I have suffered with IBS since 26 years. I’ve tried different diets and different medications but nothing has helped long term.
I recently had a flare that caused severe pain around my lower bowl and right hand side, I was sent away from my GP with advice to take fybogel..
To manage my chronic constipation and pain I had a colon hydrotherapy before Xmas and it felt better.‘since I’ve been avoiding gluten, nuts, corn and taking pre and pro biotic. I eat 30g fibre a day too and drink lots of water.
My constipation has reached new levels since this cleanse so I’ve taken laxatives for 3 days and I’m still not going! It’s been 3 weeks since the cleanse.
I'm going back to the GP in the morning to request a colonoscopy as I am concerned.
I’ve come on here to find advice and other people that are also struggling.
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Sobermumma
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Difficult to find what suits you. I stopped fybogel and laxatives, I have Diverticulitis and ibs ,chronic back pain due to degenerative skeletal disease among other things, I find when I get serious flare ups with my back I have severe ibs,( I don't know which comes first tbh) I have Aymes shakes as I find it difficult swallowing solids, Due to lower back pain I have been having different symptoms ibs/ bladder, losing control, pins n needles and pain round my thighs pins n needles round crutch area and constant pins needles itch round my backside. I am hoping to get some answers on Wednesday as having yet another mri. I know this isn't any help to you today but I may get given advice on Wednesday that may help?
Thank you. I hope you get some answers on Wednesday. I also have lower back pain but didn’t connect the two. Are you based in the UK and if so are you under the NHS?
Did you confirm nuts were bad for you as most online comments indicate they may be good eg googling "nuts and ibs"? Subject to GP/colonoscopy outcome, maybe consider a qualified Nutritional Therapist.
I am so sorry to hear about your struggles with IBS. You are not alone and we are here for you.
I think you are doing the right thing by asking for a colonoscopy to check that everything is ok so that you can have 'peace of mind'.
When ever I experience a different 'symptom' or 'sensation' in my body, I get quite anxious and stressed! I then tend to worry about what it is and want to know if the problem is 'serious' or not. I know that my brain/mind will be agitated until I have found an answer that it is happy with.
Perhaps what you have experienced with your IBS recently, is causing you greater anxiety and stress, which in turn is having an impact on your constipation.
My IBS is constantly changing and I have accepted the situation as it is. Every day I just try to make the best of things by eating healthy and having plenty of fruit and veg, resting as much as I can, going for a brisk 10 minute walk as well doing at least one thing that gives me some pleasure.
A rich and diverse microbiome in the gut is needed for good health and helps to guard against IBS.
Also, much of stools is made up of bacteria, so flushing these out could be counterproductive.
It is good to increase your fibre intake and probiotics etc.
In case any of this helps, here is what I do for my IBS-C (note foods mentioned down to individual tolerance):
To improve constipation in the short term you can try ground flaxseed on your breakfast, starting at 1 teaspoon and increasing at 1 teaspoon every 2-3 days - you'll need to consume extra water with it.
These foods are also high fibre:
8-9 Prunes
2 tablespoon chia seeds (soaked for 10-15 mins in milk or non dairy milk with cereal or water)
Shredded wheat (or if GF: Nutribrex)
60g Quinoa
Wholewheat bread
75g Whole grain pastas (if GF: Buckwheat)
2 Hard pears
5 Dried apricots
90g Raspberries
1 orange (contain a natural laxative)
2 kiwi.
I find that I need to have 1 orange or 2 kiwi a day and then another high fibre fruit later in the day to help with BMs. Introduce new foods and any fibre increases slowly, starting with one new thing at a time, waiting for 2-3 days for a response and keep a food diary. You may not need to consume as much fibre as I do.
For breakfast I make a porridge of 4 tablespoon of oat bran and 4 tablespoon all bran (wheat bran), 2.5 small cups of water and microwave for 10 mins. I then mix in 2 tablespoon of chia seeds and 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed and leave to stand for 15-20 mins since the chia seeds need to form a gel. On top of that I place 8 prunes and eat. The best thing to do is to start with normal oats in similar quantities and, if needed, replace one of the tablespoons of oats with oat bran for a couple of days, carrying on doing this every couple of days until you get to 4 tablespoon of oat bran and 4 tablespoon of oats. Then start replacing with wheat bran in the same manner. You can then add the other ingredients one at a time. You might find you do not need the complete 'recipe' to have a BM. All these individual components are down to tolerance e.g. you may not tolerate wheat (see later about Alflorex), so it is best to keep a food diary (I do this on a spreadsheet) recording symptoms for up to 2-3 days after each change.
I also take 30 drops of ginger extract before bedtime to aid motility. You may need to work up the dose to say 7 drop increments each night.
Exercise can help with BMs. The government recommends 150 mins of moderate exercise (e.g. walking as if you are late for an appointment) or 75 of intense exercise (e.g. jogging) per week. I also have a bit of a walk around straight after breakfast to get things moving.
You need to ensure that you are drinking enough fluids (2 litres of fluid per day).
There is some good advice about constipation here:
There are also medications that help IBS-C (constipation dominant IBS). I suffer from IBS-C and have been prescribed Linaclotide for it. I also take Alflorex probiotic which has made me more tolerant to taking in the extra fibre I need for a BM. Both have also reduced my IBS pain substantially. Linaclotide calms intestinal nerves and Alflorex helps to kick bad bugs into touch that could be over sensitising nerves in the gut.
Failing dietary measures, you can try Optifibre, which needs to be worked up to a dose according to instructions. You may not need the full dose - watch out for gas and increment to a level that is acceptable for you.
Some people are more prone to constipation due to their intestinal anatomy. Through colonoscopies I have been told that I have a long loopy (redundant) colon. This means that food takes longer to pass through and in the mean time the intestines have more time to suck out water from the stool, drying them out and causing constipation. I have found that I need to consume much more fibre than other people to have regular BMs.
I have also found useful having most of my food at meal times, leaving 4-5 hours of not eating between meals, eating my fruit snack before a meal. This means that your digestive system has time to process each meal. It also allows something called the MMC (migrating motor complex) to run which sweeps food waste from your small intestine into your large intestine. This only happens when you have an empty stomach. When people snack regularly, it prevents the MMC from working properly. I also find the larger meals help to push things along better than drip feeding through snacking.
Here's an article for you to read. It is from the National Institute of Health. I have been taking enemas all my life. On the final enema of a series, I will add the contents of one probiotic capsule to the water. I have also used thinned down plain yogurt in the water and also take probiotics orally along with yogurt. I get the part about rinsing out good bacteria but you also rinse out toxins and bad bacteria. The good bacteria can be replaced. I have been told many times that I look young for my age and I credit it to keeping my colon clean. I might add that I have regular bowel movements every morning while drinking a delicious cup of Java.
Interesting article. In your case, you have also added in the probiotic as a replacement which makes sense. As with many studies, it would be good to do long term follow up including the method that you are using. Scientists still don't know what a complete 'healthy' microbiome looks like or exactly what bacteria would need to be used to replace ones own, which is causing IBS symptoms. I think I posted once that it would be fantastic if someone could preserve their own healthy microbiome when young and then use that in a future faecal transplant when things have gone out of whack. This would overcome current issues of FMT (faecal microbiota transplant), which in some cases has ended up people inheriting diseases from the donor of the transplant.
The medical community does not believe in enemas for such purposes, only for constipation. And just small amounts for that like the Fleet bottles instead of the 2 quart bag. Their claim is that the body doesn't need any help cleaning itself because it does a fine job on it's own. I am a member of a forum where people post about their experiences with enemas and there are many who have said that a good clean out enema cures their diarrhea. There's also the claim that if you take too many enemas, you become dependent on them and can't have bowel movements without them but as I said in my other comment, I have regular movements every morning while drinking my coffee. I know most people shriek at the thought of injecting water into their behinds but it's like a good beer or a fine wine, you have to acquire a taste for it.
Very useful - shame it was published in 2016, a few years ago. The most recent one would be interesting, to see if there are any more thoughts and development in this particular method.
Hi. Ibs is a lifelong project isn't it? I've had it all my life and learn something new every day! I have a long list of foods which I can't eat and always listen to my body when it doesn't react well to food. As I've said before on this forum a turning point came when I came across soluble fibre. It was an absolute game changer. Foods contain soluble and insoluble fibre and we can't process insoluble fibre very well. So look for a list of foods with a high percentage of soluble fibre. The fibre forms a gel which helps pooing so much easier. Sweet potato are my go to when I've been constipated! I had to use trial and error to see how much to eat otherwise I needed to poo very often! There are vegetables that I thought would be off my list which I now eat. Soughdough is a good bread because its high in soluble fibre and toasting bread also helps. Please feel free to ask me anything else about this. We all need to help each other with this horrible thing!! X
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