Desperate for help with ibs c

[fitzmac]

Hi my husband has been diagnosed with ibs the doctor gave him mebeverine and it didn't work he has constant pain in the stomach and constipation. He then gave him peppermint capsules and they didn't help either. Went back to him and he gave him buscopan that was no good finally gave him spasmonal and citalopram pain still there don't know what else to do at our wits end now. Have considered going private but it would be a struggle for us that is how desperate we have become. Doctor has said there is nothing else to give him does anybody have any advice for us

[patientj]

Your doctor needs to update himself on the NICE clinical guidelines (and not prescribe mebeverine and buscopan for constipation, either). The NICE clinical guidelines are here: nice.org.uk/guidance/cg61/c...

For constipation, he could try a range of laxatives. Some help increase the bulk of the faeces by drawing water into the gut (drink plenty of fluids). Others actually stimulate the gut to move food along. There also also other drugs similar to citalopram that might help as well.

Dietary changes can be helpful, they might especially help with pain management. Some dietary advice is in the NICE guidelines and on my blog - patientj.wordpress.com/good...

When did your husband's problems start?

[fitzmac in reply to patientj]

Hi they started about 3 months ago then they disappeared for a week and then the pains came back have not gone away since. Had all the tests at the hospital including a colonoscopy they all came back clear. The consultant at the hospital said he has done all the tests nothing showing up so no more we can do for you. It left us no where at all but I will try what you have put up and see if it helps thanks to everyone for there comments and advice much appreciated

[patientj in reply to fitzmac]

Was there any significant change in life circumstances three months ago? Sometimes IBS can be linked to anxiety and/or depression.

[fitzmac in reply to patientj]

He was diagnosed with heart failure and will have to have open heart surgery but I'm sure the symptoms were there before that

[patientj in reply to fitzmac]

Poor man. You know, he really might benefit from seeing a counsellor or therapist. Even if the symptoms were there beforehand, maybe the symptoms prior to the diagnosis were just a reflection of him struggling to cope with his heart problem. Things must be challenging at the moment.

[Buffafly in reply to fitzmac]

Hi, I m assuming that if he has heart failure he is taking meds to help that? I have had heart problems and the meds I was on particularly Diltiazem caused horrendous constipation. Really his cardiologist team should be helping out with this as there can be medication interactions. And by the way when I had a CT scan they wanted to give me Buscopan but when I said I had heart issues I was told it was a nono! Mebeverine gave me worse constipation. My husband takes Laxido, I believe that is OK for regular use but once again heart team should advise. Also if he has fluid retention or taking a diuretic that would affect his bowels.

Whatever happened to joined up treatment?

[fitzmac in reply to Buffafly]

Your right there is no joined up treatment my husband takes laid as well but it's more the pain in his stomach which is everyday even when he has a bowel movement pain is still there doctors don't seem to take ibs serious at all just give a precription and that's that. Fed up with the doctors they just don't listen at all.

[pearlcat]

Prune juice

[MaggieJemima]

Ask for colonoscopy or stool test

Remember grans figs and prunes

Orange juice can help

Oats in the am drink warm infusions

[Skyrooms]

Morphine untill the pain subsides?

Doucolax enemas worked For me

[Skyrooms]

When I first was diagnosed with IBS, the er gave me morphine. Its was what they suggested.They can give you shots and an IV

[Hidden in reply to Skyrooms]

ive been told Morphine causes constipation!!

[Skyrooms in reply to Hidden]

IMO,morphine and other opiates take away the traumatic #8-#10 pain. IT takes my pain away.Morphine by iv or a shot,takes seconds to get rid of ny pain.Norco takes longer. About 1 hour.Its a quick relief for me. It doesnt cause my constipation to get worse at a #8-10 pain.

IMO,its not a long term fix for people. And I agree with you that my references also say opiates in the long term cause constipation. THIS is what has worked for me.

There are food items that get me consipated right away.One food item is a bananna. And the much televised,~Ensure and Boost~ drinks. FOR ME,IF I AM IN THAT much pain,I opt for the pain relief until the doctors figure out how to relieve the constipation.

I did not mean to upset you. I JUST cannot handle the pain.

In ending,ducolax enema worked the fastest. 1_2 hours.Thank goodness something worked.Now I use Mirilax and fiber daily. I cant miss One dose.

IMO,most of the drugs on the market have harmful things in them. This is why I am trying the health food store. And,Heathers IBS WEBSITE.

I HOPE IT GETS BETTER SOON. I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL.

THANKYOU.

[jackiereader]

Go and have a colonic. If you're in Kent look at solarhealth.co.uk

[binky10]

I have had all of them and they did no good.

I take fibrogel at night and 2 suppositories every morning. Its not better but it's an improvement.

Also look up the fod map diet. Might help.

[Crochetalong in reply to binky10]

I can definitely recommend the FODMAP diet and Fybogel. Hope he improves soon.

[Grannycake]

I would try a soluble fibre healthy diet,it's worked for me now for 5 weeks

Go to your search engine and type in soluble fibre. I am 74 and after many years of IBS c, it's the only thing that's worked for me, and had to do all the research myself. Nothing the medical profession gave me worked. Hope this helps

[Skyrooms in reply to Grannycake]

I totally agree with you. I live on sour dough bread for my soluable fiber. You can also buy packets of soluable fiber in the health food store. Please also check out Heathers IBS WEBSITE. SHE SAVED MY LIFE.

[Rob1968]

I have just about been through everything in last 4 years but medically my gp has said there is nothing that can be done. I have asked for a second opinion including getting another abdominal scan done but they insist it is not worth it for the "radiation exposure". Not sure about this.

In my own case I work as a landscape gardener and am often on hands and knees doing hard physical work. Even though my Physio thinks my back is ok, I feel that there may be a link between lower back/muscle strain and abdominal ibs type symptoms.

I have tried fodmap - partially helpful but earlier this year I did do the elimination diet starting with basic food. Great way of losing weight but be prepared for major" discomfort " curve at start. You then reintroduce stuff slowly and see how you feel. All done with dietitians advice.

In summary, I think you have to accept if nothing medically found - you have to just adapt to your symptoms and make the most of all moments where yiu don't feel crap. Try and find what makes you feel crap and do things slightly different!

[Skyrooms in reply to Rob1968]

Soluable Fiber works plus check out Heathers website for IBS.

IF YOU WANT A PHONE NUMBER,I CAN GET IT FOR YOU.HOWEVER,Heather wrote a couple of IBS. They sell a few products.However,they are really all about soluable fiber first.Never eat insoluable fiber alone.

I have both IBS C AND D FOR 3 years now. I need so much support from this group. I think I take more medicine than eat food. I am very depressed. I have been in the house for 3 years and I have isolated myself. I am very happy to give out things that worked for me like Heathers help for IBS. HER BOOK IS,~ EATING FOR IBS~.IF U CALL THEM, THEY ARE VERY PATIENT AND FRIENDLY. THEY KNOW MORE THAN MY KAISER PERMENENTE DOCTORS. THEY EXPLAIN THINGS.THEY ARE HELFUL.

THANKS FOR LISTENING.

BTW,i am a 63 year young woman. THIS IBS HAS JUST ABOUT CHANGED MY WHOLE LIFE. I DONT THINK THE USA TREATS THIS VERY SERIOUSLY.

NAMASTE.

[rusttub in reply to Rob1968]

Scanning the website and felt moved to respond.I have had 5 years of feeling awful.Constant nausea,no energy,random stomachache and abdominal pains.Loads of very low (almost pelvic floor!) pain affecting passing urine.Lots of acid related side effects.I have had ultrasound scans of all the usual suspects,camera up and down.Nothing.Omeprazole up to 40mg per day,mebeverine when cramps got too much.At my wits end, my GP referred me to a Gastroenterology clinic.I was diagnosed with IBS(the last thing I suspected- always thought that was bloating, cramps, diarrhea) Specialist prescribed 10 mg of amytriptylene, atiny antidepressant dose which apparently damps down the overreaction/communication between digestion and brain.I think.Over an 8 week period, my symptoms have disappeared one by one.Energy returned, and strangely I get up once in the night at the most for a wee- this was at least three times.No pain either.To say that my life has changed would be an understatement.Hope this helps someone

[Neil119]

Yes ask for a colonoscopy - private will cost you approx £ 800 well worth it for peace of mind - I KNOW

[Skyrooms in reply to Neil119]

Yes,get every test to make sure theres no Cancer. THERE ARE BLOOD TESTS,XRAYS,ETC.WE MUST MAKE SURE WE TAKE ALL OF OUR CANCER SCREENING TESTS. THEY WILL ALSO CHECK FOR CHRONS DISEASE,COLITIS,IBD,ETC.

THANK YOU

[Patcy2468]

Hi feel sorry for yur husband babe but that ibs is spasms afrer spasms I lived on the toilet with mine so many people are getting it now they say its stress that brings it on I lost stones in weight wen I thought I had it untill I had to have a urgent blood transfusion but I suffered ten yrs & not nowing it wasent ibs but coeliac disease so let the doctors get it rite for yur husband hun get more tests take care patricia

[fitzmac in reply to Patcy2468]

They are going to do a blood test for coeliac to make sure it isn't that but the cramps are constant every day driving him mad all the doctor does is prescribe mebeverine and buscopan and alverine citral plus peppermint oil capsules none are taking it away. They have now prescient citalopram only been taking it since Friday so don't know if it will work or not. He just wants to get rid of the cramps it's constant but will keep you updated thanks for your advice though don't feel so alone now talking to other people with it.

[Patcy2468 in reply to fitzmac]

Same here babe I dont feel alone on citalopram my self take the edge of everday hell but even with coeliac yur never with out cramps nausea & never off the toilet my twin sister is like me she carnt go any where in fear of needing the loo your digestive system is so complicated did you see that radio show they were talken about ibs & the missery it causes they recommended a supplement for the constipation yur husband gets babe I will get bak to you wen I find out the name of it take care patricia

[fitzmac in reply to Patcy2468]

Thanks just talking to people who have this dreadful diesease helps. He is going to go back on elverine citrate along side the citalopram just to see if that helps. Have booked a holiday a while back for Xmas cannot see us being able to go so depressed with it all both of us

[Patcy2468 in reply to fitzmac]

Hi hun tell yur husband things will get better & settle down do wat I do just take each day as it cums so this radio programme was on about ibs this girl sed she took this supplement called alflorex she sed it calmed her condition down but first find out about it ask yur doctor does he no about it I will send you the link to try & watch the programme hope I do it rite babe take care bbc.co.ukforward slashprogrammes slashbo7xf30v sorry done my best still learnen patricia

[Hidden in reply to fitzmac]

Coeliac test can come back negative but it can still be a wheat allergy. Try cutting out all wheat, very hard to do but worth it if it works.

[fitzmac in reply to Hidden]

Yes I am going to do that the next few days just to see if it helps him thanks for the advice it's appreciated he will try anything at the moment

[Skyrooms in reply to Hidden]

I eat gluten free products only. Gluten seems to be a trigger for Celiac and Some IBS FOLKS.

[Skyrooms in reply to fitzmac]

I take vicodin for my pain.In the USA,THEY will give it to you forvpain control.Yes,it can be addictive.But I chose to do this instead of being in pain.

After you take care of the pain,doctors usually put you on Metamuccil. It works for both c and d IBS. It takes time for it to work. But after a few weeks I cannot live without Psyllium Seeds.

Mirilax is good for Constipation. I take 1 cap a day. Sometimes two caps a day.It works within 12 to 24 hours.

Thanks again for letting me share my thoughts.

Thank you for sharing your personal and deep thoughts.

[Sar2262]

Try looking into stress relief as well as the dietary stuff. Milled linseed helps as do suppositories. Hot water bottle or heat patches. Had he had the hydrogen breath test? Sugary stuff makes my daughters discomfort much worse. Includes beer potatoes and wine. Try and identify any triggers. Good luck. Xxx

[Jules40]

Hi

Sounds like you have had all the usual tests , ibs is digonised when no cause is found, unfortunately most find it is a long term condition mine 25 yrs

I strongly suggest you ask for a referral to a trained fodmaps dietrician available on the nhs, I asked for over 5 yrs before I got referred so keep asking, you need support to do this diet plan properly, you should be able to establish what foods are causes issues, you can suddenly develop an intolerance at any age

Good luck

[fitzmac in reply to Jules40]

Thanks I will do that x

[lynnfied]

Try this tea......Traditional Medicinal brand Smooth Move. It has senna in it and works in 24 hours or less! It's been my go to and it's all natural!

[lkr1959]

Try asking for Librax, as reluctant as i was to use a Benzodiazepine it really does work, and when I get over an "episode" I stop and don't have any problems with withdrawl. I personally would change my G.P Yours seems unsympathetic at best and uninformed at worse as patient j points out, none of the medications px so far are for IBS (D). Going private may get you seen quicker, but your husband needs investigations that woul cost a considerable amount. I wish you resolution. At 57 and new to this IBS malarky I wouldn't wish it on anyone it's miserable.

[grahamrupertrules]

hi try fodmap diet for three weeks.I take normacol as fibre substitute.stopped my constipation.took mebeverne for years and then discovered better with out it.walking,yoga n lots of water help with constipation.if bloated I take buscopan paracetamol.n if keeping me awake a codeine.dont take codeine daily ad it bad for IBS sufferers as is ibuprofen. If spasms in groin area and painkillers don't work I take a glass of gingereine or a glass of white wine.

can get you down but at least with IBS your not going to die from it.ps a good laugh can help like favourite comedy.

hope you soon feel better

Geoff

[Kipper14 in reply to grahamrupertrules]

try peppermint oil

[Erubin]

Your husband sounds like me.... He may need to learn how to live with this.... He should seek stress management counseling

[code1]

Hi ,

I had this problem of not going to the toilet for a week, or maybe once if I'm lucky. It started to get me worried because even If I visit a toilet, I then struggle to take it out (you know what I mean). I had to push very hard, and only for one small piece of sh*t to come out. so, I researched more than 6 months. I got many solution, but none really worked for me, only one tried/ seemed to be working, which was the capsuled named "colon ecology", I was able to go to the toilet with this pills, but I had to rely/ depend on them, they are a bit expensive. once I finished them, the problem just got bigger and worse.

This is strange because I eat the same food as my little brother and my sisters. but they don't experience the problem I have. They use a toilet every day.

Now Working solution found. I stated to digging more on the web. And I came across an article that consist of " a lemon has the fluid needed by your digestion system ......." blablabla. But I cannot remember the source and all the details. I then tried to buy a lemon juice (un-mixed), As you can guess (it did not work, and it does not taste nice, then I quitted it, this was 6 months ago),

HOWEVER, 2 weeks I found myself relieved. I just went to a shop and buy sirjuice.co.za/product/reta...

Its just a nice juice, I'm sure its the one that helped me.

the first day I bought 2 of them, I noticed a difference on my toilet going. the following day, I did the same, for 3 days, afterwards, I just buy 1 (once a day). from then, I can now go to the toilet twice a day, sometimes once a day.

I don't know what it did to my body, but for me, this did help me. so I tot I must share this information with you who have the same problem.

I think I must say that I'm from SA and the shops selling this juice is (pick'npay, foodlovers,etc).

I just hope it helps

[Kerry1971]

Has he been tested for slow transit constipation? You have to stop all laxatives 5 days before and swallow 2 capsules a day for 3 days which have different shapes in them. On day 5 you go for an X-ray to see where the shapes have got to. I was in hospital 15 times in 2 years with bowel obstruction and have STC. The nerves and muscles in my bowel don't work correctly. Last year I had 1/3 of my large bowel removed as it kept folding over as it was very long and loopy. I still take 2 laxido drinks a day to keep my bowel moving and am gluten, dairy and soya free. Was on a load of drugs before surgery. I also have an under active thyroid whic makes things worse. Best of luck. Be careful with pain killers as alot make you constipated.

[Hidden]

Go to A&E and insist on an enema. My son got so bad that he was throwing up.

[MichelleCardosa293]

@fitzmac

How have they diagnosed IBS?

I was diagnosed with for 5 years until I became chronically ill. I seriously advise asking for a colonoscopy and Barium test of the small bowel. Also a CT Scan.

You will have to be persistent.

I knew all along that there was something more sinister going on.

Listen to your body.

Take care.

[Pat1]

I have chronic constipation I have been to private consultant and had the tests done. There are two new drugs that you can get on the NHS called Prucalopride and Linaclotide. The don't work like traditional laxatives, they work on the receptors in the stomach. Prucalopride was best for me. They should give it to you if nothing else works. It is on the NICE guidelines and you should say this to your doctor. Having said this I no longer take it as it is expensive and I was paying privately as I have private medical insurance, which covers everything else but not medication. What I take now is about 600 to 1000mg of magnesium citrate or oxide on an empty stomach before bed with lots of water. This works great, naturally and is effective. My colorectal consultant recommended it as well. Look up information on magnesium and constipation. If I don't take it I don't go.

There are other magnesium products for the colon that are excellent although more expensive but worth it. They are in order of my preference Oxypowder, Aerobic Mag07 and Colosan. You can get them on Amazon or a place called the Finchley clinic. They are very helpful and you can call for advice. Hope this helps.

[mdj2016]

Hi, I was treated, not very successfully, for IBS for 27 years; I think the doctor got fed up with seeing me. It got so bad I had to empty my bowel manually. Eventually after trying to eat christmas dinner at a restaurant and the ensuing pain my husband took to me to the hospital which triggered tests I hadn't had before including an endoscopy. They discovered that rather than IBS I had Coeliac disease which has many similar symptoms. Things are so much better now, all I have to do is remain gluten free.

[fitzmac in reply to mdj2016]

My husband is waiting to have the blood test for coeliac which should have been done before saying he had ibs but when you have all the tests and they cannot find anything they automatically put it down to ibs. One thing we have noticed the doctors don't seem to take ibs very seriously but the symptoms are dreadful they just don't want to listen to us so frustrating I will keep everyone updated after the results come back thanks for the reply appreciated

[Polly1217]

I take Mebeverine if I am really bloated and I have found this helps, if I have a great deal of pain at the top of my stomach or rib cage I have been perscribed Omeprezole, have recently been tested for an ulcer but have had the all clear but have got an inflamed gut, I also drink 2 cups of peppermint tea a day and have cut out all spicy food and bread. I think if you look at what you eat and keep a food diary it may help. Good luck

[Worry-not]

Hi I've read your post and I'm new to this but I just wanted to share with you my symptoms and what I've been prescribed as it may help your husband. It started about two years ago like a bolt of lightning it hit me. My health prior was good. I remember that a week prior I had a horrible run in with my boss. The next week I got this awful lower back ache and constant urge to go to the toilet which let me tell you was at times very painful if I didn't go with a sore shutting pain in the bowel. It came to a head when I had an accident in work very embarrassing and then became very tired. I saw my GP who gave me mebeverine. It did not work. I went to see a consultant who carried out varied tests. I was put on amitriptoline to take at night. What a difference this made back ache went and so did the urgency to go to the toilet. Only thing is it makes you very drowsy. So now I'm on nortriptoline which isn't as bad and does the same job. My consultant has said buscopan and mebeverine won't work. Ask for these tablets, it may work but it may not cover everything.

[DMW11]

Hello fitzmac,

I suffered from IBS-C for 5 years. It was ruining my life. The pain, gas, and constipation was unbearable. I went to the hospital 4 times in 2014 between October and March. I started taking mushroom supplements and the IBS-C is totally gone now. I have waited 6 months to make sure that the IBS symptoms are actually gone and I stopped taking the supplements and within 3 days I had that stabbing pain in my abdomen meaning that I was going to have an attack. I took my supplements again and have not a one ounce of pain since. I did a youtube video about what I use (I don't work for the company or get any sort of money from them I just buy the supplement on Amazon). If you put in "My IBS is Cured! This is what I did!" you will see my video on what I exactly do. I hope this helps

D.M.

[Kipper14]

try peppermint oil it seems to help