IBS C

Digestive health
1

Hi i am suspected to have IBS C, i have had the issue for around 6 years now. From what i have read i don't have the severe symptoms that others seem to have, but my symptoms are bad enough that they can cause me to be in a lot of pain occasionally and disrupt everything i do. 

I have tried most of the generic recommendations in terms of supplements, removal of things like caffiene, tea, fizzy drinks and processed food from the diet. My diet has always been well balanced and for the past five months i have only really eaten Spinach, Brown rice, Sweet potato, Quinoa and oats as the main parts of my meals whilst excluding almost completely wheat, glutten and milk. I have done a 4 week trial of the fodmap diet but experienced no changes from this.

I generally eat small meals 3 a day sometimes with a small snack, drink enough fluids etc. i'm working on eating slower and reducing stress, which i tend to get 

My main symptoms 

constipation/hard impacted stools

excessive bloating after meals

bloating after not eating for roughly 5 hours

occasionally stomach cramps 

incomplete emptying of bowels 

I am currently looking to experiment with bringing back wheat, glutten and diary foods back into my diet and using a very high potency probiotic. I am also considering getting a comprehensive stool test done, and a breath test to check for intolerances but i am not sure about these options. 

I am looking for someone who has similar symptoms to me and has experienced success with a method of some kind any recommendations would also be really appreciated. 

Sorry for the long message and thanks smile

 

2

Compared to where I was my symptoms are similar and my first question would be what exercise are you getting.

My diet is similar porridge, sweet potato, spinach 

I also eat eggs, oily fish and I drink peppermint tea. 

I found diet enough was not sufficient so I added in exercise. I used to walk 6 - 8 miles regularly at the weekend but prior to last Christmas I had a few uncomfortable end of walks so now I run instead. Running is not my forte so nothing too strenuous, just 20 - 25 mins locally but if I do start to feel ill I can make it back comfortably. Also I find those 20 mins can be as beneficial as a 2 hour walk. Maybe not but it is what I like to think anyway. 

I try and do something every day so it might even just be a slow 2 mile walk say 40 mins and back. I know where mile markers are around me. I would like to push it up to 3 but if stranded I might struggle to get back whereas I am confident at 2 miles.

I did have very severe IBS at one point with 3 hour loo visits, regularly being late to work until that job got rid of me, regularly being late to meet a former partner, until that partner got rid of me. I really was in a mess. I made the adjustments you have made, added in exercise and lost 3 stone from cutting out chocolate bars, crisps, carbonated drinks, doughnuts, always used to be free at work, fish and chips,also a Friday perk at work and the big one wine, of which I am a huge fan. I still have wine at Christmas but I don't work Christmas so that is my one indulgence. I also drink a lot of water and try to keep my stress down which is not always possible as I have the stress levels of Basil Fawlty but we can only do what we can do. 

If I think where I was to where I am now the difference is huge. I still get ill but more intermittent and seem to get more warning. So no more sprinting off leaving partner's in a long queue on their own and not proud but I have done this and in not so great areas. Always having to have the end seat on the aisle in case I had to dash off which meant anyone with you did not have as good a view as those in the middle and the big one eating out and feeling the urge to run off to the loo leaving anyone you are with alone and embarrassed. 

I am sure others' will have more constructive ideas but these worked for me.

Good luck 

3

You might have mild IBS, but I don't think its your primary problem. I think you've got simple constipation / slow transit colon.

Exercise is good to stimulate colonic motility.

If you're female and in the UK, there is a drug called Prucalopride which can be given to increase colonic motility.

The occasional stomach cramps might be IBS, but if they're only occasional then they're not going to be responsible for your daily constipation.

If giving up dairy and gluten has not improved your symptoms - go back to eating them - it didn't work.

4

PS

When I was at my worst I had every test imaginable and came back with haemorrhoids and IBS only. I used to have sickness with mine bi weekly which is now bi yearly which is why docs thought I must have something else but since coming here I have realised I am not the only one who suffers from sickness as part of IBS. Hard to believe only a few years before I did not even know what haemorrhoids were but sadly a part of IBS the doc said. 

5

I think stress and anxiety are natural parts of experiencing IBS.  My symptoms parallel yours, and I've also found that small meals help a lot.  One difference is that I can no longer tolerate milk, so am taking Almond milk on cereal, but can simply NOT drink a glass of it.  Probiotics seem to make my condition worse, which makes no sense at all - I used to take them before having IBS, and maintained a very healthy diet, with plenty of exercise, and a busy job.

Bloating is another unsolved mystery of IBS, and I find I'm ok until the afternoon, when it gets worse and worse until I go to bed.  

One other suggestion, even though I find it hard to follow is to get plenty of exercise - with me,  it's walking, but not for more than a couple of blocks (this is from someone who thought a three mile walk was a 'warm-up'.  I have to psych myself up to do this short walk, but I do find it works, that it relieves stress to a great degree.  

My husband, is very supportive, but is at a loss as to what to do to help me!  He works during the day and suggested staying home to 'look after me'.. my response was to tell him that it would do no good, and I'm better off, without him stressing over me too. (Sounds selfish of me).  Stress is the very worst.

After many (many) hospital trips which produced NO results, and a family doctor, who is exceptionally kind, but is at his wit's end as to what to suggest.  I've applied to receive medical marijuana, but don't hold up much hope for this either.  Better than drugs that I've been taking, anyway.

 

6

Hi I am basically the same as you.

Have you ever had a colonoscopy done?

Also I had a xray on my bowel it actually showed I have obstructive defecation. You also may not be straighten your puborectalis muscle when passing a bowel movement.

They sent me for biofeedback and ended up putting me on prucolapride.Neither have helped me, may help you though. I thought prucalopride would help because after a hour of taking it I rushed to the toilet (first day) 3 months later it just got used to me and doesn't make a difference at all. It also causes the worst headache you ever have in your life when you first take it (did for me)

I also have a rectocele and rectal descent.

7

It could be the lack of other foods and the fibre from the oats that are causing you issues. If you have IBS-C that doesn't alternate from IBS-C to IBS-D I would recommend you re intruduce caffeine as that's know to get most people moving in the norning. You should try adding more more fibre to your diet but what ever you do make sure it's Insoluble fibre that get the system moving if you chose soluble fibre by mistake it will make your issues 10x worse. As for the probiotics there's only 2 products out there that have been proven to work which are symprove and vsl3, the rest don't have enough bacterias to survive the acids of the digestive system and have been proven to be useless.

8

I often think fruit makes me worse your reply should probably help me too. Thanks

9

Hi thanks for your reply normally i do a lot of sport especially running, but this has dropped over the past few weeks as i have had a few injuries and i have noticied that my symptoms have worsened in this time. 

All i really do now are exercises like squats, core strengthening exercises and stretching, i do some walking but only around 30 minutes a day, and 10-15 minutes of light cycling. 

It's great to hear that you have seen improvement in your symptoms, even with running i would normally get stomach pain whilst doing it but then after i would be able to have a bowel movement and my stomach would be flat. Do have the same response with running?

10

Hi thanks your reply yes exercise normally helps me to empty my bowels, but i have been struggling to do enough of late because of injuries. 

Right i have never heard of the drug, but i am male i'm guessing the drug can only be prescribed to females. 

I agree on the dairy/glutten i am planning to slowly re-introduce them, interesting you mention "slow transit colon" can you explain that a bit more? My mother also struggles with bouts of constipation and pretty much the same symptoms as me, i have always wondered if there is a link i have no known allergies aswell

11

Hi fredd, I too have ibs c but have already been through the same same as you. My diet is limited compared to you. I can't have grains, rice or anything tiny as it sticks and causes lots of pain, certain veg is out and I now can't have much fruit all on top of being vegetarian! Life is simple in terms of what I can eat but I now have panic attacks if I'm asked to try anything else. I have to take a bowel softener every few days otherwise everything bungs up and the pain becomes crippling! I am now going to try a new foodstuff on top of all the vitamins and minerals to boost my diet. If you can tolerate milk I have been advised by someone on here funnily enough to try Kefir - it's an immunity milk that is meant to help I will try it but if it's not good I'll go back to my yogurts. Good luck it's hard but you have to find what works for you, I suffer for some of the things I now have but this year finally got to go abroad as I kept my diet the same and managed!

12

Hi thanks for your reply if there is anything i think i am sensitive to i think it's milk, but im still not really sure i also drink only almond milk at the moment like yourself. 

At the moment i can only do small amounts of exercise and my symptoms have worsened with doing this, but hopefully soon i will be able to exercise regularly. 

Also have not experienced much success from visiting doctors, hopefully your next step is succesful 

13

Hi thanks for your reply yes i've had a colonoscopy and also an x-ray too but they both had no issues  

Right ok i never had most of these terms mentionned to me by doctors, i have looked into prucalopride but it seems like its only for females? Dissapointing that you did'nt see consistent improvement from it though. 

Thank you for the info i will definently look into some of things you have mentionned, have you tried diet changes and has it helped you?

 

14

Hi thanks for your reply yes i do eat oats every morning, they may be something i reduce for a few weeks. In terms of insolube fiber i eat brocolli, peas, Qunioa pretty regularly but i also eat an Avocado twice a week, also pears which i think are pretty good for soluble/insoluble fiber. I''ll have a look at my fibre intake and try to reduce some of the soluble fiber i am eating. 

Yes i have tried a few probiotics in the past but have seen no effect, i have been taking Vsl3 for about a week now hopefully i see some improvement from it. 

15

Hi sam thanks for your reply right that is difficult, do you find that following that diet has a significant effect on your symptoms? 

I have heard of Kefir but at the moment i am still excluding milk and drink almond milk, i am not really sure if i'm sensitive to it or not. Yer it's definently hard because it's difficult to see what exactly is causing these symptoms, patience is not something i am great at but i am working on it. It's great to hear that you have found something that works for you. 

16

Hi Freddie good luck to you too.

17

Yes I try and stay away from foods that give me a instant bad stomach. (Milk, onions, garlic).

Eat small regular meals.

I'm ok with skimmed milk. I only ever drink water and twinings strawberry drink.

I'm not sure if pruculaopride is only for women as it treats chronic consipation, lazy bowels.

Might be worth looking at a FODMAP diet too?

18

To Fred and Meg

i have  to use laxatives as i tried all  other remedies and still do.

Peucaloprride gave me more pain...i have little sleep cos of wind and griping!

I make my own Kefir with Rice or Alnond milk.

Look at AGMD web for gut motility forum.

19

I'm wondering if you should ask your doctor to refer to to an allergist - for food allergies. 

Walking seems to make my problem worse, just like you described.  I used to be part of a walking group, but simply wouldn't attempt that now.

A friend of mine suggested I go for allergy tests (food) and the family doctor has sent in a referral - how long that will take, one only knows! 

20

Hi Fredd, as obvious as it may sound when you tried the FODMAP diet did anyone tell you how to reintroduce the foods you'd cut out? It's the bit you seem to have missed out. Try to get to see a dietitian. You shouldn't be left to do this alone. I'd see about some advice anyway as you seem to be needing some help. I wish you luck.