Desperate for any help and advice please.

[Nicola1970]

Hi everyone.

Have been awake most of the night with IBS symptoms when I stumbled across this site. I cannot believe there are so many sufferers as when I was diagnosed 6 years ago I thought I was being fobbed off to be honest.

I am so desperate for help and advice, I feel like I am going crazy. I have IBS C. I have almost constant abdominal pain, an intense nausea which is by far my worst symptom. It is like having food poisoning constantly which does not ease. It's accompanied by abdominal spasms, hot/cold sweats and a feeling that I have diorhea, but never do. I can be sat on the toilet for hours scared that (sorry to be graphic) that it will be coming out both ends but never does, if it did I'd get some relief. I cannot eat as it sets my symptoms off. I work full time and don't know how I get there most days. People are commenting on how 'bad' I look. My relationship with my partner is under strain and my children although sympathetic are fed up of seeing me Ill all the time. Sorry to have posted such a gloomy 1st post but am desperate for help and advice. Thank you

Nicola.

[dotty423]

Oh poor you! You are not alone. Although I don't have C but D I have found that this site is extremely useful and people understand your problems as they all feel the same. I'm sure you will get some helpful advice. I can only say the the Low FODMAP diet is great for me - you will see lot's of posts about it but I'm not sure how effective it is for C. I can tell you more about it if you wish.

[justfortummies]

Hello Nicola. How awful for you. Do you have the nausea before or after you've eaten? Are you taking any medication?

[Nicola1970 in reply to justfortummies]

Hi thank you for your reply

I get nausea usually after food or it can come on at any time, there seems to be no triggers. It I was taking 100mg of Amitriptyline up until 3 months ago when I had to stop them as we are trying for a baby.

[AfricanSheila in reply to Nicola1970]

Check the leaflet - but I think Amytriptyalin has a side effect of constipation.

[runswithdogs]

Welcome Nicola. You are not alone and it's good to have a community like this that understands you. I am on the opposite end of the spectrum with ibs-d, but I can't recommend a food diary enough. It's a lot of work to figure out trigger foods, but life gets better with each one you find. I also know stress can play a big factor for me, so make sure to take some time out for yourself to relax. Also, I have found some of the yoga poses can help with the pain.

Another website I find useful is ibsgroup.org/forums/

Please take care.

[surfjen]

I am soooo sorry for you misery..... have you seen as gastro doc? You definetly want to make sure you have eiliminated anything besides ibs like chrons disease etc etc..

If Ibs talk to your doc about the fodmap diet. It is where you eliminate allergy/inflammatory foods and see if you feel better. You can also check out the gaps and scd diet. Those are super strict. Personally I am not trying those at this time.

I say a doc yesterday and he recommend bovine colostrum from sovereign labortories... I hear it can resolve gastro problems and improve the immune system. It does have a component of diary for which fodmap restricts you of; however, I have heard that people who are lactose intolerant can take it. I am going to give it a try along with staying away from allergy / inflammatory foods.

[gcon]

I'm so sorry you feel like this! You're symptoms sound just like mine so I can really relate to how hard it is. If you aren't already I would recommend seeing a counsellor, it's sounds like your life is really busy already but counseling is so worth the time. Constant nausea and pain make every day seem pretty impossible and I know what it feels like to constantly worry about the effects it's having on relationships and work. I get really stressed about how long I have been sick and I worry that I won't get better. Counseling is great for venting and finding ways to deal with what feels like an impossible situation. IBS has such a draining and stressful effect and counseling can help you learn to cope with the constant pain and nausea a little better. I feel like IBS has less of a dominance in my life since I've started counseling as I've learnt to think about things differently which has really helped with my relationships and general stress. It's still really hard day to day but I don't feel like my life is spinning out of control any more and I'm feel much more positive about the future. I've learnt some really helpful techniques to deal with pain and nausea and to deal with the stress that it adds to relationships. Unfortunately IBS doesn't go away over night so I would really encourage you to look for emotional help and support. It's made a huge difference to me.

I also struggle with eating as food almost always gives me cramps and I have ongoing nausea. However I've found that when I don't eat during the day (sometimes it feels impossible, sometimes I forget as I don't have an appetite) I consistently will feel worse overall. I've identified some safety foods that tend to cause me less grief and I work really hard to include them into my day. Eggs, chicken, rice, potatoes and gf bread all work well with me and even though I often get cramps from them, over all I have more energy to deal with the day and I feel less on edge. I've done days of not eating and whilst I have less cramps I also feel awful generally. Try and focus on the benefits of eating rather than the problems it causes. I would really encourage you to get a blood test if you haven't had one recently to check all your minerals, chances are if you have been struggling to eat like me you will be down on a bunch of minerals so it's always helpful to check it out. Iron, B12, zinc and magensium all contribute to how tired and stressed you feel so deficiencies can make you feel really unhappy.

If you're in a state where marijuana is legal then maybe you could think about using it for pain/nausea. For me it takes away my pain, removes my constant nausea, gives me an appetite and helps me sleep. Whilst it's not a solution I've found that it's a huge help as I know that if I ever need a break from the pain and nausea it's available. It's like a very short holiday from having ibs and an opportunity to enjoy eating food, it's really reduced my stress around having IBS and it's helped me put back on weight. Marijuana can have a residual depressant effect so it shouldn't be used too regularly and you need to be careful that you don't binge eat and avoid your trigger foods.

Sorry for the excessively long post but I can really really relate to what you have described and I wish that I had looked for more emotional support earlier. It's made such a huge difference for me and has actually helped with my symptoms.