IBS sufferers

[ProfessorPickles]

Hello, I have recently been to see my GP with stomach issues and she thinks it is IBS.

I went to the doctors because of feeling sick a lot and because of weeks of loose stools. I also have stomach ache a lot.
It seems to be one week I have it bad the next not at all and then the following week it's back again.

I would be interested to hear what symptoms you have, how frequent you have them and anything you've realised makes it worse or anything that improves it?

So far it seems to be stress that triggers it but I wonder if my diet affects it too.

Thank you in advance for any responses!

Bump, sorry!

My IBS completley stopped when I cut out carbs. I can tolerate some white processed carbs but wholemeal bread will have me on the loo within half an hour.

I took loperamide almost daily for about a year before cutting them out,

That's interesting! I didn't expect carbs to be an issue, I imagined most would have an issue with sugary treats like chocolate and fizzy drinks.

Yep carbs .. Too many and I bloat massively, honestly look about 6 months pregnant, horrible pain followed by being stuck on the loo for hours or having hours of continuous wind. Mine is also stress triggered so whenever I'm stressed or worried I get painful cramping, diarrhoea, vomitting etc.

Sugar fine btw, I have three spoons in my tea and mainline chocolate, doesn't make any difference

I had that happen after eating carbs. I had to run to the bathroom. Doubled up in pain and it's just wind. I'm on a low carb diet now and I have no digestion issues. HTH.

Before you heavily look in to IBS, have you been on any antibiotics prior to this all starting?

Mawinter - I had antibiotics for an ear infection a week or two after going about ibs if that's relevant

I have symptoms very similar to yours and im curious what remedy the doctor gave you

I have had IBS on and off for years

Stress is the main factor and I also suffer with anxiety which doesn't help!

Diet wise, things like porridge are bad, bread is okay but not too much, pasta is hard to digest, too much fruit and veg is not good.

Tbh I still struggle with finding the right things to eat.

For those of you who are low carb can you give me a rough idea of what you eat in a typical day please?

The problem with IBS is that everybody is different and are affected by different foods.

In my case cream, too much milk, rich foods and high fibre foods give me diarrhea so I avoid them.

If IBS is a real problem, look into the FODMP diet. You'd have to go and see a dietitian to get you started, but It's an elimination diet for about 8 weeks, and then you reintroduce foods back in.

It's complicated to explain, and it seems everyone is different in their responses, but it has about a 75% success rate. You need to be pretty determined, but those of us who have done it, live much better lives.

Ask your GP.

I was given buscopan which seems to help with the stomach ache and churning but doesn't stop it happening IYSWIM?

I've just been told by my GP that IBS is something that is not diagnosed until everything else has been ruled out.

My symptoms were originally thought to be gynae-related, and I have had very thorough investigations, involving poking and prodding and a pelvic scan (oh, the joys), and now I will be having either a colonoscopy or a flexi-sigmoidoscopy in order to eliminate anything horrible, before anyone might tell me I have IBS.

This might be because I am ancient (just turned 48), though. I don't know how things are done differently for younger people.

Yes, I should have mentioned that, too. You'll need to have tests to rule other possible options before being diagnosed with IBS.

I had loads of tests (right down to a colonoscopy) and my IBS only improved when I cut out gluten. The dietician said that I present as coeliac (except anaemia) but they tried twice and couldn't get a positive blood test. He was happy for me to cut out gluten and my stomach settled down within a couple of months.

I think I need to consider cutting out tomatoes and peppers too . I'm sure they cause problems.

Cats is right. No decent GP will diagnose IBS until other causes have been ruled out. It should only be a diagnosis of last resort.

Subject close to my heart - I popped buscopan for a year before passing out with pain at the wheel of my car, nearly killing a pedestrian in the process, before a hospital doctor did some actual tests and found a fucking massive tumour. Lots of lazy GP's out there unfortunately.

It's almost certainly nothing more serious than IBS but please don't take the risk.

IBS and lactose intolerant. I am almost jealous of IBS sufferers who get constipated - I don't, ever

I have a family of 5 to feed so can't afford special milks or foods so I pretty much mainline Immodium copies every day. My doctor is ok with long term Loperamide use and it helps me function. I also know where and how much I can buy the own brand ones for (around 80p) as opposed to Immodium (£2-3!!!)

I take probably take a packet and a half a week.

Tomato based meals are bad, pasta is bad, Cravendale milk goes in my coffee which isn't as bad as 'normal' milk.

The reason I asked about antibiotics is there is some quite harsh ones out there on the market today. Many of which can destroy your natural gut flora very badly. The damage can very well mimic or cause full blown IBS. Another nasty thing they can do is cause C. diff to overpopulate in your intestines, which causes very bad infectious diarrhea.
Clindamycin (commonly given by dentists), is a big C. diff offender, as are many antibiotics for ear infections and so on.

I recently found out the hard way just how damaging antibiotics can be, however my case is a bit different as I was put on antibiotic overkill (5 different ones within the course of 2 months).

You should try some Probiotics in addition to changing your diet somewhat. For me personally I found eating foods less rich in Gluten or completely free of Gluten to be helpful for digestion.

I also agree with others that your doctor needs to run more tests on you before diagnosing you with IBS. I would ask to see a Gastro specialist in all honesty. GP's are morons when it comes down to matters of digestion.

@mawinter did you manage to fix your gut after the antibiotics? I was given three rounds after labour and I still get Diarrhea MIDDLE of the night and severe cramping 😭