IBS

[Indigo911]

Do any of you suffer badly from IBS? I had a really nasty stomach bug last year and seem to have developed it ever since. I’ve had all sorts of tests to rule out anything sinister, like a colonoscopy, gastroscopy, pelvic ultrasound, abdominal ultrasound, blood tests etc. All normal other than a bit of inflammation and lactose intolerance. I feel very unwell most of the time and suffer from terrible bloating to the point I literally look heavily pregnant. I also get bad trapped wind, nausea, loose stools and bad cramps/burning pain in lower abdomen. Symptoms flare up at different points of my menstrual cycle too.
I’m going to try the FODMAP diet from next week as I’ve heard good things. Sick to death of feeling so unwell 90% of the time. People who don’t suffer from IBS probably don’t think it’s that big a deal. It’s utterly debilitating!

Hi, I have a feeling I might have this after numerous tests and a random unproven diagnosis from the hospital doctor.

What is the FODMAP diet? I know I need to get up to speed as know very little but I wanted to offer sympathy as I can't advise.

It’s quite complicated but if you check it out on google it’s a diet that is specifically for people with IBS as it cuts out all the things that are difficult for the small intestine to digest. It’s meant to work wonders but it’s very restrictive (although you can gradually reintroduce some stuff after a couple of months).
It’s such a horrible illness as it makes things like socialising with friends incredibly difficult. I rarely want to leave my house these days

FODMAP really works for some people but is quite hard work. Years of IBS. It is a "dustbin" diagnosis (i.e. Not worth much). If possible, try to push for more tests to pin down the issue and take pro and prebiotics

I’m not sure what further tests I could get as my gastroenterologist has given me so many already. I tried pro and prebiotics but think they were bloating me up even more. I’ll maybe give them another try but go for a different brand

FODMAP is hard to do without proper clinical guidance. A lot of what's on the Internet is inaccurate.

I paid £70 for an appointment with a nutritionist (ex-NHS and now a lecturer at the local university, plus private practice) and it was worth every penny. I had one follow up for the reintroduction phase.

For £140, it was an investment rather than trying to get in on the NHS.

Thanks @Vivienne that might be worth doing

Where are you based, Vivienne?

I saw her in Plymouth. It looks like she's moved to London though.

sophiedietitian.com/About%20Sophie.html

Not a sponsored post or link!!

I recommend amitriptyline. It calms the symptoms and slows things down. I only take it when needed - holidays and Christmas mostly, and I start it a week or so beforehand. I'm currently decreasing and will stop taking them in a few days.

Get checked for coeliac disease before restricting gluten though - that is actual a test that should be done before GP can diagnose IBS, according to NICE guidelines.

Ive already been checked for it twice. I have lactose intolerance but no sensitivity to gluten showed on the tests

I have had lots of tests which all came back clear so IBS it is!
I don't find what I eat an issue really-can eat a huge curry with Naan bread and wine and be fine..then eat a salad and lots of water and feel crap.
I have tried various things over this last year(as things really flared up and took a long time to settle down) cannot say much worked.
I saw a consultant on the NHS
He recommended the FODMAP Diet,Peppermint Capsules, Low dose of AntiDs and even Hypnotherapy.
Though even he agreed most things do not work!!!!
My main symptom is pain which comes on sudden and stays for as long as it wants!
I am a member of an IBS group on FB and get some good advice/support on there.
It really is rubbish to suffer-I did get very anxious at the start of this Year when things got really bad...I had to push and push for a Colonoscopy but since having it done I do feel less anxious so that in itself as helped.

I had my colonoscopy and gastroscope without any anesthetic and it was the worst experience of my life. The throat one was beyond awful and literally felt like I was being murdered.
Food and stress definitely seem to be my triggers. If I’m calm and eating a very plain diet without much fibre/spice/sugar I’m usually ok. If I’m anxious and eating things like lots of fruit, veg, chilli, chocolate I feel beyond awful

I have ‘ibs’
I saw a private nutritionist at the start of the year
I tried fodmaps very strictly without much success
I had a lot of success with the anti Candida diet. It is basically very low carb and cuts out all sugars (including natural) yeasts etc.

I’m not As strict as I was but I find low carb really helps

I also take a good quality probiotic (I found they bloated me before I started the diet) and digestive enzymes and occasionally natural antifungals like caprylic acid

I too had a Gastroscopy without-It was a very odd experience and I would hate to have to go through it again-not painful just weird and yes it felt very invasive.
I had sedation for my Colonoscopy but seriously felt no different,very aware of everything,was very painful.
I am glad I had them done but dread ever having to do so again.
I have had a dull belly ache since before Christmas Day,I just kinda get used to feeling like this though I do try not to stress about it as I know this just makes it worse and prolongs things.
You do have my sympathies.

I've suffered on and off for 20 years. Alcohol and wheat are definite triggers for me. Mine is mostly under control with a high fibre diet and daily buscopan but has gone haywire with Xmas food. I need plain food in small portions

I felt awful over Xmas too. Was having to eat a lot of things that I knew would flare me up as I was away from home and didn’t want to be difficult and ask them to make me separate dishes.
The gastroscopy was utterly hideous. I honestly don’t know if I could ever have one done again unless I was properly put to sleep. I felt like I couldn’t breathe and like I was being choked to death. I kept screaming in agony with the colonoscopy and felt totally violated. Never again!

I saw my GO today as I've been having upset stomachs, feeling bloated, trapped wind. She's prescribed some tablets for reflux and booked me in for blood tests. It's very random what triggers, recently it's been mash potato. She mentioned IBS but maybe because that's an easy diagnosis make.

The bloating is something that drives me mad. My stomach gets rock hard and swells about 5 times In size. It’s so uncomfortable!

Like you I have had a gastroscopy and colonoscopy plus various bloods. There is no obvious cause at all in my case.

My consultant suggested a low fibre diet and gave me diet sheets. There are several available from hospitals if you google. I have found that it makes a significant difference to me and really helps control it most of the time. I do still have flare ups but it is no longer a constant problem of running to the loo many many times a day.

Low fibre is worth a go, it is less restrictive than FODMAP and a month’s experiment will tell you if it helps.

Good luck

Triggers for me were identified by reintroduction after doing FODMAP.

Wheat
Alcohol
Yeast
Peas. Peas are the absolute root of all evil for me. Instantaneous reactions.

I wish there was a food allergy test that could indentify individual triggers. My gastroenterologist told me the online ones like the York test are a load of rubbish. The only ones he can test me for are gluten and lactose, and other than that he said it’s just trial and error

Have you kept a food diary? Elimination diet? Any obvious culprits?

Any raw veg seems to really bloat me up, same with anything too nutty/seedy and anything too fatty. Fruit with hard to digest skins like apples and pears too. Alcohol definitely doesn’t agree with me either

I've had it for 17yrs and it is a big deal. Have you asked your GP for a referral to see a dieticia? Food advise for ibs-d and ibs-c symptoms can vary to opposite ends of the scale e.g. ibs - d you might be better with foods like white bread, fresh pasta, avoid some fruits and fruit juices, avoid lentils in soups and ibs - c sufferers may cope better with wholemeal bread, weetabix, brown pasta, hearty lentil soups.

I've seen low fodmap mentioned a lot recently and considered it myself. It is very restrictive and complicated and your body might not actually need to restrict so many foods. There are specialist dieticians for fodmap but life will be easier if you can cope with the basic restrictions before a low fodmap diet.

Some of the basics to try until you see a dietician (if you decide to do so)...
google gas producing veg and avoid these.
Drink lots of water, herbal teas, avoid drinks with caffeine.
Avoid anything with artificial sweetners (this pretty much includes all sugar free/diet options).
Dietician told me to try a spoonful of golden linseed in food for 4 weeks to see if this helps OR Yakult for 4 weeks.
Don't reheat already cooked carbs (takeaway rice, toast, frozen potatoes, potato scones, toasted muffins etc, pizza base).

Stress management is also a biggie for ibs but difficult to get through life with no stressful periods.

Like you my ibs seems worse at certain times of the month. I've also really struggled with alcohol to the point I'll drink only a couple of times a year now instead of every weekend. I tried gin and full fat tonic for the first time last weekend ,as I seen somewhere that this was low fodmap, and I was okay while I was out! Still struggled the next day but I'm sure this was just down to quantity. Huge progress!