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IBS, it can get better.

Posted , 9 users are following.

Lauren1607
Lauren1607

For all of you who have recently been diagnosed with IBS or maybe think you may have it, I know exactly what your going through. 

I'm 20 now, and I got diagnosed with IBS when o was doing my GCSE's at the age of 15. 

I understand the pain that some of you might be going through.  

What you should understand that IBS is common on alot of people,  so there is someone who is out there who can always help.  One of the main factors to trigger IBS or cause a 'flare' up is stress, this is very close to home for me. I'm a student at university and I've found it hard to this day. 

You do need to control what you eat, and learn to find out what you can tolerate and what you can't, this makes it easier to 'handle' - for example when I know I'm in a stressful situation I stay away from: 

⭕Dairy - milk and cheese mainly 

⭕Spicy foods - anything with chilli in it, curries were my main problem.  

⭕ Fish - most fish EXCEPT tuna. 

⭕Greasy foods such as fried chicken. 

All of the above are what I suffer with, everyone is different and might not have the same symptoms. 

But my aim is to make people aware and hopefully let them know that it is manageable and it can get better.  

If anyone has any questions please just ask! There's always people there for you. 😊💕

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • robin77577
    robin77577 Lauren1607

    Posted

    Hi Lauren,

    You are fortunate that you have discovered what triggers your IBS at such a young age. My IBS started at age 13 and it wasn't until 15 years later that I realized that although I had bouts of diarrhea with terrible cramping, my problem was constipation! My bowels were cramping in order to get rid of the back up. When it made sense to me, that is when I learned HOW to keep my bowels REGULAR which was KEY to avoiding those terrible painful bouts of cramping and diarrhea.

    I learrned that drinking plenty of water, avoiding certain foods, taking psyllium (natural...no drugs) and most of all eating well...6 - 10 servings of fruit and vegetables per day were the answer to my IBS. I think stress makes your muscles tighten up and you get so absorbed in studies or work that you ignore your body's cues and the rhythm of morning BMs. 

    The pain of IBS is very severe that you really do think you need to go to the hospital. But hopefully, people can get through it at home, rest and recover and learn WHAT one must do to avoid more attacks in future. It isn't rocket science. 

    For those of you still struggling and experiencing IBS attacks: Look at your dinner plate. It should be colourful. We all have beets in our fridge. We can all shred some cabbage (30 seconds) and put mayo and lemon juice on it. Washing green lettuce (not iceberg) and slicing a tomato and sprinkling chopped red pepper/capsicum over it can't take longer than 2 - 3  minutes. Preparing and frying up a chicken breast takes 45 minutes. For those not used to eating vegetables, starting simple can be the starting point for a veritable vegetable odyssey! Today it's lettuce...tomorrow asparagus with mayo and lemon juice, spinach boiled in 1 minute in a bit of salt water, drained, butter and garlic powder added. Brussel sprouts with tops removed and boiled with the same dressing. Mmmm! There is a whole world of lovely, jewel coloured, fresh veggies out there that your bowels will love and thank you for. 

    IBS will become a thing of the past and you will reap the benefits of a long and healthy life.

    Robin

    • Lauren1607
      Lauren1607 robin77577

      Posted

      I'm glad that you have found a way to deal with yours too Robin. 

      Having IBS has left me with mental scares, I suffer from anxiety and emetophobia as a result,  which did edge me on that I NEED to do something about it. 

      To this day I still have flare ups which I'm sure everyone will. But I'm not living in fear of them. Which is a massive step forward for me. 

      I just hope that everyone else one day can see past that fear because I know how tough it can be. 

    • robin77577
      robin77577 Lauren1607

      Posted

      I think, Lauren, the fear disappears or at least dissipates when you feel that you have control. When you know just what to do to avoid IBS attacks, you realize that having attacks or not is in your own hands. Then if you do have a painful bout, you might add more water, cut out constipating / salty foods, be physically more active, take one more magnesium tablet at bedtime...which btw, is THE way I prevent attacks. Of course, I drink plenty of water and eat 2 1/2 cups of fruit and veggies per day which goes without saying. 

      Through trial and error, I. am sure you will be able to find the right balance among all the approaches to maintaining regularity.

    • tyler61459
      tyler61459 robin77577

      Posted

      I’ve had this ibs a uff and just recently started and been smokeing as a medical 215 patient here in California and I’ve been useing cbd to help my ibs and it helps a lot of the time it is the right cure for me but at work and etc we’re I can’t use it the medication I use the meds from the doctor and I have adhd and anxiety attacks that are not fun ontop of the ibs symptoms and the doctor I had ended up giving up and recommended me to another doctor sick of these worthless doctors and s****y healthcare here in California n Humboldt we don’t have enough doctors and it makes a lot of umm we do have no brighter then door knobs on doors they just give up trying to help and leave you in the dust 
  • gallee
    gallee Lauren1607

    Posted

    I agree with everything you say plus I'd like to add a couple of point. A friend I play golf with told me he suffered with ibs and took all the meds. When he retired the ibs disappeared. My wife suffers with ibs and much more. However one day when she was having a bad do with severe cramping whilst on the loo. (I had to support her to stop her falling to the floor) I had the feeling that she should avoid straining and mentally relax her bowel. I told her to concentrate on a nearby object and completely focus all her attention on it. It worked. She said why didn't you say this before. It was only in that moment when I could really feel her pain that it came to me. Her worst ibs trigger is milk. She did an exclusion diet and when she reintroduced milk her bodies reaction was horrific. She let out a blood curdling scream, fell to the floor clutching her head and continued like she was having a fit. Now if she ingests milk by accident she has symptoms similar to a diabetic. If she gets pains in her head due to milk she could pass out without warning. A spoonful of sugar under her tongue gets rid of the pains in her head and stops her passing out. After elimination of milk from her diet she stopped getting colitis. It's nice to see people like we have on this forum helping each other with advise based on experience. The body is so complex and doctors so busy they don't have time to devote to their patients. We may eat a trigger food once in a month and it may not show for days. You have to take responsibility for your own health. Forums like this will help you in this difficult task.
  • Mutley
    Mutley Lauren1607

    Posted

    I just don't get this IBS situation, I was fine until last year, I am 44.  I was put on antacids for 2 years and coming off them gave me chronic inflammation throughout my gastric track, now I've been told I have ibs , I don't have dioreah or constipation, I have terrific right corner pain, bloating, but the pain isn't cramping, its more like inflammation, how can it be IBS, every site I see confirms that my IBS is not consistent with everyone elses, I bled tonight whilst having a bm, it was really horrible, I think I've colitis or something, is this something you sufferers have. I'm desprate to get some relief from this pain. My bowel feels like it swells not bloats. I don't know if anyone feels the same.  However I am really glad you get relief from this I wish I could be as brave.
    • robin77577
      robin77577 Mutley

      Posted

      Hello Mutley,

      It doesn't sound like you have IBS at all. No diarrhea alternating with constipation?... To rule IBS out completely, do you have a large easy to pass BM every morning? If not, you may be constipated enough to have pain or discomfort in the right side of your colon. If so, eat more raw veggies. Drink 2 extra glasses of water per day, preferably in the morning as soon as you get up. Take magnesium citrate, a harmless mineral every night with water or almond milk before bed.

      Is your 'right corner pain' higher up near the ribs...or down the right side...or at the bottom of your abdomen? If it is the 1st alternative, it could be gall bladder pain. Have you been on a diet lately? That can trigger gall bladder issues. See your doctor.

      If it is the 2nd alternative, it could be your ascending colon. Have a colonoscopy.

      If it's the 3rd alternative, lie on your back, relax and press into the centre of your abdomen. If it hurts in the lower right quandrant, you may have appendicitis. Go quickly to your doctor or hospital. There is no time to waste.

      Let us know how things go.

      Wishing you all the best.

      Robin

       

  • dineshpkm
    dineshpkm Lauren1607

    Posted

    Hi All,

    I am a male 35 years old, diagnosed with h pylori gastritis in 2014 march. I took triple therapy. After this therapy everthing was fine but one day i got diahorrea for 4 times. it continued for 3 months. then in august 2014(I was under normaxin tablet),  it went off. Again in november i got constipated (I was under rifaximin for 1 week) and this continued till last week. Last week i ate 100 g of garlic and got diahorrea again. 

    But my weight increased by 8 kilos from last year . i practice yoga and lead an active life out side my office hours. 

  • levi54934
    levi54934 Lauren1607

    Posted

    Hi. I hope you don't mind me coming to your post. I've been diagnosed with ibs last week and had to send a sample to them for testing. I had diahreh before I went (sorry for the detail...) And I started eating gluten free for the past few days. Everything seemed to be okay, my stomach still hurt and I still needed to use the toilet but it wasn't as bad as before. However, today it's like it was before I went. I have had quite bad diahreh and I don't know why. I was thinking maybe it's the foods I ate before passing through (I am overweight and did admittedly eat more than I should have). I'm just wondering if you know if it will stop at all or if there's anything I can do to help it. Thanks for reading and i hop you reply.

  • doglover2005
    doglover2005 Lauren1607

    Posted

    Hi Lauren! I'm kinda in need of some comforting right now, if you don't mind because I'm literally gonna spill my heart out. I'm 13, a female. I've been battling with anxiety since the beginning of 2018. I was experiencing some abdominal pain and more diarrhea and constipation than I usually would. The pain would go away faster and be less painful/uncomfortable when I can have a BM, it can also go away by itself, but it would come back and I need a BM again. I noticed and started googling (worst decision). First I googled constipation. Colon cancer popped up. Diarrhea, colon cancer popped up. Abdominal discomfort/pain, colon cancer. That's when my anxiety started to fuel up. My anxiety and stress level that was controlled and mild shot right up to the extreme state. I feel like the anxiety made me more aware of the symptoms, it got worse and I feel like more symptoms keep arising. 

    My symptoms are: Alternations between diarrhea and constipation, occasional thin/flat stool (I got really really really freaked out), bloating, indigestion, abdominal discomfort and pain (it jumps from place to place but usually in the lower abdomen and upper), sometimes loss of appetite, sometimes feeling of not emptying completely, more gas than usual?, yellow/orange/brownish substance around stool sometimes white covering my stool, changes in stool appearance, changes in bowel habits basically, bad anxiety and stress, probably some more symptoms that are not very prominent or I can't remember

    Is it weird that I'm so "used" to the pain now, that I can tell if it's gonna be diarrhea or constipation? Crampy, swirly feeling in lower abdomen means most likely diarrhea, upper/mid/left side means constipation. Upper pain comes with bloating. 

    I feel a bit relieved that I have not have significant weight loss. I did lose about 4-5 pounds in 3 months but I think it was because I was consuming fewer calories (my doctor said I need to lose weight), more exercising, and I got the cold twice (flu season where I live). I gain myself a lot because of anxiety and the pressure my family puts on me to lose weight and also, colon cancer cause weight loss. I don't see any blood in stool. My stool is always light to medium in color. I haven't had a fever since more than a year ago. It wasn't very high either. I've never heard of colon cancer in my family so I don't think any close in my family has colon cancer but my dad does have problems kinda like me as well. 

    I really need some therapy but I can't get it right now, that's why I turned to Patient.info for some comforting.

    I'm really sorry this is so long. I've just been going off on anything and everything. From worrying that I have liver problems, to heart disease, to anemia (which can mean cancer), to the color of my nails, to the color of my skin, to pressure on losing weight, fat shaming (no one had ever body shame me except my family...).

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