flare up

[LEENOL48]

does anybody else’s ibs flare up consist of bloated and nauseated no bowel trouble as such just the bloating and nausea

[Purplewoman]

yes every time

[LEENOL48 in reply to Purplewoman]

I feel your pain 😩😩

[Luisa22]

I might be wrong, and I'm not a doctor or anything, but with bloating and nausea if it were me I would suspect some level of constipation (?) even if bowel movements seem ok.

[LEENOL48 in reply to Luisa22]

hi you could be right i feel a bit sluggish too

[Luisa22]

It is possible to 'go' every day and think it's ok, but not to go enough so the pipework can get a bit backed up. I don't know, anyway. There might be another reason you get bloating & nausea

[LEENOL48 in reply to Luisa22]

I do go everyday but a lot of the time irks like rabbit dropping too much information probably

[Luisa22]

No, there's no such thing as too much information here ! haha

Rabbit droppings are not ok really. That sounds like constipation. Do you take anything for constipation? Or do any foods help? I would think that drinking plenty of water would be a good start

[LEENOL48 in reply to Luisa22]

if I’m honest I probably don’t drink enough water and since I went gluten and a dairy free the stomach pain and diarrhoea has gone but now the other way

[Luisa22]

Can you handle foods like brown rice, fresh vegetables, some fruits? I find brown rice is usually quite a gentle effect on any times I swing over a bit to constipation which I do on some rare occasions.

Veggies help too. Any that you can tolerate.

[LEENOL48 in reply to Luisa22]

I eat carrots sometimes a small amount of broccoli not a lover of rice I eat a banana every day and granola for the fibre it’s difficult knowing what to eat and not having a sandwich when your at work

[Luisa22]

Carrots are good for constipation so long as you eat a proper portion. Can you eat any of these low FODMAP veggies?

Green beans,

Kale

Spinach

Squash

Potatoes (try with skin if you're constipated)

Peas (small amount)

Tomatoes

Turnips

Bean sprouts

There are more low Fodmap veggies I didn't list.

Or the fruits?Blueberries

Grapes

Orange

Strawberries.

If you don't like rice, do you like quinoa? That has a gut effect similar to brown rice for me (gentle effect) It's a bit bland on its own but better with some salt, pepper if you can have a little, and maybe a tiny bit of chopped chives (they're low Fodmap too.) Nice cold mixed with a bit of salad greens, or hot with meat or fish etc.

Toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds also add a bit of fibre, and they can be sprinkled on things or just snacked on. But I wouldn't overdo the portions from my experience.

Are there any gluten free breads you like? I tried one called "Genius" and it was better than some of the others. I liked it best toasted but it's OK for a sandwich. The one I got was lightly seeded

[LEENOL48 in reply to Luisa22]

wow you know your stuff I eat warburtons sliced gf it’s pretty horrible but edible just about I like nuts but apparently nuts can bloat you there’s so many conflicting foods and one day I’m fine eating them the next they play me up I do drink alcohol which I probably shouldn’t but need some pleasure in life

[Luisa22]

Yes, it sounds like you need more fibre in your diet and more water. A bit more veg that you can manage and doesn't upset your gut. I am sure that will straighten you out. I had to be really careful with fibre because of the IBS-D, but with your situation it might help. Listen to your body and adjust your intake to suit you.

Alcohol.....a big controversy. Some people with IBS can't even look at it. Others can tolerate small amounts quite happily (i.e. me) In fact a small drink of alcohol has sometimes settled my upset tummy! That is not something that suits everyone, and many people would say it is very very bad for IBS indeed.

I have not noticed that it's a trigger for me at all. But I can't tolerate wine of any kind or colour, or beer any more.

And large amounts are always going to be hurtful of course.

Yes, I know about foods that are alright one day and not the next. I have the same weird thing with watercress. I love it. When I eat it at my friend's house I am fine the next day. When I eat it at home, it upsets my tummy! I don't understand that. I could eat bell peppers in smallish amounts, until one day oops....I couldn't any more. So strange.

[LEENOL48 in reply to Luisa22]

thanks for all this information like you I can eat one thing one day and I’m fine and then the next time it’ll play me up I find strange as it is that alcohol settles my stomach

[Luisa22 in reply to LEENOL48]

Yes, same here re: a very small amount of alcohol. But too much will do the opposite I find. And I'm the same with some foods. One day okay, then I eat that thing for 4 days in a trot, and oops! That happened with Cheddar cheese. It gave me the green light for 4 days, then a big fat stop sign !

[LEENOL48 in reply to Luisa22]

I hear what you're saying we think it's safe then bang too much do you take anything at all

[Luisa22 in reply to LEENOL48]

The only things I take are homeopathic remedies which I get every month from my practitoner. I am much better than I used to be but it has been very slow & gradual. But I can say I have been much improved from 2 years ago.

I haven't had a really classic bad flare up since March this year, which is great. But I have had some glitches and disturbances so am not "over it" yet !

If I do get a flare up I take herbal medicines. I get Tormentil tincture from A. Vogel, and I make my own teas from Blackberry leaves and Meadowsweet, which help a bit. Plus I go on my "hard boiled egg and white rice with lettuce" diet (lol) which steadies out my flare up in a day or so.

Do you take anything?

[LEENOL48 in reply to Luisa22]

not really only a prebiotic but it doesn't seem to do much

[Luisa22 in reply to LEENOL48]

It may be the wrong probiotic? I think there are some good ones recommended for IBS. There is a member here who kmows a lot about that. I will see if I can find out their name. I have forgotten. It will have to be tomorrow as I am going to bed in a mo.

I have not taken a probiotic. I feel an instinct that it could make me worse. I might be wrong but have to trust my instinct personally. But I do take drops prescribed by my practitioner, which are "microbiome support" and they are a homeobotanical blend. They taste so nice. Pity I can only have 2 drops 3 times a day! haha. I want to drink the whole bottle!

[LEENOL48 in reply to Luisa22]

lol oh well get some rest

[Luisa22]

How are you feeling at the moment? Have any symptoms eased up at all?

[LEENOL48 in reply to Luisa22]

hi not too bad now thanks for asking what about yourself

[Luisa22 in reply to LEENOL48]

I am glad you are feeling a lot better. That's good news. Unfortunately I'm having a bad flare up Yuck.

[LEENOL48 in reply to Luisa22]

oh dear sorry to hear that hope you feel better soon

[LEENOL48 in reply to Luisa22]

how ya feeling

[Luisa22 in reply to LEENOL48]

Not too bad. Thanks so much for thinking of me xx Tummy not right but no more actual flares recently. I'm hoping you're ok-ish too? (as much as we can be)

[LEENOL48 in reply to Luisa22]

yeah I’m not too bad thanks keep getting pains under my sternum though think it’s trapped wind as feel bloated and tummy noisy

[Luisa22 in reply to LEENOL48]

Oh yes, trapped wind can be horrible. Have you tried peppermint tea? Sometimes that does help. Or a warm pad or hot water bottle at the top of your tummy? Sometimes I hug the teapot while the tea is brewing! lol That feels lovely.

[LEENOL48 in reply to Luisa22]

lol I’ll give that a go

[LEENOL48 in reply to Luisa22]

I think my problem is anxiety too as I wake up in the middle of the night with a pain and then worry about what it is and just make things worse

[Luisa22 in reply to LEENOL48]

I think it's natural to start thinking about what a pain might be if it wakes you up in the middle of the night. If it's wind, is there anything you can do to encourage it to come out before you go to sleep? Like a tummy massage, hot water bottle, lying flat on the floor etc. I find doing those things helps sometimes.

[LEENOL48 in reply to Luisa22]

yeah I guess a hot water would be good not going on doctor google would be helpful too lol

[Luisa22 in reply to LEENOL48]

Yes, Dr Google is just mega stress 😱 Whenever I do that I always get the most horrible answers for something simple but annoying like wind pains.

[LEENOL48 in reply to Luisa22]

same I diagnosed myself with stomach cancer and a hiatus hernia last night just from some bloating and wind pain not good

[Luisa22 in reply to LEENOL48]

I know. That's easily done. I have also noticed that some of the websites out there aren't very good, and some are really badly written too. It's always confusing and when we feel ill it just makes things worse. It seems to be the awful stuff that sticks in our minds. I think the only thing to do is try to get distracted with something else if possible. I know that's hard when the body hurts or we're on the loo all day.

But every evening I listen to music, and watch a movie just to distract me from sodding IBS!

[LEENOL48 in reply to Luisa22]

that’s a good shout have a good day

[Luisa22]

Thank you