what is ibs?

[HLeamon]

Hi!

new here and didn’t actually know this forum was about until I started googling on the nhs site.

So my question is what is ibs?

I want to explain what I’m experiencing and if someone can tell me if it’s completely normal for ibs to be like this I would be really grateful.

This time last year I was having tummy problems, bloating after every meal. I had a gastroscopy (camera down the throat) in the end which confirmed everything was normal but said that I have a very sensitive stomach and they suggested life style changes and peppermint oil capsules which I’ve taken since. Now since then I’d been getting on with life without really changing my diet and on the odd occasion I’d get the one off urgent upset tummy and diarrhea when a food wouldn’t agree with me, easy enough to deal with when it would only happen may be once a month. Fast forward to now and it started off with bad cramps and diarrhea, the sharp pains would only happen about 3 times a day until finally after a few days they went. However since I’ve been going to the loo and sometimes it’s loose and then some days it’s relatively normal and then the next day it’s constipated. And then out of nowhere usually afternoon time I’ll get really bad cramps and the urgent need to visit the loo with an upset tummy, my poop is usually fluffy and cow pat like. Last night was my last episode and when it happens it completely wipes me out and makes me feel drained. Now today I’ve woken with wind a gurgly bubble popping sensation in my tummy. I had a fit test last year as I have huge health anxiety, this came back normal. I’ve had recent blood tests that are all normal. Ive taken it upon myself to do the food York test to look for any sensitive foods, I’m awaiting the results and praying it comes up with something so I can avoid the food and try to get my life back on track. This all started last year when I started to attend the gym and eat better and I’ve just done the exact same thing and tried to eat healthy only for whatever it is to flare up again. It’s frustrating because it puts me off eating healthier as it’s just causing an upset tummy. I should say I’m a very anxious person, I’ve suffered with severe health anxiety for over a year now and constantly live in fear of any pains and aches being cancer (this stems from having parents who’ve had cancer) so obviously I’m worrying that I’ve got some sort of bowel cancer, it’s very unlikely considering the fit test last year was completely normal, I need reassurance so please don’t comment that it could be.

The doctors think this is all diet and IBS related. What do you think?

[heartmatters1]

Hi welcome to this very informative & friendly forum. It’s such a help to be able to be in contact with people who understand what we’re experiencing

My ‘bad’ bowel journey is quite recent. I have diverticulosis, (severe) which was diagnosed after colonoscopy. I have had a few bad flair ups. It is definitely very draining. I used to be very constipated, which probably what caused the diverticulosis & caused me to have an impaction & a couple of days hospital stay. However, the last few months I have gone the other way with loose motions.

I too have severe health anxiety & think every ache & pain is something sinister. I do try & practice mindfulness, which helps a little, especially the breathing.

Some days I feel very unwell & other days not so bad. It’s very difficult to plan things.

Anyway just to say you are not alone & just reach out. Try to relax (I know it’s hard) but anxiety/stress is the worst we can do for our guts, which are linked to our brains.

Best wishes

[buggins55]

certainly sounds like all the classic IBS symptoms (I speak as a long sufferer not a doctor though) a lot of us with IBS also suffer from health worries and anxiety it seems to be part of the package partly i feel because of it's random nature and varying symptoms and partly due to the brain gut connection. It can be hard to pin down any specific causes I love cooking and healthy eating and i suspect sometimes too much fibre makes me worse and others on here have said similar but it's different for everyone and it may well just be a coincidence that your problems started alongside a move to a healthier diet and exercise but as i say it's tricky to tell a food diary may help to identify anything that's triggering you and i use the Headspace app which is great for helping to relieve stress and anxiety, take care

[Sparrow58]

Anxiety can cause IBS. A healthy diet too. You need to give your tummy time to change to your "new diet" introduce it slowly a bit at a time. I kept a food diary, but what upsets me one day is ok on another alot of IBS sufferers get that. Do you get anxious about going to the gym? It is good that you are looking after yourself and as others have suggested relaxation techniques may help too.

[Misspomfrey]

Hello and welcome

What you describe and going by my own experiences over the last 16 years, sounds like IBS to me and a lot of it will be provoked by anxiety. But I must say this now, at this early stage, don't bury your head in the sand. None of us want to think about cancer and bowel cancer ran through one side of my family so it's always been a worry for me. You need to rule this out if you are worried about it. It sounds like the doctors are pretty convinced it's not cancer and to me, it sounds more like symptoms that a lot of people get who have IBS. It's different for us all too which complicates things. A colonoscopy is the only way you'll know for sure if cancer is on your mind.

Once you have come to terms that it's not cancer, start to look at your diet and take it a step at a time. Eating as healthy as you can is the key but IBS doesn't like some healthy foods. Try some Probiotics and find one that suits you, they've helped me a lot over the years. Try and pin point what you've eaten when you get the symptoms and eliminate one food at a time, then introduce it again later and see what happens. Try new foods one at a time. This can take years, but you will start to manage things better over time. It's not easy, but we have to manage it the best way we can. Get plenty of exercise and this will help your anxiety, steer clear of takeaway foods and avoid processed foods as much as you can. Eat only fresh foods and prepare it yourself so you know what goes into it. It's trial and error I'm afraid.

I wish you luck and do look through the posts on here, there is some very informative information and good tips. Take Care

[xjrs]

First of all the York Test (and any other test like it) has no scientific basis so won't give you an accurate picture of your food intolerances or you may hit on some by accident.

Secondly your symptoms are typical of IBS, considering that you've had all the tests to rule anything else out.

There is much you can do to help yourself and feel a sense of control again. Here are my top tips:

1. Try a good probotic - Alflorex worked best for me - this helps to control bad bugs dominating in the gut that can cause symptoms.

2. Nerva app / meditation / yoga / exercise - anything that can help you relax - I find lavender oil on a cotton pad on my shoulder helpful for calming me down or next to my pillow if I can't sleep. Exercise is brilliant for switching off the fight/flight response, especially running, though may be difficult to be near a loo.

3. If the above doesn't help enough, ask for a dietitian referral from your GP to take you through FODMAP elimination and reintroduction diet, though Alflorex is best first since it may make you more tolerant to different foods.

4. If things are settling and if you become more tolerant to a wider range of foods, the best diet for your microbiome and alongside this, your IBS is the Mediterranean diet. It helps to feed the good bugs in your gut to stop the bad ones from dominating. Improving your microbiome can improve your overall health, since it has been scientifically proven that the microbiome helps so many systems across the body (including mental health).

[Minty00]

Hi interesting ive had IBS D and IBSc and alternating I also have Diverticular Disease only once inflammation from this it was uncomplicated. For the last 6 years ive had IBS flare ups some days im ok other days its horrible , ive always got bloating . I have come to the conclusion that for me its anxiety and stress driven. One thing that has really helped is milled flax obviously it may not work for everyone

[Gizmo6]

Hi I'm so sorry your suffering. I too have ibs c but I have sensitive digestion so sometimes some foods can cause other issues, rare but dirrahea and gas can be a nightmare from time to time. I do find i struggle with too much fibre or even fruit if it contains high fructose. I can't tolerate sweetners. Could you be eating too much fibre or unknowingly eating sweetners. They seem to like to add sweetners in every low fat or no sugar products. I'm also slightly lactose intolerance. I hope you find some relief soon.

[merve1]

Another possibility worth testing for is bile acid malabsorption - BAM for short.

[Zantecat]

wouldn’t bother with things like ‘York Test’ ,don’t think there is much scientific back up.

Sometime ‘eating healthier’ means new foods that you’re not accustomed to , for example more fibre isn’t necessarily a good thing especially if it’s too much too soon.

Some people see low fat low sugar foods like yoghurts as healthier but they put sweeteners etc in there which are really bad for a lot of people with IBS so you have to check ingredients . As much as fruit and veg is healthier, some of us cannot tolerate certain ones or large portions of it , what is healthy for most , isn’t for all .

[Superzob]

You mention that you take peppermint oil to calm the stomach but, unfortunately, this and ginger (which has the same calming effect) can give rise to looser bowel movements. With IBS, it’s often tricky to get the right balance, and eating a variety of foods (which is theoretically good for you) can make it difficult to find triggers (particularly as the effect can be days later). One thing to watch with a “healthy” diet is too much fibre (which is definitely a trigger for me); break yourself in gently with soluble fibre foods and/or cooked veg (rather than raw), and build up from there - like anything else, the gut needs time to adjust.

[Pte82]

HLeamon, search on "Hiding in Plain Sight - Modern Thiamine Deficiency" in addition to "SIBO and IBS Constipation Thiamine" for background. Activated thiamine is needed by the brain and vagus nerve for control of the digestive system with magnesium needed to activate thiamine. The blood brain barrier is restrictive for both however, magnesium threonate and TTFD Thiamine can readily pass. I use a B-Complex as a foundation as B vitamins work better together. Check into causes for thiamine loss as well as magnesium loss. I was having GERD and IBS until I put magnesium threonate and TTFD thiamine to work about two years ago and no symptoms since. A fatty liver can also be involved. Do check that out. Tudca and milk thistle can be beneficial however reducing carbohydrates is a big part of the puzzle. Always consult your health care provider before using any supplement.

[Luisa22]

What you describe sounds similar to what I was feeling about 4 years ago. I understand. I was diagnosed with IBS, But of course, that doesn't mean yours is.

I couldn't get a handle on my awful tummy until I STOPPED "eating healthy"!!Well, not completely, as my food is still healthy, but at least not to the extent that we are all encouraged to do, and certainly not to the extent that I used to,

I had eaten a high fibre, healthy diet, super rich in nutrients, fruits, veggies (well more than "5 a day"), pulses, nuts, ...everything good you can imagine, for about 20 + years, so I was baffled.

I lowered my fibre intake and that helped me such a lot. It doesn't work for everyone. But for me a simple home-prepared diet with just veggies, eggs and fish, and "white" carbs helped me to gain back some balance. I extend that out as much as I can to include a wider range of foods as time goes by, but I do it gradually and gently, and wait a couple of days when trying a different food, to see the reaction first. Sometimes it's a win, and sometimes it only works for a few days, and sometimes it's a fail, but I keep trying that.

However, behind all that I accept that my gut just cannot tolerate fibre any more as it used to. So I ignore all the advice out there, and take my advice from my tummy's feedback.

[MuppetChristmasCarol]

Hi there 🙂

Apparently we are all different but a lot of you symptoms resonate with me.

For me it used to start when I’d eaten too much wheat a couple of days before.

I’d be fine until suddenly I wasn’t. I would urgently have to run to the loo where upon my body would totally reject everything I had in it 😳

It would start with the older more constipated poo and then over half an hour or so I would have repeatedly looser movements until my bowel was jetting out chewed food and water.

Half of the time I would be being violently sick, having terrible pain in my tummy, sweating, shaking and feeling just awful.

After I was completely empty I could finally limp back to a sofa or bed and would be completely wiped out for the day.

I knew that I couldn’t tolerate wheat but at first it only happened if I had toooo much and it was only every month or so. A bite of a donut or bread was worth risking (?)

Unfortunately it progressed and I’m now at the stage where I simply cannot tolerate ANY wheat and the reaction is so awful I just cannot risk it.

My bowel now doesn’t like some alcohols (limoncello ☹️), some nuts and I just have to be so careful.

Good news is that now I know and actively work with my IBS I can stay completely symptom free. Even my hard (pregnancy like belly) is now soft and I can push it in a couple of inches. I believe that my guts got swollen when I ate what it didn’t like and now I do not have any bloating.

‘Course this only lasts while I abstain from wheat, alcohol and some nuts.

Now those are my triggers - yours will be something else or possibly the same but if you can identify them it will really help you get some control.

Having said that there are NO miracle tests that can identify INTOLERANCES. The only scientific intolerance test is for milk/dairy.

All companies that say they can tell you your intolerances are lying. 🤥 Sorry 😞

Common intolerances are… Wheat/gluten, Dairy, Alcohol, Spicy Foods etc and less common can be Apples! Onions, Garlic the list goes on!

If you haven’t already I’d try two weeks with no wheat or dairy, spices, onions or alcohol and just see if your symptoms improve. (PS there is still food for you to eat even with all those taken out!) and it’s only for two weeks.

If you get an improvement you can then slowly add in some of the foods weekly till you find/react to the culprit.

Then avoid it like the plague.

As for worrying about what it can be - assume it’s just awful IBS. There is no point worrying about what it ‘might’ be as it might not be that and you would have wasted all that time and anxiety (and irritable bowels don’t like you being anxious!)

I wish you all the best - Jx

[Ritornello]

I used to have terrible IBS, but did the low FODMAP diet with guidance from hospital dietitian. It was the key for me, and helped enormously. It helps identify which foods cause problems for you, and gives you control. Since being on it for several months, (maybe a year or so), I have gradually been able to increase the range of things I eat, while knowing which ones will cause flare-ups. If you have a sensitive stomach then some high fibre foods will probably cause problems (wholegrain bread- ouch..), but there are healthy alternatives which are less rough. I hope you find something that helps you.

[Ritornello]

P.S. Anxiety can make IBS worse. Try to be reassured by what docs have said; diet can play havoc with digestive system and cause awful pain and discomfort.