Any advice or support much appreciated.

[Anukis]

I was diagnosed with IBS 2 years ago following a disgnosis of Endometriosis, apparently its common for one to trigger the other, I was told it was severe IBS and was started on pregabalin. I now take 300mg of pregabalin a day and buscopan as and when I need it. I have usually been able to manage the condition reasonably well. Lately I have been started on co dydramol 10/500mg for something else now as you will all know this generally leads to constipitation however with me Its almost a releif as it makes my stool normal and my trips to the loo less frequent! However this whole week despite having regular co dydramol I have had diahorrea repeatedly with little time to get to the loo. Also the pain has been horrific. Some of the worst pains I have had and it seems to start in my stomach as soon as I have eaten and then radiates down to my bowels. A lot of painful wiind too.

So as you will all be familiar wiht its embarrising and is getting me down a bit now. Usually my symptoms flare up then settle in a couple days but not this. I'm not sure if I am over-worrying or need to see a doc.

Any advice would be great. I have never used a site like this and although my close friends and family know whats wrong I'm not to comfortable discussing it with them.

[Cimmy]

Have you cut out lactose, gluten and dairy from your diet?, I was like yourself, I've only cut these out for about a week, and my symptoms seem to improve, not dramatically yet, but I feel I'm on the right path, anything is worth a try, also been taking stem ginger, which is a very good stomach calmer for me, may not suit everyone, but it worth a try

Wishing you well

Regards

Linda

[Anukis in reply to Cimmy]

Hi Linda

I have tried cutting out dairy before but didn't find much of a difference now I just have little amounts of dairy. I haven't tried cutting out the others but I do find dark green leafy veg always has a bad reaction with me. I like your stem ginger idea might give that a try. Thank you for getting back to me and please let me know how your getting on with the diet.

Good Luck

[sickandsore]

Hi similar to you I was diagnosed with endometriosis in my mid 20's and now have severe IBS which ive suffered with on and off since childhood (im 40 now)

I wonder have they investigated properly the cause of your symptoms, they label everything IBS!! I had a colonoscopy late last year and they found ulcers in my upper ilium(small bowel) I now take lanzoprazole which helps, im def less gassy and have less nausea..Like the other posts I too have cut gluten/wheat and lactose I still have some dairy but keep it to lactose free (tesco do a great range of products by a comapny called Arla) It took 2 months of this diet before I began to see any slow down of symptoms, so its worth persevering with..Also if you read up on the low fodmap diet you will see all the potential triggers, mine are def onion, garlic and tomatoes plus broccoli and apple!! but everyone is different.

Hope you find somthing that helps soon.

[marky555]

Hi

As a thirty year sufferer from IBS I certainly understand what a struggle it is to cope with this condition. The symptoms and causes are so varied and changeable it's very difficult

to treat the symptoms alone and I've learnt over the years to take a holistic approach, this has finally lead me to a place where my IBS is currently under control and I'm living a full life again. I would suggest the following as a holistic and lifestyle approach to the condition......

Firstly and most importantly get a proper diagnosis of IBS, in my case my doctor referred me to a gastroenterologist and I had a raft of tests to rule out any underlying medical causes. Once they could found no medical issues I was diagnosed with IBS .

If you can afford it join a self help group such as the IBS network for support and information and in my experience I really needed both.

Research: you are already doing this by posting your question, Unfortunately as a typical young guy I tried to ignore my condition, especially as I was told it was all in my mind.This led to many years of unhappiness until desperation finally forced me into self help. Research into my symptoms led me to the following......... leaky gut syndrome...which can cause food intolerences and all sorts of other digestive issues which then led me to the four r's approach

The four r's

Remove, replace , re-innoculate and repair. Along with that Iwould add relax as I suffered from anxiety and stress, a great deal of which was caused by the IBS itself ! I researched this approach and implemented into my life along with relaxation techniques.This approach helped me greatly.

Remember that we are all different and to tailor your self help to you.Also within your self help approach you may find one particular element that is a silver bullet and leads to a drastic improvement in your condition. In my case this was taking vitamin B12,for you it may be something else.

I apologise for the length of this post and also if I don't reply to questions ( just don't have the time at the moment ) you may also find this same answer to other questions on the board as I feel I needed to share my experience. Please remember there is HOPE that you can control this condition

[Hidden]

Hi

My symptom of diarrhorea is caused by all dairy products - I am now on a strictly dairy and lactose free diet.

Don't know if you've tried this but I would also say that a lot of drugs in tablet form contain lactose and the ingredients have to be read thoroughly.