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IBS, please help

I'm just looking for some support here really. I've recently been diagnosed with IBS and basically I'm exhausted and feeling uncomfortable/in pain all the time, to the extent that I can't do anything any more. Walking up the stairs to my room made me so tired I couldn't get off my bed afterwards for three hours, and my tutor told me to take time off uni because I'm too sick to be there. She's also been talking about the possibility of repeating the year if I'm off much more (have been off with the symptoms before) because there's a lot of work involved in the course and if you miss much then there's not much point carrying on, better to start from square one. Obviously the idea of being in debt and precisely no further on by the end of the year isn't pleasant.

I'm feeling generally miserable and keep crying for no real reason. I just wanted to know if anyone else on here has IBS and if they have any advice at all for coping with it? Actually any support would be great :smile:

Thanks.

Reply 1

lasttoiletroll

what are your symptoms?

Reply 2

danesh

I have had a few bouts of IBS in the past. I have always found Buscopan to be a help (get it on prescription - its a rip off over the counter). If you have not seen your doctor yet, than do so!!

It can be very intrusive - especially if you have to dash off to the toilets at unfortunate moments!

Reply 3

Anonymous #1

peppermint tea. fennel seeds. Anti-spasmodic tablets from doctor. more fibre (sounds weird but it can sometimes work). Some foods make it worse e.g. dairy products or spicy foods. Less stress. The very illness will increase stress levels big time but there are things you could do to reduce stress in other areas e.g. organising yourself so that financial worries and other things are more structured and organised. It won't help the stress from IBS but it might reduce the total stress level in your life.

Reply 4

Phantom Phoenix

Thanks for replies (and sympathy!) so far :smile:

Yep, seen my doctor (a couple of times before diagnosis). Symptoms are constipation/diarrhoea (alternating), abdominal cramps, exhaustion, loss of appetite, headaches, joint pains...meh. Glad I have a laptop, I'm just sitting in bed typing.

What's Buscopan?

Reply 5

danesh

Buscopan is the proper name for Hyoscine butylbromide - its a very effective antispasmodic for your colon. It stops both the pain and the diahorrea. There are some other drugs like this in its class like alverine (spellign may be wrong, but its brand is Spasmonal).

Remember not to take drugs for diarrhoea like loperamide (imodium) as these will make it worse! (constricts the colon!!)

Reply 6

Phantom Phoenix

Eep, thanks for advice.

Urgh. I'm a med student and having a panic about how this is going to feck up my career...surgeons can't be running off to the toilet every half hour when they're having a bad day...

/frets

Reply 7

Hev456

i'm actually lucky enough to just control my IBS with food, ie. i've limited my diet to the very basics (and chocolate :P).

i can relate with the exhaustion though, before i controlled it i really got unwell and tired all the time, didn't help that at the same time i was getting bullied, which can't have helped either.

have you identified triggers? eg. certain food, stress, etc. it might be that if medication for the IBS isn't working then try focussing on what triggers it. for example, if its stress then they might be able to give you anxiolytics (like Valium) to calm you down, or like me limiting your diet.

Reply 8

Phantom Phoenix

With hindsight stress is definitely one!

I'm on Merbentyl at the moment but I don't think it's helping much. Just trying to work out if anything in particular causes problems. I know coffee does...anything else I need to look out for?

Reply 9

lasttoiletroll

Phantom Phoenix

Just trying to work out if anything in particular causes problems. I know coffee does...anything else I need to look out for?

fatty foods, dairy products, high fibre foods can cause diarrhea, as can alcohol and cigarettes. dairy products can also cause constipation though as the calcium can slow down the digestive tract (i take calcium and vit d for diarrhea sometimes). have you tried just eating very basic foods, - soluble fibre such as porridge, white pasta and bread, or wholemeal if you have constipation, potatoes. i can't really eat any fruit or veg if its particularly bad, i take a multivitamin to cover the lack of nutrients.
its so annoying, i used to be able to eat so healthily, lots of fruit and veg, and always wholemeal stuff but i can't anymore.
make sure you research it lots on the internet, and keep trying food elimination, trying to reduce stress. getting the right amount of sleep is important - sleeping till late can cause contipation, and drinking enough water is important.
i haven't found anything from the doctors useful - tried the two antispasmodics alverine citrate (spasmanol) and mebererine hydrochloride (colofac) but they did nothing.
during a bout of consipation, take magnesium, and for diarrhea take calcium supplements

Reply 10

Hev456

well i have a list that i avoid:
coffee (as you said)
alcohol
fizzy drinks (although i can get away with 1 a week)
full fat dairy
fatty foods (fast-foods, chips, breaded fish, roast potatoes, plus others)
white flour (bread, rolls, scones)
heavy meats (beef, lamb)

i think there might be more, but it was all about trial and error. best thing to do is to keep a food diary to note down what you eat, and when you get the worst 'attacks'. dont' forget other external triggers (like you said stress), or even the weather might trigger mine off - it was quite bad during the summer with the heatwave.

hope this helps. :smile:

Reply 11

lasttoiletroll

oo yeh the heatwave was bad for it, put me off summer!
also do people around you know about it? because i kept it a secret from me boyfriend which was bad, but we're housemates now, so i eventually told him all which makes life a bit less stressful! except for since i told him, his stomach seems to have got bad too :confused:

Reply 12

Phantom Phoenix

I've told my boyfriend and he's being lovely...kinda hard to keep it secret seeing as he's basically living in my room in halls lol!

Any idea why I keep bursting into tears for stupid reasons? Someone told me depression's associated with IBS, is that right? Only I don't actually feel down in particular. I'm confused.

Thanks everyone for the help so far, feeling much better knowing there's other people out there :smile:

Reply 13

Paeony

You could try keeping a food diary, writing down what you eat, any symptoms you get and what you've been doing. It's tedious, I know, but it can be a really helpful way of identifying if there are any foods or situations that trigger your IBS. I've also heard that eating more frequent, smaller meals can help some people - I suffer from mild IBS and I find that eating a huge meal (especially if it's fatty) on an empty stomach is a definite no-no for me.

Reply 14

lasttoiletroll

Phantom Phoenix

could just be the situations that ibs puts you in - such as the stress of you having to miss uni that makes you depressed, decreased absorption of nutrients because of diarrhea could also cause problems with moods.
hormonal imbalances can cause ibs symptoms, and also be a cause of depression/mood swings.
another related thing - going on the pill can disagree with some people, and the hormones - particlarly progesterone can cause ibs symptoms, and depression.

Reply 15

Anonymous #2

hi phantom phoenix,
please don't worry too much I was diagnosed with it a few months ago...its a condition that comes and goes. Its going to be much worse when you are stressed for example...so try and relax alot.
Mine has calmed down a lot recently...but it's usually really bad on saturday mornings before I go to work..I don't know why but my mum thinks its because I'm subconsciuosly nervous about going to work as its quite stressful.
I usually take Colpermin tablets...they are tablets you take only when you get a bad bout of IBS and want it to go away quickly...they are really good. A lifesaver..they stop me needing to run to the toilets whilst I'm at work...infact whenever I take them I never need to go to the toilet unless I'm on my break! They regulate your bowels, I couldn't be without them but I don't want to take them all the time so I only use them when it's bad.
I hated having IBS at first - i still do but I've learnt to cope woth it now, you get used to it...and there can be times when you don't get it for ages.

Reply 16

Damon1988

Hi, just found your thread

I am a coeliac which is the medical term for me not being able to tollerate wheat or gluten (or any other aspect of the gluten family e.g. barley)

just a quick comment to say that many people are diagnosed with IBS when sometimes it could be an intollerance to wheat/gluten or some other type of food

I made a website on it: www.goingglutenfree.co.uk

check it out; im not saying it isnt IBS but there may be a possibility of it - its easily confused with IBS.

Hope that helps