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Painful IBS symptoms - what helps?

Posted , 6 users are following.

elaine140
elaine140

Hi All, I'm new to this group. Ijoined in desperation and have started reading through some of the discussions which are very interesting. I've had IBS for about 12 years now to varying degrees and have never really got to the bottom of what foods I should cut out. I've got a FODMAP book and will be trying that next. My main symptom is painful stomach (intestine) cramps which keep me awake during the night. What I would like to know is, when experiencing IBS symptoms, other than restricting food groups etc, what receives the symptoms best? Thank you.

1 like, 25 replies

25 Replies

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  • looloo43
    looloo43 elaine140

    Posted

    Hi Elaine. I have colitis, ibs-d, bile acid malabsorption, & fructose malabsorption. After 2.5yrs of suffering & getting to diagnosis, all my conditions are controlled by meds & diet (with the odd blip now & then). i am under gastroenterologist & gastro dietician at my local hosp. Some tips that have helped me that may help you: 1) I started symprove probiotic(clinically proven by kings college hosp-you can look up to find out more) about 2mths ago. this has helped reduce bloating & stomach cramps associated with ibs significantly. 2) i cannot eat fruit or veg-this brings on ibs-d & fructose malabsorption symptoms. my specialist dietician suggested i try the following in about 80g(handful) portion at any one time; root veg such as swede, parnips, butternut squash, aubergines, courgettes, carrots (may need to remove skins if not tolerated with). fruit; kiwis, canteloupe melon, small bananas (again about 80g portion at a time). i have tried butternut squash, swede, & parsnips - all ok! tried kiwi in a homemade smoothy - 1st time diarrea, 2nd time onwards - fine. 3) if you go out for a meal occasionally, i take 2 loperamide an hour before i go, then i can eat anything without diarrea or problems, eg garlic mushrooms, or some grilled tomato & mushrooms with a steak. i only do this when i go out for a meal, as not a good habit to do all the time with the loperamide. 4) try eliminating leafy salad except iceberg lettuce, its the only one for me that digests (doesnt come out looking the same as it went in!!!) 5) some people with ibs cant break down fibre, i had to give up porridge & switch to white bread which helped relieve bloating straight after eating. hope this helps, ask away if any more questions.
    • elaine140
      elaine140 looloo43

      Posted

      Hi Looloo43, thanks for your reply, it's always great to hear when conditions are under control, what a fantastic feeling that must be. I've started taking Probiotic multivitamins, not sure if that's the same thing you're talking about? The food you eat sounds right up my street, nice and healthy. I come to understand that sometimes is not necessarily the particular food that causes the symptoms, but it can be eating too much of it, even it it's still just a little. I haven't heard of loperamide so I'll have a look at that. Once my symptoms start, I can't seem to get them to stop or ease off at all. 

      I've really got high hopes that I'm going to sort this IBS thing out and get on track  :-)

  • looloo43
    looloo43 elaine140

    Posted

    Elaine, also forgot to mention, fodmap diet; for me half the foods on the "lists" disagree with me with regard to causing diarrea, bloating & stomach cramps, so it is not black & white. some people cant tolerate dairy, but for me, milk, yoghurt & mild cheese are my saviour when my appetite is up & down but i need some food/nutrition. You really have to get to know what you personally can tolerate. this sounds yuk, but also monitor your stools, i would see undigested peppers, carrots, green salad in stools (in toilet pan) accompanied with stomach cramp/loose stools/diarrea, so i know certain things like that are not good for me. it is a learning curve. simple things like barbecue sauce give me diarrea too, so you need to work out what causes you symptoms sometimes eating something 2 or 3 occasions to see a pattern with certain foods.
    • elaine140
      elaine140 looloo43

      Posted

      Brilliant you know exactly what causes your symptoms. I really need to get to that stage one way or another. I know that wine really affects my stomach and if I eat too much rubbish in a day, or even just have too much food, that's why I try to eat healthy but not too much of anything. I'm trying to have smaller meals at night and cut down on any rubbish I eat so at least that's a start. I'm away on holiday on Friday for a week and intend to be as careful as possible. After that I'll start eliminating food groups (again) to identify the issue(s). Wish me luck!
  • looloo43
    looloo43 elaine140

    Posted

    It has been a long & emotional road to getting where i am finally & i understand everyone's frustration, sadness & pain who hasn't got there yet, we have a great health service, but it does take time to get properly diagnosed, have tests, see consultants, try meds etc. i nearly lost my beloved job of 8.5 years earlier this year because of delays in diagnosis/treatment but after much pushing with hospital finally got treated appropriately & got better-happy days again. losing my job would've been the final straw. i have missed family holidays, social occasions & had months of work leading up to getting better. in answer to your question - loperamide is an over the counter diarrea medication that works quickly, but is not a long term solution to permanent conditions(more a "get by" occasional remedy. you can get larger amounts on prescription, but it's very cheap to buy chemists own brand over counter. like i said before i only use it before i go out for a meal (an hour before 2 capsules) so i can be "free" to enjoy some veg, a few glassed of red wine, & maybe a fruit desert like eton mess! ( i say fruit lightly there's a lot of cream & meringue in that too!) the probiotic i looked into quite a bit b4 trying as it's expensive, but alot of probiotics dont reach the part of the intestine before dying off, this one has been clinically proven to reach the intestine in the correct dose & make a difference in bowel disorders. the suggested trial period is 3mths(of which i am 2mths into now) you take a capful of the liquid every morning before eating or drinking anything. manufacturer suggest 10 mins before, but i leave it 20mins before. this is because even if you have a cuppa with milk in it will trigger digestion & ruin the probiotic benefits/live bacteria. it tastes like dry vinegary white wine,but is gone in 2 swigs & you get used to it. i started on half the recommended dose 30ml 1st week to minimise any bowel disruption then 50ml 2nd week on (my gastro dietician said you only need 50ml not the recommended 60ml & it will last longer). it is costly but if you buy from manufacturer they give you your 3rd month free. after the 3mth trial you can go to a lower maintenance dose or continue on the same dose whatever you get benefit from. i have found it significantly reduces the stomach cramps with ibs (now only occasional & very mild twisting feeling that is not painful) & reduced bloating. i have also been able to reduce the med for bile acid malabsorption last 10 days or so without any increase in diarrea- just on average 3 normal bowel movements per day. so i feel pretty stable with the combination of my meds, probiotics & gradually learning more all the time about what i can & cant tolerate diet wise. i miss all the leafy salads like rocket, lollo rosso etc & tomatoes, onions, green veg like cabbage & broccoli, but there are a small amount in the root veg family i can still eat in small amounts. incidentally, my dietician & gastroenterolgist did say they have had success/improvement in patients on this particular probiotic when i asked them about it. ask away if you have any more questions. hope you enjoy your holiday, get some loperamide so you can enjoy a nice evening meal & couple of glasses of vino! take care x
    • elaine140
      elaine140 looloo43

      Posted

      Thanks for that info. I remember loperamide now as my dad had loads of it when he had food poisoning recently. I've got the opposite to you and get constipation, bloating and major spasms. I had a look at the probiotic you've mentioned online. I've got a few packets of my probiotic multivitamins to use up and I'll se how that works for me, and if it's they've not made a difference I'll take a further look at the Symprove, it sounds promising very promising, espeically if it taste like a dodgy white wine cheesygrin.You take care too and thanks again for all your info. It's much appreciated.
  • graham9772
    graham9772 elaine140

    Posted

    Good on you Elaine.   I admire your positiveness.   Just keep telling yourself that in a years time you will have control and life will be good again.   Maybe a bit restrictive on diet but there are plenty of other things to enjoy.

    Good Luck

    Graham

    • elaine140
      elaine140 graham9772

      Posted

      Thanks Graham. I might give you a shout if I have any FODMAP queries as I progress with it if that's ok?
  • looloo43
    looloo43 elaine140

    Posted

    Me again Elaine!

    Ditto Graham's comments; you will get there, & a little restriction in diet, but there really are other things to enjoy. the probiotic, my dietician mentioned it is even more successful/beneficial for people with constipation problems than diarrea; mine was diarrea & i have still had significant benefit from it. Have a great holiday. x

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