ibs misery

[Reastie]

Just a bit of sympathy needed please/advice appreciated.

Have had a very stressful few weeks. I'm a worrier and suffer from ibs. Last Thursday got my ibs pain and bloat in the evening. Same on Friday night then since then have had it pretty much non stop. Have taken buscopan and tried to relax where possible but continued to work through it, which has been hard.

Usually I get ibs as an indicator I need to stop, step back, and relax. I've been continuing with life so it hasn't gone away.

This morning it was so bad I can barely walk and have been sitting crouched on the edge of the bed in pain. Have also had lots of watery diarrhoea frequently, which is unusual with my normal ibs.

Am currently in the bath tryin to relax. Have mint tea but can't drink much as it sets off the spasms.

What can I do to get past this? Am seriously fed up of over a week of this (although maybe I made it hard on myself by keeping going and not stopping sooner).

I think you need to take a clear few days off work. Stay in bed, read, chill out and just relax. No point in trying to keep going and just getting worse.

If you have kids, drop them at school and then come back and hop into bed. Phone in sick.

A few days taken now could pay dividends

Huge sympathies from a fellow IBS sufferer and worrier.

I don't really have any fantastic advice as I still haven't found a great way to manage mine. MY GP recently prescribed fybogel which seems to be helpful (although prescribed to help with constipation it also helps regulate at the other end of the spectrum, apparently) - have you tried it? Definitely agree with slowing down and taking time out if you can...

It's wretched isn't it. I also think you need to take some days off, rest, keep warm and let your digestive system settle down.

It took me a long time to sort my IBS out but going gluten free has cracked it for me. The hospital ran 2 x blood tests. a colonoscopy, endoscopy and a CAT scan but it was all clear - which amazed me considering the pain I was always in. The dietician told me that sometimes people can present as coeliac although they can't get a positive blood test, but going gluten free stops all the symptoms. If you haven't already been tested then you really need to get on to your GP, it took me almost 2 years of back and forth to get to the bottom (ahem!) of it but I'm glad I stuck with it.

I have the same problem. You can safely take loperamide anti-diarrheoa tablets to control the symptoms. This should slow the gut down and give you time to destress.
Hope you feel better soon.

Thanks all. Have had to take today off work and now not back until Tuesday so hope I can get it under control.

Am still in alot of pain, especially when I move, so pretty much confined to bed. Have been having regular diarrhoea all morning but starting to slow down a bit (probably because there's not much left inside me :( ).

DM is getting me mebevorine (colofac), which I've had in the past and has helped, so hoping a different drug may help.

Never heard of fybogel eliza

I'm very tempted to take immodium as the diarrhoea is frequent and bad, and i've not experienced anything like this with IBS before, but I'm emetophobic and scared that if I block up that end somehow it will make me sick the other end.

Been trying to have little sips to drink but it seems to go straight through me and I'm so so hungry and my tummy is all empty but anything to eat sets it off again.

How lon does it take for symptoms to go? This is just miserable.

might you have a tummy bug rather than 'just' ibs?

I feel fine in myself though pink. Well, I did, increasingly now I'm not, but I think that's amount of d I've had is making me feel off, and my tummy still feels so hungry but I can't eat anything as it sets off the IBS. Surely if I was ill I'd not feel hungry? Gah, I'm getting nervous now, this d is going on and on and I can't take a tummy bug (emetophobic).

I should add, d* come back more since writing message a bit earlier :(

Have you tried the FODMAP diet for your ibs?

I'd recommend a good read of this site and I know the dietician professionally- she knows her stuff.
www.wisediet.co.uk

Hmm, I'm not sure about restricting my diet more. I'm already gluten free (diagnosed issue with gluten), can't eat alot of veg/pulses because of IBS, I also don't eat anything with sugar added (other than fresh fruit or a little dried fruit). Oh, and I'm vegetarian!

Startings of a headache, I assume from dehydration of diarrhoea. Finally I can drink a bit without huge spasms so trying to drink what I can and cross my fingers for no more loo trips.

You may find that you are doing the FODMAP pretty much anyway but it's still worth looking at the site and lists- the diet has a 75-80% success rate.