To ask if anyone has ‘cured’ their IBS?

[ImaHogg]

I know it’s classed as a life long condition but I’ve been suffering for 22 years and have just about have enough of this horrible condition.
I belong to endless IBS support groups but obviously most of the members are people like me who are still suffering a looking for help and advice. I am assuming that if people do have a grip of their symptoms then they are hardly likely to be on support groups.
I’ve tried endless things over the years from the low fodmap diet to hypnotherapy and CBT. None of which have really helped long term.
Two things I haven’t tried are probiotics (some of the reviews say they can cause diarrhoea which is one of my huge fears with this complaint). I’ve also tried a few antidepressants but I couldn’t get past the awful side effects.
I’m 48 and am starting to think that hormones now play a big part as my symptoms became much worse and virtually daily at the age of 45 and I also can’t lie and say I don’t suffer from anxiety as I really do and I have a very stressful life atm.
Late 2019 I had a colonoscopy, endoscopy and ct scan. At the follow up appointment the gastroenterologist said all was clear. I handed him a list of my symptoms and he asked if I had tried all the standard IBS meds, which I have to no relief. He handed me back my list and told me that he couldn’t help me and to go back to my gp!
So I am just wondering if anyone on here has/had IBS and has found a way of living well with the condition and has minimal or no longer has symptoms?
Any advice is most welcome.

Also you should try cranial oestro to calm the nerves to your stomach. I have had success with improving reflux by osteos or chiros moving my stomach back to the right place - it can go up high (esp after pregnancy) and make it easier to have reflux.

I could write reams but biggest help was definitely probiotics. I was very ill this time last year, having a huge flare up with a lot of blood loss. I recently had a camera down my stomach, hiatus hernia, no surprise there, but a number of healed ulcers and in particular my duodenum. A duodenum ulcer perforated with my brother a number of years ago.
Anyhow I understand your fear of probiotics causing further bowel movements. However I found it didn't but it did guard against constipation which for me is essential. If I get constipation it causes infections and inflammation. I currently have no bowel inflammation (confirmed by camera) and am feeling pretty good on that front.

Yes I had a hysterectomy and it cleared up completely. It's been life-changing tbh. (Obviously, given what happened, I don't know for sure whether I had IBS or not, but I had fairly debilitating symptoms for years before I was diagnosed with it by a gp.). I questioned my surgeon and asked him if fibroids and ovarian cysts can cause IBS type symptoms and he said "no"!

This prob won't help but I had ibs horrifically after a bad bout of food poisoning - stopped when I was pregnant and never returned!

Hormones for me. I had a uterine polyp removed about 2 years ago and had a coil fitted at the same time on doctors advice. My IBS just magically disappeared!

I am about a month into a vegan diet and already experiencing an improvement. I cook from scratch and don't use any ready meals or prepared food. I guess everyone is different, but processed food of any kind really affects me. OTOH I got a vegan curry last week from a new place locally and had no problems at all. I seem to be ok with home made bread, so I think for me it is additives and preservatives that are the problem.

Citalopram. It killed my anxiety and in turn settled my stomach massively.

I take 25mg of amatriptyline a day which was an accidental finding as i was taking it after severing my nerves in my thumb in an accident! I went from having 2-3 bouts of IBS a week for 20 years to 1 bout every 6 months or so. I feel cured! I can cope with an occasional bout compared to not being able to leave the house or go on a night out etc. My triggers are onion, chocolate and alcohol (especially if i mix my drinks).

My dad cured his by going gluten free. Although he was tested for coeliac and it was negative, he went gluten free and its cured it. He had previously tried tablets etc.

@ittakes2

Totally cured it 30 years ago with monthly colon irrigation for 12 months. But you need to find a reputable practitioner. Mine used to be a nurse. I met a specialist who was researching into IBS being something hypermobile people had. Ie their muscle tone was poor during parts of their digestive tract so things did not flow in a regular way. Before I had colon irrigation I had had to give up fruit as it upset my stomach too much and I struggled to not pass wind at the wrong time so I was desperate. Also had pills to calm stomach spasms. Had no issues since the colon irrigation at all and I eat what I want. I think if you can get matter stuck in the digestive track from decades ago that interacts in a bad way with the new stuff coming through. The first ever colon irrigation session leaves you with this incredible high as your body releases toxins it’s keen to get rid of.

That is interesting as I believe I am hyper mobile and that it runs in my family, I can not get my gp to take me seriously but I score high on the Brighton scale which they use for hyper mobility, I have read hyper mobile people and those with EDS have unruly digestive systems. I will look into that more.

The best 'cure' for me is a daily peppermint capsule and a very low carb diet. I bloat and have awful cramps/rumblings if I have too much bread or pasta. I love carbs so this has been difficult but I feel really good. I've only tested it for the last 6 weeks but I have more energy and only had one episode of cramps and growling stomach.

My IBS was awful in my late teenage years. I got a PCOS diagnosis at the same time so maybe hormones played a part. I was barely managing it but it got 100x worse after surgery for a ruptured appendix. I ended up with a paralysed bowel for 2 weeks and it was hell every day after that. It's been two years since the surgery and I feel it's only been the last month I've been 'normal'. Now I'm in my 30's and I'm not scared to leave the house in case I don't make it to the toilet/ or am so constipated I can't function.

My triggers were stress and carbs. It also coincided with not eating meat. I rarely have a flare up now only when I get really stressed.

I’ve had a course of colonics in the past and they’ve helped - but by crikey, going low carb has been the best thing for it!

Yes. I had gut issues, and tried cutting out all likely food groups for two weeks at a time etc, but didn't get any relief until I was on a diet of white carbohydrate but nothing else. This was not sustainable! Doctor told me I had IBS (but actually like all IBS diagnoses this just meant he was unable, or couldn't be bothered, to find out what it really was).

As a last resort I tried some rather expensive probiotics, which I took for a month. You have to be really strict with taking them in a three hour food-free window etc, no point cheating or they won't colonise your gut properly. Within a month my guts were almost normal again, so I bought another month's supply and was totally cured.

I've been fine in all the years since. I avoid things which may damage gut bacteria, such as ibuprofen, contraceptive pill etc, just in case. When I had to take antibiotics for something, I bought another box of the probiotics and started taking them as soon as the antibiotics were finished.

I never get constipated or diarrhoea any more. I occasionally get slightly softer stools, but this is always linked to alcoholic excess or a takeaway curry! I think this is normal!

If you go down the probiotics route, get good ones. I used Dr Ohhiras Professional, but am sure there are other good ones out there. If it works for you, definitely incorporate some more food-based probiotics in your diet in future - live Greek yoghurt, fermented foods etc.

Cutting out all dairy helped me enormously

Also I meant to say that probiotics should (theoretically) help your lactose intolerance, because it's the bacteria that produce the lactase to break down the lactose. If you don't have enough bacteria, this could be a cause.
Don't think this works for all people with lactose intolerance though, so there must be other causes for it too.

Yes, because it turned out mine was being caused by endometriosis, and being on the mini pill has sorted out the symptoms. I did notice red meat and white bread were still playing havoc with my digestion though, so largely cut them from my diet, and then I gave up meat altogether.

@Duckfeetarego

Yes I had a hysterectomy and it cleared up completely. It's been life-changing tbh. (Obviously, given what happened, I don't know for sure whether I had IBS or not, but I had fairly debilitating symptoms for years before I was diagnosed with it by a gp.). I questioned my surgeon and asked him if fibroids and ovarian cysts can cause IBS type symptoms and he said "no"!

That's shocking. I had a big endometrial cyst on one ovary, plus endometrial tissue all over my bowel. Of course it caused IBS symptoms, particularly on my period, it was very debilitating.

Not much use but I have barely had symptoms since having my kids and giving up work (returned pt once at school). I think it was the alcohol and terrible diet when I was young that caused it (worked in the city)

Mine is IBS-d and flares up when I'm stressed (or sometimes even just in a hurry to get out of the house). Worse in the mornings, sometimes wakes me in the small hours.

Over the years I've tried Colofac, Mebeverine, Mintec, Spasmonal, a range of OTC remedies including Fybogel, Buscopan, Imodium and numerous herbal supplements. I've tried changing my diet - I've done gluten-free, dairy-free, FODMAP, low-fibre, high-fibre and vegan. I've tried cutting out alcohol, sugar, chocolate, caffeine and artificial sweeteners.

The doc suggested keeping a food diary which I did for about a year, but found no common factor that could be the culprit so I gave up.

Years later DH suggested trying again but this time use a spreadsheet. After six months I discovered that what I ate had very little to do with it. WHEN I ate was more of an issue. I stopped eating after 7.30 in the evening, and found that while my symptoms didn't go away, episodes were shorter and easier to manage.

But the major revelation happened when I revisited Fybogel. The first time I tried it many years ago (taken exactly according to the pack instructions - twice a day with meals) it made things a lot worse. This time, I only took one dose a day, after my evening meal. Crucially, I ate nothing else after that until the next day. MASSIVE improvement. Far fewer episodes, (about once a month instead of 2 or 3 times a week) and lasting typically less than an hour each time.

I swear by it now. I'm not cured but it's totally manageable and I've got my life back.

Daily exercise.

And by that I mean Every Single Day.

Xmas Day - I exercise. New Year’s Day - I exercise. When I have a bit of a cold - I exercise.

If I’m really really ill I wouldn’t but if I can get out of bed then I exercise. Nothing hugely strenuous - 20 mile bike ride or four mile walk or 2km swim.

Currently at 560 consecutive days of closing all the rings in my Apple Watch. I suspect I have issues with exercise as it is undoubtedly an addiction now but I’m always going to have an obsession (I have an obsessive personality) and as addictions go it is at least a positive one.

Going veggie for a couple of years hugely helped, I can eat meat again now no problem.
I also found coffee was a trigger and cutting that out has also helped.

Not sure I have IBS but have always had digestion issues and crippling pain after certain foods - looking back during more stressful times of my life and less now. However something I discovered was the link between magnesium deficiency and digestion issues - I take magnesium citrate (the best version) every evening. Helps me sleep better too.

FODMAP to identify my triggers changed my life, I went from daily pain and worrying about toilets in public, to just avoiding or minimising lactose, legumes, etc which I had pinpointed.

I still got occasional 'random' attacks including my worst ever half way through pregnancy, and then never again. So like a previous poster it seemed like pregnancy cured it - probably from the intestines being shoved out the way in third trimester. I still avoid my triggers just in case it comes back but I'm not as careful as I used to (had to) be.

In terms of comorbidities I also have PCOS and hypermobility, it does seem common and I do suspect it's linked.

Thank you so much everyone, I will definitely try some of the suggestions.

Oats for breakfast every day
Yoga every day
Cutting out triggers identified from low FODMAP diet