How do people with IBS cope with life

I get this too, it's terrifying

I feel so much for everyone posting here. I dont have IBS but have a motility disorder called 'dumping' (nice!) where shortly (half an hour) after eating, the gut 'dumps' everything in sudden, urgent diarrhea. I seem to mainly get it when eating out, and I haven't yet determined whether that is due to the richness of restaurant food vs home cooking, or the volume eaten, or the 'excitement' of eating out. I can largely control it with a loperamide taken pre-emptively.

But I have been caught out many times - having to race home in the car after a meal out (I'm lucky as I get about 10 mins from the first inkling, to unstoppable diarrhea), or pooed on a countryside walk.

I'm a bit nervous about eating out, and even moreso eating at a friend's house. Travel is also very stressful.

happy I've heard that breaking from gluten then going back after a long period of time may help. I stopped a decade ago but will probably try it again when my dcs leave school. One school of thought is that eating more traditional bread may be better than mass produced stuff. I wonder if menopause has also messed up by stomach in my 40's.

This is exactly what I am like. I chee Rennie like they are going out of fashion.

I get so bloated I look 9 months pregnant!

I try not to let it rule my life though, although its had a massive effect on our sex life as sex equals instant stomach ache which is proving difficult to navigate even with a supportive DH.

But I'll go to my martial arts lessons and I'll go out wherever I want to and very much just "hope for the best, prepare for the worst"

I have not officially been diagnosed with IBS (does someone need to actually tell me, “yes you have IBS”?) but I have had a blood test for coeliac which was negative and I’m waiting for a dietician referral to try low FODMAP.

I suffer with a mixture of diarrhoea and constipation, I flit between the two sometimes days or weeks at a time. The cramps are horrendous and the painful urgency to open my bowels every time I take a bite of something to eat. And the bloating - I look pregnant!
I’m under Gastro at the hospital but never actually seen the doctor face to face, my GP just prescribed mebeverine this week, again that was over the phone. I don’t know how long it takes to start working but nothing so far.

I’ve not been able to work out my triggers so far but interesting a lot of you suffer with onions, that seems to be a staple in most of my meals.

I am trying to lose weight as well and not really getting anywhere with that

Mine is so severe now I definitely wouldn't be able to do the job I did pre kids. It's been 21 years for me and I'm still at the mercy of it. Have a gastro apt with NHS in Sept, over the phone, and will be begging for my life back.

@user656709 I take multivitamins but I don't actually find it too restrictive these days, I guess I've got used to it. I eat a lot of meat, fish and veg and just have to think about what I put with them. The onion and garlic thing is probably the biggest issue when eating out but I know they're horrible triggers for me so I avoid them as much as possible. I did see a dietician for a bit but she really wasn't that helpful and I stopped going when she suggested going back to 'normal' eating and cutting out just diary or just wheat etc. No way I could cope with the poo and the stomach aches that would have brought.

I eat about a dozen eggs a week to keep my innards under control. I always have 3 eggs on a Sunday to set me up for work on Monday, then 2-3 a day while I'm out to ensure all is ok. Couldn't cope without eggs

Anyone with IBS or IBD can use a disabled loo if that takes the stress out of using the toilet in public. I struggled with my crohns for about 20 years. Started using the disabled toilets 5 years ago and it's made life much easier.

I really hope it does the trick @Dahliasrule, it has certainly sorted me out.

I'm also on the kefir etc - building up the probiotics is definitely a way out of this. It also tallies with the evidence that the additives disrupt the gut biome by suppressing the good and feeding the bad bacteria. The priobiotic help to a certain extent but just such a vicious circle if we're then eating additives which messes it up again. I really hope this is the answer permanently!! It certainly seems to make the most sense.

Could you share the details of this? I do relate to every post on this thread. I’m at the point where I will literally spend whatever it takes.

DH has suffered with IBS for years but has been going through a really difficult patch recently. He cannot eat anything at lunchtime because it seems to trigger a severe attack. It is very disappointing because he had found that eating fermented foods sauerkraut and kefir had been helping. He does have several food and additive intolerances that cause migraines so I am going to show him your list, tickticktickboom. Thank you for that.

@MidnightLibrary and @Augend23 thanks both I will take a look!

@SproutsAtChristmas Have you discovered/tried Simethicone (branded version is Wind-eze) I find it super helpful if I have trapped wind.

Mebeverine works very well for many people. I guess you could just use it on risky days if you didn’t want to use it all the time.

Dh has had it for as long as I've known him. Medication and watching good makes no difference. We just subconsciously are always near a toilet. Vile disease.

I have a really boring diet. That's how I do it. I basically eat the same things at the same time most days. I don't drink milk or eat pulses like lentils. I avoid stress.

Most days are fine. Big meals are a trigger. Holidays are hard as i can't control my diet as much. I hate Xmas !

Stopping all vitamin pills was a huge help to me due to all the additives - seriously I reckon they do more harm than good!

@MilkHunt50 I think you're right about the pill being a major factor.

But I don't think it's the hormones in the pill causing the gastro ptoblems. I strongly believe its all the other shit in the tablets:
Lactose, maize starch, povidone, magnesium stearate (E572), sucrose, macrogol 6000, calcium carbonate (E170), talc, glycol montanate, titanium dioxide (E171), glycerin (E422), ferric oxide pigment yellow (E172).

Unfortunately I fear this is the same for immodium and pentasa - both of which I've taken for years and they work, temporarily. I've avoided additives now for 7 weeks and off all meds now. I'm totally symptomless.

Hi started suffering for years out of the blue early 20’s it stopped for a few years and then restarted. The culprit was the pill. Now tried and tested, anytime I go on it within a month I’m back to having IBS full blown. Originally it took a while hence never realised the connection, until I stopped taking it for several years and noticed a while after my condition had stopped. Started taking it again and it was back. Stopped taking it and the relief was indescribable. Stopped it for good once I realised the pattern, a change of pill brand did not help, and never been bothered by it since. Did food tolerance test at the time, and managed by doing things others have said when I didn’t know what the trigger was. Avoiding certain foods, eating little before going out only helped manage it as best I could, and never resolved the issue. I do wonder if the pill has more of a role when we look at the profile of the condition effecting more women, when they typically may develop the condition. Lot of my friends suffered at similar age. Of course, if your going to stop the pill you’ll need to sort other contraceptive. For us me stopping the pill and using other forms was an improvement, as the frequency of the IBS diarrhoea meant I was never actually able to rely on the pill anyway over many of the years of taking it.

I have ulcerative colitis.
I go for an infusion of infliximab every two months, take mesalazine every day and am prescribed steroids when I have a bad flare up.
I have to avoid all fried foods, nuts and seeds, green vegetables, onions, tomatoes ( oh,how I miss them 😒) brown/ wholemeal bread, full fat milk, and coffee.
It can be really challenging at times, I have to try to go to the toilet before work and take immodium if I can't go.....
There is an app called Fodmap which is really helpful for keeping track of diet, triggers and even the type of poo that results......

Try it @FloorWipes

All my symptoms were gone in 3 days and I seem to be able to eat whatever I like now as long as those additives are excluded. I'm on week 7 - I honestly can say this knowledge has changed my life. I have an appointment with my gastro consultant at the end of August and I can't wait to tell him.

Maltodextrin appears to be the worst for me.
It was even in my soya milk which I use for tea (I eat all other dairy) and I drink 10 cups a day so back to milk for me and so far so good.
I've had to cut supermarket bread though and get a loaf from the bakery which is the more pricey aspect but making my own wraps and cakes. I'm becoming an expert at find food I can eat that don't have any of the additives in - like Aldi shortbread fingers - so I don't have to be a martyr!

However I never go on long walks these days as the risk of an episode is too great and medication takes 15 to 30 minutes to kick in. I aways know where the loos are whenever I go anywhere too. There's no doubt IBS involves some changes to how you live your life.

Imodium. The cheaper versions of the same drug work just as well. It's a life saver for me.

Thanks very much! @ticktickticktickBOOM