Hello everyone! This is a long post so my apologies in advance, but please persevere with me
I'm looking for some guidance from people who will understand me.
About 2 months ago I had very severe stomach/abdominal cramps for a few hours. However, after eating something and getting some rest the pain subsided but didn't fully go away. For the next few days I had bad pains, especially every morning. And, unlike before this started, I would open my bowels every morning, with major pain. Also, one morning I had very runny stools and bad pain which lasted for a few hours. One odd thing though, is the pain would be bad every morning/daytime but almost go away by nighttime and then return again, like clockwork.
After this, I went to see my GP who didn't diagnose with me IBS as she said it was too early to say but said it was most likely some weakened bacteria and virus affecting the gut and I had gastroenteritis. But, the pain continued so after about another week and a half I went back and saw another GP who felt my stomach and said there was nothing wrong to the touch so, to rule out anything serious I had a blood test and stool sample. All came back clear, so no coeliac or diabetes and no bacteria/viruses in the gut. It was then that they moved on to a possible diagnosis of IBS. The very nice doctor gave me two options, as it is not affecting my life in a very severe way: we can do nothing and see if it gets better over time or try taking anti-spasmodics (Buscopan), to help with the pain. I've also started drinking peppermint tea regularly as apparently that is a natural anti-spasmodic. I've also removed caffeine and most dairy from my diet.
Recently, I have started eating breakfast regularly every morning (I never used to eat breakfast), and this eating helps with the pain. Furthermore, recently, the amount and length of pain has got quite a bit better. My bowel movements seem regular, as I have no diarrhea or constipation.
I know I've only had this for 2 months, but it does get me down every now and again knowing that I will every day with some pain. As a person whose pain threshold is almost non-existent, that isn't good. Some seem to think that this is post-infectious IBS.
My question is, has anyone else had this or know any good treatments. And also, does IBS last forever (as I'm only 17) or does it dissipate as you get older?
P.S: My mum has a condition where her bowels don't empty properly and has to rush to the toilet every morning (although she has no pain) and my dad has bad stomach (not gut) pains as he has acid reflux.
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JackoI
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Sounds like classic IBS symptoms . Morning pain comes with gut waking for the coming day and over active leading to spasm and pain relieved when you eat etc . Keep a food diary and see if you can identify triggers sounds you have started this with dairy .think previous 48 hours rather than 24 . Don't assume any thing ! My triggers turned out to be onions and tomatoes so I do not eat either ,ever , so you have to become a food label reader ( you will be amazed what turns up unexpectedly in all kinds of processed food . So where possible cook your own from scratch .it will be a long and winding rd but you will get to the point where you can manage and reduce it .whether you will ever remove all symptoms completely is far more uncertain . Best of health and luck . Ps keep reading posts on here ,it's a great pool of knowledge continually added to by people also looking to deal with the bunch of inexplicable symptoms that the medical professions struggle to deal with effectively because of the very nature and individual variability of those symptoms .
Yeah, this a great forum and glad I found it as with IBS you can feel alone.
I might start to take note of what i eat and see when it kicks off. As I say it has mainly settled down now to a dull ache at most, but as I said my pain threshold is sooo low.
I will keep trying, and as kerrym212 said above I am inclined to think it's post infection IBS, which hopefully will go over the years. I think this as my bowels are normal, in terms of movement.
Thanks for your assistance. Good luck to yourself.
I was your age when I first got IBS. Colofac was the tablet I took and still take from time to time. Emotional problems sets mine off, new jobs, exams, relationships, being bullied stuff like that. Being an emotional eater doesn't help IBS either. But once on the tablets for a month or two things generally settle down.
I am thinking of going back to doctor for more information to put my mind at rest,as that will relieve some stress which will help symptoms. I might mention that tablet and see what they say. As I have really good GP's!
Mine started near the end of my A-Levels, but I had a really odd experience which I haven't told the doctor yet (but won't bore with details).
Welcome Jacko1 - you have done the right thing by going to see your GP. If symptoms change or don't get any better go back to the GP. A colonoscopy is the only sure way to see what is happening in the bowel and I found that this test gave me peace of mind. Everyone's symptoms are different but a few things you quoted in your post I recognised as being like my IBS. As other friends on this wonderful site have said it will be trial and error to find out what is right for you to keep these unpleasant symptoms at bay. Wish you well............
Thank you! I'm thinking of going back to doc and seeing if there is any more that can be done asI forgot to tell them a really buzzard situation (I won't bore with details)
I am looking to start eating some probiotic yogurt that has 'good' bacteria in it. Hopefully this will help and over time with diet regulation it will go away in the coming years
Or Does anyone have any idea what foods might help me?
My name is Laura and I myself suffered a severe case of IBS back in Sep 2007 all the way up until Dec 2012
I am not sure at this point whether or not you are individually dealing with ''the dreaded IBS'' or symptoms similar, and I am also not sure whether or not I am allowed to assist you in this way, but I would like to take this opportunity on giving you an insight into what changed my IBS life around, to appoint its only now when i read comments like yours that I remember how dreadful, humiliating and depressing it all was for me.
Thank god I found and use the Purest 100% Stabilized Aloe Vera Gel I could find! lol.
I researched. Where there is normal bowel function, the famous nutritionist, Jeffery Bland, has shown that Aloe Vera produces several effects when drunk on a daily basis:
* it speeds up the transit time of the gut contents
* As a result the stool becomes softer as it contains more water
* Protein absorption is increased
* Gut flora is regulated, especially where there is an overgrowth of the yeast Candida.
Perhaps it is one or all of these actions that bring about considerable improvement for the sufferers of this functional bowel problem. As we all know, it is accepted that there is a stress element to this condition!! However apart from Aloe Vera's known ability to regulate & smooth out the gut's peristaltic movements, thereby reducing the pain and regulating bowel habit, Dr Peter Atherton also believes it has a calming effect on the mood, through its ability to balance the immune system and provide a greater sense of well being. Professionally, Aloe Vera is Dr Atherton's first line treatment for IBS and can claim about an 80% response rate, including mine. Please do refer to the link below as reading further really did help me.foreverknowledge.info/
What IBS did you have, what is IBS-C or IBS-D or just abdominal pain.
As I don't have severe IBS, just abdominal pain which doctors think is IBS as there is no infection or bacteria present in my stools and nothing wrong found with a blood test.
Could you please give me a link to the aloe vera product you used. I Would be very grateful of that. Let's hope it has the same effect on many other people using this site.
- you are right any kind of IBS is an horrific illness to have. I myself suffered from IBS-C but have found the product that I use is used for so many different infections & illnesses.
They do have different flavors also: but at a glance all of the Aloe Vera Gels help:
Maintains a healthy digestive system.
Maintains energy levels.
Can be used as a daily nutritional tonic.
Balances the immune system.
Keeps for 5 years unopened – 3 months once opened (if kept refrigerated).
Description & Purpose
Imagine slicing open an aloe leaf and consuming the gel straight from the plant. Well, you can come as close as possible to doing just that by drinking our Aloe Vera Gel. Our patented, stabilised Aloe Vera Gel is ‘essentially identical’ to the fresh gel of the leaf, and it was the first to receive certification by the International Aloe Science Council. Just pour some into a glass and you’ll see the rich cocktail of pulp and liquid, that shows that this is an authentic product brought to you just as nature intended. Aloe Vera Gel contains an abundance of vitamins and minerals, including the rare vitamin B12 - one of only two vegetable sources available. This makes Aloe Vera Gel a vital supplement for vegetarians and vegans. Folic acid, recommended by the Department of Health for all women planning a pregnancy, is also found naturally in the gel. Together it provides seven essential amino acids which are directly linked to cell growth, and which cannot be manufactured within the body from other sources.
In fact, there are so many nutrients in this drink that it is difficult to catalogue all the benefits that have been reported. One thing is certain - Aloe Vera Gel has had a profoundly positive influence on the health and lifestyle of many. This is in part due to the adaptogenic nature of the gel - different bodies draw different benefits, according to their need for nutritional supplementation. Even those who have no particular ailment at present, report that it promotes a good healthy lifestyle and an increased sense of wellbeing. Taken daily, it is one of the best nutritional supplements available, and Forever Living Products is proud to lead the way in bringing these benefits to people around the world.
Top 10 Reasons to Drink Aloe Vera
By Dr. Peter Atherton (MB ChB, DObs! RCOG, FRCGP & Advisory Board Member)
1. Effect on the Gut
Aloe vera has a wonderfully beneficial action on bowel function which results in smooth and efficient transit of contents resulting in a softer, bulkier stool, making it easier to pass.
2. Assists in healthy digestion
A healthy digestive tract ensures that nutrients from the food we eat are absorbed into the bloodstream. There is clear, clinical evidence that by drinking Aloe Vera Gel the bowel is able to absorb these nutrients more efficiently, especially protein. I also suspect that many other substances are much better absorbed under its influence.
3. Balances the Immune System
Among the substances identified in aloe vera is a long chain sugar (polysaccharide) that is known to have an effect on the cytokine system - the chemical messengers of the immune system. Therefore it can act in a way that balances the system and so it can be considered and can be called an immunomodulator. In the U.S.A. this sugar has been extracted from aloe vera and made into a drug.
4. Effect on the skin
When they are first produced deep in the epidermis, skin cells are rather large and very much alive, but by the time they reach the surface after 21 - 28 days (in normal skin), they are a shadow of their former selves and are transformed into just thin flakes of keratin which eventually fall off. Aloe Vera Gel provides the essential nutrition to feed the basal cells. Therefore the skin remains healthy and is able to perform its vital functions more efficiently – as well as looking much better!
5. Increases the activity of fibroblasts
Fibroblasts are specialised cells found in the skin. Their job is to produce fibre such as collagen and elastin. These fibres give the skin its structure and of course, make it look plump and elastic. The more you have, the younger your skin looks.
6. Effects on the Musculoskeletal system
Certain substances in the aloe, such as the salicylic acid and the plant sterols are able to soothe muscles and maintain healthy joints, mobility and flexibility.
7. Effect on gut flora
Aloe vera is a natural 'balancer' in many areas and nowhere more so than inside the gut, where it tends to regulate the various bacteria and yeasts that inhabit it. For example, if a person were to suffer with too much yeast in the gut, regular ingestion of the gel would tend to reduce this overgrowth. The same can be said of the more unfriendly bacteria that can accumulate in certain conditions.
8. A useful source of minerals
Some of the minerals found in aloe vera include calcium, sodium, potassium, iron, chromium, magnesium, manganese, copper and zinc. This is because the plant tends to grow in areas where soils are rich in these minerals and its roots are able to absorb and deliver them to us in a very available form.
9. A useful source of vitamins
Aloe Vera Gel contains a large range of vitamins - even trace elements of vitamin B12 which is rarely found in plants. Apart from vitamin A, it contains B-group vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E and folic acid. Many of these vitamins cannot be stored by the body so we need to constantly top them up from the food that we eat. What better way than by drinking a daily amount of Aloe Vera Gel while at the same time building up the body's defence system against oxidative stress naturally?
10. A wonderful drink for good health
By drinking the Aloe Vera Gel with all its important ingredients (often now deficient in food) including 19 of the 20 amino acids needed by the human body and seven of the eight essential ones that just cannot be made, the body is able to get enough to allow complex enzyme systems to work really well. This means the body can function at 100%. The net result to the individual is a wonderful feeling of wellbeing.
As you can see from these 10 great reasons, taken daily - either alone or mixed with fruit juice - Aloe Vera Gel is one of the best nutritional supplements available!
This means that the body can function at 100%!
Ingredients
Stabilised aloe vera gel, sorbitol, ascorbic acid (antioxidant), citric acid, potassium sorbate (to help protect flavour), sodium benzoate (to help protect flavour), xanthan gum, tocopherol (antioxidant).
Contents
1 litre
Directions
Shake well. Take 60-120ml, (2-4 fl oz) daily.
Product Tips
My daughter was suffering from conjunctivitis in one eye, so to help soothe this we poured some cool Aloe Vera Gel straight from the fridge, and got her to blink into it a few times. She said it felt wonderful afterwards, and the next morning the conjunctivitis had gone, saving her a trip to the doctors, and a prescription for eye drops. - Vicky Miller
I have found that drinking Aloe Vera Gel, and using Aloe Vera Gelly has considerably helped my bleeding gums. However, I had one area which was particularly sore and inflamed. I crushed a Bee Propolis tablet, and blended it into a paste with the Aloe Vera Gelly and pressed it into the painful area. The pain and inflammation quickly subsided - never to be seen again! - Sarah Montgomery
Hello. Yes, I am thinking about buying it to see if it works for me.
I would like to know a bit more about it though, as if anything I am closer to IBS-D as when I pass stools they aren't hard to pass, but not at all watery. I am worried that it might give me diarrhea.
Also, how long does it take to work? Are we talking hours, days, weeks or months?
Hi Jackol - This product is not a laxative- its like magic lol
It will work with your body regulating the issue back to normal - if its hard stools it will lighten them its like natures magic for us to use for everything!
Please research - Can Aloe Vera help IBS i am sure you will find all the information needed.. my ibs went from hard to diarrhea for yrs - now I poop and feel normal everyday.
Personally I started feeling results instantly and not just in the toilet area but my all round health - but in terms of deciding that i am going to take these products forever was after my first bottle of Aloe was finished - I was so frightened the IBS symptoms would come back lol - so I continued buying and am still buying to this day!
The product is truly a god given medicine that has no limits, helping so many, and to be honest I will never stop taking it - IBS or not!
Oh and there is a 60 day money back guarantee on all products - so there's nothing really to loose Jackol, just everything to gain.
Do let me know if you buy and how it works for you!
Yeah all the products have been fully certified, its amazing really and not only that, what I found quite refreshing is that the company has been awarded 'Champion's for Investors in People'. Now that's something I myself don't see often lol
(espec in that field).
But yes, one bottle does me for the month (well use too, now my husband is obsessed so I am spending about 40 a mth- not including my interest in other products! But what I did is, is done the maths- really it costs me and my husband about 66p a day - and as a sufferer cheapest thing I could be buying really- and to know that it works & its trusted and certified by the gov- I'm hooked!
Do keep in touch anyhow Jack- I would really like to know how you progress and share in the freedom of not having to worry about our general well being EVERYDAY!
x Kind regards,
Laura
Oh Jack - Before I go, please consider getting the Aloe Vera Freedom for your mummy too!
This will help her with so many symptoms she is having, whilst improving her mobility too. Trust me! You will both- if taken properly- will have nothing but memories of how you are feeling now, in your futures.
Reviewing your comment again Jack, You and your parents would do exceptionally well with thie Aloe Vera Gel- have them both read through our conversation & view the links. x
Before I forget pls do save the links provided as the Aloe Vera Products I use are exclusive products, that can only be brought through a Forever Living Distributor, already supplied above. x
sounds like a sales rep. I have been advised the only scientifically researched aid to IBS is the FODMAP diet and Aloe Vera has no such evidence based research. But I appreciate we will all do many things as this is a horrible illness
Although I use Aloe Vera for many things ie burns, skin irritations etc I found drinking the gel had an adverse effect. I suffer from ibs-d & for me it worked like a laxative-spring cleaning my system so sorry but it doesn't suit everyone.
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