Hello, thanks for adding me. I was diagnosed with IBS by a gastroenterologist in Nov 2009 after visiting my GP in June 2007. Over the years it has gone into remission and relapsed randomly. I am in a bit of a bad phase atm and have not been to the toilet for five days.One thing that I find confusing is that advice for constipation is to make sure there is enough fibre in the diet, but fibre triggers my colon spasms. My system finds fibre hard to digest, causing the symptoms I am trying to relieve.
I am using Movicol, senna and buscopan. I also find my IBS reacts to my anxiety (diagnosed with GAD). I try to avoid stressors but life does keep throwing curveballs.
This definitely seems to be a thing with ibs-c. The doctors say increase fibre but the general advice for ibs is to limit fibre.
I have had constipation for 10+ years and whilst I have been diagnosed with ibs, I also think my body has got used to infrequent bowel movements which has become a vicious cycle.
I recently had a sigmoidoscopy due to hemorroids which are a result of the constipation. He said that ibs is the cause of the chronic constipation/slow transit. I mentioned about limiting fibre intake due to ibs but he was very firm and said no, I must increase my fibre intake.
I have read that it’s best to introduce fibre slowly and you could also look at the fodmap foods list which gives an overview of the fruits and vegetables which are better suited for ibs.
I don’t suffer any debilitating symptoms with my ibs, except from the slow transit/constipation and horrendously loud stomach noises, however switching foods according to the fodmap list has definitely helped.
Most people struggle to get enough fibre in their diet which is essential for bulking up stools. I recently found a very high fibre soup in aldi (8g which is a 1/3 of the recommended daily intake). I also aim to eat 1 banana a day along with berries such as raspberries and blueberries. Popcorn and the little fibre bar cakes also work well for me. Alongside this, I take psyllium husk capsules and aim to drink 1.5ltrs of water a day.
Psyllium is more of a ‘regulator’ by drawing water into the bowel (as opposed to senna which is a laxative) so it’s essential to drink lots of water or even juice/tea. As far as I know psyllium can be taken long-term however isn’t suitable for certain conditions like kidney disease so it’s always best to check first.
I personally do not like senna as it gives me terrible cramps and can take anywhere up to 12 hours to increase a bowel movement. It also shouldn’t be used for longer than a. Few days.
Have you tried glycerin suppositories? They work within the hour and would give you some very much needed relief if you haven’t been for 5 days. In my previous job, I used to work away throughout the year and I struggle to go away from home. I would always bring them with me, they really were life savers!
Hi, after 4/5 years of visiting specialist doctors I've been diagnosed with IBS C eventually. I found that a low fibre / low fat diet is the most helpful for my symptoms. I take prucalopride/Resolor (2mg) and 5mg bisacodyl daily. But during the day I also need to take cascara sagrada, works like senna but I couldn't tolerate the latter. Also take simeticone/simethicone en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sim... for the functional bloating.
I managed to improve my tolerance to fibre hugely by taking Alflorex probiotic, which has been studied for IBS. It helps to kick into touch any dominating bad bugs that can cause symptoms and helps to digest complex carbs. I also take Linaclotide on prescription for IBS-C, but worth trying the Alflorex first, giving it time to bed in and then try to increase fibre slowly whilst keeping a food diary. Good luck.
Yes, I’ve also recently started taking Alflorex and have already (in just 2 weeks) started noticing massive improvements.
Fibre is really important, but it feeds the gut bacteria, so if you have an imbalance of bacteria, with the bad ones more predominant, fibre will make things worse, as it is feeding this bacteria.
I dont get constipation much, I’m more mixed, but as I’m vegan I tend to eat lots of plants, so this has been a big battle for me for a long time. The only thing that’s really worked is taking Alflorex, now my body is tolerating a wider variety of veggies without such a bad reaction.
For stress I would stri mg my recommend Nerva. I like to do it in the morning straight after getting dressed, before I do anything else. It gets my day off to a good start.
The idea is to let the probiotic bed in for a bit (for example 3 months) to help kick the bad bugs into touch. At this point it should be safe to slowly reintroduce fibre once the bad bugs are more under control.
Great that it is helping you and that you are getting benefit from Nerva too. I started seeing benefits in terms of IBS pain after the first week of taking Alflorex, which was amazing, but some people may taking longer (if at all, depending on what is causing their version of IBS).
My packaging says 1 x 109 CFU . This relates to 1 billion CFU. The 9 being in superscript. This is the amount used in their clinical trials for IBS. I am assuming that since its a particularly strong strain, you don't need so much of it.
I am now under a new nutritionalist and she has me take a magnesium citrate tablet with each meal as it is a muscle relaxant and works on constipation. It has definitely helped. I do take one sachet of laxido a day as well. Also kiwis are very good, also are you on Sertraline for your GAD ? If not it could be very helpful and is a NICE 2nd line treatment for IBS. Also mediation, I have recently downloaded the Headspace app and do exercises to help the vagus nerve. Google Vagus nerve. It has a huge impact on your gut.
Thank you all very much for your posts. I also have autoimmune hypothyroidism which causes slow transit, not helpful, but I have a brilliant consultant endo who look after me and keeps my levels optimum.I love all fruits and veggies but just a little causes cramps, then I take buscopan which slows down the peristalsis and creates a vicious circle.
Hello Eroica. I agree wirh the other comments. Take fibre. I take asphodela husk twice a day. But the most important thing is to drink lots of fluid, which I find very hard to do. I also take ferocalm probiotics, kefir and yogurt. I personally wouldn't take laxatives. It just confuses the gut and it then takes a few days to return to normal. Also I suggest trying to go to the toilet at the same time every day to pass main stools, so your body and brain gets into rhythm. Hope you feel more comfortable soon.
I have the same problem had Ibs d for years then alternated back and forth from Ibs d to Ibs c, now last couple mos Ibs c, eat vey balance meals always include veggies high in fibre, but only productvrecommended by gastro is a product called “ restoralax” in Canada, also there is generic brand, they contain polyethlanevglycol, which seems to work well, I have a spastic colin as well, but this product doesnt cause me cramps at all, seems to work better than metamucil, also try to drink as much water as I can
Hi, I too have IBS-C. I was told by gp that taking Buscapan a lot can cause bowel to relax too much hence constipation. I take it when I have bad flare ups though. Laxido helps my constipation I get it on prescription it bulks up poo and makes it easier for a bowel movement.... think it's trial and error. Like you too much wheat or some fruit and veg give me bloating and cramps. I eat wheat free bread from Morrisons mostly. Best wishes
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Anyone else following low fodmap diet and having to go on a low fat\high fibre diet for high cholesterol
How Do You Treat IBS Constipation?
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