Irritable Bowel Syndrome, help to manage it Options

[*****030812]

I have read that alot of people self diagnose when it isn't actually what the problem is.

Yes it may have the same symptoms, but doesn't mean you have to suffer for the rest of your life.

Sorry if this sounds insensitive, I don't mean it that way, it's just I suffered these symptoms for a long time and thought for sure I had it but I didn't. For me it was triggered by stress in my job and poor diet. Poor diet as in no breakfast, so I wasn't 'opening my bowels' often enough.

Mine was so bad prior to booking in for a colonoscopy and endoscopy that I couldn't even eat plain old steak and veges without getting horrible stomach cramps and having to rush to the loo.

I found the flushing out of my system prior to the colonoscopy was a great start to improving things, along with eating a high fibre cereal (weet bix) and having a hot drink each morning with my cereal.
Always making sure if I had the urge to go to the toilet to go immediately.
Drinking 2 litres of water a day.
The breakfast and hot drink though was crucial for me, as you need this to kick start your digestive system for the day.

My biggest thing was if I didn't open my bowels of a morning, I could be guaranteed to suffer IBS type symptoms later that day.
When I would 'go' in the morning, it was usually 3 times, sometimes more.

Sugary food is known to cause these symptoms too.

Good luck finding a way to help your symptoms.

[teresa2182]

I go from not going for 4-5 days to going constantly for a day or 2. I got diagnosis from blood/stool tests.
The bloating is the worst, it starts ok in the morn then as the day goes on my stomach gets bigger and bigger. Does anyone else get like a lump feeling below the breasts? sometimes it feel like my heart will stop but the Dr is convinced its just wind. I am not on anything for it other than Nexium for a month due to reflux.

[ChristalLovesDean]

I go from not going for 4-5 days to going constantly for a day or 2. I got diagnosis from blood/stool tests.
The bloating is the worst, it starts ok in the morn then as the day goes on my stomach gets bigger and bigger. Does anyone else get like a lump feeling below the breasts? sometimes it feel like my heart will stop but the Dr is convinced its just wind. I am not on anything for it other than Nexium for a month due to reflux.

Just thought that I would add that Teresa-that sounds like gall bladder symptoms to me-I had them just after I had charlotte and have now had my gall bladder out and its so much better, but I did feel like I was having a heart attack at times-the pain was worse than childbirth but it could be yours just starting...

[Lotus]

Hi there

I have just been googling & came across this forum.

I suffer from severe IBS - diarrohea...a lot of it...it really screws up my life and is very much anxiety related, plus with various food triggers including alcohol (not at all happy about that one!). I take Lomotil every day (on prescription) to try & keep things under control and avoid public humiliations (yep had a few of them too ), but I am sooooo desperate to find more answers.

I really believe if I could keep the anxiety controlled, I could control the diarrohea. At least manage it anyway. I take benzos (Xanax, etc.) occassionally and they work great, but they are horrible drugs, addictive and with withdrawal symptoms, so they are an absolute last resort.

As soon as I get in the car or have to go anywhere, those little cramps start and I begin to panic...and they my intestines go in to overdrive & create diarrohea...& then I panic more as I think I'm about to have an accident in the car or in public...& so the cycle continues...

Did anyone have any luck finding a hypnotherapist in Perth that has any experience in this area?. I think that could be the solution but the right person would really need to understand the disorder to be able to treat it.

If anyone has had any success I would really love to hear from you.

Cheers

[Roy]

Hi Melin.

Please check out my blog at www.irritablebowelsynd.blogspot.com

Regards

Roy

Hey Ladies,

For the past 12 yrs I have had lots of IBS symptoms and my mum and I kind of self diagnosed IBS.

Well after having two medical procedures yesterday to rule out anything else the specialist has told me to treat my condition as IBS.

Any ideas on how best to do this? Any special foods I should stay away from as I can't seem to pinpoint the ones that affect me more?

Any recipes? Vitamins?

Would be grateful for any ideas.

Thanks

Melin

Hi Lotus,

Please check out my blog at www.irritablebowelsynd.blogspot.com

Regards

Roy

[Roy]

Hi Bixter76,

Please read my blog at www.irritablebowelsynd.blogspot.com

Regards

Roy

[teresa2182]

Just thought that I would add that Teresa-that sounds like gall bladder symptoms to me-I had them just after I had charlotte and have now had my gall bladder out and its so much better, but I did feel like I was having a heart attack at times-the pain was worse than childbirth but it could be yours just starting...

I did have gall bladder problems yrs ago but none of the dr's I've seen regarding this problems seem to think it's anything other than IBS especially after the blood/stool tests.