IBS sufferers - please help!

[dinosaurus]

I have suffered with IBS for years (mainly constipation) but my symptoms seem to be becoming worse on a more regular basis. I've always suffered from a bit of bloating and the constipation, but lately I've been getting the following and would appreciate it if anyone suffers with similiar and what they do to relieve it:

• major bloating to the extent that I look about 5 months pregnant - I'm, 5 foot 7 and weigh just under 9 stone, so its really pronounced
• lots and lots of wind after eating it seems, almost anything - I'm not being crude, but there is just so much wind!

-gurgling in my stomach, including quite low down in my tummy -a feeling that there is almost like a balloon, particuarly on the left lower side of my stomach -left side back ache -Contractions - no, I haven't gone mad, but sometimes, when I breathe in and out, you can actually see the left side of my stomach almost contract - its different to explain but it feels like something almost popping in there

• when I drink liquids, I can feel them for quite a long time after, almost swooshing around my stomach.

Sorry to be so graphic, but I would really appreciate any help with dealing with such a variety of symptoms!

Have you been to the GP recently with these symptoms? Definitely worth getting them checked out!

I have to admit that I haven't yet - it comes from years of being prescribed Fybogel, lactolose and not seeing many improvements! I have tried lots of things myself though, like eliminating certain things from my diet. I also lead a pretty healthy lifestyle; I exercise daily and eat healthily, but this doesn't seem to be helping at the moment.

What are you taking (if anything) atm? Have you been more stressed lately or changed your diet? I assume if you've had it for a while you know what foods are triggers for you normally.

Agree you should go to your GP if you haven't been in a while.

I have had IBS on and off for years and in my case it is definately linked to diet.

You could keep a food diary for a week, writing down EVERYTHING you eat at and the time you eat it, then note down your symptoms on the opposite page and the time they occur. You might find a pattern emerges. If you find that bread, for example, causes your symptoms to worsen, cut it out for a few weeks and see what happens. If you feel that there is a food link you could have an allergy test done to confirm it.

In my case, it is white yeast bread that does not agree with me, so I avoid it and my IBS has really cleared up.

Sorry, X posts, I see you've already looked at your diet - sorry that hasn't helped.

That sounds hard. I was "lucky" in that I got it due to stress, and it went away with a fairly restricted diet after about 9months.

I - stupidly - never went to GP with it though. So was really very lucky!

Are you having too much fibre? It was sometimes a trigger for me.
When I was ttc and needed to lose a lot of weight the GI diet was recommended to me and as well as losing weight it really helped my IBS symptoms.
DS is 7 months and it's been hard to stay off bread and potatoes (ate nothing but sandwiches/toast for 1st 3 months) and symptoms are slowly returning (as are the pounds lost )

I think with IBS we (I have it too) notice aand feel our bowels gurgling and popping much more than people without IBS.

Quite a bit of gurgling and rumbling along is normal after eating and drinking, but I know I get very aware of it too, often because I am very conscious I might get symptoms, eg pain, or diarrhoea.

Not as sure about the bloating though, I don't tend to get that much at all.

hi doughnutty
haven't tried the GI diet - what does it involve? I have however, had long periods where I've cut out bread and potatoes and it didn't make a huge amount of difference. I do however struggle to eat white rice, which I notice is a high GI food (when I just peeked on the internet!)

Are you certain you're no lactose intolerant? I can get incredible wind sometimes!

Peppermint tea!

I also found this website really interesting and use the guidelines following the worst attacks. Sometimes takes days to clear up though! I get really bored of sweet potatoes! :D

www.helpforibs.com/

GI diet seemed to help me wind-wise. I found a local dietician to ask for dietary advice when ttc, and this was what she recommended me to. Natural muesli, seeds, nuts, sweet potatoes are all your friends. Small portions of pasta and rice (50g uncooked weight). Lean meat, lots of veggies and fruit and oils high in mono-unsaturated fats (i.e. extra virgin olive oil, or even better rapeseed oil). Eat little and often - 3 meals plus two snacks. Drink plenty of water.

When IBS was bad, I found cranberry juice and peppermint tea very helpful. Avoid carbonated drinks completely.

Bagels thinly spread with peanut butter are apparently tolerated well, and were fine for me.

i have IBS , and i do get bad bloating specially when i eat bread , lots of wind

i get stitch like pain in left hand side when im really bad ,
perpermint tea does really help .

i would go to docs if your worried , if only to put your mind at rest .

i developed ibs after surviving a particularly nasty bout of food poisoning, which led to some time in hospital.
my bowel is permanantly damaged by it all.

i was almost house bound a year after, and had to plan 'pit' stops, because i had both the diahorrea, and constipation.

the prescribed stuff for the constippation was rapidly not effective enough, and i had to give up using boscopan as i had been using it for long time on a high dose....

my bowel doc was not that helpful, did suggest high fibre foods, but i was at the stage when high fibre foods really, really hurt.

i worked out that my gut was no longer able to process a larger number of foods, which is common with untreated food intolerances, as inner tubing, so to speak, gets inflammed and damaged.

i planned a diet to remove common triggers from my diet, milk/wheat/caffine/spicy foods/orange juice etc/and no wine!

i ate high fibre foods in very small amounts, for e.g 1 tablespoon of baked beans. i was careful not to have too much fibre in one 24 hour period, as that irritated every thing.

linseed, sprinkled on cereal, was good for the constipation.

after 6 weeks, added back in wheat,one portion in a 24 hr period, and then milk.

i have now had ibs for five years, and in the last two years stools are looking normal more often than not.

i try to have one wheat portion a day, and two small milk, if i have a flare up, which is often for e.g after christmas, when everyone forgets healthy eating, i simply go back on my exclusion diet.

someone suggested peppermint tea, which is really good and better than any shop brought stuff, it really helps with the pain of it all.

i also found lactose free milk to be helpful, i did try other milk substitutes, but didnt get on with them very well.

porrige in small amounts was helpful for regular bowel movements, but not until i had finsihed my exclusion diet, as again, it was a overload of fibre. which can lead to bowel slowing down completely.

i always obey the call to go to the loo,but try not to hang around, as it makes things worse.

try and go to the libary and do some research, rather than paying out for quack treatments.

good luck!

Hi everyone, does anyone have dizziness with IBS.

I have been suffering with it for a couple of weeks at a time over the last three months together with feeling incredibly sick after eating and loose bowel movements - not quite diarhoea. This comes and goes but can't see a pattern with food eaten yet.

Have had numerous blood tests together with ultrasound tests of most internal organs - all coming back normal.

I am not so worried anymore as it does go away, but the doctor has no idea what is causing the dizziness.

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My 'IBS' turned out to be lactose intolerance and h.pylori! But it took ages for the doc to decide to even test for these btw.