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IBS and severe ongoing discomfort

Posted , 4 users are following.

belgravia
belgravia

l have had IBS for quite a few years and it was generally controlled most of the time but ever since my operation 18 months ago it has got more and more severe where now l have bouts of going toilet  3 or 4 times in the morning or then not going for 2 to 3 days when the stools  then are rock hard and take a while to come out.

l have taken quite a few things to try to improve it but l am limited because of my other medical conditions so now a friend has suggesting Chamomile tea but l am unsure whether this will be safe to try.

Any advice on that and IBS will be welcomed.

0 likes, 17 replies

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  • pippa58442
    pippa58442 belgravia

    Posted

    What other conditions do you have?  Camomile tea is very mild and natural ; I don't think it would do you any harm to try it; it is very bland.  The surgery will have put a lot of strain on your body which can worsen IBS.

    Try Buscopan for the pain and Imodium if you are having diarrhoea.  Rice or bananas can help to bind you up.  For constipation, try lots of fruit or a stool softener.

    • belgravia
      belgravia pippa58442

      Posted

      l have a long term heart condition dilated Cardiomyopathy , a implanted pacemaker , Meralgia paresthetica and Peripheral neuropathy plus IBS  as yes things were pretty well controlled before the operation and then a week after the op things started to flare up considerably and the pain and cramps just seem to get worse instead of better as well as the deep inconsistency of my bowels.

      l have looked at Buscopan but l am concerned as it mentions heart conditions and the potential side effects of taking it and someone mentioned Fybrogel but l have not tried this yet but l will be trying Chamomile tea once l buy some.

    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 belgravia

      Posted

      Ask your doctor about Buscopan to get a firm answer on whether it or not it will affect your heart condition because everyone is different with side effects.  If it isn't suitable, ask about other antispasmodics.

      I have neuropathy in both my arms and hands due to injuries.  There is nothing I can do about it so I just put up with the pain when it flares up.  I don't want to take low dose antidepressants which my doctor suggested  because they sound very toxic and they can be hard to withdraw from.  

      I also have IBS which has been in remission for months.

      .

    • belgravia
      belgravia pippa58442

      Posted

      Sorry to hear about your ongoing health problems as yes l will ask my GP  about Buscopan as some say it gives them good relief from their IBS.

      Yes antidepressants have been mentioned in the past but that is a complete no no for me.

      Fingers crossed that your IBS stays in remission.

    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 belgravia

      Posted

      Hope your doctor can give you a suitable antispasmodic.  Thanks for your good wishes.
    • belgravia
      belgravia pippa58442

      Posted

      Yes l hope he does gives me a suitable antispasmodic but given my health history its always pretty complicated sadly.
  • turkey
    turkey belgravia

    Posted

    Sorry to hear how you are I too have many problems with bowels. I was following low fodmap and was told no chamomile tea try peppermint tea good to relax your gut. Hope it helps it seems to help settle it at times. It is very hard to settle stomach, you seem to have been through a lot. Stress flares mine up, I am take amitriptyline to help but so far not much different. Hang on in there hope things get better for you. Take care
    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 turkey

      Posted

      The Low Fodmap diet can give conflicting advice and can be very general.  It doesn't take account of the fact that everyone has individua triggers. Some of the foods that are listed as bad for IBS don't affect some people and the safe foods can cause flare ups for others.  Sometimes it is best to try the food first to see if it affects you and then avoid it if it does.

    • turkey
      turkey pippa58442

      Posted

      Yeh you are right about low fodmap. I struggle to try new foods as tummy always upset. Not easy but I will keep trying. Have my 1st grandchild now and want to do lots with her but at moment can't plan ahead as never know what's going to happen. Very frustrating as you know. Thanks

    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 turkey

      Posted

      While Low Fodmap is good as a basis for identifying food triggers, you have to play around with the diet to tailor it to your own specfic needs.  The Low Fodmap diet only provides guidlines which can be quite broad.
  • turkey
    turkey belgravia

    Posted

    Hi sorry I may not be right about chamomile tea it says on some sites it ok for ibs but my dietician said no. Everyone is different with different foods drinks etc. Hope you get help.
    • belgravia
      belgravia turkey

      Posted

      The trouble is out there there are so many conflicting reports and views about IBS as one tells you something and then another tells one something totally different.
  • turkey
    turkey belgravia

    Posted

    I totally agree it is a minefield. I tried buscopan just constipated me. I used to eat anything don't know what happened but it has taken over my life! I am trying very hard to fix, I think the low fodmap us ok for some foods and not others. I keep a food diary have done for years makes no difference just makes me worse. I have been to see a food physiologist who says it us all caused by stress, I partly agree with him but o am asking the doc for sugar tests as I do it a lot of sweet foods. Can you get a food patch test where you live. They do them here but won't give me one as they said ibs and stress. Ask about it. My daughter got one for mouth ulcers and she was allergic to certain ingredients in food. Maybe worth asking. Take care

    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 turkey

      Posted

      IBS can actually trigger food inttolerances that you didn’t have before.  Stress is also a known, major cause for IBS too.  My IBS was exclusively caused by stress; my doctor identified this whereas I hadn’t initially made the connection.  IBS itself can also cause stress.

      No one person with IBS is the same and that makes treament very difficult because there is no single solution that works for everyone. At the beginning of my IBS, I was taking Buscopan three times a day, every day and it didn’t worsen my existing constipation.

      I was frightened to come off Buscopan at first in case my pain would come back but after several months I realised my pain had gone into remission so I felt confident to stop taking it.  I now only take it if I have a flare up which is rare and it stll doesn’t constipate me.  The only antispasmodics that disagreed with me were Mebeverine which gave me terrible indigestion and constipation and peppermint tea which worsened my GERD and did nothing for my pain.

       

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