Any tips on dealing with IBS :(

[newsandreviews]

Mine is particularly bloating and diareah. Very tiring and making me unhappy. I cut wheat out as I know this is a trigger but really unwell at the mo.

Stress is definately a trigger too

Just brought myself some fennel and camomile tea

Am on prescription peppermint oil but not helping at the mo :( :( :(

You have my sympathy, news I get it too and find peppermint oil helps also aloe Vera capsules. I find preservatives and flavourings are a trigger for me - and stress. I don't eat bread and try to cut out sugar. I find it helps to keep a diary of what I eat, my moods and stress levels to help pinpoint triggers and patterns. Oh and I avoid yeast type foods. I can be related to your monthly cycle too.

Good luck finding some help

My SIL had awful IBS.
She was recommended to an osteopath who specialised in this type of thing and after 4 session was much better. She goes once a year now and has done for the last 10yrs and rarely gets as an attack.

Don't eat sugar or processed foods.

Cook vegetables. Don't eat lots of raw veg (including salad).

Reduce stress. Reduce your working hours if you can or change jobs for a less stressful one, even if it means a pay cut, it will be worth it.

After doing all the above my ibs is considerably improved.

I continue to eat bread btw. Cutting it out made no difference for me. Everyone is different though.

I cannot seem to tolerate milk or any dairy anymore. I think each person is different, but it is finding the triggers that is quite difficult. I take drops called Iberogast when I have a flare up, and they do work pretty well.

Yep the problem is it doesn't seem to follow any type of pattern so although I know wheat is a definate trigger the rest is a bit of guess work. Going to go back to doc I think.

Stress... my work is likely to get a lot more stressful over the following years :( but its somethign I love and pays brilliantly :)

My mum recently discovered after 18 years of living with ibs that one of her biggest triggers was actually fizzy drinks, particularly cola.

She finds cutting out wheat or dairy doesn't help. She finds salad, fruit, some veg are triggers, anything too acidic. I think you have to play around until you work out what works for you, but the cola thing was life changing for my mum.

I had it for years and it eventually settled down when I went gluten free. It took about a month trying before I stopped having pains and bloating. It must have taken ages for the last bits of gluten to leave my system, despite going to the loo several times a day.

My GP was pretty good, they did a colonoscopy, endoscopy and blood tests to make sure nothing sinister was going on. Everything was ok with my digestive system so then we had to pinpoint what food was causing it, this has taken years to refine. I also 'present' as having coeliac but they've tested me a couple of times, being convinced I have it, but it's always negative.

Peppermint oil never helped me - I recommend Mebeverine which can be bought over the counter from Boots as 'Boots IBS relief'.

IME, there are too many different and complex triggers for IBS in different people for you to get any realistic chance of getting advice on what to avoid (food wise) which will immediate work for you. It's one of these horrible 'omit all foods, then slowly add' or 'cut each food out in turn' things which are horrible.

You have my sympathy.

Yes, I have to be careful with other stuff as it makes me bloat terribly. Fizzy cold drinks are one (yes I know they are full of gas but I will bloat for days after having some) and fruit especially banana's and apples. Some say cooked fruit is better but I just haven't the time to be arsing about cooking an apple and I don't like it anyway

Someone else I know puts ginger into boiling water and drinks it like a tea. She swears by it but again it didn't work too well for me.

Food doesn't seem to make a difference to me, when it's bad, ANY food at all just comes straight back out again (sorry!), and within seconds of eating anything my tummy puffs up. Imodium instants, mebevine, and peppermint tea are the only things that work for me.
Mine is highly entangled in anxiety, I would love to be one of those people who get headaches when stressed instead of a real risk of shitting myself, and sometimes yearn for a stoma bag and have my intestines removed.
I hate it with fiery passion.

I've just been diagnosed (after seven years of symptoms) with IBS C (i.e. the one with constipation). I gave up wheat 12 months ago and that really helped, but I was still bloated and had all the symptoms.

The things that have helped me massively since my diagnosis are 1) taking a daily probiotic (I take Optibac - you need a really heavy duty one, not just an Actimel drink); 2) a glass of Fybogel every day (you might not need this); and 3) reducing my sugar intake to negligible amounts, which has really helped to reduce bloating.

Stress is a huge trigger too, but often there isn't much I can do about it, so I try to just roll with that one.

A psychologist friend of mine (and also confirmed by psychologist SIL) (both actual practicing paychologists, btw, not just two of the millions with psych degrees!) says that CBT in incredibly effective for IBS. (And would relate to the stress element you mention).

I've no idea how you'd go about accessing this though

I've also seen that some of the 'mindfulness' programmes are associated with CBT, which might be an avenue to pursue. (Some iPhone apps, for example)

Good luck!

Thanks guys for the messages. Going to go back to doc's as nearly crapped myself [again] today.... not good!!

Try looking at the FODMAP diets, they're supposed to be great for IBS sufferers. I'm just embarking on some meal planning around FODMAP friendly food at the moment.

My IBS is really triggered by stress and anxiety. I have been prescribed medication in the past, but tbh haven't really stuck with it very long.

I had some CBT, accessed through my GP, for IBS. It did make some positive improvement at the time, and I suppose gave me some 'tools' for long term management, but definitely didn't 'cure' me.

I'm having blood tests for coeliac next week. I expect them to be negative, but it would be worth you having them just to rule it out.

Good luck with finding what works for you. IBS is bloody miserable.

juneau, I'm the same. I take probiotic capsules from h&b ece ry day and have cut out gluten which has helped too, but still get painful cramps really low down sometimes. I am definitely stressed, don't know what to do about that. How does the fibrogel affect you? is it quite gentle?

(Sorry for hijacking thread)

meglet you need to have been eating gluten at the time of your coeliac endoscopies, colonoscopies and blood tests. Were you?

Mine dramatically improved by taking Multibionta, it took about a month but my symptoms were so much less.

I take Modified Release (slow release) Mebeverine in the morning and before my evening meal. I, also, take Buscopan when it's bad.

Certain foods set mine off, but it's not as bad as it used to be, touch wood!