IBS does anyone have or know anything about this??

[alfiechoosmum]

hi,
ive just been told by the doctor that ive got ibs and i have to take pills for it i just woundered if anyone has it or knows anything about it, he gave me some pages on it but its all jibberish to me lol so if anyone can help be so grateful thanks x

[BuffyTheFluffySlayer]

Poor you. Did a hospital doctor tell you that you had this?

Tummy ache, weird poop etc? What are the pills?

[alfiechoosmum]

no ive had pains in my tummy since i was at school and im now 25 lol and never really thought anything of it but then i was speaking to my bf and he said well thats not normal lol so i thought i best get checked out and the doctor said yep its ibs, got me to check off the symtoms i had and felt my tummy. i don't know what there called as i have to go back and get them from him.

[Meglet]

My gp diagnosed IBS and referred me to an NHS dietician. In my case I had to eat far less raw fruit, raw veg and fibre as they bloat me up and cause me to have to poo about 6 times a day. Even though I have cut back I'm never constipated and still poo more than most people (sorry that is way TMI ). Try and see an NHS dietician and have a look on google for low residue diets. But you might have the opposite IBS to me and need more fibre, I think it's a bit of trial and error TBH.

[BuffyTheFluffySlayer]

Does it get worse after you have eaten certain foods?

IBS is a term for 'I don't know', it's normally what the gastroenterologists (not the GP) call digestive problems when they have ruled out other conditions, such as crohnes disease, which should be checked for first. I'd pop back to the GP, request a referal to a gastroenterologist so that all of the other conditions can be ruled out.
After eliminating things like crohns disease, celiac disease, ulcerative colitis, then they can call it IBS, this is because the symptoms are the same, abdominal pain, diarrhoea/constipation, sometimes slimy poop, bloating. Certain foods can spark it off, too much wheat, spicy foods, it depends on you though.

[alfiechoosmum]

meglet yeh i think thats what i might have to do my doctor didn't really explaine it much to me tbh, he just said yeh u got it and come bk if u want pills lol i thought oh great thanks.
buffy it gets worse on its own, like ill be fine and then im sat there in so much pain i can't move, i dont know what to expect with it tbh i have never known anyone that has got it or even spoke about it so to me im a bit lost lol

[BuffyTheFluffySlayer]

Is it just pain or do you get diarrhoea and constipation with it aswell? Do your poo's (sorry) have slime on them sometimes? Nausea and vomiting? Do you sometimes get blood in your poo?

I would go back and insist on a referal to a gastroenterologist, the symptoms of IBS are so similar to crohnes disease that it does need checking by an expert, crohnes is a nasty disease and can result in damage to the bowel if it's not treated in the right way so it really does need checking.

[alfiechoosmum]

i wouldn't say slimy but i always feel like ive never emptyed my bowels even though i know i have, no blood and yeh sometimes i feel like im gonna be sick in the morning.
i go through different stages sometimes ill have diarrhoea and sometimes ill be constipated i cant say i have ever gone a whole day without feeling a pain in my tummy

[Slickbird]

I've had IBS for nearly 20 years and it's something that now comes and goes with me, but typically bad when I am under a lot of on-going stress or when I am pregnant.

My symptoms can be a kind of grating pain in any of the three main areas of the stomach, and large intestine. And I can get bloated too. When I was pregnant it was REALLY REALLY bad and the pain could be unbearable and last for hours. Wheat definitely made it worse (although fine when not PG) and some spicy foods.

I would say tho, that FYBOGEL always sorts me out, you can get it in the chemist and you have it in a glass a couple of times a day for a period of time and I find it really helps.

I remember getting pills from the doc at about 16/17 but the Fybogel works best. Peppermint Water is also really good, but is hard to get sometimes. Try and reduce your stress levels if you have any and your wheat intake, just to see if that helps.

IMHO!

Good luck honey.

[alfiechoosmum]

my stress level is so high at the moment, im going through a court case with my ex, i recently lost my mum and im now leaving on my own, so ive been stressed when i was pregnant i did find that my belly was always in pain and i found it hard to eat certain things i just thought that was the pregnancy but i guess it was this, i find it so hard to drink them types of things but i will defo give it a try and see how that gets on. thanks x

[BuffyTheFluffySlayer]

It does sound like IBS but the current guidelines are that a gastroenterologist diagnoses this after doing some tests as the symptoms are alot like other diseases. Celiac disease has the same symptoms, it's a wheat allergy which is really nasty if left untreated, over time the lining of the intestines is worn away so it does need checking.
You can buy IBS medication over the counter, it could help but I really do think that you should go back to the GP and ask for a referal to check for celiac/crohnes. These are things that really shouldn't be left untreated.

[alfiechoosmum]

yeh i think i might im not a very confident person when it comes to doing things like that but ill see what he says, i would hate to think it might be something else.

[BuffyTheFluffySlayer]

Me too alfie. I hope it's OK. I don't mean to worry you but this is how things are supposto be done, if your stomach pain is really bad then it needs checking.

Are you anemic? Have you tried cutting out dairy products? (milk, cheese) Does this help?

[Slickbird]

Oh you poor thing. That really is a phenominal amount of stress. It does sound to me like that could be making it all worse, but while I feel Buffy is being super-cautious, it's maybe no bad thing to get other things ruled out.

[plus3]

hello I thought I was a celiac - symptoms were bloating, mucous and wind to begin with, progressing to loose stools with mucous/small amount of blood. I cut out gluten, everything improved so I didn't go back to my GP (foolish,I know). However it all got worse again after christmas so i went back to my GP who thought that it sounded like IBS - but thought that I should rule out celiac disease via the gastroenterologist.

Turns out I've got ulcerative colitis, and my GP really doesn't have a clue about it all.

Really you should be tested to exclude the crohn's and colitis (inflammatory bowels disease) and the celiac disease. If these are not present, then IBS is most likely.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

[alfiechoosmum]

yeh see the reason im not thinking that its ibs is that i never get bloated not even a little bit, and ive been reading about it and it says bloating is a big symptom to it so im just a bit worried now about it grr

[BuffyTheFluffySlayer]

Have you tried cutting out the dairy and wheat to see if this makes any difference?