New to ibs

[Shops]

My doctor thinks I have Ibs . Started test before lock down but then everything was put on hold keep changing meds nothing seems to work. Having horrendous cramps and can not eat much has anyone tried peppermint capsules that the latest the doctors going to give me

[alyssaj23]

Hi! Sorry to hear you’re cramping I definitely struggled with that a lot in the beginning and still do with certain foods. Honestly medication never helped me. It took a lot of motivation and keeping myself honest about what I ate but going on the low fodmap diet for a full month helped minimize my discomfort! Then I was able to slowly introduce foods I loved without tooo much pain. For example pizza... I know it’ll make me bloated/uncomfortable but can’t live without it!! Sadly peppermint pills/Zantac never helped me it was really going on this diet and being gluten free for a month. Check out Pinterest for fun recipes!

[Shops in reply to alyssaj23]

I finding it very hard to eat anything

[Iwilldothisthisyear]

It’s the same for me . I’ve had a scan but waiting for a colonoscopy to rule out anything else . I find the tablets from the pharmacy like Buscopan help with the cramps & I have been taking probiotics for a few weeks .

[Shops in reply to Iwilldothisthisyear]

Doctor gave me Buscopan is it supposed to work straight away or do you have to take for a few days

[Iwilldothisthisyear in reply to Shops]

It seems to work pretty quickly for me

[xjrs]

Here is some general advice about IBS that I've posted to others that may assist you:

IBS can be due to a number or combination of factors - these can be stress (including stress from early life experiences) which impacts the communication between the brain and the digestive system. There are lots of free webinars online at the moment regarding mindfulness meditation which might help. Plus you can ask to be referred for CBT or something similar to reduce your anxiety - I would have thought online appointments are available. Exercise can play a major role in IBS in terms of reducing stress, helping your gut microbiome and regulating bowel movements.

There is also not absorbing certain types of carbohydrates called FODMAPs very well, the residue ending up in the colon and bacteria feeding off them causing symptoms. Ordinarily feeding gut bacteria is a really good thing - when you feed good gut bacteria these produce by-products that have great health effects in the gut and throughout the body. However, in some people with IBS bad bugs might have the upper hand over good - these bad bugs may cause symptoms such as pain or disordered bowel movements. This is why it’s worth trying probiotics such as Alflorex (which has been scientifically studied for IBS) or Symprove to crowd out the bad bugs and make their numbers die down. If that doesn't work you can try the FODMAP elimination and reintroduction diet. This is normally under the guidance of a nutritionist via GP referral - this may not be possible at the moment so you can read about it online. If you download the Monash University FODMAP app it will tell you which foods contain FODMAPs and in what quantities. You can eliminate all FODMAPs for 2 weeks and then introduce each type of FODMAP one at a time starting in small quantities, increasing over a 3 day period and wait up to 4 days for symptoms. I go much slower than this - only introducing a small amount (1/4 to 1/3 of a normal portion size) of the same food for 3 days and then increase if tolerable or no symptoms and cut back to the previous amount if symptoms for longer and then try to increment again . I've read your microbiome can adapt to handling a new food if introduced very slowly. Ideally you want to eat as many FODMAPs as you can since they are good for your health. Many people with IBS don't have diverse gut bacteria - it has been found that people who lack a diverse microbiome are more prone to diseases in general. In the long run, if you can get your symptoms under control, the ideal situation is to have a very varied diet - lots of different coloured fruits and vegetables, a variety of protein and carbohydrate sources including cereal fibres. This may seem a long way off, but with the right treatment all of this is possible. Last year all I could consume to control my IBS was white rice, protein and limited low fodmap veg. Using the approach above (particularly introducing Alflorex) I am now able to consume far more foods - more than I've ever dreamed of including wholewheat bread which is unheard of for me.

I see that you are also suffering from pain. You may be suffering from visceral hypersensitivity (functional abdominal pain) - there is info about it here:

iffgd.org/lower-gi-disorder...

It is where the brain interprets the normal activity of the bowel as pain - this is due to a wearing down of neurons in pain control centres of the brain which can be caused by PTSD, neglect or abuse in childhood, extreme stressful events etc. The first line treatment is nerve pain agents such as low dose amitriptyline. There is a theory that being on something like amitriptyline for 6-12 months can help the pain control centre neurons to regenerate. Note that amitriptyline can cause constipation, but this can be helpful in people who are diarrhea dominant. Unfortunately I couldn't tolerate these. Linaclotide for IBS-C & Alflorex have helped me with this intestinal pain.

You may also find assistance with anti-spasmodic medication such as mebeverine (Colofac) or enteric coated peppermint.

You can find some info on self management here:

theibsnetwork.org/the-self-...

[DebbieSil]

Hi

I was diagnosed with IBS some 9 years ago but haven't had a flare up since until about four weeks ago and it won't settle down.

Do you suffer from anxiety? I do, and I got very anxious at the start of the virus pandemic, which gradually brought this on. Now I can't get it under control at all, it's gone beserk!

I was originally prescribed fibro mebreveyne but it just aggrevated things so yesterday they prescribed peppermint capsules, 2 to take 3 times a day before meals. Let's see how we both get on.

Not sure if you are suffering any other symptoms but I'm also suffering with a burning sensation in my abdomen, pain on the right side of my abdomen and lower back pain.

Keep in touch and let's see if these do the trick, fingers crossed and no stressing ( easier said than done)

[Shops in reply to DebbieSil]

Thanks for reply I suffer with anxiety too doctor prescribed antidepressants as well as peppermint capsules got to pick up tomorrow I’m more worried that I can’t seem to eat scared it’ll start me off

[DebbieSil in reply to Shops]

Just eat little and often, I know it's hard because I don't feel like eating either. But the digestive system will never get back to functioning properly if we don't eat. I'm struggling with what to eat too, so that I don't get a flare up.

[Shops in reply to DebbieSil]

Well had a piece of toast and now cramping again so no more toast. What kinds of food set you off?

[Maureen1958 in reply to Shops]

Hi, can you take dairy, I know a lot of people avoid it but if you can't eat, what I would do would be to have small amounts of milk. Just a little in the bottom of a cup, say a couple of inches. Just sip it, if you are okay with that repeat every now and then. I find milk lines my stomach and then I feel more like eating. But we are all different and I know a lot of people avoid dairy.

[Stjurate in reply to Shops]

Hello,

I suffer from anxiety to. What I find helps is yoga and meditation. Also CBT therapy.

I found it that it's also very important to sleep well and be hydrated all the time.

I also keep food diary, which helps me to avoid the food, which upsets my stomach.

FODMAP diet really helped my IBS to be under control. I also read this book called Healthy Gut, which speak a lot about the digestive system and hownti keep yourself healthy.

What really helped me is to take Omeprasole. Also I have read this article about hypnotherapy for your gut, which basically teaches you how to relax your gut to you dont have so much pain and have less trapped gas.

I hope this helps.