Hi i have put up with this awful thing for years but over the last few months it is testing me beyond endurance, with IBS it's not just the pain and discomfort but the fears, anxiety and depression that intertwine with it. Like many of you I have tried all manner of things been there, read the books worn the t.shirt! nonetheless would be interested to know what has worked for other people (and what hasn't) and how you all cope from day to day and keep going.
I'm getting weekly bouts at the moment and consequently lost weight (which is just one more thing thing to worry about)
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buggins55
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I am having the same issues overall and no one seems to be able to give assistance. Currently awaiting a re referral to bowel specialist but that didnt help last time. So tired of it all. Sorry I can only offer empathy but no solution. Currently I am sitting here in dreadful pain and of course anxiety alongside it. Wishing you well,
Thank you, you too, Empathy is worth a lot makes you feel you're not alone , I'm not sure there are any answers I'm trying to learn to live with it now , which is obviously not easy, trying to celebrate the small wins and doing meditation am waiting on some CBT therapy starting next week (not for the first time!!) as the anxiety is out of control I hardly go out at the moment and then not very far.
I suffer from all of what you said and the anxiety over it all is as debilitating as the problem itself. Nothing has worked for me in that regard and all the things on the table to help seem to have 1 common side effect, constipation. So it's a battle I lose before even taking the meds as that in itself adds to my overall anxiety regarding the problem. I'm currently looking down the routes of Chinese herbalist remedies and hypnosis.
The NHS will leave you hanging in that state forever, makes me wonder why I paid national insurance contributions for many years and often wish I could just have my money back and use it to go private because the NHS is no longer fit for purpose.
I hope you find some all round relief soon and if you do please share.
I'll be back on in a couple of weeks myself to post anything I'm trying that may work that could be beneficial for people in the same boat.
yes the anxiety is one of the worst parts,people tell me that i'm causing the IBS with my anxiety but I'm convinced it's a two way thing and the strong link between gut and mind are now proven
That's so true, once the anxiety starts things stop but it also causes anxiety in itself so it ends up being a self feeding loop that's hard to break.I'm thinking hypnotherapy might be the way forward for me so I'll give it a go after Christmas if things haven't improved.
Have you actually had any tests such as a colonoscopy? There must be so many people who are consistently fobbed off with 'it's IBS' because they are never tested to see if it may be something else... GP 's may do a FIT (stool test) but that only looks for traces of blood. In my case it came back negative, yet I had a lot of issues back in 2021 including sudden weight loss. GP refused to send me to gastroenterology so I paid to see someone. I was fast tracked due to weight loss back on NHS for tests. I have patch pancolitis, a form of IBD (as well as years of IBS) which means I am on meds. Symptoms are often the same, and waiting lists are long just to see anyone, but IBS should only be used when other conditions have been ruled out....
Talking therapies do work, but you need to be proactive with the therapist and if set 'homework' do it. Good luck.
Hi thank you , like i say been there worn the t shirt, and talking therapies have dug me out of more than one hole over the years , I have been doing meditation daily for over a year and find it very useful
Hi, firstly welcome to the group. It is good to have somewhere where others understand and don't mind you having a moan at times, because we all feel like that from time to time. For many of us no two days are the same.
I have had IBS mainly loose for 21 yrs, I have not really found any answers, and have tried it all over the years.
The way I tend to cope now is just try to deal with the symptoms of the day. I find I just take the minimum amount of meds as I find then you have to take another to counteract the side effects.
So I take 1 imodium if that helps as soon as my stools are loose don't wait too long, but too much can cause me constipation. Buscupan helps with the cramps. I also avoid foods that are too spicy and fatty and cook alot of my own meals, so that I know what is in them.
I take a probiotic Alflorex which is recommended for IBS worth a look. I still have many issues and feel anxious when leaving the house but try to face my fears not easy.
Lastly I have the support of a good husband I must drive him mad at times and a loving family.
That's good advice thank you as the symptoms are so varied that's a good approach, being unwell so often makes it harder to leave my "safe place" so i just take it a bit at a time,
I have suffered with IBS for over 30 years. Tried so many things with little success. Started Alflorex last week & have to say there is a marked improvement in the cramping. Remains to be seen if it has any effect on the D so I am not glued to the bathroom every morning. Its recommended that it can take 4-8 weeks to see a big difference. Its awful how this thing runs our lives.
Hi sorry to hear your having bad time I have IBS for 30yrs and just doesn't seem to get better I have normal BMI in morning then can have to rush sometimes after to go again I take sertraline for anxiety which helped in the beginning but just lately feel like nothing seems to work suffered with acid so take lanzaparole as well have done hypnotherapy and did help a bit but the stress it gives you just trying to hold down a job as well no what your saying about NHS just feel they fob you off hope you have a better time soon
I know. IBS had an impact on my mental health too. Hard to describe, but I cannot feel the way I felt before it, inside me, when there were things to look forward to, and no sense of a cloud hanging over me.
When you say you are getting weekly bouts, can you maybe trace that to foods that you eat on that particular day or the day before it? Are these weekly bouts coming on certain days?
It might help if you haven't already done it, to keep a strict food diary (with amounts of each food too) and see if you can trace any patterns.
Other things to make note of are stresses on certain days, work, family matters etc.
Hi. The stress and the anxiety I can relate too. Day to day , I just take each day as it comes . I take peppermint oil capsules, peppermint tea. I was prescribed mebeverine but that just makes me constipated. I worry constantly about going to the toilet, if I don't go in the morning I just worry. I have found that not worrying about it helps , and I do go eventually . Living with IBS ( D) is awful and the flare ups last weeks . I still haven't gone back to how I was beginning of this year. I take fybogel mebeverine when I need to. The internal battle and constant worry we go through nobody sees that
I have IBS C/D. Headspace meditation was recommended to me and it has really helped with my anxiety. I have the app on my mobile phone so can use the sleep music to help with sleep at night. Not everyone wants to take more prescription drugs but Amitriptyline has really helped my IBS and I believe my depression and my sleep. My IBS started after food poisoning on a meal out. This was followed by my other half becoming very unwell. The IBS was hugely affected by that stress. Losing weight like you. Anxiety definitely affects my IBS. Some how or other you have to find a way to keep the anxiety at bay. Hope it works out for you.
thanks I have been using Headspace for a year and i agree it really helps I use it to get me to sleep as well as meditate .I'm afraid i had to give up on amitriptyline as it had a horrendous effect on me but the peppermint oil has helped, I think my IBS was triggered after a similar illness many years ago
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