Suggestions for IBS sufferer please!

[buffymad]

I get bloated very very easily and also have trouble with constipation (quite frequently) and pains in my stomach through this and the bloating. Pretty sure I have IBS but last time I saw someone at my docs about this, the advice I was given was to take things to make me go and take things to make me stop. Helpful - not. So I haven't bothered asking again.

It doesn't seem to be related to anything I eat - I can get bloated simply through not having a walk at lunchtime (and being stuck at my desk) or not eating at my "usual" times. And of course, not going to the toilet makes it all the worse. I can sometimes be doubled up in pain. Deflatine seems to help! And although it sounds horrible, even when I do go to the toilet, I never have a feeling of being "empty" once I've been (even if I've been a lot). I also feel very gassy.

I went to Holland & Barrats and got some probiotic tablets (I think) - the good bacteria kind of stuff which I take every day. I was taking peppermint tea too and both seemed to help but not 100% and not all the time.

Does anyone else suffer with the same kind of symptoms (sure there'll be many) and if so, any suggestions on what else I could try?

I seem to have a good few weeks (hurrah) followed by some uncomfortable days/weeks and just wondered if there was anything else I could do to help.

[LoftyLottie]

Personally, I would go back to see your GP or another doctor and have a discussion about this as you are not sure that you have IBS, although it sounds likely. There are things you can take to help and you can buy tablets for IBS from your pharmacy to ease the pain and relieve it. IBS affects different people in different ways, so I would hesitate to give advice. I have suffered with it since I was a child and have learned to live with it. Mine is linked more to anxiety than anything I eat.

[ummmm]

Do you drink alcohol?

[cupid04]

when I get constipated I take 5mls of lactulose solution 3 times a day. This helps
soften stools as opposed to some laxatives which are a bit strong. Do drink plenty of
fluids [at least 2 litres a day] to help prevent stools becoming too hard or impacted.
I suffer from IBS so I know how you feel. With treatment it should improve and I know
it is easier said than done but try to avoid stressful situations which can aggravate
symptoms. Wish you well. Regards Cupid04.

[TheNovice]

Peppermint oil capsules from the chemist or health shops disperse wind and calm the symptoms u describe - they're very good I find. Also Colofac (from pharmacist) or Boots IBS relief capsules - although if you need these continually I would recommend getting yourself thoroughly checked out medically.

[Sqad]

I agree with Lofty.....you need a Colonoscopy ( camera up your bum) first and if that is normal, then ans only then can we discuss your IBS.

[Selfridge81]

Hi buffymad, Im exactly in the same boat as u, i know that living with IBS is not easy. GP prescibed me 2 medications -
Mebeverine Tablets, take one tablet 20 mintues before meal, 3 times a day but i didnt follow it, mostly only once sometimes, only when tummy feels uncomfortable.
Buscopan Tablets, i found this one is very good and it helped.
But unfortunately i can't take them at the moment due to ttc.

Have u heard about Yakult? Price is abt £2.50 for 7. In most supermarkets.

When I get bad gassy, i take either peppermint tea or deflatine tablets or a can of 7up, they also helped!

Sometimes i look abt 4 months preg! whenever i eat big amount of meal, cos constipation makes bloating more. Fruit & Fibre cereal and pear helped. So, have u tried them?

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask anymore questions, then i'd be happy to help :o)

For me, lately i have noticed that it happened just before period is due.

[craft1948]

i Have suffered fro IBS for about 10 years now............I control it with Mbeverine but it was quite sometime before my doctor would prescribe it.

[Selfridge81]

craft1948 - 10 years is a long time. 2 years for me and 14 years for my partner.
Do u think in any future there is cure for it?

[LoftyLottie]

The first thing to do is get it confirmed that you have IBS. That is very important before you start taking anything, as Sqad has said. IBS and various other ailments and diseases have the same symptoms and it is worth checking it out properly.

[factor-fiction]

I find the best remedies are:-
- a drink of pepsi/coke (maybe the bubbles have some impact)
- a brandy if late at night
- a hot water bottle
- colefac tablets

[Selfridge81]

My GP diagnosed me IBS without any tests. So, i thought how do they know i've got IBS without any further tests :s

[MrIncredible]

Go bac to your GP and asked to be tested (if you havn't already done so) for
coeliacs disease.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeliac_disease
Coeliac disease symptoms are very similar to that of IBS, 1 in a 100 people have coeloacs but many go undiagnosed.

[Sqad]

selfridge.....and what answer did you come up with?

[LoftyLottie]

I had problems from the age of 9 and they took my appendix out, but then said there hadn't been any need. They then said I had 'stomach migraine'. At 18 I had loads of tests and stuff and they diagnosed IBS. It flares up if I am anxious or stressed.

[Selfridge81]

IBS and she thinks i've got Dyspepsia but i refused to take Endoscopy. My partner did have Endoscopy last year, finally they found he's got Acid Reflux. I get lots of wind especially after eating.

[Sqad]

lofty....abdominal migraine was a popular diagnosis and probably still is, many children having their appendix out for it.

I accept that abdominal migraine is indeed a reputable diagnosis and is completely different from IBS.

[craft1948]

Mine is apparently stress related.........the University of York has a huge science research park and someone I know went there with her IBS problems. Months, and many £'s later they ascribed it to certain food groups,and within weeks of changing her diet she was fine.

[Eastender]

Sometimes probiotic's seem to aggrivate IBS.

[karenmac60]

These are great
http://www.boots.com/...min-20-Capsules_2589/

[buffymad]

Ummm - yes I do drink alcohol but usually only on a Friday or Saturday. Usually the weekends are my best times, no pain, no bloating etc! Maybe its the alcohol helping?!

Selfridge81 - I did try Yakult for a while but didn't like the fishy smell (don't ask!!). I take a fibre supplement, can't remember what its called but you can either mix it with water or mix it in your food (doesn't taste of anything). Like I say, some things seem to help sometimes but not all the time!

Karenmac60 - yes, someone else mentioned those capsules to me too.

And to everyone else - yes, I will go to my docs to discuss it with him. Just don't hold out much hope as I didn't get much help/sympathy when I had a herniated disc (he insisted on telling me it was just a bad back - but that's another story!!). Only one other doc in that practice and she's the one who told me to take laxatives and tablets to make me stop!!

I even sometimes feel like I can't actually pass wind which makes the bloating worse. Again, Deflatine is the only thing that seems to shift it. But then that's horrible because you need to "let it out" and can't do that at work too easily!!