Ibs-d&c getting worse 😢: Hello everyone, my... - IBS Network

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Ibs-d&c getting worse 😢

Meghan4358 profile image
11 Replies

Hello everyone, my name is Meghan and I have had ibs-d since my early 20's(i'm now 34) Up until recently I have always had the same type of flare up, I would eat and all of a sudden I get diarrhea and horrible stomach cramps..feels like food poisioning..it would last a day or 2 and then go away..sometimes i'd have a few a month, sometimes 1, or every few months. Now, I believe my symptoms are changing and becoming a mixture of d & c..im in almost a week long flare up where it is switching between diarreha and constipation. i'm having horrible lower back pain, gas, bloating, burping constantly and feel super tired. I feel as if a war is going on in my stomach, no matter what i eat, my stomach rumbles all day long..my jobs getting pissed, missed all week because im so uncomfortable and all i want to do is lay down..does anyone else have these symptoms?? People think im nuts! Seeing a new Gastro on Monday, hoping someone can help me!

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11 Replies
rachelca profile image
rachelca

Hi, I really feel your pain I'm in exactly the same situation at the minute. And like yourself have had since my early 20's and am now 33. I was crying driving home from work last week as the pain was that bad! I went to the doctors which I don't normally do as I feel they look at me as though I am wasting there time. I have took everything and nothing works I currently on high strength painkillers but not working. I just don't know where to go next or what to do. I'm glad I read this this morning as I now know someone else knows who I feel and it isn't just me going mad! Look forward to hearing if you get any answers on Monday!

denvajade profile image
denvajade

Have a look on the internet and ask your doctor for a test called Dysbiosis.

What have you tried to help? Fodmaps?

dinghy profile image
dinghy

Im sorry you're feeling so unwell. you sound like me when I was in your 20s. I suffered until my early 40s and now 46 but have my IBS d finally under control. I had to find a product that would help control my diarrhoea and then allow me the head space to rationalise why certain situations made my IBS flare up and others didn't. My saviour was and still is silicolgel which I now only take when going into stressful situations, travelling, eating out or any time I feel I may not be able to quickly get to a toilet. I now enjoy a lot more freedom and it broke the cycle of fear and flare ups I was constantly having. It's worth trying and you know within about three days if it's going to work for you. Message me if you want anymore detail. I always have a bottle handy now. Hopefully your gastrointestinal appt will reveal some treatment options. Good luck.

winmox14 profile image
winmox14 in reply todinghy

What is this 'silicone' like ? Sounds the answer to a lot of our prayers

Jarry profile image
Jarry

Eat beans ,oatmeal and dried or fresh fruits with a lot of warm water.everything ll be better.

No your not nuts-you poor creature ! Do you see your gp often-when you have this problem you need to pester gp a lot to get anywere AND always ask for a good consultant.

If you have runs a lot you will feel chronic fatigue; it gets you down and I would say if you feel tired just go with it. You need plenty of rest when you have flare-ups and when feeling better try to pace yourself. its very easy to get run down-have you got some multivits from health food shop ?

Dont despair thers lots that can be done.

Blessings S x

Meghan4358 profile image
Meghan4358

I will be the first to say I have not been proactive enough about my ibs. For a long time I did not have insurance, and when I did, the fees to see a specialist where pretty high, so all I have had done was 1 colonoscopy. That was 5 or 6 years ago. They said they saw inflammation but didnt know if drinking the drink before the colonoscopy caused it or if it was mild Chrons. A week later I got a paper saying I have Ibs-d.. Should I feel confident that that is correct? For the most part I have just been dealing with flares because I knew what happens. I eat, I have D...anywhere from a day to a few days, and horrible cramps. I've been living off Imodium for years. I have cut different things out but never consistently stayed on one specific food plan because I didn't really know what to get rid of other than grease, grease will bother me for sure, but not every time, which is frustrating..its like playing russian roulette with food 😐😐. Now that I am starting to have other issues and the worst flare up I have had, I decided seeing a Gastro and hopefully coming up with an all around treatment plan, is the best thing to do. I do not need a referral to a specialist, so I just bypassed my GP, I just got this one, and I've never gone to one specific doctor for this, so no one has treated me for a length of time. I'm hoping this new Gastro will be willing to help me seeing I read a lot of stories saying docs get annoyed by ibs patients.

kirstjn profile image
kirstjn

I found that doctors are not always helpful, IBS is not life threatening so you should just "get on with it" according to many! One GP once decided it was all in my head and prescribed me antidepressants!! I never took them as I thought it was ridiculous.... Also all the tests I've ever done showed that "there's nothing wrong" and that's how I got my IBS diagnosis.

It's also very hard for the people around you to understand your suffering and sometimes their "advice" makes you feel as if you're really nuts - but IBS is a real disease with real symptoms!

After trying all sorts of medication, natural remedies and diets I have found what works for me... something similar may be helpful to others too, although there is not a standard cure for this. Also, there isn't a magic medicine that solves everything, it's more a combination of things that help keep IBS under control.

1. low FODMAP diet - this is my latest attempt at solving IBS and has definitely helped loads, although I had to adjust it a bit and it's quite hard to follow especially when eating out. You follow the diet strictly for about 6 weeks and then reintroduce foods (this booklet was helpful in this phase: amazon.it/gp/product/B016SX... ). I now avoid most cereals except for rice, onions, garlic, apples and other fruit/veg containing fructans. In addition to the high FODMAP foods I also avoid corn, which seems to be a major trigger for me. The Monash University FODMAP app is extremely useful when trying the diet, as it gives you information about safe portion sizes for each food.

2. mindfulness and meditation - stress makes IBS much worse, at least for me, and I have found that practicing mindfulness and meditation for even just 5 minutes every day helps. I use the app Calm for guided meditations and found a really helpful mindfulness book thanks to my borderline sister: mindfulness for borderline personality disorder. It has great exercises for everyone, you don't have to have a personality disorder! amazon.it/Mindfulness-Borde...

3. regular exercise - a slow run, a ride on my bike or just a fast walk, done regularly also contributes to keeping IBS at bay. Not sure if it's due to stress reduction or actual physical movement, or both!

4. medication - I've tried most of it and found nothing really works so far. I'm now going to try silicolgel, as I have read that it has helped many people! I take herbal laxatives occasionally, especially when I feel really bloated (usually after straying from the low FODMAP diet), but they don't really help much as they just disrupt my balance completely for a few days!

I hope this will be useful to someone, it took me about 10 years of trial, error,frustration and many useless trips to the GP and to specialists to get to this plan :) I still don't always have things under control as I have found that in stressful situations the low FODMAP diet is not enough and it can get extremely frustrating, which is a vicious circle that just makes things even worse!

Meghan4358 profile image
Meghan4358 in reply tokirstjn

I really believe you are correct on many levels! The only reason I am going through with more testing is because my Gastro said I need too. The entire time I have been dealing with my stomach issues, I have pretty much done it on my own. My gastro wants new test due to the fact that he did not diagnose me or treat me before and my colonoscopy is 5 years old. I believe this one will come out the same. Only difference will be now I have Ibs-d and c instead of just ibs D. I have not been proactive over my own health and that is the biggest problem, i will admit that. I need to spend the time and energy to find what works for me, so I dont spend another 10 plus years miserable and dealing! Thanks for the advice!

winmox14 profile image
winmox14

Yes luv , I do feel your pain luv , i'm getting worse & finding foods I have tolerated before ,I longer can !like ur description of 'like a war in ur tummy , that's just it feels like , I'm now on protein drinks from the doctor , unable to eat anything after 5 , sometimes I'm out late & I don't get the chance to eat out before I get home , well now the drinks help !

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