IBS - I am in a cycle, can anyone help me break it?(TMI)

[AntirhinumMajus]

It is not pleasant & a bit out of control due to loads of stress

I have 2 or 3 days of constipation it causes a lot of discomfort/pain so I eat the relevant foods to alleviate it then I have 2 or 3 days of diarrhoea which causes a lot of severe pain so I take pain-killers (co-codamol) plus eat more carefully but by that time I am completely empty so then constipation as my system starts up from empty

So I need to do something at some point in the cycle to break it

Do I stop altering my diet? Do I stop taking the pain-killers (not sure I could cope with the pain)?

Is there a better way because this is awful

You really need to stick to a diet where you don't need to eat the foods that allieviate it iyswim...Or those that aggravate it. Seriously boring food but helpful in the longterm...

Do you know what your triggers are?

I found that following a non trigger (either way!) diet for about 6 months, really really helped.

Co-Codamol is probably one of the owrse things you could take with IBS as while it relives the pain it will play havoc with your stomach afterwards

Have you been prescribed anything by your docs like anti-spamodics?

Have you triedColpermin daily to help get your stomach out of spasm?

Not sure I can help but I have IBS aswell. It was pretty horrendous a few years back and I ended up in hospital (as the pain was so bad they thought it might be something else, it wasn't). Have they ruled out everything else so it is def IBS?.

I have it under control now, but I found that too much fibre actually made my IBS worse, and also certain painkillers did aswell (and imodium caused stomach cramps). I find natural remedies (such as peppermint tea) help. I do eat a reasonable amount of fibre (so bran flakes with dried apricots most mornings). I find it is like a snowball effect, so once something triggers the IBS, it doesn't take much to make it worse.

The only thing I can suggest is consistency in your diet. I also found alcohol to be a big factor (hardly suffered at all when pg).

Sorry not much help but I can really sympathise as its not pleasant

When I was first diagnosed I went gluten free for about 6 months...so so hard but really did help to 'reset' my gut

I also cut out alcohol, red meat and things like cucumber and anything from the nightshade family (peppers, toms etc)

Really made a difference, was so boring food wise but it was worth it

I've been in balance for years this is stress related

I know co-codamol is bad but so is the pain

The Dr gave me Difl - no, I can't remember the name - but it didn't agree with me

I'll have to try something just not sure what

Probably Diclofenac Antir, which is an anti spamodical drug

Diet is the key with IBS - do you know what your triggers are?

Key ones are dairy, red meat, nightshade family

Have you tried Colpermin? And lots of strong (two tea bags per cup) peppermint tea?

I used to take colpermin but I haven't for years, I must get some:

Red meat slows, so do baked beans

Fat speeds as does peppers, tomatoes, & onions

I have very little flour/gluten

I'll try some colpermin

It was Diclofenac - I don't ever have dairy

Colpermin is great but you have to address your diet too - otherwise Colpermin etc won't have any effect

Well my diet has been OK for about 7-8 years - the stress has triggered this problem - I felt if I broke the cycle I would go back into equilibrium but I guess I might not

Have you tried Buscopan? I found it quite effective, I used to take it with Zantac 75 for the burning pain heartburn type pain under the rib cage. I also found the "white" (ie boring as hell!) diet worked well and would follow it for about three days as soon as symptoms began - so white fish, chicken soup, potatoes, white bread etc etc all very well (over) cooked + bland and boring but I found it worked.

Finally the one thing that really worked for me was craniosacral therapy - a gentle form of otseopathy. It works a treat for me and I now rarely have flare ups only when really stressed maybe once a year. I went every month for about a year at first, now I just go when I feel I need to.

HTH and that you manage to break the cycle.

The doc gave me Spasmonil (or something like that) works a treat. I am surprised that your doc hasn't given you an anti-spasmodic. There are a few anti-spasmodic treatments you can get over the counter, but imo they don't seem to be as effective

If it is caused by stress, is there some way of getting rid of it or controlling it?

Have you tried relaxation/hypnotherapy?

If I get stressed and have a bad time, I make sure that I get time to myself .. have a warm bath, relax, and breath through the cramps. Get a hot water bottle, lie on the bed listen to some soothing music or my relaxation therapy cd, and just try to relax enough to sleep. Sometimes sleeping through it is all you need.

There is one thing tho, if your gut is in spasm the pain left behind will last for a couple of days. I try very hard not to take pain killers, but keep myself as relaxed as possible but keep my muscles down there warm.

Forgive me if I am rambling .. 'tis late :D

Hope your feeling better real soon. Its a horrible thing to have

Colpermin is good for me. Valpolicella - did your dietary changes make you lose weight too? I've got plenty to get rid of!

AntirhinumMajus....codeine in co-codamol can cause constipation in some people...so unfortunately you are creating a vicious cycle.

get some regulan or normacol plus from the gp and see if that works.