I have diagnosed with IBS for nearly 2 years now and have tried a number of medicines (including Fybogel Mebeverine, Colpermin, Windeze, Buscopan hyscine butylbromide, and VSL#3). This has been complimented by cutting out gluten and following the Fodmap diet. Nothing has changed and I’m an in constant discomfort i.e. every day, with peaks of pain (stomach pains, wind, need for toilet etc.) and troughs of just simple discomfort in the stomach. I have lost count of the amount of times I have gone to the doctors and I’m now being broadly told: “you have IBS, deal with it”. Does anyone have any similar experience of this and has anyone got any suggestions as to what I can try next? I feel that I am stuck.
Hi Richard am in a similar situation (going to see a consultant for a proper diagnosis) but it all sounds the same to me. I have tried proton pump inhibitors which work for a bit or sort of half work - have you tried them? Buscopan did not help, now on some painkillers which just take the edge off of it but gradually help less and less and have the side effects which virtually make it not worth it.
If would look to natural ways to help with it. And there is a lot written about how ibs is really about having a parasite in the colon that neds to be killed or due to allergic diet.
Hi Richard. Suffered from IBS C for about 10 years. Spent a fortune on medications, nutritionists, went gluten free, fodmap etc.. no luck. Was anxious and was given Citalopram. Bowels were much better but started this diet to lose some weight and was put on this high fibre diet with lots of veg. Thought I was going to explode witht he bloating. Read the book by James Hunter on IBS. He recommends low fibre and it works for me.
Hi Richard, do you have IBS with constipation or diarrhea? It makes a big difference on how you handle it, though psyllium husk works well with both. I too have been a sufferer for years, and am so so tired of the doctors labeling us with IBS. It seems to be a catch all phrase, doesn't it? I went to 5 GI doctors in a short span of time, and I guess I was a squeaky wheel so one finally did an endoscopy and colonoscopy. Turned out I had a peptic ulcer. Once on medication for the ulcer, the daily diarrhea and nausea finally subsided. But I am actually an IBS-C sufferer. So for it to change for a year to daily diarrhea and to have nausea daily for 4 years was absolutely horrendous to live with. So which do you suffer with?
Hi Barbara, how are you now? I think it is easy to misdiagnose these things, so many of the symptoms are the same or similar. An ulcer is easier to deal with because you can heal it. But I believe that everyone's ibs is different, some have candida, some have an infection and so on.
Hi Armelle. I am waiting to get a proper diagnosis at the hospital but will take on board what you have said thanks.I usually have a high fibre diet and maybe that is not such a good idea.
Hello Richard,
My IBS started when I was 14..and I was too embarrassed to tell my parents that every few days I was writhing on the bathroom floor in agony with diarrhea for over half an hour. I was afraid to see a doctor about it. This went on for years and I thought it was a diarrhea problem when in fact, it was quite the opposite. What I finally learned is that constipation was causing my diarrhea because the muscles of my colon were cramping hard to expel its hardened contents. It would go into overdrive and keep cramping until it was empty...and I was a wreck.
I finally figured out that if I tuned into what my colon was trying to tell me and kept myself regular, I was as right as rain. I rarely have an 'attack'; maybe once or twice a year but usually because I eat/drink too much dairy.
I will share my solution which may apply to you. Look at your dinner plate. It should be colourful....not beige. THat goes for the breakfast bowl and lunch plate too. If you are not eating the NHS recommended 6 - 10 servings per day of fruits and veggies, this could be a big part of your problem.
Personally for years now I have started every day off with a fruit smoothie with non-dairy protein powder added. I toss into the blender the following: berries, protein powder, a bit of cranberry juice, probiotics in a soy base and almond milk. (I can't tolerate dairy.) I already have 2 - 3 servings of fruits. Sometimes I even add celery, spinach and a carrot.
Many people say, "But I hate vegetables." Eat them as the French do, well drained after boiling or steaming, with added butter, garlic, salt and pepper and maybe fresh lemon juice and you will be a convert. Spinach boiled in a bit of water for one minute, steamed lush green broccoli, delicious little brussel sprouts all lend themselves to this same seasoning. We all have beets in our fridge. We can all shred some cabbage (30 seconds) and put mayo and lemon juice on it. Washing green lettuce (not iceberg) and slicing a tomato and sprinkling chopped red pepper/capsicum over it can't take longer than 2 - 3 minutes. Add your favourite dressing to it and voila! Mmmm! There is a whole world of lovely, jewel toned, fresh veggies out there that your bowels will love and thank you for.
In addition, every night before bed, I take magnesium citrate which helps me sleep, is a great brain nutrient (that has been proven to fight anxiety and depression) and most importantly keeps IBS sufferers regular... every morning with no cramping.
Add some exercise if you are not already involved in it daily, to keep things moving right along.
For most conditions, you want to try lifestyle solutions first before resorting to prescription meds and all their side effects.
IBS will hopefully become a thing of the past as it did for me and with an improved diet, you will reap the benefits of a long and healthy life.
Alright Richard.
I've kind if tried the same things as you and also been given the printout of ibs from my GP with little help. I have however been referred to see a specialist with will hopefully help me.
How long have u tried each diet etc for? I must admit I told people that I'd tried diets etc and they didn't help... When in fact I wasn't thorough enough with them and didn't stay on then for long enough to see a difference. Classic error I made was neglecting what the obvious. When I cut down on sugar I felt proper rough and my ibs went crazy. Felt awful for about 4 weeks then started to get better. It's improved my ibs massively cutting down sugar and fizzy drinks but took time. I've now started again with vsl3 because I don't think I tried it for long enough to see results.
Good luck
Good point Ned. It isn't just about what you DO eat (fruit and veggies, good quality protein etc..) but what you DON"T or SHOULDN'T eat...such as greasy foods, sugars, lots of bread/pasta/pastries, fizzy drinks etc.. Good point indeed.
The NHS recomend 5 portions of fruit and veg a day. Other countries recommend more. The NHS did want to recommend 9 portions a day but they knew people were unlikely to follow it.
Hey Robin, you suffered with IBS for a long time! Did they even know what to call it when you were diagnosed? Considering what you eat, have you checked into the Paleo diet yet? I tell ya, along with making sure I get enough magnesium, my innards really feel SO good! Rarely have any gas at all and just feel good. I know you said you were going to check it out :-)
Hope you are doing well!
Barb
I agree with Brenda. The probiotics kill the bad bacteria in the gut and add beneficial bacteria. I have been putting them in my family's morning smoothie for years and years.
Before going the drug route, it's important to give lifestyle a chance; diet, water++, roughage in the diet, lots of vegetables, a fruit smoothie to start your day on the right foot and magesium before bed. I will all but guarantee that this takes care of your IBS. It sure did me!
We have been conditioned to think that unless we leave the doctor's office with a prescription in hand, our sickness/condition is not real.
We cause so many illnesses by poor lifestyle...so the reverse is true; we can cure so many illnesses through positive lifestyle changes.
Good luck!
Hello Apple Cider Vinegar Barb!
First of all I can't thank you enough for that recommendation. Just tonight 20 - 30 minutes before dinner, I took a TBSP of acv in a glass of water. There was no post meal bloating and discomfort and no acid reflux. Last night I forgot and I actually had to make myself throw up in order to relieve the discomfort. it was like I had eaten a chicken whole.
I forgot about that Paleo diet...but now that you remind me, I WILL definitely look into it. I have no clue what it's about. But if it's anything like the Atkins, with no white carbs basically, I think it's a good one. I could lose a 'few' pounds anyway.
There have been a couple of suicidal young people on the site that took my attention away from the IBS issues. I think I will leave the IBS issues. There was some negativity from two posters. I am just waiting to see how the young ones do before signing off for good. I've shared what I can...and I got excellent advice from you re the ACV and from Maurice about...can't recall the name but I have been taking it too. It protects the lining of the gut.
I did quite a research on magnesium and came across credible research reports that state that all of us in industrialized nations are magnesium deficient. I discovered all of this since coming on the site so don't know if I shared any of it with you. I did post it but I think the moderators probably didn't like that I put in links and withheld the posts. No one explained why. Anyway, this deficiency of epidemic proportions is affecting many systems in the body including the brain. Symptoms of deficiency are anxiety and depression.
When I was much younger I had never heard of anyone who had a burnout or a breakdown or any such thing. Now it seems that every 3rd person is suffering from some disorder affecting the mind. Rickets affected our grandparents' generation and when the government became aware of it, children were given cod liver oil. Maybe they will discover next that we need magnesium supplements and that anxiety and depression are the rickets of the 21st century.
I would include a link to a scholarly paper on magnesium deficiency but it might be pulled...so you can look it up yourself if you are interested. I am gobsmacked (as you Brits say) to read more and more on magnesium deficiency to the point where I would like to yell from the rooftops for everyone to go out and get magnesium supplements. It's also cardiac protective among other incredible benefits.
THanks again for the suggestion to take ACV. And I WILL read about the Paleo diet tomorrow morning for sure.
Ciao!
Robin
HI, THERE ive had this problem for more than 10 yrs + am feed up
of it, tryed almost every thing had tests cameras colonoscopy- and endoscorpy, everything down stairs is normal .
i suffer with gastric-reflux and on emprosal tab for more then 9 yrs
some times i can go for months with out any problem then it strikes with
vengance- gut feels like a waher-machine noises small intestianes feel
twisted inside of me bloated all the times. my worst nightmere constipation
dieareea - runs , tryed aloe verea, probitics ginger, fennal
busopan copamin malverine windease and so on nothing worked
ive tryed to watch what am eating still no joy, some days i go with out food
for 2 days try to emty my self out , did try one thing that calm it down that is
amoxillan tablets of a week then every thing started to calm bk down for about
6- months might have to go to doctors again for another course of them
i think its a germ in the small intestines that is causing all the trouble for all of us, p.s i am 48 yrs old and not happy about living with this problem so
m8 we in all this together am afraid,
Woah there Claudio! Che stai facendo?
The solution is right on your dinner plate.
You need to keep REGULAR and ....everything will be fine. When you eat constipating foods and you don't eat enough fruits and vegetables in a day and maybe don't drink enough water...your bowels block up.What one eats obviously affects what what one excretes. To keep your insides working well you can do the following:
1. Eat 6 - 10 servings of vegetables and fruits per day. (NHS recommendation) No more beige meals! Only delicious, jewel coloured vegetables on your dinner plate. No Italian breakfasts of cookies and coffee. Instead a lovely smoothie; berries and an apple in the blender, add probiotics (very important), non dairy protein powder and almond milk.
2. Get some exercise every day to keep things moving...whether it be walking or a sport or an exercise class.
3. Limit or better, eliminate constipation causing foods such as white rice, cured meats which are salty like ham, salami, hot dogs, too much meat in general, salty foods like crisps, under ripe bananas, dairy and tea until you get things under control.
4. omit dairy products from your diet altogether if you can...or limit them and replace them with delicious almond milk. Milk wreaks havoc with your insides.
5. Drink plenty of water. (I have a pitcher by my computer so first thing in the morning I drink down 2 full glasses).
6. I often take 1 tsp of natural psyllium husks (as in Fybrogel) in the afternoon in a tall glass of water.
7. If you have particularly sluggish bowels, take 2 -3 tablets of the natural mineral magnesium citrate before bed. In the morning you will produce a foot long, soft, stool that passes in 3 seconds. And that's it, no pain, no cramping. Everything should pass easily. You will need to gauge whether to take 2 or 3 tablets of magnesium often depending on how bulky your stool was from the previous day. You should be able to eliminate everything in one fell swoop in the morning. You will learn that you need to be on top of your bowel activity for the rest of your life as I am...and I have no problems anymore, thank God.
If we all just drank plenty of water, filled our dinner plates with colourful veggies and moved our bodies more, we would be fine. Listen to your body. Lifestyle, lifestyle, lifestyle! Treat your bowels well and they will thank you. Good luck! In bocca al lupo!
Hi Barb. Please may I ask why you take the magnesium, how much and how it makes a difference?
Am very glad the biotics helped you. In my case I took some and they made me far worse.
We are all deficient in all vitamins and minerals. The amount of vitamins and minerals we used to get in a cabbage are now reduced so much you would have to earn thirty cabbages to get the same nutrition.
The idea it is a germ in the intestine makes a lot of sense. Some people just do not consider this and go all around the houses looking for other things - all red herrings, all a waste of time and money and all meaning you consider to be ill. Well known naturopaths have said this too.
This is absolutely true. I read that the NHS recommends: AT LEAST 5 servings per day of fruits and vegetables....because as you say that they report, it would be difficult to get Brits to eat more since they are not accustomed to eating many vegetables and fruits. I was mistaken with my 6 - 10 servings...which is the Canadian recommendation. Having said that, the 'at least' could be interpreted as the same as the Canadian recommendation. I read that in Japan they recommend 14 servings...but the portions are about 40% smaller. (They are smaller people.) There was mention made of the quality of vegetables being important; broccoli being more nutritious than cucumbers is what they said.
We hear how the Medierranean diet is so nutritious and the best diet for cardiac health. Having stayed with people in Italy 3x over the past few years, I can tell you that their breakfasts are very high in carbs. They eat generally a white bun or high sugar granola (in the north) or plain biscuits, often with a high sugar yoghurt...all with coffee. When I went to stay with the different families, they thought it very strange that I would eat a fruit at breakfast and want protein at the meal (to stabilize blood sugar levels...and prevent cravings.)
After lunch and dinner (often with wine) they end the meal with 1 - 3 fruits...where we might eat biscuits or even cake. Their meals are never deep fried.
The interesting thing is that in Italy, ALL school age children are fed a 'dinner' at lunch in the schools. That includes soups, salads, meat...a full and nutritious meal. That must be a huge expense for the government!... And people who work, almost all go out for a specially priced full course meal in restaurants and cafés. Almost everyone in Italy eats their main meal at lunch. I think this excellent, institutionalised nutrition for all children in Italy is the reason that they are such a beautiful, healthy looking people with good facial bone structure; that and the sun.
But it's the French who have it over us all in terms of cardiac health...and that is due to the French Paradox. (google a documentary on YouTube). They drink wine, usually red, with their lunch...every day. And red wine because of its resveratrol component keeps the blood thinner and the arteries open. And that is why the French have far fewer heart attacks and strokes than people in the rest of the world. Cheers!
Nutrition is so interesting!