Terrible mornings

[Shops]

Does anyone else have this I wake up in the morning with terrible wind and then the cramps start. I have Ibs d even when I go to the toilet I feel I can’t empty properly. Then all morning I’m in pain. I go to the toilet loads but never feel like I’ve emptied properly. Then I have terrible cramps all day. Any tips would be appreciated I dread waking up in the mornings now.

[paul_r_d]

I get this every so often, more so if I have had something substantial for breakfast. I’ve limited what I have for breakfast, some light and small and my ibs doesn’t kick in.

[Shops]

Thanks for replying mine starts as soon as I wake up before food.

[xjrs]

Assuming you've had a formal diagnosis of IBS from a doctor / gastroenterlogist 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.

If 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 anti-spasmodic medication such as mebeverine (Colofac) or enteric coated peppermint.

You can find some info on self management here:

theibsnetwork.org/the-self-...

[Maureen1958]

I try not to eat until I think I have finished going but it's not easy to do!

[calista]

Hi.

I have had this .

Have ibs D 35 years.

Lately I had vertigo and was on Serc and Stemetil and found that they were constipating so they seemed to counteract the D .

My gp said its ok to stay on serc.

I also take Buscopan .

I am always on the look out for "cures".

Ive had cbt with a psychologist and try to fit mindfulness into my day .

I have a lot of stress as my husband has Dementia ...and with Covid the Alzeimer Day centre is closed so I have no help from there .... so I still get some episodes but not as much since taking the meds.

I take immodium if I have to be somewhere even as precaution.

I can identify with the morning episdes ...going lots and incomplete evacuation .

One tip which seems to have helped with constant urge is when you can and are at home to try to hold on for a while before returning to the lavatory and in a way try to control the movements .

That I found helped although not when having acute episode..!

[Chad01]

Hi Shops. I wake up every morning with abdominal pain pain ranging from a 2-7/10 this is very often accompanied by unpleasant wind. I don’t yet have a dx but have had a lot of tests from which nothing exceptional has shown up. Usually it fades by the time I need to get up and do things but sometimes it persists throughout the day.

I’m on a combination of pregabylin, amitrypyline and ranitidine (which has just been replaced with osemeprazole). No idea of those help or not but it’s no where near as bad as when it first started around 4 years ago.