IBS symptoms - what works for you?

[Tangerine1990]

Just wondering what to try as I rapidly swing between constipation and diarrhoea. I'm scared to try anything like a laxative or a fibre supplement in case I take it at the wrong time for my tummy. It's so unpredictable! Any advice on probiotics?

[Chrysta123]

Hi,

Have you tried changing your diet at all? I am lactose intolerant but find it so hard to be completely dairy free so take lactase supplements instead but I know if I have too much sugar my stomach starts doing flips (both like in sweets and natural from fruit) so I try to cut back on that or caffeine makes it all worse on my period so I try to avoid caffeine when I am on

I know it is really hard to cut things out I think if I cut out everything that made my stomach not right I would starve! But maybe just even slightly adjusting your diet to have less of the things that trigger you may help

[alpacamadness]

I was scared of all of that as well. Dont do laxatives especially if you're prone to diarrhea. Stick to fiber supplements but drink A LOT of water with them... otherwise it will have the opposite effect. Take a stool.softener daily as well. These wont make you go, just make it easier when you do have to. Unfortunately you have to be really consistent with the fiber for it to work. My constipation/diarrhea cycles got better after endo excision surgery but I still require these supplements to stay normal.

[LucieH]

Hi,

first of all, I'm sorry you're in the same boat... I've had very similar issues, and I'm diagnosed with both endo and IBS. Someone mentioned lactose intolerance, that's always a good idea to test for, because it can give you quite severe symptoms that come up very fast, and it's easily manageable with lactase enzyme pills. Regarding probiotics, I've had some relief from Vivomixx sachets (sold as VSL#3 brand in some countries), but my dietician recommended to start with taking 1/2 sachet daily at first because it can cause some bloating and gas before your body gets used to it. It reduced my symptoms, but it's no silver bullet.

Other thing that was causing my problems was, that the chronic problems with diarrhea made me so anxious around food that I restricted my diet drastically and followed the low FODMAP diet for a longer time than recommended, while also eating small amounts because I was afraid to eat. That lead to me being "constipated" and then having diarrhea. The thing is I wasn't actually constipated, I just didn't go for days because I was eating very little and there was not much for my body to digest. And I was eating plenty of healthy foods such as veggies, quinoa, oats, while limiting proteins and fats and processed foods, but turns out all the "healthy" stuff is a fibre overload for my digestion so when I finally had to go I'd end up with loose stools/diarrhea. Eating sufficient amounts regularly (3 meals, 2 snacks) and trying to have balanced meals with all the components (proteins, carbs, fats, veggies) has helped to some extent. I also had some vitamin deficiencies due to insufficient nutrition and malabsorption from the diarrhea and fixing those also made my symptoms a bit easier, so maybe get tested.

I haven't discovered the magic cure to endo/IBS issues and I still have diarrhea quite often but it's not as bad as when I was undereating and overdoing the "healthy life style", and it's not alternating with being backed up (unless I have to take imodium). I don't know about your situation but maybe regular habits and sufficient nutrition is something you could give a thought. Other issue is if the waves are longer (like, a week or two of constipation, then week or two of diarrhea) it could be hormonal because hormones also affect digestion. I used to be backed up and gassy around ovulation and have diarrhea around my period. That should be mentioned to your gynaecologist because that has very little to do with your diet and could be balanced a little by treating the endometriosis.

[Tangerine1990 in reply to LucieH]

Thanks Lucie, my post was a while ago now and since then I've been diagnosed with B12 deficiency and low folate. This was a total guess by the lovely junior doctor GP I was seeing at the time who wanted to run all the tests. So glad he did it, because after 5 of the B12 jabs I feel so much better in myself. I didn't make the connection, but my skin had actually been turning a bit yellow, I was also tired, dizzy and nauseous - it makes so much sense now. Not sure if its another condition causing the B12 issue, or if the upset tummy from the endo is what is behind the lack of absorption, but I do have a balanced and regular diet even if I have to force myself some days.

I know exactly what you mean RE the restricted diet, it's why I never tried it as I am hesitant to remove nutrients from my diet especially now I know I had nutrition issues. Side note, when I was a teen my family was struggling and some days I'd only get a few slices of toast a day to eat and I got extremely thin. As a result, I have a tricky relationship with food that I try my best to avoid triggering by limiting my foods.

So now I've got 3 referrals out - one for pelvic floor PT, one for a gynae in Dr Edi Osagi's team in Manchester, and one for a gastroenterologist. Hopefully all this will get to the bottom of it! If I do need to try diet adjustments in the end, I'm going to make sure I do so under supervision.

[LucieH in reply to Tangerine1990]

I'm glad you're aware of your tricky relationship with food and have it on your mind. There is actually a genetic component to eating disorders and they can be triggered by going into a longer period of energy deficit, which doesn't mean just dieting, but also unintentional food deprivation, just like in your case with food insecurity/poverty. I'm still recovering from the aftermath of my eating disorder and I wouldn't wish this on anyone, and I was so oblivious to my ED because I thought I was just trying to "be healthy"... so when I see a post regarding health and digestion, especially if I see the discussion getting kind of "diety"... you know, the "have you tried cutting out x y and z" type... I tend to jump in to share my experience. People sometimes try to fix problems brought on by a restricted diet by even more restriction.

I've heard that B12 can get low with several digestive disorders, for example Celiac disease or SIBO, because even if you get it from your diet, it isn't absorbed. Good to hear you're getting a referral to a gastroenterologist. Best of luck!

[Tangerine1990 in reply to LucieH]

Your experience has confirmed what I've always suspected that some (of course not all) people following endo diets are literally just stopping themselves from eating enough to kick off regular bowel movements. If it hurts to poo then pooing less seems like a solution, and that's really dangerous. There's so much talk about what to remove but not nearly enough on the importance of replacing what is lost by removing gluten, dairy, meat.