To ask for your cure for IBS cramps?

[WanderingNotLost]

Buscopan and paracetamol haven't touched it, have also tried peppermint tea and a hot water bottle. It hurts just standing up straight, the only position I'm vaguely comfy in is curled up in a ball with my bum sticking up in the air any suggestions?

Thanks for all the tips folks. DP got me some colpermin on his way home from work so fingers crossed that'll do the magic. May have to spend all night in the bath though!

I can definitely recommend a low FODMAP diet. I have crohns & IBS and it helps me as I have identified trigger foods.

Great post, op, will be helpful to many. I hope you feel better soon!

I'm on week 2 of a flare up Mine is a constant ache low in my pelvis with air bubbles popping around. Can't help you with any remedies except years ago I took a very good probiotic for a month that kept it away for a looooong time. Need to look for that again! Oh and tomato skins, sweet corn and red onions are the IBS devil

Use a teaspoon of carrier oil then add a couple of drops of peppermint oil and couple of drops of fennel oil. Rub in a circular motion over abdomen. Works a treat for me!

A nutritionist recommended taking a course of strong probiotics such as acidophilus. It certainly helped by IBS and it is under control now with occasional flare ups.

www.optibacprobiotics.co.uk/faq/which-probiotics-are-for-ibs

I have IM buscopan injections prescribed by my consultant huge difference to oral but a lot of gps are reluctant to prescribe it apparently, the injection doesn't hurt and it's easy to do and it really has made a difference

I second a lot of the tips above (esp avoiding gluten, finding your trigger foods, and necking peppermint capsules).

Things I take to immediately relieve pain if I have an attack are windeze or Rennie's Deflatine. I swigged some of my baby's gripe water the other day in desperation and it worked a treat.

Have you tried cutting out dairy?

I've had some deflatine, not really made any difference. I did try cutting out glutena while ago and it didn't really change anything (except I couldn't eat anything I enjoy). Might be time to have another go!

Another one recommending a low FODMAP diet.

Mebeverine
Ibuprofen
Hot bath. A long one, whilst the top two kick in. Take a peppermint tea with you!!

Probiotics and prebiotics definitely help me. I need to try cutting carbs.

However mine improved massively after coming off the pill. Strange but true.

For me the key was avoiding fructose - principly cutting out fruit juice, honey and processed food (if it had fructose, high fructose corn syrup, glucose-fructose syrup). Although it features in lots of sweet foods, you also find it in things like mayo. Within a few days I was much better. Now only tend to be ill if I've been careless.

The colpermin contains peanut oil I think. Just in case you are allergic. Came as a surprise to me.

@MumW are you perhaps allergic to the peanut oil in colpermin?

Is yours triggered particularly by food? Mine isn't apart from obvious no nos like onions, grease, spicy etc. Cutting stuff out as an experiment is fine and dandy but no use to you right now. Immodium instants. Having a soul destroying shit explosion and then you know you're safe for at least two days. I fucking hate living like this.
There's an ibs Facebook group where there's so many other people living with this nightmare and everyone talks freely.

I'm wanting to make an appointment with my doc to discuss my fears i may have IBS, but would like to just check these are actual symptoms so i don't waste her time if it isn't. PRE WARNING - everything from her is rather gross - I cannot ever go to the loo without having a bowel movement, it's like once i sit down i cannot control it, doesn't matter if i go 3 or 4 times a day, i cannot just have a wee. They're always messy, regardless of diet changes. We're talking takes nearly a full loo roll and at least 4 moist toilet wipes (sorry for the tmi) i actually have to wear latex gloves to wipe because even toilet roll folded on its self so its 4 layers thick gets soaked through with how partially liquidy they are. The consistency actually kind of reminds me of soft serve ice cream, and theres usually a fair bit of mucus too, which is more noticeable if i take loperamide then only go a very little bit thats more solid that seems to be covered in mucus. I get pain similar to period cramps in my lower back, hips and abdomen, but i don't have periods because i have an implant, and its not just a monthly occurrence. I get an "off" tummy regularly, even without having eaten any kind of obvious irritant. Sometimes my tummy feels very hard and very full and uncomfortable and i'll have epic amounts of gas with no control over it. I feel this really odd gurgling, bubbling sensation, often can hear it too, and this is typically followed by looser episodes. I also get frequent acid reflux, but that might not be related.

The cramps arent as bad as mentioned by PP's though, my dad comments all the time how whenever we go out of the house i'm always circularly rubbing my tummy, which just makes it less uncomfortable. The cramps i feel usually are at the same time as having lots of gas of the burbling gurgling, and it feels quite similar to period cramp but not quite as intense, like a radiating constant ache of the lower back, hips and stomach.

Is this worth seeing my doctor about? I haven't been able to use a loo outside of my own home for 10 years because i have really bad OCD about toilet use and germs and have major issues with weeing too, and i don't want to waste her time since my germ phobia means i can't do a stool sample, can you be diagnosed/prescribed treatments without doing a sample?

Bloomed: I thought some kind of allergy but as I use peppermint essential oil and eat peanuts without issue, I suspect it could have been coincidence. Haven't had cause to try them again.

Worrying thing is that DD is allergic to nuts and GP prescribed Colpermin for her IBS. I hadn't realised it contained peanut oil until now - we'll take this as a wake up call. Fortunately, she reacts to tree nuts and not peanuts!

The low fodmap works - so much so that team NHS recognises it officially. It's not the gluten that's the problem it's the sugar in the wheat. There are other things too and you can eliminate everything then introduce different types of foods back in. In the short term immodium will help calm it down. I have now started nearly passing out when I have attacks and that's reallynot fun so I'm back on the low Fodmap exclusion diet until it settles down.

MumW Yes I was similarly recommended colpermin with no mention of peanut content. Such a weird additive to add to a supplement.

AlmostAJillSandwich Go and see a doctor, that sounds awful. Maybe if you could get a bit more control over your bowel you'd have the time/energy to work on the OCD/germ phobia. It sounds exhausting!

Enteric (so they disolve in intestines) peppermint tablets, I swore by them when I suffered. Also probiotics and even bovine or goat colostrum tablets (trust me).

Enteric peppermint capsules from Holland and Barrett are fabulous.
Also going low carb has helped me.

DH has IBS triggered by stress or onions. After a lot of help a low fodmap diet has really helped. Sorry not helpful with the cramps for now however hope this helps with the long term.

All pp responses worth a try as everyone v different with this issue. Re eliminating foods - check with a medic first and if you do it takes min 2 weeks before you'll see a difference usually.

When was your last bowel movement? When did you last pass wind? If it's been a while you may be constipated/impacted which may require medical intervention.

When did you last eat? If it's been a while the spasms may be caused by sides of the bowel sticking together, in this case fibrogel can help.