I've suffered from what I've been told is IBS for a number of years. I try to avoid foods that affect me eg most fruit, some vegetables, garlic and onion, cereal and rice. I also sometimes have a reaction to chocolate or a glass of wine. The list seems endless. If I have an attack, I find taking Buscopan helps but I'm then left feeling more bloated than before. I haven't been to the GP about it for some time as they've never really taken it that seriously.Any suggestions for anything I can do to prevent a flare up. I've had a bad day today, but have carried on as normal as possible. It's very wearing at times. I'm 71 but fairly active.
Thanks.
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Blueskies20
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I am working to eat light meals through the day. Light snacks like fruits or veggies. Just a small amount every few hours. I am working to stay well hydrated with water. I love my Pepsi. Yet I know pop doesn't do my body well. Hope it may help you some. I get a lot of flare ups as well.
Hi, Thanks for your reply. I try to have a balanced diet, but find that fruit and veg set me off. I used to love grapes, apples and oranges, but just can't touch them now. I worry I'm not getting enough vit c. I try to drink plenty of water, but do like my cuppa! (Usually decaff).
I sometimes find it hard to pinpoint what I've eaten to cause a flare up, but if I go back 48 hours, I think this one could have been caused by either chocolate or possibly too many carrots with a meal! Not really sure.
Citrus fruits are a no no for me along with grapes and bananas that are too ripe but most other fruits I can eat like Apples, Berries, Sliced Peaches, Pineapple, which I eat every day. Carrots are ok but not too many. No coniferous vegetables such as cabbage, sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, Garden Peas and Carrots are what I eat mostly, some Quinenoir. Chocolate is best avoided and I drink lots of water throughout the day. Never eat large meals as this will cause bloating, keep to smaller portions. Try some seeds, porridge if you like it. I eat it every day and have done for 15 years with seeds on top. 😉
Hello,Thank you for replying to my post. It's very difficult navigating everything when it comes to IBS. I tend to stick to plain foods, but sometimes can eat a mild curry, for instance, with no ill effects. I find dark chocolate is worse than milk (I love dark choc), so seems it's something quite insignificant sometimes.
I will take on board all the posts I've received, so thank you all.x
Sorry, I spelt that wrong, it's Quinoa and it's a very small seed which is dried and you cook it similar to cooking rice. it is packed with protein, B Vitamins, Magnesium greater than other grains. I have a desert spoon with some peas. I tolerate it far easier than Rice, can't seem to eat r ice.
I do feel for you as I am much the same and also brushed off by Drs as 'IBS' learn to live with it. It can take 2hrs every morning to get my stomach so that it doesn't distract me. Luckily I work from home as no way I would be able to commute.
I do find that on bad flare up days I can take 2 x Loperamide Hydrochloride 2mg tablets it helps a lot.
I follow a gluten free and low FODMAP diet which also helps - there are some great apps out there to help identify foods that may cause an issue - most are true in my findings.
i have a hiatus hernia , diverticular disease and i think I.B.S. i have a consultant but i have not seen him in person for over three years . he was going to put me in touch with a surgeon but it never happened i was told i was going to have the ph manitory test but niether of these things have happened . i have a telephone appt in may .i have had to have courses of metrodiazole due to diverticular flare ups been on omeprazole had colonoscopies and polyps removed but having lost 2 stone and increased exercise .i have tried probiotics i have had no dietry advice and find things are getting worse as i get older , good days and bad days but gut pain and hernial discomfort does make me want to curl up with a hot water bottle . i am considering having a full body MRI which i would probably have to pay for . very disillusioned
Sorry to hear that you are going through this. I also have to avoid those foods. I feel that IBS can be a mystery, sometimes certain foods are okay, sometimes not. You are so you know that exercise helps. I also meditate, that helps too.
It has been a particularly bad couple of days, but I seem to be coming out of it. To be honest, I usually take a Buscopan, maybe 2, in a day and I feel much better, but it didn't work this time.
I refuse to have my life ruled by this though.
I try to walk a bit (have arthritis in knee which doesn't help, another story). I have tried relaxing music and that does help a little. Might try the meditation to see if it helps.
I’m new to the IBS forum. I’ve been reading so many of everyone’s posts, ‘is this IBS’ I’ll welcome everyone’s comments/advice, I’m the same age as you, and I’ve been suffering from IBS for about 20 years, thinking back, the start of the menopause, I’ve not had any investigations, apart from stool sample and quite a while ago a prescription for Kolonticon, don’t think it helped but took it anyway, what I’d like to put out there and ask you all, when having a flare up, does anyone experience the most awful lethargy, and foggy bran, I have the early morning stomach cramps and the need to go the loo, sometimes Diarrhoea, or loose stool, day or two later total constipation, and the bloating, it’s the lethargy that’s most debilitating I find.
Like you fruit is a big no-no for me, except perhaps a banana here and there, as are certain vegetables. When my IBS has a flare up I stick to 'beige' foods. White bread, crisps, jacket potatoes, Weetabix etc. I find this really helps.
I would suggest going to your GP and as for Mebeverine. I take it 20 mins or so before a meal. Are you a fan of herbal teas? If yes, give Camomile/peppermint tea ago. Flare ups a never good. I hope you are able to go to a GP which is considerate with IBS symptoms and made worthwhile asking for a blood test to rule of celiac disease or any else, as well as a stool test. I hope you can feel more settled soon 🙂
I have found the fodmap diet very helpful. Look for the list of safe fruit and veg and ones to avoid. They also recommend cutting out dairy and gluten, but that's not necessary for everyone. Try one thing at a time. You may find that you can eat some foods in the red and not some safe foods. We are all different but it's a good guide to start from. Good luck.
1. Alflorex probiotic, which has been scientifically studied for IBS on a 3 month trial.
2. This may increase food tolerance. If you have any remaining food intolerances ask for a GP referral to a dietitian to take you through the FODMAP elimination and reintroduction diet. By taking Alforex first hopefully the food intolerances will be less.
3. Alongside try the Nerva gut directed hypnotherapy app or meditation or mindfulness techniques (plenty online or YouTube)
Hi, I've just read your post and we're the same age with some similar symptoms. I've had IBS mixed for about 20 years but it's got worse over the last three years to the extent that I can't even go to the dentist, doctor or supermarket without taking Loperamides the day before to stop me seemingly the loo every half hour. Where you seem to be triggered by certain foods, I'm ok with just about everything until I get stressed and anxious about something coming up where I am going away from home. I'm even getting stressed out when family and grandchildren come to visit so I take Loperamides the day before to stop the diarrhoea problem. I was prescribed Buscopan and codeine tablets for what my GP said was gallbladder discomfort after some foods. But even with that, I've eaten everything recently without any discomfort at all.Is your IBS food -related and not stress-related? Having read your post again you have tried avoiding certain foods already. I remember reading that chocolate and red wine were a trigger, I take two small glasses of red wine every night and I love chocolate but only maybe have it twice a week. A GP suggested that a take a glass or two of red wine if it relaxes me as that's beneficial. I won't give up the wine in the evening, but I stopped eating broccoli as I was told it was also a trigger. My GP also said caffeine was a problem, so I now drink decaf. Like you I get a flare-up out of the blue, but that's IBS D and I take Loperamides for that. But more so recently I've felt very drained after three or four loo trips and just stay in bed for the rest of the day. Yesterday I was in the garden for half an hour then felt so exhausted I went back to bed. Recently my GP had noted that I'd had minced beef before tummy pains, but I've since had several meals with minced beef without any problems at all. It's always low fat minced beef we have so there's no rhyme nor pattern forming. It's definitely stress -related with me. Let me know how you get on, take care😊
I have had so many replies for which I am really grateful. Thank you. I feel better today, but was very tired yesterday after Wednesday's episode. I hadn't felt so ill in a while, with the IBS. Like you I think some of mine is stress related, I've had plenty of that in the past 5 years, but the IBS started around 50 (menopause?) and continued until I finished work, although I did have episodes after that.
I have tried the FODMAP diet in the past, but found that some of the food actually irritated my symptoms even more. I used to get very bad symptoms when I was stressed in the past, over the simplest of things sometimes, but they don't seem so bad now.
I will have to really monitor what I'm eating. From what people have said, chocolate is a cause (which I think it is sadly) but I worry that food that is meant to be good for me e.g. citrus fruits, certain vegetables and nuts and seeds are definitely a no-go for me.
I will take on board all the suggestions and will go to see my GP if I have another flare up.
Hi, there are several videos on YouTube by Mark Hyman MD, have a look at those. In one video he says not to omit certain foods that our bodies need, he gives his views on probiotics as well. But worth a listen. Good luck 👍
Hi, you don’t mention what type of IBS you have, but you have mentioned bloating so that’s a bit of a clue.
You mention some of the usual culprits ( onion etc) but just noticed you say chocolate, which in my case can be a massive problem, not because it’s chocolate but because milk chocolate can contain a LOT of milk, I am definitely lactose intolerant so can’t eat it, ( I forget sometimes and always regret it) wondering if you have considered it yourself? Lactose is definitely a bloat issue for me. I also buy lacto free cows milk and seem fine with that.
The IBS I have is the D kind, and also bloating and feeling drained. I can nearly always tell when I am going to have an episode, because my tummy bloats and I feel the need for the loo, but to no avail. Then its as if everything lets go at once. I'm sure you know exactly what its like!
I don't really drink a lot of milk or milky drinks. I'm really not sure what causes it, when I try to avoid certain foods, but it still happens.
I very much recognise your described condition . I am 78 and have had what I was told was IBS by a variety of doctors and some years ago after being referred to a gastroenterologist. Basically it started at around age 21 after a gastroenteritis bug.
I have noticed changes in the condition over the years , it often seemed to be sparked off by work related stress and sometimes foods but I could never narrow down the culprit foods other than fresh cream. After retiring from a stressful job , things changed gradually and it became more obvious that some of the more obvious foods could spark off a flare up .
I love a glass or two of wine but like you wine , chocolate and also even decaf coffee kick things off .
At this age I take the view that seeing doctors is not going to help now and like you try to accept that this is for life but the positive, if there is one , is that it has not killed me for about 58 years , so hopefully that is a good thing to keep in mind .
It is a horrible and often limiting condition to live with and hard for non sufferers to understand but all we can do is battle on .
With regard to foods , I have tried various ideas but I often find that a food which causes an issue one day can be no problem on another day . So I only eliminate the very obviously bad foods like onions , garlic etc. If I have alcohol I assume now , that there will often be payback !!
Personally I think I have what is described as quick transit and my issues often occur after a meal , can be just after eating or maybe a few hours but relief usually occurs after an episode of urgency and D. Often I feel nausea after that too.
If I am going out to something like a meal or I need to travel , then Imodium is the choice and often gives some piece of mind .
I hope your feeling a bit better now and also that reading that your not alone in this brings a tiny bit of comfort. Sometimes it just helps to communicate with fellow sufferers on this forum as it is not a great subject for discussion with friends and family etc.
I would try and work with a HCPC registered dietician and identify triggers through a food diet/elimination. Often symptoms will appear hours after we’ve eaten something so it can be difficult to trace back. If your gut is in a sensitised state it can react to things more easily/your tolerance decreases. Best thing to do is try to identify the real triggers, eliminate, reduce inflammation by taking supplements to support gut health and also reduce stress through meditation. Once your gut is happier you might be able to tolerate things like fruit. My dietician spotted I had an issue with high fatty oily foods which I had never realised. Once I eliminated things I then introduced a probiotic. The only foods I cut out now are gluten which I’ve always had an issue with and high fatty oily foods like lamb/chorizo/garlic bread. I take magnesium for gut motility, and avoid too much coffee and alcohol. Daily movement is important as well. Best of luck!
Did you initially get diagnosed with IBS? If so, and the symptoms are more or less staying the same (give or take ups and downs) then it's ptobably still the same. But if you get different or more worrying symptoms, it's time to make a GP appointment, or even call NHS 111 if it's quite bad.
I know what you mean about having to switch foods. Since 2020 I've had to do that too. I can still eat pretty healthily. My dinner tonight looked splendidly healthy. But there are a number of vegetables I can't eat, or garlic, onions etc, and I have basically given up trying to "fight with fruit". If my body doesn't want fruit, who am I to argue? I can eat many vegetables (lightly steamed) which contain good amounts of vitamin C. And raw watercress, rocket, parsley, etc.
And weirdly. since giving up fruit I've had less trouble with my teeth, (except for part of a filling falling out.)
Sometimes, foods that can often be fine, can cause a reaction (as you mentioned about chocolate or wine). But there might be other times those things in small or moderate amounts are fine.
Some chocolates contain an additive: polyglycerol polyricinoleate or E476. Some don't. I reacted badly to that additive, yet not to chocolates without it. I researched it, and discovered a large number of people, without IBS ! also had GI reactions to it. It is a cheaper alternative to cocoa butter.
And wine is fermented. Also most wines contain sulphites, so your body could dislike those. I found I can't drink wine or beer any more, but vodka is fine, and my gut isn't upset by it (in moderation of course.)
I don't know if flare ups can be 100% prevented. Except perhaps by sticking to a range of foods that are calmer for your digestion. That's what I do, and I haven't had a really bad flare up for quite some time now. Just a few manageable "ups and downs".
Have you tried the low FODMAP diet? I found it helped me a bit, but not 100%...inasmuch as I could happily eat a number of high Fodmap foods, and some on the "low" list didn't suit me at all. But I did the trial strictly for 8 weeks to see what might happen. Then I re-introduced foods slowly and carefully to test out what might cause a reaction and what didn't, and in what amounts, etc.
It's better to do that with a dietician though, if you can, so there will be less danger of malnutrition.
IBS is a syndrome but I read somewhere that it has been reclassified as a disease. There are no tests for it so when he doctor is unable to identify what is wrong they give it the IBS label, possibly to keep us quiet. Same with diverticulitis. Most of us have it somewhere in out bowel which may come and go. I had chronic pain gas cramp, d, for a good 6 years thn it tuned to c. All lower bowel. Fobbed off with things like buscopan or laxatives. All issues in the lower bowel. Antibiotics were the only medication that helped me. Then I had a severe infection in my gallbladder , and cholecystitis due to inflamed gallstones. After eventually having my gall bladder out most of my IBS symptoms have gone. Sometimes lower bowel problems are due to problems in the small intestine, pancreas, liver and not in the large intestine. I understand how fed up you get with this.So hard.
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