Lots & lots of TMI.....IBS......OW

[KatyMac]

Ow...ow...ow...ow

Worst dose of IBS in many a year

OW...OW...OW

Goodness me - not sure I can cope - I need lots of pain killers

Please can I have some sympathy - as I seem to have been ill for months & months

lol - wouldnt be a very relaxing bath

slime is mucous

Loads of that - lots of colours (is that bad?)

I had the IBS properly diagnosed about 13 yrs ago

well I think its about keeping an eye on things and def report any blood[red or black]as you don't know ALL your symptoms are ibs iyswim
for example inflammatory bowel disease is more serious and needs treatment and is chronic diarrhoea,crampy pains often with blood and slime.

Would it change from one to the other?

I wonder if my pain atm is some sort of referred pain

well ibd flares up and dies down but would generally get worse until identified

where is the pain and why do you think it could be referred?

It's up my bum & I had the same pain when my tube burst (ectopic)

Cornsilk - if you google "forever living products", that's the aloe vera I use. You can buy it online, or you might find there's a supplier near you. Acupuncturists, homeopaths etc. sometimes sell it too.

Katymac - that doesn't sound like my IBS at all. Mine is cramping, wind, pain roughly where my ovaries are (but I've been checked and it's definitely bowel related, not ovaries).

well i think in general terms if the pain is severe you need to see gp asap.
Is there a chance you could be pg?
Have you got gynae symptoms lke discharge etc or are all the symptoms bowel related like diarrhoea today
Have you got a fever and are you generally unwell as well?

It could be gynaecological pain or bowel pain i think if its bad and/or you feel poorly you'd better see the dr

Def not PG - DH had the snip about 8 yrs ago

No bad IBS symptoms - I am currently keeping a pain diary for the GP (saw her yesterday)

I've been googleing

Have you been on antibiotics recently?

5 lots since October

ouch.. know just how that feels ( i am having a good moment .. and have put on 1 stone!! yay!).. but you have my utter sympathy.
I also get the up the bum thing.. it really hurts!

sorry to hijack again katy - littlefish - is it the aloe vera gel that you buy?

Katy then you ned to ask for some tests, the diarrhoea might be something called clostridium - it's a bugger, but it might nopt be that - ask your GP if they'll send off a stool sample, worth ruling out.

It's one of those bugs you can get after antibiotics because it survives when the a/b's kill off your good bacteria down there.

CAT me if you want any more info, had it last year (and still alive) so bit of an expert lol.

Hi Cornsilk - yes, it's the gel in the yellow bottle. There are other flavours I think e.g. with berries.

However, I just use the ordinary stuff and mix it with apple juice which seems to mask most of the taste (but not the texture!)

It took about 3 weeks for me to start seeing a difference, but when I was taking it regularly, it really helped with all my symptoms.

I stopped taking it about a year ago and everything was fine for a while. However, I'm under more stress now and have changed my diet, so I need to go back to taking it twice a day.

Thanks

And don't take any anti motility stuff until you've got the all clear. It can make things worse iyswim.

Is that like immodium.....oops (actually I only took one dose a week ago Monday at 1 am while on the phone to NHS direct as I was so poorly)

Yes that's right - no immodium, no buscopan, nothing to control bowel movement. If it is c.d. you could potentially end up iller if you help keep the nasty bugs in iyswim.

Try and get tested as soon as possible. You don't have to be elderly or in a nursing home or hospital to catch it. Although most cases are picked up from visiting or being in a healthcare facility.

BTW - samples are not all that reliable so ask if they'd like you to send three - you should be asked for three. And keep the container somewhere cold until it's handed in - it needs refrigerating because the toxins can die off at room temp after a couple of hours. I used to drop mine off at the path lab myself and tell them to refrigerate it, or not much point testing at all!

Once that's ruled out they can look at whatever else it might be. But if it is c.d. you'll want drugs for it - usually metronidazole for 10-14 days. And you'll want to wash everything carefully, and clean bathroom.,taps, sink, loo etc with something containing bleach. And keep the lid down when flushing, and wash your hands VERY thoroughly.

All good fun!!

Yes but Flightattendant - I work with children - should I close until I am tested clear?

I'm not sure. I don't think there's any need as long as you are scrupulous with hygeine, ie you don't allow them near your own bathroom, and use separate loo, sinks for hands, towels etc.

Strangely enough children are among the least likely to be affected by c diff. Many babies carry it harmlessly in their gut, up till about 18mo - occasionally a child or baby will be ill with it but it's rare. Usually older people or those with weakened immunity are affected - or those with a history of multiple antibiotic use.

Two factors have to be in place - you have to have been exposed to the spores/bacteria, and have an altered digestive tract - it's the absence of the usual melee of good bugs that allows this one to get out of hand and cause damage.

I would be cautious about telling people about it btw, as there's a lot of ignorance and people might be worried unduly - by all means if anyone is immuno compromised, or if you feel it would be good to be honest full stop - but generally even family members don't become infected unless they are also on antibiotics etc. My kids were fine, I didn't pass it on to anyone.

Btw don't use alcohol gels, they don't kill it - just plenty of soap and water. Bleach on hard surfaces will kill any spores and prevent you becoming reinfected.

And best not to visit elderly/sick relatives while it's active just in case.

I don't have a fever & apart from pain I'm not really ill

Oh I don't know [had enough]