Hi Jan you have my sympathy. I have been sufferering for about 2 years now like you buscopan and membervine made no difference at all. Have been on fodmap diet which made me feel worse which seemed to make it more difficult to go. Would like to ask you when you get the pain I don't know whether you are like me I only get the pain after having a poo every single time I go. It's every single day no matter what I eat!! I have just stopped having Sweetners (even the ones they say you can have on the fodmap diet. Also given up cheddar cheese!
I'm sorry to hear that the tablets didn't do anything for you.
Do you suffer with anxiety at all?
I have anxiety which makes it worse,today has been a bad day as i think i am coming down with flu (shivering all the time and a runny nose).I get a pain in my righr ribs thats when i know i have to go to the loo it also lingers afterwards due to anxiety,straining to go to the loo doesn't help.
Simeticone helps to break the wind and cramps up but if i take too many i have diarrhea just cant seem to get a steady going on if you know what i mean.
Sometimes some of the medication we take like amitriptylene causes constipation,do you drink plenty of water.Do you feel any better for giving up cheese?I have not eaten it for about 5 years.
No I don't feel any better yet for giving up cheese. I do not have any problem going to the loo every day. I only get pain after going. The rest of the time after the pain goes (up to 3-4 hours) I am ok. I have had a lot going on the last 3 years my husband has myloma. So that's probably why ibs started, thanks for your reply
I stopped using Buscopan early on in my treatment (20 years ago) because it was causing a stop/start issue with my gut that wasn't helping me recover a normal gut pattern. I just took the pain. Stress at being sick and dreading the constant attacks also makes it worse and life to suck. I went to a psychologist to try CBT in my 20s. When they said that their job was to make my feel okay with my symptoms...then reversed and said well not okay but not so stressed...then went on to say the idea of CBT was to cause my IBS symptoms and then make me go out somewhere to get used to being out in public while being sick I knew CBT was stupid for IBS. So I just asked my GP to give me an SSRI. After 3 weeks of not taking any drugs but one to artificially reduce my stress I got better and had 7 years of no real IBS. It was awesome. Got a flare up after those 7 years which sucked but I took some leave (2 weeks) and destressed and after 3 months the symptoms settled again. Had 14 years mainly free and then had a GP prescribe Omeprazole for a possible ulcer and this has caused the worst flare up in 20 years. I couldn't get better without help this time which was causing a huge amount of stress so have gone on a more modern drug to keep my stress in check so I can get the IBS back under control.
Whoa, that got long...sorry. My point is if stress is making it worse, treat the stress. And be aware a lot of the drugs that get thrown at you can cause your IBS to get entrenched because they don't allow your gut to return to a healthy rhythm. So if you can do without them, ditch them.
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