so a little backstory, iv had a 'dodgy tummy' since I was about 18/19 (now 37) over the years it's sometimes been worse than other times but it's never been something I haven't been able to manage.. saw a GP in my early 20d who said IBS which I just accepted...
now in January this year I started to get horrendous bowel symptoms, really bad pain, multiple toilet trips in very short space of time, day and night, passing mucus and eventually blood. Had fit tests and had to go on two week pathway for colonoscopy. Had this start of Feb and everything was perfectly normal and healthy, doctor said it was likely and infection that had since cleared..
since then I have either been horrendously constipated or having bad diarrhoea which is very obviously triggered by things I eat specifically garlic and onion which I now have tried to completely cut out with great success. I have tried to get a GP appointment for ongoing support but it's proving impossible (I even had to take my daughter to a walk in last week as I couldn't get through for an emergency appointment for her)
today I have been out and had what I thought was safe food, chicken and pesto panini. 7 hours later and I have been in agony for 3 hours ending with very bad diarrhoea.
I just don't know where to go from here, is it a food allergy or allergies, is it something I'm missing, is it just IBS and not linked to what I'm eating.
I don't know what to do but it's really getting me down and affecting my quality of life, I am putting off socialising for fear of ending in pain and needing to dash off or worse.
Can anyone offer any helpful advice or similar experiences
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Krystale1986
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An awful situation to endure and manage. I find with IBS that I have to look at my mental and emotional state to understand the bad episodes as well as taking care of my diet. Any degree of mental/emotional stress will induce an episode with all it's subsequent symptoms. I also find that physical over-exertion can do it too, and especially at the moment, heat stress.
Hi it does sound like IBS,I've had it for about 16 years and I must say it does sound very similar to what I was experiencing for the first few years I changed my diet to high fiber and stayed away from spicy food as I found that to be my worst ever trigger, I'm afraid if it is IBS then there isn't much they can do apart from changing your diet to one that works for you but it has to be you that needs to find out the trigger as everyone is different as I can't eat lettuce 🥬 and can only eat cherry tomatoes but I can eat normal tomatoes 🍅 if they are cooked,but please don't take my word for it only you know your body and it is down to you to find the triggers,start with one week eating something you think is a trigger and then one week off it,I found milk was a real killer for me so I stop milk in my tea and drink black tea and found I was a lot better,good luck and write everything down so you know what triggers they are and show your Dr to show them you are doing everything you can,also speak to a pharmacy and see what things you can buy over the counter to help ease the discomfort
I do know what your going through. You will find a way through, like you I was becoming a prisoner in my home fearing meeting friends. I would ask gp to refer you to dietician, even if you can afford private for first consultation. I have one on NHS who specialises in IBS and now rings me every 2 months or I can ring her if need be. She at first recommended to try lactose free milk, wheat free bread/cake/cereal. Cut out certain fruit and vegetables. It's certainly helped and I have days now with much fewer symptoms. Mine is just constipation no diarrhoea. Try, try try to find some help to manage your symptoms. Best wishes
Have you tried Alflorex probiotic, which has been scientifically studied for IBS? Many people's IBS is down to a gut bacterial imbalance which can contribute to food intolerances. I've tried many probiotics over the years and this has worked best for me. I can now eat a wider variety of foods and it has helped me a lot with IBS pain. You may still experience some issues after taking this, but hopefully less. I would try this before trying the FODMAP elimination and reintroduction diet, since you may end up eliminating some foods unnecessarily without giving Alflorex a go first. There is also the Nerva gut directed hypnotherapy app. Good luck.
When you say , just IBS, take it from me and thousands of other people who have it, it's not to be taken lightly and can be very debilitating for most people. You really do have to manage it and eating out eg: takeaways etc, might have to be a thing of the past, it's rubbish anyway and you should prepare as much of your own fresh food as possible, eliminating as much processed food as you can. You have to change the way you live really and find out what aggrevates your bowels and cut these foods out. It's not worth eating things that makes you feel so bad. Onions and garlic are a no no, but not just food, anxiety and stress play a huge part and this also has to be controlled if you want to get through your days without being ill.
Hope you can find a way for yourself and enjoy your life the best you can
Onion and Garlic are one of the main culprits for triggering IBS. You can sill have spring onions (not the white bits) and Garlic Infused Olive oil so you don't have to forgo the tastes if you like them.
The FODMAP diet is where I'd go with this to start with (I started to see improvements within days). It is an elimination diet but also a break for your gut which you can supplement with probiotics. Personally I got referred to by my GP to the Cambridgeshire dietic and nutrition department and have been put on a Low FODMAP diet. The information they have provided has been eye opening. FODMAP is not a lifelong diet not by any stretch, you then find out which of the 6 families of food give you issues and then can work out a personal tolerance level.
If you are constipated and then loose stools, you could be suffering with 'overflow', which is caused by the hard stool slightly blocking your bowel. Its important to ensure adequate levels of hydration and fibre intake to alleviate this in a controlled manner.
Any food that is processed (something in the region of 75% of supermarket food) is best avoided wherever possible.
Ultimately its very personal. You'll get lots of different answers from lots of different people and not necessarily wrong because its personal to them.
Check out Prof Tim Spector (Zoe Study), The Food Doctor (Dr Hazel Wallace) and Dr Meghan Rossi ( The Gut Health Doctor).
It does sound like IBS as you have had tests for other things. IBS needs to be managed. There are meds you can take for the pain and diarrhoea. You could speak to a pharmacist. You can take Lopermide if you are going out, even if you do not have diarrhoea it should give you a bit more confidence to go out. The IBS network do a symptom diary which may help you see what maybe upsetting you. I wish you all the best.
Hi. Your story sounds like mine did. I have had ibs all my life but up till 2 years ago it was manageable. Im 52 male. 2 years ago out the blue i started passing only mucus with gas. Horrendous symptoms then sometimes mucus with blood. I went to tje doctors and they did not seem concerned as when i did a stool fit test it was clear. I said its in the mucus not the stool but went on deaf ears as far as they was concerned. I paid privately to see a gastro doc. He had me on antibiotics for sibo and various other things to no avail.
I then started passing stool.with bloof amd got put on a 14 day colonoscopy plan. I was nervous but happy also to finally get a answer.
Colonoscopy went well never felt a think and they took multiple biopsy. Found nothing sinister. I was happy but sad i still did not know. They then did a Ct with contrast and found a constriction in my bowel but said maybe a had a contraction when it was done and they signed me off.
The doc at the hospital did say one thing. Try going totally gluten dairy free for a month and see what happens.
Well the mucus started to get better and i stuck with it and now only get it every few months or so but not as bad
So blood and mucus does not mean its always bad but yes its scary symptoms
Hiya. Feeling your pain here (literally!). Pesto has two 'dodgy' ingredients for me: garlic, and pine nuts. One or both of those could be the trigger of your latest flare-up. Add to that list onion, any sort of brassica (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower), any sort of nut and many seeds in whatever form. Too much wheat or dairy (though the exact amount that becomes 'too much' is decided entirely by my digestive system). It goes on... IBS is complex and so variable but I personally feel that dietary intolerance (not allergy, which is a different mechanism) plays a big part in IBS flares. Stress is another; I also find that poor sleep has an effect. It's so frustrating, affects your quality of life hugely and as you know, sometimes horrendously painful with, it seems, very little effective pain relief on offer.
I wish I knew what the answer is! If you find one particular ingredient triggers a flare-up, you may find others in the same family will also (garlic and onion are both members of the allium family), so it might help to avoid those too.
I've had two flares within ten days and am drained in all senses of the word so I sympathise completely with your current upset. They say infection can also be the start of a different 'phase' of IBS or even trigger the start of it, which makes sense, as the gut is an important part of the immune system.
It must be very miserable for you. I have diverticulitis which flares up every few weeks, and I have learned to cope with this mentally, which for me was half the battle of coming to terms with the situation. Other replies here are very good and the FODMAP diet has to be a good starting point. That might ease your situation and see your doctor. Though I don't have IBS I take Colpermin, bought at my local Pharmacy, which in the main are peppermint oil capsules, they certainly help with stomach cramps I get occasionally. Good luck.
Take a look at the FODMAP diet, I'd cut out all wheat products (Oats will not be a problem), be careful of dairy especially milk, you've already cut out onions and garlic which is great! Take daily a high strength multi strain probiotic and also a high dose L. Glycine will help with possible leaky gut.
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