Let's look at other non-food related causes for IBS...

[eadoem]

I am currently suffering from an exceptionally bad episode of IBS. I am constantly bloated (I look 6 months pregnant!), in constant abdominal discomfort with occasional shooting/cramping pain and mostly constipated but with the feeling of never passing 'enough' to clear my system and always feeling the urge to go to the loo. This is the first bout I have had in ages and I haven't changed my diet apart from trying to eat more 'healthily' partly to lose some weight although I do not do diets as such. This made me question the cause of the flare up and did some research on the net - hence joining this forum. I looked into the FODMAP diet and discovered that yes I was eating many of the foods I should be avoiding. Here is my point- how come I was eating all these foods before and my IBS remained dormant for ages? Stress of course. In the last 18months I lost my husband, met someone else (much to some people's displeasure), lost his wee dog, had my sister and my sister-in-law say hurtful things to me etc etc.. I can physically feel my stomach knotting most of the time. I find it difficult to get to sleep. So is it this the cause ? Has it anything at all to do with what I eat? I am beginning to wonder. Ex

[Hidden]

Hi eadoem. I'm so sorry to hear that you've had such a difficult time. I was diagnosed earlier this year and since then I've been ok. By that I mean the odd bout of diarrhoea but nothing I can't handle. Then suddenly a week or so ago a major flare started and so much pain I've been doubled up at times. I'm looking at fodmaps now as I'd rather sort it myself than go to the gp but like you I'm puzzled as to why the huge range of fruit and veg I eat everyday is suddenly a problem. I gave up my job last year (partly due to other health problems) and I've gone from super stressed to relaxed since then. I'm sure you're right about stress and upset though. I also think sometimes it manifests itself in physical ways even when we don't appear to be emotionally suffering. Maybe that's what's happening with me. I've moved house, divorced, re-married (in some people's opinion too soon after splitting from my husband of 20 years) had a major falling out with my husbands family. If you're stomachs in knots and you can't sleep then I'm pretty sure that's enough to effect you physically. I would suggest finding someone to talk to and getting some time for relaxing activities like massage. I find it hard to leave behind hurtful comments others make and find myself dwelling on them. I really hope you can find a way xx

[eadoem in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Jls71, sounds like you similar in what is stressing you right now. I too find the hurtful comments difficult to handle and tend to mull them over. My new fiancé is wonderful and caring and I can talk to him which helps a great deal. However he is one of those people who doesn't let other people's opinions bother him at all. xx

[Iesgobdafydd]

My IBS began intermittently, an attack every few weeks or sometimes longer and fine in between. I'm sure my long-term life stresses don't help, but I don't see a strong correlation between my stress and my IBS, but like you it puzzles me how a food intolerance (or many) can suddenly appear like that. I am increasingly thinking maybe gut flora are responsible, so I'm trying Atraxil at the moment. It's at least easy to imagine them accounting for foods being digestible some days, when the gut microbiome is balanced, and indigestible other days if some important helpful bacteria has been killed off or reduced to very low levels, or if some bacteria (or fungus) has multiplied like a weed and there are way more of them there than is healthy.

If you think stress if a major cause for you then it might be worth looking at hypnotherapy if you haven't tried that already - hypnotherapy and low FODMAP diets scored roughly equal success rates with IBS in one clinical study, and if you can't get referred for hypnotherapy on the NHS - someone in here said they managed to - you can try recordings. I tried Michael Mahoney's ones, they didn't help my IBS but like I said I didn't really think stress is a major cause for me, just was desperate enough to try anything. They were fantastic for relaxing though! And I do think his technique can affect motility, if that was a major cause in itself for someone - it seemed able to affect mine when everything was fairly ok, but not to prevent reactions.

[Hidden]

What a very difficult time you are having at the moment and for what it's worth you didn't know you would meet someone else after your husband's death and I don't think you have done anything wrong whatsoever; you have suffered enough. People can be so cruel.

I definitely think that stress plays a big part in IBS as mine started to get worse when the stress was heightened. Of course diet also plays a big part so we need to look at both when we have IBS.

Very best of luck and I really hope that things improve for you.

[eadoem]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to leave your kind and helpful comments. Only those who have suffered IBS have any clue how it can ruin your life. I suppose my latest episode was maybe brought on by the stress, but as some of you said I have to adjust what I eat in order not to excaserbate my difficulties. On a lighter note I was reminded this morning of the cure for faecal impaction, constipation and bloating .... Gin & Tonic !You need to drink quite a lot of it though 🤣xx

[Hlewis]

Hi im sorry to hear of your ibs suffering i have alot of the same symptoms you have stated the urge to go but cant constipation sometimes dizzy and heart palpitations. I am going to try the fodmap diet because i too was eating high fodmap food i will update how it works i guesss it takes a month to actually feel better best of luck

[Haylesss]

Hi eadoem! Sorry to hear you're having a tough time of it recently. Whilst I know stress is definitely a trigger for myself, I also believe I have grown more sensitive to foods. I started having symptoms - random bouts of D every one or two weeks - just over a year ago, but wasn't diagnosed until Jan this year. However the last 4 months or so my bowel habits have completely changed to what they were even just 6 months ago and I get a lot more frequent nausea etc - despite following FODMAP and currently having no job and being looked after by my lovely husband - so zero stress! So perhaps you are experiencing similar and like you say, the flora in your gut is getting worse..? I know a close friend, also with IBS but much longer than myself, will find something she used to eat lots of, she no longer can. (She's IBS-C). I also believe heat and high impact exercise are triggers for me (IBS-D) - just something else to look out for maybe?