IBS

Hi to all you lovely ladies, have any of you suffered with irritable bowel syndrome ? Im in a lot of pain and of course worried its the beast on its way back.I cant have any more chemo as ive had over 60 doses and now my body wont take it. Im very scared as ive had a really bad year.I don't have diarrohea mainly constipated.If any one can help I,d be grateful Love an healing to you all Lynn xx

[Tesla_7US]

Hi Lynnrsa, I had 14" of large (sigmoid) colon removed. That has caused symptoms of IBS. Altering my diet and eating smaller, more frequent meals has gotten rid of most symptoms. I no longer drink orange juice or lemonade. The acid in it is very painful to my gut. I also eat brown rice, roasted chicken, salmon, trout, fresh fruits, vegetables, usually raw and only whole unprocessed organic foods plus psyllium which is a husk that bulks up the stool when needed. I've found chocolate to be devastating! I can only eat it in very small amounts. I also drink a lot of electrolyte beverages with low sugar. That helps stop muscle cramping and constipation. Hope this helps. T

[Hidden in reply to Tesla_7US]

Hi thank you for your reply.I definitely need to review my diet! I have to take Tramadol for the pain and that in itself can cause constipation.Vicious circle ! I have had relapse 4 times and although I have o/c the Dr is treating me with Tamoxifen.Regards Lynnx

[Hidden]

hi

are you sure it's IBS and not bowel obstruction etc...?

when I had IBS symptoms and pain like I was on last stages of labour ( I mean it - I screamed like I was giving birth!) I used Buscopan to help with pain.

no painkiller, not even 20mg of morphine IV didn't touch it....

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hi I asked the Dr if it could be a blockage and she said I would be vomiting if it was.Ive had it for over two weeks.Took Buscopan too but nothing eased it.Im so scared as ive had 4 recurrences already and besides o/c I had non hodgkins lymphoma too.Its worse when I inhale on right side and ant be my appendix Ive had them removed .

Regards Lynn x

[Hidden]

Maybe its a pulled muscle or scar tissue, I would suggest you keep your bowels working well at the moment. Prunes in Juice as well as any medication you may have. Its better out than in, if you dont have any success then back to your doctor is your best bet.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for reply I am keeping my bowels going but the pain is still there.I did have a hysterectomy just over 5 years ago.Maybe its from that.I also had a laparotomy last June to remove a lymph node near my spine for a biopsy x

[LesleyGreengran]

They've suggested a low residue diet for me with buscopan paracetamol and naproxen for the pain. I have a hot pad that I warm up in the microwave that's immediate relief. Also I am on docusate twice a day and half a sachet of macrogol. That keeps everything soft and moving through. How much I take seems to be trial and error. They say everyone's different. They say my bowels not blocked but that there are constrictions so stuff's having trouble getting through.

[Hidden in reply to LesleyGreengran]

Hi Lesley thanks for reply.Im in South Africa so I will google the names of the meds you take.We do have Buscopan.What is a low residue diet?Forgive my ignorance Regards Lynn x

[LesleyGreengran]

Low residue is more or less the same as low fibre so means peeling fruit and veg and not eating beans and peas and some other stuff at all.

[Hidden in reply to LesleyGreengran]

Thanks Lesley I will try this because I do eat most skins x

[kat98116]

I've suffered with IBS all my life. It was pretty well under control until the cancer hit. Some of the big changes I made were: gluten-free diet; FODMAP diet; easing into raw fermented foods like Kimchi and Kombucha. Probiotics and digestive enzymes. But if it's from the cancer then all these suggestions may not work, but it can't hurt either. I hope you feel better soon. It's miserable.

[Hidden]

Thanks so much for your reply.I don't know the FODMAP diet but can google it Regards Lynn

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

A friend of mine's just done it with great success. It's a headache to cook for, especially not being able to have onion and garlic, but I've been really impressed with her response to it. These are links she sent me:

med.monash.edu/cecs/gastro/...

ibsdiets.org/fodmap-diet/fo...

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for reply its worth a try although I love onions x

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

it doesn't go on for ever. You gradually reintroduce things. Onions were her first thing!

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

That's good I love onions x