Is this IBS bit of a weird one.

[beachbabe40]

So since 10th February this year I started with diarrhea only really once a day after about 2 months (april) I made a doctor appointment where they felt my stomach and it was not hard or sore at all, he wanted to do a stool sample and blood sample which I did and it all came back as normal, still having diarrhea once a day they gave me fybogel sachets to take I did this for about 4 weeks and never changed at all. I started making homecooked meals as my diet hasn't been great. I was also before only eating a main meal and skipping breakfast and lunch. I called for a doctor appointment as after taking imodium I had normal motions but had mucus in it so was concerned so the doctor wanted to do a more in depth stool sample however this came back with raised levels after having a conversation with her she suggested redoing the test in 4 weeks time with me not taking ibuprofen at all (I will do this tomorrow) as apparently ibuprofen can raise these levels. She has referred me to the gastro clinic and I'm on the waiting list to see them. She has given me hyoscine butylbromide for the stomach cramps and bloating which I was taking (this has all subsided) she also wanted to redo all my tests as they were 5 weeks old, so I redone a normal stool sample blood sample and a urine sample and all 3 came back normal she really does not know what is going on. This happened to me my first time 6 years ago but I was way worse and everything I ate would literally run thro me back then I was so drained as was going to toilet up to 19 times in a night and I went to the gastro clinic he done a internal of my bottom and it went away and back to normal poos (after 12 weeks) they put it down to a bad case of ibs on my records, this time tho is coming up to 19 weeks now and I'm just wanting it over with as it's very draining and worrying for me. I was going thro alot in Feb my mum broke her arm and my both boys caught chicken pox so maybe stress started it off? The imodium works for a few days of normal motions then back to diarrhea any advice greatly appreciated thanks in advance xx

[Hollings]

Have you tried eliminating certain foods like wheat and lactose that might help. Or tried the Fodmap diet? You could start a diary and see if there is a pattern.You say you take ibuprofen that makes suffers with Ibs worse your better sticking to paracetamol. I hope it all works out for you, take care

[beachbabe40 in reply to Hollings]

Yeah I've tried like lactose milk and staying away from dairy I also tried just bland foods but is still the same no matter what I eat (doesn't make me go straightaway) new stool sample done to see if these levels go back to normal today and yeah I did not know about the ibuprofen situation it's my go to if I have a pain headache ect but been used to paracetamol now for 4 weeks so will stick with that lol thanks for replying to me you take care too 😊 will of course update when I get my results 🤞

[xjrs]

You mention that you have been eating a poor diet. One of the things that helps IBS is for the bacteria in your gut to be thriving - high in numbers and lots of different types of bacteria. For this to happen the bacteria need to be fed well, particularly with fibre. If you don't feed your gut bacteria well, their numbers can reduce and bad bugs can dominate causing symptoms. The Mediterranean diet is really good for this since it includes whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, oily fish, olive oil, pulses and small amounts of lean protein. By eating a fibrous and varied diet, good bacteria will grow in numbers and help to fight off and keep under control the bad. We all have good and bad bacteria in our guts - it is a dominance of bad bugs that can lead to IBS symptoms. It's a bit like watering your garden, if your plants are suffering weeds can start to take over.

Therefore, it may be the combination of poor diet and the stress that you have been under that have kicked off your IBS again. You may now have some food intolerances due to the shift in bacteria in the gut.

Considering this may be true in your case, you could try bringing your gut bacteria back into balance by trying Alflorex probiotic, which has been scientifically studied for IBS. It contains Bifdobacterium which is naturally passed from mother to baby during a natural birth to prime the baby's immune system. It is a particularly strong strain that helps to fight off bad bugs and bring them under control. Bifdobacterium tend to reduce in numbers in the gut as we get older. A side benefit is that it also helps to digest complex carbohydrates, for instance from whole grain foods - both the assistance with digestion and knocking the bad bugs into touch may make you more tolerant to a wider range of foods. Once you start eating a wider variety of healthy foods, this also helps your own good bacteria to grow to help them do their own fighting of the bad bugs.

If after taking Alflorex, your symptoms have improved, but some food intolerances remain, you could ask for a dietitian referral to take you through the FODMAP elimination and reintroduction diet. However, try Alflorex first otherwise you might eliminate some foods unnecessarily.

To help with the stress and to calm your gut down, you could also try the Nerva gut directed hypnotherapy app. Good luck.