Burning pains update.

[Smudge1711]

Hi I posted about a week ago, was getting terrible pains on and off for over a week and very loose bowel movements was also very anxious, visited doctor last thur, took all blood tests to rule things out, and prescribed me mebervine, which at first really helped the pain, and didn't have a bowel movement for 2 days, but I did loose my appetite!! Anyway did notice I was starting to get the odd niggling pain again, doctor rang back yesterday all my tests came back normal, but last night stomach pains were really quite bad again even though I was still taking mebervine, it's just a nitemare, doctor pretty much said it was ibs. Today I have stopped taking mebervine pains still there it's so frustrating, never had such a long flare up, due to go back to work on sat, was hoping I would be ok by then but not looking good, any suggestions from anyone? Sorry for going on .

[BrightonDave]

I know how you feel.

The thing I can suggest is boiled rice, carrots, and potatoes . I run back to these everytime things get too loose for comfort. Stirfry with rice and grated carrots and some chickhen and spinach. Has saved me quite a few times.

Hope it settles down asap

[xjrs]

Did they conduct a stool sample as well as blood tests? You normally need both to diagnose IBS.

Here is some information about IBS that I have shared with others in this group:

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. There is an interesting infographic on this here: gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com/.... 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 and your bad bugs are under control with a good probiotic. 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.

Since 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 only) & Alflorex have helped me with this intestinal pain.

You may also find assistance with enteric coated peppermint.

You can find some info on self management here:

theibsnetwork.org/the-self-...

[Smudge1711 in reply to xjrs]

Hi no stool test was done, which I thought they would, but I do feel a lot more anxious than I normally do and think this has a lot to do with it, thanks for all the information will have a good read through it.

[RunningMum11 in reply to Smudge1711]

Hi, all my Ibs was as a result of endometriosis. Do your symptoms work in conjunction with your menstral cycle???x

[RunningMum11 in reply to RunningMum11]

That’s assuming your a lady😂?? So sorry for the assumption if you’re not🙏🏻