To think our tap water is making me sick?

[jamoncrumpets]

Just me though, not DH or DS?

It tastes weird to me, so I've been drinking bottled and yet when I stop bouts of cramping and diarrhoea always seem to coincide with me drinking it. DH and 3yo DS both drink it with no issues.

But I don't want to drink bottled water, it's a PITA. Also I feel like a right diva drinking mineral water at home.

AIBU to still think there might be something in this though?

yes I think yabu. we are very blessed to live in a country with safe drinking water, appreciate it!

Have your tried using a filter jug?

I do, I do! I kind of know that IABU. But I can't quite shake the feeling that the bowel issues and water are connected.

You could contact the water company and ask them to take some samples to test to make sure everything is okay.

It would be strange for the water to affect only you though.

You could just boil some and fill up a bottle to keep in the fridge. I think water can vary from place to place. My DD never suffered from eczema but we moved into one place where she got it really badly, I remember she'd come down in the morning her PJs spotted with blood from where she'd scratched it in the night and the water definitely tasted "off" there. Once we moved out she never got eczema again. There was a sewage plant not far from there and I'm convinced there was some cross contamination.

It might have been something else at first, but now it's become something a bit psychological. I think your mind can be responsible for a lot of physical problems at times. I think a water filter as said above is a good idea

Get an RO filter. It fits under your kitchen sink and they install an extra little tap just for drinking water. Pure H20 and nothing else.
It does use something like 4x as much water, though, if you're concerned about your water bill.

Have you looked at possible food triggers? And histamine tolerance issues?

Whilst tap water is safe to drink, it does contain some chemicals (use to rid the water of microbes) that could disrupt your gut flora and potentially lead to gastrointestinal issues.

Yes, take samples. If the chlorine level is high it could be making you feel ill. Chlorine can cause asthma attacks so maybe it can cause cramping also.

We have a place in London and I notice I can really smell the chlorine sometimes and not others, I’m convinced the level varies.

some people are more sensitive to what’s going in our water..chemicals ect. Have you been checked for IBS the water could be causing havoc with your digestive system
Buy cheap bottles of water from Aldi’s and Lidl’s ect

Our water doesn't taste nice, it is very hard, and we use a filter jug. I don't fancy drinking something that is white when it runs out of the tap, turns brown on the draining board when it dries and tastes odd so I don't.

If I were you I would get it tested although it might be the components of the water that you are reacting to, check your suppliers website for your area and see if you can find out what is in it.

We use a water filter. Even for the dog. It makes her sick too! But it was fine in our last place different county. Use a filter jug. See if you see the difference?

Tap water makes me very sick. It's taken years and years of investigation including hospitalisation, very significant over-use of antibiotics and unnecessary major surgery before it was diagnosed. The cleaning chemicals in the water react very poorly with the old pipe systems which are made of metal alloys full of heavy metals like zinc and nickel both of which I am very allergic to. If I drink even a glass of tap water I get a bad sore throat which will last days. If I drink the water for several days I get progressively sicker, my throat closes up, my ears swell, ache and mimic a severe bacterial infection. My sinuses inflame and my entire mouth and esophageal tract come out in a severe rash. If I keep drinking the water I start passing out.

This happens with tap water drank straight, boiled, in tea, soup, gravy etc. I can build a mild tolerance in the area I live in. So can manage to drink tiny, tiny amounts if I need to so can brush my teeth with tap water. But if I'm in a different municipal area, even ice in a drink or tooth brushing can be enough to make me sick. It's a complete pita when out as I can't so much as have a cup of tea in a cafe. While ignorant assholes like some of the posters here make me feel like absolute shit because they act as if I'm some stupid princess making a fuss because they can't see beyond their own privilege to understand that some people have conditions that make something seemly innocuous very, very dangerous to them.

At home I used bottled water exclusively for years, which I hated as it's not exactly a healthy option for me or for the planet. I've tried a range of filters but very, very few remove the heavy metals. A few years back I invested in a Big Berky filter with charcoal filters and heavy metal removal attachments. It's just about the best water purifier in the world and I can drink the water from that just fine. It costs the same as about 12-18 month's worth of Aldi bottled water and after that it pays for itself. (The metal filters need to be changed more regularly.) It certainly makes life a lot easier.

Have you checked your tap? They can get pretty grotty if not cleaned regularly. If it has one of those aerator filters on it you can take that off and give it a good clean. Also it is advisable to only drink water that comes into your house direct from the mains, usually the kitchen tap. Don't drink from the bathroom tap, especially if you have a cold water tank in your loft.
It's very unlikely to be your tap water, but if you call your water company they should come out and take some samples to set your mind at rest.

Not quite as bad as @Tringley but my dh can’t drink tap water. He gets awful ibs symptoms and itching.

YANBU I was like this when I was at uni. DH could stomach the water fine, but I couldn’t.

I still don’t drink tap water straight from the tap. I have filter jugs and bottles which live in the fridge instead :)

I can well believe an intolerance to tap water. It was a main culprit for making me sick when I was pregnant. I couldn't shower or brush my teeth without vomiting.

My mum always had gut issues after drinking tea at my old house and concluded it was my tap water.