IBS is ruining my life

[MyQuaterLifeCrisis]

I've been in agony for the last few days, bed ridden the whole of today except for doing the school run. This only started on Friday (though I've had flare ups in the past) and it's been non stop torture, I feel like I'm in labour! I'm scared to leave the house because I need the toilet all the time, though have chronic constipation so needn't worry really (sorry, tmi)

I can't really see a doctor, unless I want to wait two weeks for an appointment and then wait an hour to be called - I know they will just suggest taking paracetamol as they have before. I've been taking ibuprofen and buscopan throughout the day, which helps for a couple of hours and then it's back to square one. I just want the awful achey cramps to go away! I had a bowl of porridge for breakfast, and then a bowl of soup for dinner (no crap food) but it's still agony five minutes after eating, so now I'm too scared too.

Really need a long term solution for this that doesn't involve popping painkillers every few hours! Anyone experience this/have any suggestions?

TIA!

[Antanddec123]

Have you been tested for Coeliacs?

[nocutsnobuttsnococonuts]

Hi, IBS is horrible. I have had it for over 9 years, I found for me medication isnt always enough. I try and control it through diet. For me dairy and caffeine are my main triggers, I cant drink coffee at all and struggle with too much wheat products. This is all made much worse when i am stressed.

Maybe keep a food diary and find out what is triggering the worse of the stomach aches and then consider cutting them from your diet, then slowly reintroducing them. I was dairy free for about 2 years and can now tolerate it although chocolate still upsets my tummy.

hope you feel better soon :)

[Whyissheontheship]

Have you tried the FODMAP diet. (It's not a fad diet is a scientifically studied diet designed for IBS)

It's amazing my DH is 100x better now he knows what triggers his IBS

gp was very unhelpful

[peggyundercrackers]

Have you had a small intestinal bacterial growth breath test?

[MyQuaterLifeCrisis]

Thanks everyone. No, not been tested for coeliacs. I'll look into food diary/FODMAP though

[MyQuaterLifeCrisis]

No peggy never even heard of such a thing!

[carabos]

Have you tried Mebeverine? I was sceptical about it when I had a flare up last year, but it did work.

[carabos]

Oh, and cut the gluten. That might help in the short term.

[Silvercatowner]

My IBS completely cleared up when I went gluten free. Worth a try.

[bloodynoris]

I know how you feel. I have crohns and been off work for 2 weeks in a flare. The pain is unbearable at times. If you have bad constipation get some movicol from the pharmacy it really helps.

Hope you feel better soon.

[Equiem89]

Don't cut gluten! If you've never been tested for coeliacs then ask your GP for a blood test but it's imperative that you keep eating gluten beforehand

[sonjadog]

Have you tried cutting out gluten? My stomach got almost instantly better when I did. Wish I had done it years ago.

[Everytimeref]

I was recommend FODMAP by my doctor and had appointments with a NHS dietician to support me. I too found I was 100% better and knowing what the cause is has really helped. I found onions, garlic to be the worse culprits

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

My DD(20) is doing the FODMAP diet at the moment. Three weeks in and she is massively better.

[TestingTestingWonTooFree]

My DH found that cutting fructose out of his diet made him so much better. It's found in fruit juice, honey and processed foods mainly.

[Imeg]

Pain thankfully isn't the main feature of my IBS, but just in case:
Things that help me:

• dealing with anxiety (exercise, fresh air, am considering counselling). I didn't realise how much of a link there was between mind and body
  
• avoiding too much wheat
  
• plenty of fibre (brown rice)
  
• whole chia seeds soaked in water (look in health food shop)
  
• being aware that it is likely to be worse at certain times of the month and when I'm stressed.

[peggyundercrackers]

Noquarter is called SIBO for short - I know I've posted a link to a DM article but there are lots of articles about it on the net. I've been tested for it and is the main reason I know about it, it was a harmless test and not what caused my symptoms at the time.

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2089942/Think-youre-bloated-IBS-It-just-Small-Intestinal-Bacterial-Overgrowth-easier-manage.html

[peggyundercrackers]

www.webmd.boots.com/digestive-disorders/small-intestinal-bacteria-sibo?print=true

[WombatStewForTea]

I agree about not cutting out gluten until you've had a blood test for coeliac. I did once my bloods came back clear and it made a massive difference to my IBS-D which is now under investigation for IBD with a complete change of symptoms and symptoms were loads better. After a few months I introduced it back into my diet and symptoms came back so I went back to gluten free and symptoms calmed again. After a few months I tried again and was fine.

[Antanddec123]

I agree with **Equiem89, don't cut gluten until your GP has done the Coeliac blood test.
However, if the result is negative for Coeliac, I've read that some IBS sufferers still feel better cutting out gluten.

[canyou]

IBS sufferer here as well
I take Alforex it is made esp for ibs and is available over the counter. FODMAP diet can help

[canyou]

If you do get a test of coeliac disease remember you need to eat approx 2 slices of bread a day for six weeks.

[kali110]

My god op you sound like me, except im on heavy duty painkillers
It's horrible! Ive had ibs for years but last year or two have been horrendous.
It does seem to go from one extreme to the other doesn't it!

[Junosmum]

Once I found my trigger foods (beans and shreddies are massive ones but a large amount of anything with barley in, e.g over a few days) my ibs got massively better.

I also find it is incredibly hormonal. My current pill really calms it down but other pills have massively irritated it. Being off the pill is a no-no for me as it is unbearable. Pregnancy was awful- they kept thinking I was having ectopic pregnancy or ruptured cysts. I had to be so so strict with my diet. I went back on my pill 2.5 weeks after delivery!

[freerangeeggs]

You poor thing

I also suffer from pain predominant IBS. When I get a flare up it usually lasts about 8 - 10 hours and I can sympathise completely because it's agonising and I don't think anyone really understands how much it hurts. Paracetamol is not enough.

However, nowadays I can make the pain more or less manageable over the course of the flare up until it subsides. That is, I can avoid getting to the stage where I'm rolling around crying and vomiting. Yours is lasting a lot longer than mine so some of these measures might be less feasible for you, but they should help provide a solution in the short term and make things more bearable.

1. Run a hot bath and sit in it for as long as possible. My record is 8 hours (I read the whole of The Scarlet Letter that time! I've also read Atonement in one sitting during a flareup... reading helps take my mind off it). This is the one of the only things that I find makes a massive difference to the spasms. I'll often find that I think the pains have subsided until I get out of the bath, and they immediately start up again. When I can't sit in the bath for whatever reason I use a hot water bottle.
   

1. Mebeverine Hydrochloride, which I get on prescription from my doctor. You can take several pills in a short space of time and it makes a huge difference. I find it much, much more effective than Buscopan. Just now I'm living aborad and my doctor prescribed me Disputalin Retard (spelling?) which I think is the same thing but it feels stronger. I only take it during a flareup.
   

1. Sip hot water.
   

1. Massage your stomach gently.
   

1. Eat nothing. Fast properly until your stomach recovers. Over the Christmas period I fasted for two full days. It's not as hard as it sounds and when you're feeling shitty anyway you probably don't want to eat. I find doing this every so often gives my stomach a bit of a rest.
   

1. Peppermint oil capsules: not so much for during flareups (though I do take them when that happens) but just for general everyday bloating and discomfort. I have them prescribed. I don't know if it's just a placebo effect but I don't care!
   

I hope that helps somewhat. IBS is shit (no pun intended)

This level of pain is unacceptable though and your doctor should be helping you manage it. I have gone to A&E before, but generally that's not an experience I'm able to deal with during a flareup! Go get investigated, and try FODMAP maybe as people have suggested. Mine doesn't seem to be caused by food so much as stress; the gym helped a lot.