IBS I just can't get better this time

[Minime85]

I've been having a really bad attack since March time. Over this time I've lost well over a stone and a half in weight and gone down two dress sizes. I already don't eat wheat, and tomato based foods, a lot of diary too, I don't drink any alcohol. My diet is incredibly limited. I have a few days of being well but then like today I get an attack out of no where. I've been to the doctors who just pass me off with peppermint tablets. I'm so fed up. I take a probiotic drink everyday and have acupuncture. Any advice greatly received.

That's interesting Minime...I used to be a teacher! Is there anything about your job that became more demanding or stressful around/just before March?

Professional I split with husband of 10 years last year. His doing. In march I felt I really turned a corner with my feelings about everything and moving on with life. I also had a bit of a queasy bug that was doing the rounds and I always struggle to get over bugs

So I've cut right back on chocolate, got a multi vitamin and just had a big attack. Marvellous. I've looked at the food map and I barely eat anything on the bad list anyway. Acupuncture Thursday which I hope will help and I'm going to try and exercise more

Would it be worth trying the post-diarrhoea suggested diet for a few days? I mean the BRAT diet - except in your case I'd probably have something other than toast! And stewed pears might be better than apple sauce, especially as that's an American thing.

Just thinking if you take it all back to very bland for a few days, say 3 - 5, you'll be bored stupid BUT it will give your gut a chance to calm down. Also, don't take the multivit or any other supplements, no oil/fats of any kind, no sugary food, and give the protein a miss during the bland days - and then slowly introduce them again. Don't start with the supplements until you are eating a complex diet again.

This is NOT a long term solution at all - just a suggestion to try and bring you back to a "ground zero" starting point.

Another idea - I had a client for reflexology once who used to go to the loo 5 or 6 times a day to do a bowel movement. Her bowel reflex was completely "soggy" - as in there was no tone there whatsoever. She came back 3 times, each time she reported fewer bowel movements and her bowel reflex improved in tone (had some resistance to it!) So that might help too? Might not but it's another thought.

I think you need to go back to your GP and get them to take you a bit more seriously.

You could try peppermint tea - it's kinder on the bum I xan promise you ;). In terms of the probiotic drinks I found they made my symptons worse so gave them up snd my sympotoms improved greatly. Try limiting fruit and veg for a few days as I also found during attacks that if I eat too much of this duringan attack I get worse. Finally, speak to your GP about 10mg of amytriptalyne (I think that's how you spell it) in low doses it works as a muscle relaxant and I was prescribed this when my IBS was at it's absolute worst and it really helped ease the symptoms.

Hi,

I really feel for you...I don't suffer from IBS but have had gut problems all my life.

A few years ago, like you I lost a lot of weight in a short time and had lots of horrible symptoms, after having tests to check there was nothing else going on, I was referred to a dietician. She put me on an incredibly strict diet...

Initially I was just allowed about 5 different foods...I could eat; rice, sweet potatoes, herbs, lamb, turkey and a few specific fruits (I forget what now). I was on this diet for about 3 weeks-it was a horrible, depressing time but really helped in the long run. After this, every few days dietician added one new food to my diet (providing I was symptom free). If I reacted badly to something, that was removed from the diet and I had to wait few more days before introducing anything else.

The original diet was (obviously) not nutritionally complete so could only be followed for a short time and should really be done under a dietician. It was an incredibly hard diet but so worth it. One bit that was really hard was that initially I lost more weight on diet!

If you do decide to follow something like this, I'd recommend you do at a time when life is not too busy/ stressful. The diet made me so fed up and I was hungry all the time.

I'm now really well and know exactly what to avoid. I'm rarely ever ill.

Hope this helps.

BIWI I think u might be right

Maxsmummy yes I have peppermint tea and that does really help. I'm going to stop my probiotic drink today and see what happens

Sunshine that looks like something I need to push for. I already eat a very limited boring diet anyway and if it would get me better...

Thumbwitch yeah I've had reflexology before and it is ok but I found that acupuncture gives more results. I'm in with her on Thursday so just need to get through til then.

Some posted further up thread about mebervine (sorry if spelt wrong) I had that too and it was awful made me loose all my appetite so symptoms improved as I are even less than I do now!!

Hi Minieme

I have had IBS for about 27 years. Its miserable...

I had a sympathetic GP to start with, who has grown more and more unsympathetic as the years have gone on.

I was in a bad way about 18 months ago, and went to ask her for help. Her abrupt response was "Why can't you just take Senocot and Immoduim like most of my IBS patients..?" I reported her unprofessional behaviour to the practice, and things (strangely!!) have got better.

She referred me to a consultant who tested me for loads of stuff. Vitamin deficiencies, Coeliac etc etc. All came back negative - so she referred me onto a Dietitian (not a Nutritionalist, note) who put me on the FODMAP diet.

I would look into the FODMAP diet very carefully. I belong to an international bunch on FB who are all FODMAP dieters, and it has had huge success with many many people.

It needs to be followed under the direction of a Dietitian to start with, and although you say that you hardly eat anything thats listed as a 'bad' food, many people on FODMAP react if they even have a tinsy little bit of that food. That can also include garlic and onion which is in so, so many things including stock cubes, so you may be ingesting stuff you don't realise.

You start with a period of elimination, which gives your gut a chance to heal, and then you start to reintroduce other foods.

Investigate other causes, but don't write FODMAP off - it could just be the thing cures you!

Btw, GP did once say that "Eat Right for your Bloodtype" was having a good effect on some of her IBS patients, so worth a try.

What I have discovered is that there is no 'cure all' for IBS - it differs for everyone.

Thanks ishould I'll take a really good look at it. Last time gp was nice but I think they lack understanding on just how much it impacts on your day to day life

I have IBS.

as a side effect of my AD's, my IBS is better than it has ever been.

Minime - have a long hard look at the things you are eating - the probiotic drinks are likely to be full of sugar, for a start. All the carby stuff is used by your body as sugar, which will not be helping - even just a little bit, as pp have said.

But definitely go back to your GP and ask for a referral to the hospital/a specialist.

I agree about going back to see our GP and pushing for more investigation but just one thought... you don't eat tomatoes but you eat potato? Potatoes are also part of the nightshade family (so potato, tomato, aubergine, peppers, paprika etc) - is is possible that potatoes might seem ok but are still causing problems?

I low carb currently but am looking at the Wahl Protocol and the Autoimmune Protocol so I fully get what you are saying about a restrictive diet but as BIWI and others say, something is still causing a problem... Push the GP for further investigation and stress your weight loss.

I would really recommend looking at the FODMAP diet - it seems to be getting a lot of success. Also someone mentioned ADs - some ADs work well for IBS, so it really might be worth speaking to a different GP. Really don't let them fob you off - there are a lot of things that can be done for IBS, not bloody peppermint!!

I don't think there is a one fits all answer, but I have found that eating low carb improved my ibs a hell of a lot. Completely changed my life tbh. Prior to that mebeverine worked but side effects were awful.

I understand how awful you must be feeling. It's such a disregarded illness, people just don't understand it's debilitating, exhausting and humiliating. At one point it took over my life I felt so restricted and controlled by the symptoms re visit the gp, keep trying, something will work eventually it's just finding the right solution for you

These are both long shots & may have already mentioned ( too knacked to read whole thread)

Do you use an Athma inhaler ?? - if so this could be your culprit - DD had a big problem with hers - none of the doctors knew it was a possibility, not even a Gastro specialist diagnosed by a stroke of luck & our chemist.

Also, if it's diaorreah & cramping - it's could actually be caused by a blockage - DD ended up in hospital after years of this, got worse, they thought stress related, which it was to a degree, but in short, she had allergic colitis, caused by dairy & soy - which triggered the bad pain & a blockage going back years -

diaorreah & cramps were her bodies way of dealing with it & getting food past it - huge improvement since a course of movicol in hospital & stopping soy & CMP

HTH - or that something does

Oh & have you tried a herb called - Cats Claw - I found that a big help for me

Thanks everyone for your help and advice and just getting it! I sometimes feel like such an idiot having to explain to new people what I can and can't eat!

I have stopped the probiotic drink and massively reduced intake of chocolate. And so far I feel much better already. I'm going to look more seriously at the food map diet and have a multi vitamin ready for when I'm back on an even keel. Thanks again everyone

Glad you are getting some reprieve, long may it last, but now I gave a clearer head, I just wanted to add a but more I forgot.

I totally agree that you need a referral - your GPs need a big kick as they are failing you big time - I've had similar issues in the past & have always had regular checks, not 1 in 11 years, that is neglect

The other thing that stands out to me in your update - many chocolate brands contain soy, along with bread, pastries, sauces & much more, it's been a real eye opener to us since DDs diagnosis, just how much it is used where you really don't expect to find it.

DDs been back to her gastro & we now know her problems are soy only, not dairy - doubled up & diaorreah after accidentally eating soy, she's not back on diary & not problems at all (phew)

Ironically as I've been cooking for us as a family, so avoided soy etc in everything - seems it's also my trigger, I hadn't eaten any in a few months, seen an improvement in my GERD - ate some as sauce to flavour fish when DD was at her friends - absolutely doubled up in horrendous pain & raging diaorreah all night.

so even a tiny bit of soy sauce caused such a drastic reaction as I hadn't had it in so long & as I'm now back eating dairy again too I realise it's soy that has been the cause of my GERD too.

I also forgot to add - when DDs problems were out of control, we settled it with a bland diet of white rice & added turmeric to it, this is a spice with medicinal properties & it's fantastic stuff - also avoid apple juice, as it's a laxitive

is your GPs employers take on it [[http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Irritable-bowel-syndrome/Pages/Diagnosis.aspx]]. You have "red flag" symptoms that should have already git you a gastroenterology referral - print this out & take it with you & don't take no fir an answer

Good luck

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