help!!!

[platapus123]

Hi all,

The last couple posts i made were a long time ago when my IBS was under control.

now is a different story... can anyone please help? since saturday i have not been able to eat a single meal without seconds later being in excruciating pain and then having everything go through me within minutes. leaving me in horrendous pain on the toilet for up to 30 mins!

At the moment i am using silicol gel before my meals to line my stomach, cbd oil to help with pain and the odd ibuprofen and paracetamol when i really need it (i try very hard not to because i don’t want the painkillers to ruin my stomach lining)

I am not getting better and am eating less than 300 calories a day because of this!

SOMEONE PLEASE SUGGEST SOME HELP! i’m at a complete loss... i can’t leave my house and work has become horrendous because i am often in pain. I am not able to spend time with my boyfriend because of the pain

anything will help!

Thank you!

[Hidden]

Oh no, I so feel for you. Personally speaking I would initially contact your GP (are you in the UK?) as it sounds like you do need to make an appointment. My other question is has anything changed i.e. have you changed your diet, are you very stressed (that would be perfectly normal under these strange circumstances), do you take multivitamins and if so are you taking different ones.

I'm following a low fodmap diet and I have to say it's been a life changer for me, I can't believe how much better I feel. Have you tried this diet or ever thought about attempting it? It's not an easy quick fix but it's worth the effort.

I really hope you find out what is causing this awful flair up for you, you can't live on such a low calorie intake for long.

Take care and I'm thinking of you.

Alicia xx

[platapus123 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Alicia,

Thank you for your reply,

Unfortunately i have continuously spoken to my GP for 8 years now and she does not have much sympathy for me she just says every time ‘it’s ibs this is what happens’ however when i can’t function as a normal human that’s not right. the last time i spoke to her i was very firm and said i can’t take that as an answer, she has said she will refer me to a gastroenterologist however due to everything going on right now this could take up to 6 months

i have anxiety however speak to a therapist and just recently have a new boyfriend who is absolutely incredible - so if anything my life is less stressful now then other times.

I do not take any vitamins apart from vitamin D because i am low in it.

I stick to a very bland diet however find it very hard to stick to a fod map diet consistently as this means buying different food for me and i live in a family home. I 70% stick to vegan food however even some of this affects me negatively.

since i posted this it has got better but still not good recently,

thank you

[Hidden in reply to platapus123]

I'm so sorry your doctor hasn't been helpful at all, I mean speaking to her for 8 years, that's far too long and I really feel for you. I'm sorry you've had to be firm with her and told her you can't function, some doctors really need to try and imagine what it feels like to be like this every day. I'm glad with you being firm that she's finally relented and referred you but of course during these unprecedented times we have to wait so much longer (I'm waiting to see a skin specialist as I have a problem with my skin, the hospital have contacted me but basically only to say they haven't forgotten me). My doctors are very good but I have to say I did reiterate how I was feeling and eventually he agreed to contact the hospital for a Dietician's appointment for me, that has changed my life.

I'm so pleased that your life is less stressful, he sounds like a lovely boyfriend, I'm really pleased for you.

I take multivitamins as I know my intake from food isn't the best at present due to the low fodmap diet but I'll get better as I'll soon be through the reintroduction phase.

I totally understand what you are saying about the low fodmap diet and it's not an easy diet and particularly when you are Vegan as I am but for me it's been worth every hour I've spent keeping a diet diary and cooking. Fortunately I do all the cooking in the house so it's easier for me than it is for you.

I'm glad that it's become a little better but as I said above, the low fodmap diet for me has been an absolute game changer. I do make a lot of soups and they are easy to make. Also, I used to get pain a lot before my IBS changed from C to D and I started taking paracetamol, worked so much better than Buscupan and so cheap as well.

I'm thinking of you and I hope that you get to see the Gastroenterologist sooner rather than later.

Take care xx

[Viklou]

I've just read some of your other posts and you seem to have been through the mill a bit. Please don't take ibuprofen as you know this can affect your guts. You may have picked up a bug that needs to work through your system. In the short term eat very bland food or light soup just to get your calories up more than 300 a day. My last flare I took to making homemade soup as anything solid had me doubled over. On a plus side the amount of pain you're in will settle down. However if you start vomiting a lot go to A&E

[platapus123 in reply to Viklou]

Hiya,

Yes that’s what i’m afraid of. when i was younger to cope with the pain i used to take multiple ibuprofen a day. i now don’t do this unless i really really need to because of the stomach lining issues it can cause.

Thank you for your comment i’ll look up some recipes

[xjrs]

Anyone experiencing a change of symptoms should speak to their GP. They may need to run some tests like checking for one of their standard list of gut bugs (note they don't test for every single type of gut infections or a gut imbalance).

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-...

[Tesb]

Sorry to hear that, I know its a painful experience. For IBS-C, I have tried a tea spoon of flaxseed twice a day one in empty stomach and one in the evening and it seems to help.

[TobeyL]

Stop taking the Ibuprofen. Even once tablet can crate havoc in your stomach.

Paracetamol is much nicer to your stomach.

Have you tried a good quality probiotic like Symprove? Maybe give their 3 month plan a go?

And try mindfulness. It makes wonders for your stomach. Use an app like headspace.

Good luck

[Ruralquirks]

Hi there, the first thing to do is to make an appointment and contact your GP. You need to explain your symptoms and hopefully they should run some tests to make sure everything is okay. They will want to rule out IBD.

I would talk to another GP rather than your previous one to get another perspective.

Just of out interest, do you find that this happens after eating certain foods? Ie bread?

Hope you get better soon. Xx