Fed up with IBS. Sorry if I'm repeating any threads!

[greeneyedgirl]

I suffer from what would be termed "mild" IBS, but even so it plays havoc with my life and i am not sure what to do. Have taken various medication prescribed by GPs, but, apart from immodium (my saviour) and amitryptalin (sp?) nothing seems to help. I have mainly diarrhoea, rarely suffer from constipation and it seems mainly to be triggered by stress/anxiety and some foods. I am currently going wheat free again at the moment to try and see if this improves things.

The problem is that because I am never sure when my tummy will let me down I tend to panic about going out with people I don't know very well and obviously this makes it worse. I have just started a new relationship (2 months) and I am fed up with the tummy ache, runs, nausea when I am out with him, I tend not to tell him as I don't want to put him off (although he does know I have IBS), so I suffer in silence, but have had to cancel a few things because of it.

Could really do with some tips and advice from any fellow sufferers as I am pretty miserable about it at the moment. Sorry this is long, thanks for reading.

I sympathise geg, as it is very hard to live with.

I have completely cut out alcohol, as that seriously triggered mine (and I didn't drink much anyway!) and orange juice. So I just tend to drink water and herbal tea (especially peppermint).

Just try that for a fortnight and see how that helps.

I read an article in SHE magazine that said Valerian helps IBS tummies to settle overnight, and I used those for years, and then in the morning I would take a Boots Probiotic tablet.

I found I had runs after cereal/milk, so I cut out milk for a long time, and again got so much better. I am now able to drink soya milk.

I avoid ready meals, when there are so many ingredients in there and generally sauces, so basic foods are best.

I also used to make sure I always had loo roll with me (or tissues) as that helps diminish panics when you are out and about. I kept imodium in every pocket and handbag. I would use imodium as a last resort though, as it used to take me a while to get back to "normal" and then I never felt I was in a healthy cycle.

I saw a specialist when it got very bad, and he had heard that hypnotherapy had very good results with IBS sufferers.

None of the IBS tablets that you can get in the chemists ever worked for me. Go through your diet and work at calming your environment. I hated it when people said you have it because you are stressed, NO - I am stressed because I have it!!

Any other questions, feel free to ask!

Have you been tested for coeliac? This is commonly misdiagnosed as IBS.

Keep a food diary and see if there are any connections. I find that certain foods, drinks and stress play a big factor.

I have IBS and had several investigations to rule out coeliac or similar. (I have a sister and brother with it). I was found to have h.pylori in the stomach which was treated. The symptoms halved after the treatment.

You can't let this take over your life like it is. Go back to you GP and ask about further investigation. HTH

Yes, been tested for coeliac, was negative and I must admit I take Imodium far too often. Can't think of a car trip without taking one! I don't drink alcohol at all and don't have ready meals, greasy or very spicy food. Orange juice is a major no no for me as is fruit in general. I am thinking of cutting dairy next and see how that goes, what a bloody nightmare.

I am in a vicious circle with stress, as it causes my ibs and the ibs causes stress....arghh!! Thanks for the replies, really helpful!

I find yoga really helpful. It took me a while to get into it but after a few weeks I noticed a huge difference in my mood, I was able to handle stressful situations a lot better and therefore it had a knock-on effect.

I would still do a food diary. I found this helpful.