots of plain water every day.

Ginger tea, Birt and Tang's from Holland and Barrett is the nicest (NOT TWININGS ITS HORRIBE), with half a teaspoonful of honey is very good at helping to calm down a rumbly tum.(It's in bags not loose).

If you are in a big flare up Motillium instants are great, but tell the pharmasist what meds you are on if you buy it, in case they will not mix together. Also Buscopan and Colpermin are over the counter remedies that can help but check meds as said before.

Do a lot of research, the internet has many sites that help offer advice on IBS, there are millions of us out there feeling excatly as you do.

I do hope you feel a bit better soon, it's a miserable business but finding the right diet really can help. Fanny Jane.

.

HI Fanny Jane

Thanks for your reply, have been on wheat free and dairy free diet now for over 9 months, and dont find it to bad, found a lady close by that cooks everything like bread and cakes to diatry speck and feel great now as found supermarket bread dietry horrible only good like you said toasted. Have found tescos free from range a lot better now especially introducing dairy free cheese so at last cheese on toast.

Got doctors appointment at last next week going to see my original doctor who put me on medication last year to find out why the other doctor wants me off them as i find dropping my amitriotyline dose to one instead of two has increased my pain over the last week and really feeling grumpy with my family, going back on two again till i see doc next week.

I agree about twinnings ginger tea buy tescos as havent had proper tea or coffee for nearly a year and totlaly stay clear of fizzy drinks, just cant work out why even now whilst on dairy and wheat free diet why even now have flare ups that last one day with the dreaded d then two days after feeling like someone punched me in the stomach then to top that have constipation for two days, have had fybergel when this happenens, imoduims when d drink filtered water one jug a day roughly 7 large glasses, aND STILL cant get it right yet, i get there i know but glad ive got someone in the same boat out there. oh meditation getting better totally chilled out for 30 minutes till the telephone rang, nothing inportant just another cold caller. Thanks again hope we can keep in touch. Kaz xxxxx

Hi Kaz, good to hear your full story and that things although up and down are sometimes better for you.

Many IBS sufferers, me being one, have a big problem digesting fructose and other sugars. So even when we are being careful on the dairy and bread etc; the sugars hidden in things can flare us up.

My doc gives me Movicol, which is kinder on the gut than Fybogel. It disolves in water and is easy to take.

You are very lucky to have access to a lady who makes specilist breads and cakes, I am very envious!

Good luck with the gp next week, let me know how you get on.

Here's to better week for us both, Fanny Jane.

Hi Fanny Jane

Thought things were going too well yeep had severe ibs attack, last night, so bad been in bed with hotwater bottle, bottled water, and plenty of loo rolls yet again, why i hear you say cos i was bl~#dy stupid in having sweetcorn on the cob not one but two with my chicken yesterday did i look at the NO EAT LIST on my fridge NO am i paying for it YES, hopefully get back to work tomorrow god job im self employed otherwise i would have gotthe sack by now.

Got two out of 6 books delivered today on ibs all contridict each other its a mind field, really going to try harder to stick with what i know what i can eat and only have small portions.

Can i ask you or anyone that comes past this discussion has rice krispies got any wheat, dairy, nuts oats barley or rye in it as dont want to track around shop to find out and i miss breakfast out everyday which i know is not good for me so think a small bowl with soya ( YUCKY MILK ) will keep the belly full till snack at 12.

Take care and lets try again for another better week starting Tuesday from now on hehehehe

Kaz xxxxx

Hi Kaz, yes Rice Crispies are fine. Also Rice cakes or thins. I always have a couple of packs in hand. It is a bit like eating cardboard but because it doesn't make us sufferers ill, we get quite attached to it. You can eat them on their own or with a topping you can tolerate. Rice is great. When I'm recovering from a flare up I eat rice mixed with vegetables.

Sorry about the sweetcorn, we all do it. We succumb to something tempting, then eat too much and hey presto, agonising pain for hours and sometimes days.

I also take aloe vera sometimes when I'm a bit gippy. Some people find it very helpful, some don't.

You should really try a breakfast each day. I'm sure you know it's better to have 6 small snacks a day rather then a couple of heavy meals.

I can't stomach soya unfortuately, so I have skimmed milk or semi-skimmed milk and half water on my cereal/porridge.

Hope tomorrow is a better day for you, take care Fanny Jane.

Hi Fanny Jane

Well really fed up cant wait till i go to doctors next week,rumbles in the stomach so load its annoying, stomach just cant settle this time at all after attack at the beginning of week, pains come and go mainly come when i walk about, have tried movicol before but didnt work, but this time dont need it cos im so loose at the moment, dont want to take anymore imoduims as think thats effecting the body this time round an building up more gas, omeprazole dosnt seem to be working at all now either, as getting reflux back, still taking only one amtriptyline instead of two as feel better alert than before, but have noticed im more stressed during the day, dont even know that this is because of the lower dosage that my body not coping so well have read that coming done on dosage is the right thing to do too come off medication and can take one month to subside as ive been taken now for over two years daily, doctor said that its such a low dose i was taking before that it be easy to come off it, but also have read in books that amtriptyline is good for the nerves system and blocks data being sent from the brain to the stomach, hate taken pills especially long term, dont know if you are anyone out there knows of a medication that treats combined ibs ie the dread d and constipation.

Have received another book today called self healing ibs its a 10 week course that trys to self heal you from ibs by learning to de stress ( ok if you dont have kids, father whos mentally depress, partner redundent, daughter that being bullied at school, and me trying to not be ill and working my butt off to servive financhial,) but will give anything a go, meditation not working at all as when i take 20 minutes out at night, partner comes in switches telly on plus lights. and yeep have told him its my time but if its not him its my father if not him its my daughter, and nails to nail the door shut wil be welcome !!!!!! apart from that ok, have order in rice cakes extra like you said to nibble throughout the day, so will be able to get munching as from tomorrow, hope that helps and maybe will stopp the rumbles in the jungle anyway had my moan for the day, how you keeping? seem to always talk about my problems than ask about yours, oh yes forgot to say i drink peppermint tea only no sugar and aloe vera drinks daily here i go again talking about myself, well must go toilet yet again calls, take care and i keep in touch hopefully daily to talk about you not me for once.

Kaz xxx

Hi Kaz,

So sorry you are suffering so much, also that your bit of peace is non existant. The trouble is many men just can't get being poorly, especially if they haven't experienced any ill health or continuing discomfort themselves.As to kids..... we still love them though.

On the Amitriptylyne. This medication is used not just for depression. In low doses it's used for sleep and pain control, especially nerve pain. It is very effective. However it is not something you should just stop. You are right in thinking that you have to titrate it down. If you were on two I'd not go straight to one but try one and a half for a week, then one, then threequarters, then half and finally a quarter, before completely stopping them. As they will make you feel terrible otherwise.

Although your gp would probably be really pleased you want to stop them, you should at least tell him/her and be advised to do it how he/she suggests. That way if you meet problems he/she will know what you are doing. It may be that you will be offered an alternative to help your stress levels, some also have less side effects as well. You do sound as if stress is a big part of your intestinal problems and if you can get that under control your tummy might settle down quite a lot.

A medication review of all your meds might help too, as we get used to taking certain pills all the time and then they're not so effective.

Thanks for asking, I've had two recent flare ups but am now begining to feel a lot better. My IBS does this to me though. I get a flare up, work hard at my diet and take my meds and it usually settles down again for a while.

I have learned to be a calmer person. It has taken me many years though. I count backwards slowly in my head, breath slowly and generally try to stop being stressed. I had hypnotherapy years ago and for me it worked quite well. My therapist taught me these breathing exercises and generally helped me to realise that part of my problem was the rushing about after other people that was making me ill. I still do rush about after my family but not so often and ocasionally even say 'sorry I can't today'.

As I also have other medical conditions I just try to do things a bit slower and not let the stress get to me but then I'm getting older too so maybe that's part of it as well for me.

Rice cakes are generally very suitable for IBS sufferers to nibble on. As I said they are a bit like cardboard but they don't upset the tummy. I eat mine all the time, especially in the evening if I need something and don't want to have an upset tummy at 3am!

Any chance of bringing your appointment forward to tomorrow/monday? If not it will come soon enough. My mantra in life is always 'This too shall pass'. I say it to myself often, especially in the dentist chair and other dreaded things that I have to face. The truth is - it always does.

So take care, hopefully things will settle down. Try very hard to keep that stress under control hard though it is. If there is no where else to go for a bit of peace - lock yourslef in the loo and sit there and breath deeply.

Look forward to hearing how you are doing. Fanny Jane.

Hi ya

Well cant get any worse, had a few grapes yesterday only four as my daughter loves them but stayed away from them for over a year, and yeep have started belching, bloating, and going to the loo a lot this morning stools fine though no d or c thank god, just been reading yet again so im up on all of this ready for dr tuesday morning even though wheat, and dairy are a no go for me can i also be fractose intolarant as well cos something still agrevating my system even though i have now elliminated most foods over the last year all seem to be going ok before i so my gp ( not my normal one ) last month that told me i was ibs and all the hsp and a and e have got dignosis wrong even though i went to two hospitals here in hertfordshire and one when i was away in sussex, the hospitals done xrays that should a white mass inbetween my diapram and over my liver saying it was chantiliti syndrome had scopes down and up which showed diverticultus and no loops celiac or mainly anything else so this gp i saw last mth ruled out chantiliti syndrome and said it ibs dont know if a normal xray would show ibs up as this white mass in the same place six times over the course of five months ??? going to querry this with gp SOMETHING still not right omeprazole really not doing good and dropping amitriptyline to one has stopped the hot flushes at night but the lower dose has i know made a big change to my bowels in making things worse. Still losing weight like i said was 14 stone 11 last July now 10 stone 1 but doctor last week said its just ibs but have read ( yeep i know sometimes too much info is bad for you ) said weight loss is not the normal state of ibs oh i dont know anymore who to beleive, what meds i ment to be on or really do i trust my gp and what foods can i eat safely if i got all three intolarances going also yet again ask my gp to refer me to a diatian as i really need a good food plan to get my health balance right.

Yet again moaning about myself how are you ?????

Hope you have a great weekend hopefully will chat more if you can let me know when your about and i turn lappy on ??

Take care

Kaz xxx

Ho Kaz, Most days I look at my e mails a couple of times a day when I'm home. This afternoon though I'm off the the Isle of Wight as my son and his family live there. I'll be back late tomorrow night, so will not pick up e mails tomorrow.I'll be checking Monday morning about 9ish I expect.

This week my daughter-in-law has been very poorly with bronchitis, so I've been at her house more than my own. She has a three year old and a four month old. Luckily she only lives 15 minutes from my home.

I do hope that your gp visit on Tuesday will come up trumps and offer you some kind of positive help. I often think that they flounder around going through their medical dictionary's. The trouble is lots of illnesses have the same or similar symptoms and it is a bit a trial and error getting to a final and correct diagnosis.You sound as if you need a complete medication review and at the very least you should be reffered to a dietician. The amount of weight loss you have had is not usual, a few pounds or even a stone is more likely in an IBS flare up. You also need to be proactive about this white mass that keeps popping up on your x rays. I know it's difficult with some docs sometimes but If it was me I would demand to know what it is exactly .Perhaps a trip to see an endocrinologist would be an idea. The chances are it is something quite normal in some people, but you need to be told that.

The fructose/sucrose intolerance is quite likely. It does not always show up on tests though, just by being ill when you eat a food that has fructose/sucrose in and then avoiding it. I just can't eat anything with these sugars in, which is a bit sad as I can't eat sweeties at all.

It is a lot to have to live with, especially with a small child to care for and 'the man' as well! So keep plugging away. I'm sure that you will find an answer evenutally and that your life will settle down once again. It may just mean living on a really restrictive diet and getting medications right.

Let me know how you are doing, don't worry about having a good old moan, you are entitled to and if it helps having a chat about it, then that's better than holding it in getting more and more stressed.

Take great care and keep the light of hope alive, I'm sure it will get sorted in the end. Fanny Jane.

Hi All,

can anyone explain why vat is being charged on medical items, thought you could waiver vat if required, maybe a form need signing !?

I recall not paying vat on a back machine I purchased so why do symprove charge vat ???

M

Hi Fanny

Well 12 hours to go to fight out at the gp carral really hope once and for all can get this sorted dont care what meds just want a conclusion once and for all, glad im going to see my normal gp but then think is the last one better on track than the one im going to see tomoz wish someone thats ment to be the ones that know the best for you could just get it right, feel like over the past year had a vampire on my arm, probs up the rear down the mouth and ct scans and oh xrays were i know now where all my bones are meds that dont really help oh and take ages to get rid of, so wish this will go away, but hay who am i kidding just got to de stress and get back to the normal world prob is cant remember what the real worlds like anymore after a year. only feel down cos another day on the loo yet again another day off self employed when will this end. HEEEEEEELLLLLLLP

Hi Kaz, I was thinking of you as I spoke to someone else, so I'm here really quick to talk to you.

I will be in your pocket tomorrow morning when you go and see the doc. Bit worried about your' fighting' bit. I know it feels like one huge battle but the secret is not to let the opposition know that you know it's a battle, be laid back, be nonchalant.. it'll confuse them!

Sit down tonight and write a list of your symptoms, tell the doc that you don't understand what's happening to you and you are really fed up with the whole thing. That you feel that you are getting nowhere fast and it's really affecting your whole life. Tell him/her that you feel the medications are just not working as you have made no improvement. Ask if there is something else he/she can recommend/try. Be honest and say that he/she is your last hope, you've done loads of research and have been trying dietary options.

All you want is your life back. I can assure you most docs are happy to have a patient that writes down memory jogs as it gives them all the information that they need.

I wish you the very best of luck, at least you seem happy with the doc you are seeing, that's a big help.

Remember to slow breathe and think calm thoughts, take care, Fanny Jane.

Hi Fanny

Well only another hour to go,before you go in my pocket, had another attack at 3am this morning, so done some more research for today, looked into ibs and sibo( small intestine bacterial overgrowth ) and it states that taking omeprazole like i have for over a year can cause the small intestine to overgrow bad bacteria cause constant belching which i have and severe ibs symtoms which also can become worse if you take probotics which i have done since gp told me to last month and yeep this is proberbly why my symtoms have become worse, i seen there is a medicine called rifaximin which is an antibiotic course for 14 days which i might ask gp to let me have, it also states that if you have sibo can cause b12 and folic acid defieancy which i also have, looked at the symtoms and yeep ticked them all off including weight loss.

There is a test called hydrogen breath test which can dignoise this going to pester the doctors so much today she will proberbly might actually take me serious for once, will let you know when i get back also have a really bad pain under left rib today think it may be down to assess gas and vomitting last night, need to get better by tomoz as i have a consultation with age uk to take on so of their work in my area with my buisness.

Chat soon

Kaz xxxx

well im back from g.p and has gone made that the other gp had changed my medication dosage and also told me to take probotics cos yeep dr last month has now put me back to square one. My bowels are inflammed and full of gas thats were the pain on left side is, my constant dihara is because of the probotics agrevating my bowels and cos of the low dose of omeprazole ( told only to take one ) has now increased my acid in my stomach so now back on one in morning and one at night and instead of my low dose of amitriptyline 5mg was on 10mg every night doctor has now increased my dose to 25mg at night this low dose has increased my spasm in my stomach.

Have another appointment booked next tuesday as she now going to keep regular checks on me, have said about my weight and in one month have lost 6lbs so she will also keep a check on that, but she thinks cos of my med change has caused less absorbtion on what im eating and cos of the regular d im not storing dr said its going to take till saturday to get even back to where i was before,

Dr said i also need vit c so got some tabs you put in water but the fizz may let them go flat before i drink. also need to eat carrots raw to gain vit a more fish for vit d kale for vit k soout come the ibs receipe books nex week and now determined to get better again, its true what they say never change doctors as ive learnt my lesson the hard way, got the rest of the day to get sorted for tomoz with age uk, whilst back in bed with hot water bottle going to get paperwork done for presentation, what would i do without my good old faithful hot water bottle, Anyway more possitive now just the pain to deal with and sticking to chicken and mash for dinner and my crackers with dairy butter on for snack and found boiled water better to drink with ginger tea a benifit today.chat soon kaz xxxxx

Hi Kaz, sorry for the delay my elderly Mum was attacked by a man who puched her in the face.. absolutely terrible. So I've been in hospital with her. Unbelievable experience that has left my mum feeling very unsafe and poorly.

Luckily she is well padded and rather stout, wearing a heavy coat. This saved her from breaking anything. She has a very swollen nose and two black eyes and I've had to abandon everything to stay with her. Today my sister is able to take over and give me a day off.

So many apologies for not answering you straight away, I've not been near a computer till this morning.

So sorry to hear all your woes. At least you are going to get more regular checks and the doc has taken you seriously. Maybe the new food regime will be the answer. Our bodies are such precise machines and any imbalance can really affect us.

What would we do without our hottie bottles? I love mine to bits.

I will be rooting for you and hoping that the extra omeprazole will settle the acid for you. It's a long old process and my thoughts are with you.

Take very good care of yourself and let me know whow you are getting one. Fanny Jane.