How different is IBS in people

[Cimmy]

Hi all I suffer from IBS and I’m finding the symptoms horrendous at the moment. Nausea, stomach pains, cold sweats, muzzy head, no appetite, had lots of test and it apparently all comes down to my IBS which I’m finding hard to accept because I just feel rotten. My question is I suppose how bad can it be. Thank you for reading, I just feel so alone at the moment and lots of horrible thoughts are going round in my head☹️

[Linley]

In my opinion there are no set of symptoms for IBS, we all vary. I can relate to stomach pains, then my main symptoms are gas, urgency to get to the loo, heaven help me if I am out and about(which brings on anxiety)! If it's really bad I get shivering as my bowel over reacts and keeps contracting, then feel very empty to the point I have to eat something. Of course there are days when all your symptoms happen at once and you feel rotten😞 and my hubby wonders why🤔, I reply its just one of those things and I try and move on. So you are not alone Cimmy. I have one suggestion that may help the nausea by eating a biscuit not wise to have an empty tum. BTW do you have IBS d or c?

[Cimmy in reply to Linley]

Hi Lindsey, thank you for your prompt reply, I don’t have a prominent form of D or C it seem to vary, I’m always bloated and sit on the loo straining but it’s not solid and very little, I’m just at my wits end with it all😩 just want to feel better

[Linley in reply to Cimmy]

🙏

[mrhealthanxiety]

Hi, it’s so frustrating isn’t it....I can have symptoms almost daily for weeks and then nothing for a while.....my symptoms are (various times not all the same time): cramping - bloating - some constipation (days when can have 3 big BM a day after having nothing for few days) - real bad nasty gas in the afternoon/evenings - nausea - drowsy feeling - tiredness.......been checked out but starting to accept it and live with it after nearly 2 years 🥴.....I wish you well.......

[Lady91]

It’s so horrible isn’t it. I also have a hard time getting my head around the fact there’s no bigger issues when there’s so many different symptoms and I can be in so much pain.

What I’ve learnt from being on here is that everyone is so different! I don’t think anyone’s symptoms present in exactly the same way. But you are definitely not alone! I hope your horrible thoughts settle soon. xx

[Hidden]

You are not alone, i have have bad stomachs every day and pain in my back, Diarrohea everyday, 8 Paracetamol everyday luckily no nausea. 1000s of people have IBS and other related diseases

[Inksplat]

I was having bad IBS at the beginning of the year- had to suffer a colonoscopy and thankfully it was all clear. Strangely throughout lockdown, my symptoms eased and everything was ‘normal’ but sadly it’s back- stomach pains, racing to the loo, unhealthy poos, - I’ve started my IBS diary again, as I’m trying to find triggers though stress seems to play a large part. 😞. I’d say belonging to a support group, following all the advice given by the IBS website, are all good things for supporting you through it, if you can take some action you don’t feel so helpless. Hope you feel better soon ( me too)

[Jasper8884 in reply to Inksplat]

Funny you should say that during lockdown when I didn’t worry about going out my stomach better. When I make plans to go out start freaking out night before is my stomach going to be ok. I have hiatus hernia, reflux and barratts oesophageal. I do think diet as well helps.

[Wifflesnook]

This is such a very hard thing to suffer. I’m wretched this morning and that is normal. The wind in my lower gut on the left isn’t just painful but seems to make me feel so ill all the time. I’ve been like this since May and much of it (I hope) relates to anxiety which has been brought on by the decision to move and then the months of anxiety because I can’t find a house to move into despite having found a buyer for my own. In the next few days I shall get a decision and I’m hoping that my physical condition will improve. I feel for you Cimmy because I know how awful this is and how it means you can’t have a normal life at all. I’m waiting for a new remedy. Should be arriving in the next day or two. A probiotic which is supposed to be great but how can that help with anxiety? Maybe if it relieves the symptoms for a bit the anxiety will lessen. The gut and the head seem so closely related. So what can I say? Nothing helpful but I think we are all helped by knowing each other is struggling and trying our best. Jan

[Cimmy in reply to Wifflesnook]

Hi thankyou for your reply, this sounds so like me, I feel rough most day and in pain and then I panic which sets my anxiety off which makes my symptoms worse. I’ve had lots of investigations and they have come back with a few things like divaticulitus and hiatus hernia, I’m so sick and tired of being sick and tired, I think my gp and family have given up on me.

[Y123_ in reply to Wifflesnook]

Hi - I have been using a meditation I found on YouTube and it’s really helped with my anxiety- it is by the anxiety guy

Look for health anxiety affirmations release symptoms of anxiety it is 14.49 long

I have been listening twice a day and it has helped - perhaps give it a go - can’t make things worse good luck

[IBSLife]

Same here, I’m currently having a bad flare (although it is always there), the urgency and pain is awful. I’ve hardly eaten for days as am a busy mum with a job as well and I don’t have time to sit on the loo for hours but I have to. The cramping also makes me have a cold sweat and feel sick. It’s so embarrassing. This school holiday has been hard as my little boy wants to go for day trips out but travelling to new places or on motorways brings on anxiety that I will have an accident. It’s worse atm with many public toilets being closed due to covid. My whole life seems to revolve around my IBS 😞. Sending lots of love, please know you are not the only one who feels like this xxx

[Cimmy]

Hi thank you for your reply, it’s so comforting to know I’m not alone in this misery, I wish you well. I just want my life back, I’m so tired of being sick and tired, people who don’t suffer with IBS seem to just brush you off as a hypochondriac, I try to carry on as normal but it’s so hard. Be kind to yourself x

[Baenav]

Hi, sorry to he’s that you’re feeling poorly. The one thing you should know is that you are not alone. Stomach and gut pains are common, as is the nausea. But, I do think you can do something about it. Monitoring your diet may disclose a particular food/drink that causes your pain and nausea. I keep a wellness diary, make a note of everything I eat and drink or do. I have found that there is a pattern and for me is was Pizza (saturated fats)/ chocolate (Lactose) / orange juice (too acidic), and More Lactose (in particular, ice cream.....Broccoli and mushrooms didn’t help either. But it took 3 months or so to work this out. When I stray, I suffer, so knowing what to avoid has really helped. For the nausea (and to me that’s the worst part), I have a new drinking regime - 3 ltrs a day - mainly water. Since I have IBS - C, this has really helped with ‘lubrication’ . I rarely get constipation nowadays (which used to make me feel absolutely dreadful and sick) - occasionally I get ‘pellets’, but not often - you have a mix of both but since you do need to stay hydrated., this might help. And then finally, exercise. At least 20 minutes in the morning and 99/100 a BM when I get back. What I would say is that you know yourself best = my regime may not work for you, or others, but with some experimentation I think it is possible to find some self help. All this said, your doctors opinion is also valuable and if necessary, some tests to make sure nothing sinister is going on.

[Harley1020]

Hello 👋 so sorry to hear you feel so down. Doctors don’t seem to understand how debilitating IBS can be. After 7 years of looking for some type of ‘cure’, I’ve found that 20mg of Amitriptyline a day to help my anxiety and 2 Colesevalem (625mg each) to alleviate my stomach bile , relieves my stomach cramps and sickness. There are also some really good books on IBS, which can be borrowed from your local library. They help to explain the different symptoms that people experience and suggest different ways to deal with together with advising the various medications available. Take care and remember your not alone, we are all here for each other on this website.