Hi there. I’m at the end of my rope and looking for others ideas on managing these symptoms. I can’t afford a strict diet.

[Hope1957]

What do others do for their IBS c prob? I’ve tried lots of things. Also have fibromyalgia and the combo is starting to make me have feelings of hopelessness. My life revolves around my symptoms which results in little social life so lots of isolation. This leads to depression and I also have had lifetime anxiety. This is caused by ptsd which started in childhood. Does anyone have any advise, comments or just here for support so don’t feel so alone in this. Thanks

[Hidden]

I get it. You e tried lots of things like magnesium citrate the powder? I was just reading online that taking malaluka (spelling?) honey specifically can’t help very much with this. It’s expensive though but reading the article it works as well as other things. And has anti inflammatory properties. Mine all started on being given resperidone I’m not bipolar I’ve s as Kai has several surgeries in my lower parts over the years bad luck. I don’t know what you’re all taking but less is best I know our food is more like the bread issues. I splurge on low FODMAP fibre it lasts a long time. I don’t drink milk I buy the alternative I don’t buy organic meat I can’t afford that !! I only buy organic carrots and in season organic fruit. Otherwise not. I was watching this video about trying one supplement for a week or two if it doesn’t help by then drop it. This is by a specialized Naturalpathic doctor for this issue. Just joining it it’s private. One thing he says is pacing is very important and cell mitochondria taking B complex is very important along with vit D. There were others but didn’t write them down it’s all expensive I’ll look into them. My problem is my gut it’s not healthy so many meds over the years & surgery & stress. He said oddly too that standing in barefoot on the ground you picked up the energy from the earth it’s real. My reading up on the honey talks about how it benefits and also aids in good gut bacteria he didn’t mention it but in our cases this may be worth trying The laxatives seriously hurt my insides it’s rough and not good. I aged 7 years in two ftom all this. Pharma is a problem.

[Hope1957 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you. Yes I too was a guinea pig for an awrey of meds for over 3 decades. Now told none of them were effective or necessary. No room for resentment. Just hurts gut more with stress. Stress I find a big issue with me. Yes I take Vit D, Omega 3, B complex. I find warm/hot water with bit of lemon in morning (or apple cider vinegar) helps just as well as pills I buy for gas. Also hv fibromyalgia so take cymbalta. Try to stay away fr bread but occasionally cheat. Sorta turned off most meats, certain veggies and other things I used to like. Esp pizza...was old time fav. Gut turns just thinking about a slice. Lol The fodmap diet is both too expensive and too hard for me to implement and I know I could never stick with it. Had thought of taking ensure to make sure get certain nutrients then sticking more to fruits, certain veggies, fish seems to appetize me these days. Taking lactolose which apparently doesn’t enter your entire system as does things like Senekot etc. Gas pain disabling at times and no choice to take a pain pill then, or cbd as the more pain the more my anxiety rises. A vicious circle. Try to walk 3 times a day but not always motivated to do so. Does help and apparently yoga that I haven’t pursued yet. Guess movement gets gut moving also. I also had bowel surgery last July. Thought it would makes things better. Disappointing to have things worse but over my little tantrum about that now. Drink lots of water but at times feel it may bloat also but unsure. Music works for me well when stressed also. I have my suspicions that the multitude of meds they gave me for decades were prob at least partially responsible. Took them as they were invented and no known long term side effects. Of course not and I started in 1985. Grateful to be off them now but they had more effects than just gut prob that were detrimental to living a productive life often. Lots of gas. Glad to be single...or whoever he would be should be. Hard to make plans. Never know how I’ll feel and changed. Was very reliable up until the point of surgery last summer. Then started not showing up. Just couldn’t so wasn’t reliable. Now try to limit commitments or inform people if I can’t come why and that it’s not them nor my lack of wanting to. I’m 63 so older but still interested in being as active as possible. When I remember to tell myself it’s going to be a good day and get going at least doing something earlier in day things seem better. At least mentally feel I accomplished something. Gotta wonder about this food were fed too. Much different than what I was raised on. Different healthier foods then even in the city where I was raised. There has not been enough time to gather info on side effects on humans eating some of this stuff either. I do not remember older people complaining of these issues often when I was a child. Thanks for ur reply

[xjrs]

I have IBS-C and have been prescribed Linaclotide for it and I am also taking Alflorex probiotic which has been scientifically studied for IBS and is available on a free 2 month trial on joining theibsnetwork.org. These in combination have reduced the pain I am in considerably and I have been able to tolerate more foods so that I am able to consume the extra fibre I need to have a BM without laxatives including 4 tablespoon oatbran, 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed, 8 prunes, 2 tablespoon chia seeds and 3 shredded wheat (or GF version: Nutribrex) for breakfast, plus quinoa, wholewheat bread and whole grain pastas at other meals. These fruits are particularly high fibre and can help with BMs: hard pears, dried apricots, raspberries, oranges (contain a natural laxative) & 2 kiwi. In some people the Linaclotide also helps a lot with BMs which is its primary purpose.

There is some good advice about constipation here:

theibsnetwork.org/constipat...

theibsnetwork.org/constipat...

Exercise can help with BMs. The government recommends 150 mins of moderate exercise (e.g. walking as if you are late for an appointment) or 75 of intense exercise (e.g. jogging) per week. I also have a bit of a walk around straight after breakfast to get things moving.

You need to ensure that you are drinking enough fluids (2 litres of fluid per day).

If you really get stuck you can try 800mg+ of Magnesium Oxide. I used to take these for a regular bowel movement when having to be low fibre:

myvitamins.com/vitamins/mag...

I used to start around 800mg at bed time on an empty stomach, then increment by 100mg (1 pill) each night until I got a response the next morning or the morning after. Most of it goes straight to your bowels where it draws in water to bulk out stools. This worked well when I was low fibre, but when I started to introduce fibre it became more unpredictable (either not working well enough or too well), so I had to give it up.

IBS can be due to a number or combination of factors - these can be stress (including stress from early life experiences) which you have eluded to. This impacts the communication between the brain and the digestive system. There are strong links between PTSD and pain disorders, where the brain interprets normal bodily activity such as from the bowels as pain - this is due to a wearing down of neurons in pain control centres of the brain which can be due to this 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, which wouldn't be helpful in your case. Unfortunately I couldn't tolerate these. Linaclotide for IBS-C & Alflorex have helped me with this intestinal pain.

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 some other form of support to reduce your anxiety. There is also psychotherapy to help you come to terms with life experiences which could also assist with anxiety and depression. Very commonly depression is a form of unexpressed grief from past events. Many people tend to soldier after bad things happen because they feel that they don't have a choice. Therapists can help you unlock that grief and move forward. Maybe releasing some of this grief might help you physically. I would have thought online appointments are available. Please reach out to your GP to get the help that you need. Good luck.

[xjrs]

By the way, please ignore what I said about exercise. What I should have said is that exercise helps, whatever you can do within the limits of fibromyalgia and your condition.

[loveyourbunny]

I understand where you are, and through my own pain and suffering I have come to the conclusion that whatever you eat, diet wise, or whatever meds you take be they NHS types or alternatives they will not totally fix it. The cure lies in resolving the cause. I am convinced it is from anxiety and stress. Your mind will bury all past traumas but not get rid of them which creates an underlying anxiety and your nervous system on constant alert.

Dealing with childhood abuse, or early traumas etc, really needs someone to help you deal with and understand the emotions the child self had at the time. Adult memories and emotions are not the same. Obviously healthy diet and basic living is very important.

It is not a quick fix but will be permanent. Hope this helps.

Kay

[RunningMum11]

Hi, I suffer with Ibs C. Laxido works for me😊