IBS

Hi Beth,

I don't have IBS but I do have Diverticulitis.  A lot of the symptoms are the same.  Do you follow the Fodmap diet?  I find this helps a lot as well as eating smaller portions more frequently.  I actually eat a small snack about every two hours.  no large meals at all.  I also take probiotics and drink probiotic Kefir milk. I've cut out almost all whites (bread, pasta and rice) and switched them with whole wheat varieties. I also take a fiber supplement (gummies).

Hope this helps alittle.

Sunni

I feel so sorry for you! My IBS was diagnosed in May this year after three months of tests. At that time, the pain woke me at night.  Now, the pain is mainly in the background even though I feel it everyday.  If I have a bad flare up, Buscopan and over the counter pain killers do the trick.  Largely, I can get on with life and keep the monster at bay.  Food doesn't pose a problem.

I suspect you have tried many things over the years.  The only other options that spring to mind would be probiotics or visiting an IBS clinic.

Hi Beth. i agree with you. my gastro consultant does actually recognise that ibs can be severe & cause so much disruption to everyday life. i have colitis, ibs-d, fructose malabsorption, & bile acid malabsorption. largely all controlled with meds & diet adjustment. the fodmap diet is not black & white. there are many things on the food lists that say i should be able to eat, but i can't, & vice versa foods that i shouldnt be able to eat & can, so i dont value the fodmap diet's integrity at all. my gastro dietician was very helpful. i cant eat fruit even juice as this makes my ibs-d & fructose problem worse causing diarrea, pain, bloating. i can only eat small portions of specific veg ( a handful is a portion) - cooked mushrooms, mashed swede & carrot, butternut squash, pumpkin, parsnips. i find low fat milk a saviour when i feel nauseas but need to eat-it soothes my tummy, & it is a food in liquid form. if you cant have dairy you could try low fat lactose free milk to use as a "meal" when you really cant eat & see how you get on. i have been on a liquid probiotic for 3mths & this helps reduce painful cramps & bloating but you need to give it a chance over 12wks to see/feel a difference. i do feel for you, i nearly lost my job in may due to lengthy sick absence, but am now stable on the whole with a combo of prescription meds, diet adjustment, & making sure i get adequate rest - i find i tire easily, but dont beat myself up if i need a couple of hours kip occasionally or a lie in on my days off to recharge. rest is very important i find my symptoms worsen if i am overtired. i only work part time now too which helps me manage my conditions & work life balance. i'm stuck with it so have to try & make the best of it with what my health allows/tolerates. if i go out for a meal i take 2 loperamide diarrea tablets an hour before i go, & i can eat anything - lots of veg & couple of glasses of wine without problems after or the next day- a good occasional "trick" to give you a bit of freedom when you go out for a meal. cocodomol taken OCCASIONALLY when i need to helps with tummy ache/cramps. i have only had 1 mild flare of colitis since may with meds/diet/rest whilst my ibs-d is always there, i have learnt to avoid food triggers, recognise high stress times & try to do something about it, like talk to friends/colleagues/manager to resolve what's causing the stress. take my probiotics religously every morning, plenty of rest & reduce my coffee intake to 2 mugs in morning & decaff tetley tea rest of day -all for the ibs-d. also if your ibs is diarrea dominant have you been tested for bile acid malabsorption with a sehcat scan? this is a common condition in patients with bowel conditions & often overlooked in upto 30% of patients. it causes diarrea, sore rectum, bloating, stomach ache/cramps, nausea, & is so easily treated with prescription med. when i was diagnosed with this & treated my symptoms improved DRAMATICALLY within couple of weeks. hope this helps. x

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Hi Beth, I think you've hit the nail on the head, unless you have IBS no-one understands what it feels like! IBS is a life-long condition that can knock you for six at the best of times. Employers just want the work done but depending on where you work they should if they have any empathy understand what you're going through and how much stress can exasperate it full stop. I think the fact that you work and have IBS is fantastic, you're doing better than me, by miles. Ask to see your boss privately and with a doctors letter and their support your workplace should support you. You shouldn't have to suffer to this extent, employers have a duty of care or should do to ALL employees. Good luck hopefully your boss will now understand you and DO something!

Beth

Sorry you are at the very low end of emotions when it comes to your dealing with IBS - I know it well, having dealt with it in my late teens till almost 30!  A roller coaster in so many ways, physically and emotionally.

A few insights I wanted to share- you may or may not resonate with any...but sometimes even one thing can help us feel some hope or relief...so I will share!

I no longer have IBS - I had it full force all those years I mentioned...mostly diarrhea but uncomfortable bouts of constipation as well.  I had limits on so many foods as I never quiet knew what would set me off.  I also had anxiety l..mainly stemming from the IBS and not knowing 'when' it would flare up.

After I had my daughter and after more tests I finally decided ENOUGH!

I was tired of it, tired of making excuses, tired of not going places, tired of getting up 2 hrs before work so I could hopefully use the bathroom before etc.

I ended up starting to look at things from a more natural way...(this was BEFORE the internet lol) and I did lots of research and only would look for what DID help people...as frankly so much is said about what doesn't work...we can be hard-pressed to find people who are  either managing their symptoms successfully or actually being rid of it!  I knew it was possible and I still do. 

So much more is known these days you really only have to start looking for what you want to hear!    Seriously..start googling people who have recovered from IBS and you’ll start to feel and see glimmers of hope.  Diet, more water, addressing excess bacteria (yeast) in the gut/intestines, supplements/herbs/foods that heal the bowel, STRESS RELIEVERS (as I have to politely disagree with your comment about how we cannot manage or control how we deal with stress…as I know personally, that I can- and you can too)

Yes all of this can take time…it took me about a year to feel I was really on the other side of IBS – did I still have instances of ‘symptoms’?  Yes…occasionally – however after that year, I found that I was much more in control of my body/bowels etc  then I had been for over 12 yrs.  That was HUGE for me.  Also addressing the anxiety and thoughts I had had for years ‘worrying’ about going out etc…was what really helped too – so it’s a mind game as much as a physical one.  I’m an open book if you have any questions    Katy

Have you tried Probiotics and Digestive Enzymes and do you have IBS C or D .What about the low food map diet 

Hi Beth, there is still hope, I managed to find my answer after 7 years of looking (I know that doesn't sound long compared to your 15 years, so I really feel for you!).  The only thing that makes it more miserable - if that's possible - is how misunderstood and underestimated IBS is by some people.  

For a long time I thought fodmap was helping me (and i'm sure it was to some degree) and I thought I had issues with wheat and dairy.  I later realised it was olive/vegetable oils.  

I now only cook using animal fats, coconut oil or homemade veg/chicken stock.  I mostly avoid processed foods but can tolerate them if I am on the run or too tired to prep something from scratch (although there are some good frozen pies made with lard rather than veg oils).  I mostly eat fresh fish but if I do have tinned fish I make sure it's in brine.  

It seems so obvious looking back as when I was eating just a couple of salads a day and was still bad the only thing I was adding to it was olive oil, but it is always promoted as good for you (and possibly is for some) and I was being pushed to add it as I was getting not much else in the way of food for energy at the time as everything seemed to set me off, even fruit and veg.  

If I do stray now I still get some symptoms, more usually a day or two later, but nothing compared to before and now very tolerable. It's pretty incredible how bad the pain could get before, so it was interesting hearing you compare it to contractions as I have never had children so wouldn't know what that's like but I have always tried to impress on doctors just how painful it can be, but they just didn't get it. People who haven't experienced it or had a short lived mild case think it's just having discomfort or moderate pain, they don't understand just how much pain you can be in, sometimes for quite long periods too, it can be totally debilitating and draining.

I can now tolerate homemade wheat items or french baguette occassionally, although it took a while to get to that point and I now don't seem to have problems with dairy, so i guess my intestines were just aggrevated from the years of IBS.  Although, I guess I was lucky in that I was scratch tested and did not have any food allergies, so always knew it as more of an intolerance before.  

What really rang with me was when you said just a couple of bites of pizza could set you off, that used to happen to me with dry toast.  At the time I was being told I had SIBO (even though my colonoscopy bacteria levels were all classed as normal) and I was gobsmacked that just a couple of bites of toast could be so bad, but of course it seems most (if not all) shop bought bread has some form of vegetable oil in it, so now it all makes more sense.  

I was told time and time again, that sugar was causing my problems and I was cosntantly trying to lower my intake, but no matter which diet I tried my symptoms would always come back for what seemed like no reason, whether it be after days or weeks, I now know it was because I would sometimes be cooking with olive oil, or putting it on salads, or I might have the odd prepacked food with some form of oil in.  

My best friend particularly when this was going on and I couldn't eat properly, and even now to be honest, is my juicer.  I don't think I would ever be without one again.  Even though I can eat more or less what I like now, I am still partial to homemade juices at least a few times week. 

This may not be the answer for you (although might be worth trying if you haven't before) but it was just more to share my story so that you might be able to look at it from a different perspective.  It's not always the foods we are lead to believe that are causing the problem, for years I did my best to avoid wheat and dairy and didn't need to.  I still eat healthily but just don't have to limit myself so much anymore.  As an added bonus my migraines are much rarer too!

I really hope you find your answer, the only real advice I can give is keep going back to the basics.  I used to use homemade chicken broths, liquidised vegetable soups and juices or smoothies to get me through the really bad times.  I know they don't sound exciting but they can be quite soothing.

Hi Beth, I was diagnosed this year w IBS. But my symptoms started last year while living in a moldy room. I paid for a nutritionist in march - August took viatmins, followed a strick planwhich helped w some of my symptoms. I stomach couldn't digest anything but I regulated & it took months. I didn't eat any wheat, no diary, barely any meat, sugar, even fruits high in sugar. I was still getting bloated but little by little able to digest food. I also avoided food to not start the symptoms but that makes it worse. I slowing started juicing veg, ginger, lemon, etc to get nutritients but your body still needs veg, brown rice, thing to digest & MOVE through your intestines. I still followed up w docs.Now iI'm gluten free three weeks and my bloating and feeling of something stuck in my throat has gone away. I still have random constipation but I'm still following up w docs.

Thank you for all your wonderful comments and advice, I will be following up on some things you guys have advised helped you.  I struggle with food not only because of the dairy intollerance but also because I suffer kidney Stones and I have been put on a diet by my consultant to combat reocurring stones, this diet alone won't allow me to eat baked beans, strawberry's of any sort - juices/extracts or whole, not nuts of any sort, chocolate, cola, spinach, all leafy green veg also been advised to avoid any Vitamin C and only 1 meat or fish portion per day !  Not allowed any supplemental vitamins in tablet form either and limit sugar and salt, this coupled with no dairy leaves me struggling some days!  I have been sticking with it but it is hard.  Many thanks again everyone.  PS.  I started the food diary/tracker app yesterday so will see if it comes up with any triggers.  Beth x

I know how you feel. I have had ibs for over 30 years with little help from doctors. After years of suffering I was recommemed acidophilus(good bacteria). It worked for me. Still get flare ups but they only happen about once a year now. I have been able to add back to my diet food that would trigger an attack. I have been in your  place so many times, you can get through it. This may be a daft one but when the cramps hit dont fight it, deep breathing helps. My pain gest worse when I rush to the toliet again dont fight the pain it makes it worse. I would suggest a food journal addeding what you drink. After a 3 months of ibs attack daily a few years back I found coffee was the course. 1 thing you should know ibs does change and something you can eat or drink 1 day is suddenly the course of an attack. Over the years I have to take out Wheat, Milk, coffee from my diet for a short time and slowley bring hem back but limit how mcuh I have. As I said you can get through this I have with help from follow sufferers. Good luck