A lot of pain!

[JulieB5200]

Hi everyone, I’m struggling atm with more pain and discomfort than usual and I’m unsure why. So a lately I’m having to empty my bowels up to 6 times mostly in the morning but can go on throughout the day. My stools are like solid stones covered in a yellow mucus. Passing them is really painful but the nagging colicky pain in my left side and cramping has continued throughout the past few days.Apart from the past week being extremely stressful I cannot think I have eaten anything that’s triggered this flare up.It’s tends to ease up around late afternoon but starts up when I get up in the morning. Any suggestions or advice would be welcome . Thank you 😊

[Jackie1612]

Sorry to hear that you are going through this. Stress does seem to play a major part in IBS. Sounds as if although you are having to go very frequently, the hardness of the stool seems to indicate constipation. I have mixed IBS now, so it starts with difficulty but then becomes diarrhoea.

I was diagnosed with diverticular disease some while ago and I think this may be the cause for me. I get pain and cramping, the pain being more on the left side.

Maybe it is worth going back to the to have further investigations.

[JulieB5200 in reply to Jackie1612]

Hi,thanks for your reply. Obviously I have had all the camera tests and nothing showed up. Over the past ten years I’ve had a colonoscopy,the capsule endoscopy and 3 endoscopy’s . I am wondering if the menopause is affecting my gut and slowing my transit time down even more. This constipation has got much worse this past few months. I’m getting where I don’t want to leave the house before 2pm till it all settles down 😳. I’m going to research the Alflorex which someone has recommended. Thank you for your support x

[Badassy in reply to JulieB5200]

I am so sorry that you going through this! Are you taking any medications for this? If yes, I would be curious of the name to see side effects. Another thought, do you have any thyroid issues? My bowels are effected by my thyroid...I have slow transit when in thr hypo range & quick transit in the hyper range. I have had issues for many years...sometimes it's caused by the foods we eat. This also could be pelvic floor dysfunction...sometimes our bowels are effected by areas in the body that a Pelvic Health Specialist can help with. I am under the care of a pelvic Health Specialist now for pudendal neuralgia & other pelvic floor issues...bowels( the sphinter muscles & more) are definitely within the Pelvic Floor. You might want to consider Pelvic Health/Floor Physical Therapy! Feel Better Soon 🤗

[QuiltLady in reply to JulieB5200]

I read recently that stress or anxiety can slow the digestive system down because our body thinks it's in fight or flight mode. That might be why I get that way sometimes, I'm way too stressed out.

[Goldenbeads in reply to JulieB5200]

Hi I am sorry 😔 you have this but sounds exactly like me. I have an extra long colon and slow transit.

Just had exactly what are you describing and can’t think what triggered this ! I am gluten and dairy free and have to avoid lots of triggering food. Onion especially!

2pm seemed to be my better time too ! It’s so debilitating and stops you going out for sure. I am waiting for my specialist help. I have got worse since menopause I believe. I wish I had more answers for you. But I know the struggle !

[JulieB5200 in reply to Goldenbeads]

Thank you for taking time to reply. I’m definitely thinking the hormonal changes have slowed my transit down even more. When I had the capsule endoscopy it was taking so long for the camera to pass from my stomach into the small bowel,they had to give me an injection. The constipation seems to be pushing up on my stomach and causing heartburn and indigestion too 🙈. Some days I feel like crawling into a hole and not leaving the house as I’m so tired of being in pain. We went on a day trip to the zoo at the weekend and three times I’d to disappear and find a toilet. When the cramping comes on I literally have to go otherwise the pain gets horrendous. I have tried cutting out diary and gluten but it doesn’t seem to help at all.x

[Goldenbeads in reply to JulieB5200]

I am so sorry I really hope you get some answers. I hate living with this too. Going out for the day does worry me when having troubles so much.

It is a long term problem 😔 for sure

[Sweety65]

Have you tried drinking peppermint tea or anise tea for any bloating?

[JulieB5200 in reply to Sweety65]

Hi,yes I have both the digest tea bags which taste minty and also camomile. They definitely help to disperse trapped wind but all this cramping the past few days feels more than a trapped wind issue . Thank you x

[xjrs]

It sounds like you may have IBS-C with visceral hypersensitivity (IBS pain), which is like me.

You could try Alflorex probiotic in the first instance. This has helped me greatly with the pain. You could also try to increase fibre to improve the constipation, however, you may need Alflorex first on a 3 month trial, which may help you to be more tolerant of fibre and other foods, which may allow you to increase fibre slowly.

More information here on IBS pain and constipation:

ibsresearcher.com/pain/

ibsresearcher.com/constipat...

Beyond that, there are drugs like Linaclotide which work on both the pain and constipation, but I would try the other more natural route first (Alflorex then fibre).

Also if you think it is stress related you could try the Nerva gut directed hypnotherapy app. Good luck.

[JulieB5200 in reply to xjrs]

Thank you for your advice. I will have a look into the Alflorex although in the past when I’ve tried a probiotic pill (I forget the brand but they were expensive) they sent me the other way and caused bad diarrhoea. I know someone on here advised Silicol gel and I do take that from time to time but I feel that’s more helpful for the stomach and upper gi.

[xjrs in reply to JulieB5200]

Not all probiotics are the same and Alflorex has been scientifically studied for IBS. Some people may experience upset in the first couple of weeks whilst the body gets used to it. Normally a 3 month trial is recommended to see the full benefits. I didn't experience any side effects from it. It is a low dose single strain probiotic. Many probiotics are multi-strain and/or high dose.

However, I can understand your caution from previous experience. Also some people may not be able to accommodate a bedding in period, if there needs to be one. Unfortunately, with everything IBS it is trial and error.

Just in case of interest, here is a link to a study with the strain that is contained within Alforex:

link.springer.com/article/1....

Hope you find some relief.

[Maltofer25 in reply to JulieB5200]

Hi Julie, from my own experience of eating milk kefir ( a potent probiotic) and reading, probiotics tend to somehow cause a big reaction to people with crappy guts like us because they were detoxing the bad bacteria, causing them to die off and released toxin, so you could get sick for several days but later on feel better. Google “die- off reaction” . But I would recommend fresh ones like home made kefir or from supermarket cold section rather than taking dried/ capsule form. More potent and less expensive.

[JulieB5200 in reply to Maltofer25]

Oh this is interesting 🤔 I once tried a kefir drink and it upset my stomach. Honestly I have to be so careful what I take from vitamins to probiotics. I paid about £40 for some probiotic tablets a few years ago and after two weeks of taking them I became really unwell. My whole gut seems super sensitive. Even magnesium tablets caused me diarrhoea 🙈

[Starfush]

Have you tried a bath in magnesium salts. Alternative is the magnesium sprays/oils to massage into skin.

[Bella33355]

It might be a sign of an inflamed bowel (I’m not certain), but in my case, flare-ups are connected with both stress and food. So, if you’re certain that you haven’t eaten or drunk anything triggering your gut in the past 2-3 days, stress could be the most likely reason. There are many over-the-counter medications for constipation that you might want to try something less harmful just to understand whether the constipation is the cause of your left-side pain and flare-ups.

[JulieB5200 in reply to Bella33355]

I do keep a box of laxido in and I will take one from time to time. However if I take one a day I eventually go from constipation to diarrhoea . It’s a right balancing act!

[Bella33355]

For my IBS, I have been taking a 5-month Kijmea Pro course. My symptoms have eased since then, but again, if there is a trigger, the flare-ups still happen. So, no medication is a 100% cure for this problem.