To feel like my bowels rule my life :-(

[queenbee67]

I have quite severe IBS. It isn't constant but at least once or month or so I tend to have a bad flare up of IBS-d and it's really starting to affect my life. It can come on suddenly and create an urgent need for a loo quick. Obviously this can cause issues when I'm at work or out shopping or travelling and so on. During covid it was worse as so few public toilets were available.

I'm starting to fear going far in case an attack starts. Sometimes certain foods trigger it but other times it can be utterly random and unpredictable. I don't want to feel trapped or confined in life because of this. Already I've made excuses not to go on hikes with friends as I'm worried about being stuck in the middle of nowhere and an attack starting - I should add the anxiety associated with this is sometimes enough in itself to bring on an episode!

Is it just me? I can't bear talking about in RL to people so end up making excuses and they probably find me really rude :(

I agree with the PP above who tells people about it!

I have a friend who has severe IBS. The topic comes up occasionally. For example the other week I suggested that we meet at a certain time and we could get half-price coffees from the local cafe. She just apologised and said there was no way she'd be able to get out the door at that time. We met 15 minutes later instead. I knew why, so no drama. I mean, it's a disability!

You're under no obligation to discuss it with people, but you might find that they're more understanding than you think.

Me too - it is utterly miserable, embarrassing and as you say, dominates your life. Imodium IBS is good to take if needed but a low fibre diet is the only real relief for me. I wish I could offer more than sympathy op

I have this issue. I'm on medication and it doesn't help. Soon as I finishing eating, I need to run it's horrible.
I feel for you OP.

This happens to me whenever im nervous and particularly in social settings when im anxious about having to be out and mixing with people. Obviously lockdown has made this much worse and i worry now everytime i leave the house that i will need the toilet and not be able to access one. As others have said, i find taking a couple of immodium tablets before i go really helps. Not sure whether it is just physchological but who cares, it makes me feel more confident.

I have IBS i usually find a combination of buscopan and Imodium is quite effective when a sudden attack strikes.

I am very similar, somedays I'm fine and other it's a struggle to get to the loo in time and then you get stuck in a cycle of panicking about needing the loo when out which in turn makes your fight or flight response kick in and your bowels turn to jelly making you desperately needing to find the loo and then 10 minutes later the exact same thing happens again.

I do take a daily probiotic (I take the optiBac daily ones, but the pink pot with very long name S something B are good too) which has helped slightly but to be honest I have let my bowels win and really have to pick and choose what I do, lockdown has been awful as all the loos have been shut, even the supermarkets shut their main loos at one point leaving just two open which in turn made me panic every time I went shopping.

Sorry not helpful but you are not alone.

CBT for IBS is really helpful.

Same here.
I was reading the "how long does it take you to get ready thread" and I was wondering what it must be like not having to prioritise the toilet in the morning.
I've had a colonoscopy and it was fine. Cutting out gluten helps but hormones and stress don't help.

Thank you everyone it's reassuring to know I'm not alone. It's just so depressing. I see families on days out in various beauty spots and my first thought is where is the loo. I even (please don't judge) watched the royal funeral at the weekend and couldn't help thinking what would happen if one of those soldiers needed the loo it's just how my faulty brain works.

I have had CBT for this which didn't work and am also on anti anxiety medication which has helped a bit with the panic side. But for the past week I've had a bad flare up and have barely left the house. The diarrhoea isn't constant but I'm not confident enough to go far.

I sympathise, having suffered from IBS for many years. I'd just say be careful about using Immodium. I was prescribed some by a doctor and ended up in A&E having the blockage in my bowel ('the size of a cricket ball' the doctor said!) which had caused me terrible pain for days, removed under sedation. It happened a second time, when I had been to a wedding and had too much to drink - alcohol dries you up! I now never touch Immodium and only drink in moderation.

Hello :) no advice to add re: the IBS, but another vote for telling people. Daunting I know, but owning it, being honest and even trying to find some humour in it defuses the stress hugely. Once people know it genuinely becomes a smaller issue all round. They are no doubt too busy worrying about their own stuff to dwell on it, and you don’t carry the added stress of fibbing, and worrying that your friends think you’re avoiding them, being rude etc.
Maybe trying confiding in one good friend as a start- get some RL support and know that with at least that one person, you can diving behind a bush or leap into a taxi, and they’ll totally get it. Honestly- please try to open up about it. The weight off your shoulders will be huge. Good luck. Xx

I’m with you on this one. If DP suggests doing anything unplanned I panic. I tend to not eat before we go anywhere just in case it causes me to have an attack.

I hate it.

Have you been checked for coeliac disease? I had all this until my diagnosis.

Otherwise, Imodium and drinking water/eating very plain foods may help.

Have a look at this from Coeliac UK:
www.coeliac.org.uk/information-and-support/coeliac-disease/about-coeliac-disease/what-are-coeliac-disease-symptoms/check-your-symptoms/

As PP said, don’t exclude gluten from your diet before you get tested. Hundreds of thousands of people in the UK are living with undiagnosed coeliac disease.

I had exactly the same issues through IBS and had investigations including a colonoscopy where nothing was found. Mine can be triggered by all sorts but usually stress.

It affected me badly for about a year but this was about 10 years ago. I don’t particularly like taking medications so often drunk peppermint tea, which helped a bit, sometimes. I remember, if I wanted to go out I would take an anti-diarrhoea tablet - there’s a fast action one that dissolves on the tongue (and would make sure I always had some about my person!) and it helped sooo much. I stopped getting so stressed whilst out and it hasn’t been much of a problem since. I only had to take the tablets on and off for a few months - maybe a bit longer.

Kinesiology really helped a fry of mine. Went from very u controlled to pretty normal from what she said.

Ah, friend, and uncontrolled. Sorry

@Roadtohades

I sympathise, having suffered from IBS for many years. I'd just say be careful about using Immodium. I was prescribed some by a doctor and ended up in A&E having the blockage in my bowel ('the size of a cricket ball' the doctor said!) which had caused me terrible pain for days, removed under sedation. It happened a second time, when I had been to a wedding and had too much to drink - alcohol dries you up! I now never touch Immodium and only drink in moderation.

Yes, I should qualify my last comment after reading this! Of course, everybody’s different. I only took it sparingly and it’s not for everyone. I think it just helped break the vicious cycle of stress = needing the loo immediately.

Have you looked into low FODMAP elimination challenge? They say it can help 75% of IBS sufferers