IBS - is it normally to feel bad all day everyday?

[holidayseeker]

Ive had ibs for years but only minor symptoms. That was until June this year when it started to become a real problem.

It started off as diarreah every few days then became daily pain with wind and gurgling stomach. I went to gp who prescribed mebeverine and said classic ibs. However I still continued to have problems so decided to go to a dietician, they set me on a lowfodmap diet and advised to increase fibre.

I have found 2 triggers which are bananas, these make me poo up to 8 times the day after I have eaten them and lactose free cheese which made me feel ill after 45 minutes and poo alot the next day.

Now following this since July I am still suffering, every day as soon as I wake up my belly is grumbling and I have to rush to the toilet. Then I could poo up to 4 times a day. I also get gurgling in my belly and wind in the evenings.

I am now wondering if my body didn’t like the complete change of diet I had after following the dieticians advice? I used to have quite a bad diet eating junk food.

I am desperate to feel better. I have become so scared of needing the toilet when I am out that I al staying at home so much more then normal.

Any tips? How can I stop these daily symptoms?

Thanks for all the replies.

@differentnameforthis in a typical day now that I am reducing fibre I would eat. Gluten free cornflakes, chicken/ham with rice for lunch, chicken with potatoes and green beans and carrots for dinner. Snacks during the day would be marshmallows blueberries and kettle chips lightly salted.

@Stilllivinginazoo thank you I have just purchased this book.

I’ve suffered for years.
Had colonoscopy all fine
I’ve been seeing a medical Dowser and the first thing ge identified was an intolerance to gluten and lactose and as a sufferer himself he has found it not something you can go ever back to
So I’ve been gf and df strictly for 14 months.
Then he goes after the pathogens. Inflammation in the gut caused by food intolerances are a good place for bacteria to grow/ thrive even.
Herbs like goldenseal tincture, 12 drops in water twice a day for 2-3 weeks makes a huge difference.
Green tea which I hate is actually good for killing off pathogens, so I drink 3 cups a day
I’ve just done the weed, seed and feed protocol for two weeks
I found that very good
There are two types of fibre soluble and insoluble. I don’t think you need too much insoluble. If you’re blocked up it will make things worse.
All bodies are different. It’s very much trial and error, there’s no one size fits all
I work at my gut health every day
Also never underestimate the value of drinking pure water. Not soda, tea or diluted fruit drinks.
Water
If your Thirsty your already dehydrated
I/2 oz for every pound of body weight and more in hot weather

@Dowser thank you, I have not heard of a medical dowser before so I will look that up.

I only drink water at the moment but I have started monitoring how much I have as I don’t think I drink enough.

I find trial and error hard, I guess I just want a magical fix which I know isn’t going to happen.

Thanks for your tips.

That is just a very small part of everything I’ve done.
I’d ditch all gluten and dairy as they are the most likely culprits.
100 per cent. The MD says if you have just a little bit you’re Setting yourself back again and your body will work harder and faster to be rid of the upset.
Plenty of water and green tea
Slippery elm powder in water twice a day, very soothing on the gut
and also provides a base for prebiotics to thrive
Look up the weed seed and feed protocol
I did 3 days without food to let my gut settle, then started with asparagus and salmon and built up foods gradually
I didn’t do two weeks on veggies but introduced easily digestible foods slowly.
I’m still going easy on carb foods like rice and potatoes.
If I have a small amount one day, I’ll not have any the next.

I still have muvicol and Senna on standby, just in case as my problem is more constipation but it has improved lots.
I too wish there was a magic pill

If you have sinus problems you might find gf and df will help quite a bit

Thanks for all the info.

I have been gluten and dairy free since start of July. It was only this week that I reintroduced the lactose free cheese and that gave me immediate effects. Within 45 minutes I felt foggy headed and stomach pains and then the next day I was on the toilet multiple times. I have also noticed that since going dairy free my sinuses are much clearer and I have had problems with them for years.

I’ll look up the weed,seed and feed as not heard of this before.

I actually eat rice and potatoes most days but didn’t realise these might be causing any problems.

A flare up can last a long time, so even when you've cut the food out, you're still feeling the effects.

My IBS used to be so bad, everything I ate would set it off. By the end of every day I'd by completely swollen, bursting out of my clothes and in pain.

Are you using soya milk? Lots of people are triggered by soy. Could you swap it for almond or oat instead? Try to cut down on all processed food, so switch your gluten free cornflakes out for porridge instead. Aim to have as few ingredients as possible.

IBS is a real pain, but once you've discovered your trigger foods (which might not tie in with FODMAP) you can avoid them and let your gut recover.

@FrancoBranco thank you. I hadn’t realised that the food could keep upsetting me after I had eliminated it. I thought that would only last a couple of days.

I don’t have any milk as I don’t like it.

The way it was explained to me was that these foods irritate the walls of your gut, so even though they have passed through and been eliminated, the irritation is still there, like an itchy rash from a nettle sting. If you keep inadvertently eating foods that irritate your gut then the lining gets more and more inflamed because it's never getting the chance to heal. It takes a long time for the inflammation to die down enough to actually heal.

Mine was so irritated that everything I ate caused a problem. I couldn't pinpoint what food to avoid because everything hurt!

The first step is finding one or two 'safe' meals. Mine is salmon with brown rice. Eat safely for weeks, completely avoiding gluten, dairy, soya and heavily processed things. Once you're not in constant pain then you can start to reintroduce foods and it's 100% obvious when something doesn't agree with you.

Good luck! It's really miserable but it will get better. There are loads of great resources and recipes on instagram if you search the IBS hashing.

Hashtag obviously