Severe IBS since major asthma attack

[SineadO]

Hi, I read some old posts on this topic but couldn't really find the answer. I had moderate controlled asthma until developing covid last year and since it has been quite uncontrolled and my treatment has been changed a lot. But since then I have had very bad IBS symptoms bloating wind etc. I am wondering if anyone has any advice on this or information to mention when bringing this to my gp. I mentioned it in the past but it was kind of brushed over and I definitely feel there's a link with my asthma being worse and worse symptoms, any experiences appreciated!

[Mandevilla]

It would not be surprising if there were a link - both can be triggered by stress, both involve the relevant body part 'over reacting'. And it would be understandable if the stress of the worsening asthma is causing the IBS to kick off more than usual.

[Tallman55]

Good morning to you. I have had IBS for many years, sometimes it is brought on by stress and sometimes by diet. Over the last few years I have cut down my dairy intake. I now have soya milk, my IBS improved hugely although not gone away the flare ups are less frequent and severe. I took have asthma and have to be careful not to get a chest infection . Hope you find this useful.

[Tiggertheterrier]

Hi SineadO,

Interesting reading your post. I was looking up medical research papers on this very subject a couple of days ago. Most of my lung twitchiness is caused by allergies, at this time of year it is tree pollen. I wondered if inhaled allergens, like pollen, can affect the bowel lining, and most papers say yes it can. One of two disagree, but it all depends on what criteria they used for diagnosis. So as my asthma & bronch get aggravated, usually my irritable bowel syndrome will escalate too.

[Emaych61]

Certainly IBS can be triggered by stress, so if your asthma is worse it may be connected to that.

One thing it might be worth trying: have you kept a food diary to see if any foods might be connected to the bloating? If not, it might be worth doing just to see if a particular food group (I’m thinking in particular of dairy or gluten) is triggering it.

[Dogeared]

Try getting some priobiotics (I use Biokult), this really helped with my IBS type symptoms and helped my asthma. I also avoid wheat.