IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME

GracesGranMK2 yes I plan to add things back in to see how I go. No ill effects from the banana so far.

If you are eating bananas OTH half should be all and do not eat them when they are ripe.

The problem the research at Monash University (Australia) have found it that many with IBS suffer a malabsorption of short chain carbohydrates (FODMAPs). This includes many of the natural sugars.

The major FODMAPs are fructose (honey, apples, pears…), fructans (wheat, rye, onions…), GOS (legumes, cabbage…), polyols (sorbitol and mannitol in stone fruits, mushrooms…) and lactose (milk, ice cream…).

There are lists on the internet but it is better to ask your doctor if you can do this through a dietician as you may well be able to add some items back in - and should if you can.

When DH had a really bad time with IBS he took Aloe Vera sort of gel - had to be kept in the fridge and he took a small amount a couple of times a day - did help quite a bit.
He now rarely gets any problem and I wonder if it is because he is less stressed.

I have suffered with IBS D for many many years. It is intermittent but it's made worse by the anxiety of going out and needing the loo. I manage it pretty well by knowing where loos are on my journey, just in case. I also wear what I call safety pants if I'm going on a long journey, again just in case. I can be OK for ages and then get caught out which would be embarrasing but for the fact I take the forementioned precautions.
What I have recently discovered is, I went on a cruise a little while back and didn't experience any problems. I wondered why this is and looked at what I ate on the cruise compared to at home.
Initially I realised I hadn't eaten any cheese and I love cheese, so wondered if lactose could be the problem. I was a bit better but not great so decided it probably wasn't that. Another thing I realised I hadn't eaten much was fruit. Each night we have a large bowl of chopped up fruit and fruit is good for you, right! Anyway for a few weeks now I have cut out the fruit and have been so much better. Not saying this is it entirely, only time will tell, but so much better. I have just tonight eaten half a banana to see if it makes and difference then in a few days will try something else. I read apples and pears can affect some people so I will be avoiding them.

annie the 'other grandma' in our family could have written everything you wrote when you wrote it. She saw her GP, got a referral the hospital, where they diagnosed diverticulitis to add to her IBS and other ills, but after a month she is now feeling a lot better and thinks the medical intervention helped, if nothing else, it meant she is less worried about it and that makes a difference as well.

So see the GP, get a referral to a specialist and relax when you are in expert hands.

Very difficult because there are so many variables: what you eat when you eat what additives are in the food how it is cooked etc D.S. has been recommended a new product Will find out more and report back. We are now going to pay for him to see a nutritionist. I suspect we don't have enough people specialising in these sort of problems within the N.H.S.

anniegold did Alygran and has been referred to a gastroenterologist.

Please go to your GP, this should not be ignored. Any change in bowel habit needs proper investigation especially when you have lost weight too. DH had Chrons so that was always blamed for every pain and gurgle. Sadly it was bowel cancer and not diagnosed soon enough.

If you prefer to prevent the symptoms as far as possible rather than treat the effects do ask you doctor about FODMAPS. It comes from research and work done at Monash University in Australia. You basically start by excluding all the Fermentable foods which contain Oligo-, Di-, and Mono-saccharides And Polyols (FODMAPs) These are short chain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine.

This is best done with a dietician but I am aware from support groups that many GPs send you off to do this by yourself. After an initial period of exclusion of the whole "no" list, you start to add things back in. If you are not sent to a dietician there is a lot of help on line and a couple of good books. Re-introduction is a bit of an eye opener - I am now slightly vampiric when I know foods contain either onions or garlic as they will both lay me very badly low. It is, you begin to realise, all about fermentable sugars so some fruit is okay and some not (fructose). I cannot drink ordinary milk and have lactose free milk and the frutans in wheat make it a no no in all but a few cases where the recipe ferments them to digestible levels. Although gluten free foods may help they sometimes contain things that make the sweet which are difficult to digest.

My GP has been very keen to go down this route and therefore very supportive and I like the feeling that I am doing as little damage as possible and have some control.

I found this site very helpful

If it really is IBS and not IBD, then I found the perfect solution with Flowers of Bach. I filled in this 5 page questionnaire and the chemist made me up a personalised remedy. It started working within a couple of weeks. I swear by it now. I no longer feel afraid of going out and not being near a loo. It's also inexpensive and my doctor approves.

Also if you are officially ' undiagnosed ' read up on Diverticulitis perhaps another potential.

Might a change of diet help? For me, eating bread was the worst thing I could do but, unfortunately I often slip back into the habit of eating bread again.

Can you buy colestyramine over the counter? I was diagnosed with incontinence 10 yrs ago but cant remember being prescribed that medication........so long ago.

thankyou so much for your advice re my IBS.....you have prompted me to go back to my doctor and ask to be referred to a gastroenterologist.....why didnt I think of that. Its also IBS can cover many types of problems.

Now into 4th week and although 50% improvement, when I eat or even drink anything at different times my stomach is still cramping.

Yes, the hospital prescribed Mebeverine, Buscopan and Peppermint Oil pills....I asked my dr if I could double up the Mebeverine and naturally he said no, as they arent working.

But a big thank you and very grateful for all your advice.

Will keep in touch and let you know the outcome.

I think you should see the doc - you have had a particularly bad bout out of the blue for 3 weeks - little pink/red flags waving here I think.

Any change in bowel habit should not be ignored. Just because you have longstanding IBS does not mean you cannot have other things too.

I had a lifetime of loo visits about 10x a day - eventually settled with colestyramine - bingo! - normal life. Apparently I had bile salt malabsorption.

Anniegold, have a chat with your doctor, I have controlled IBS - confirmed at a time it was referred to as spastic colon! Never eat onions or tomatoes. But if you do decide to check your diet please do not leave off several foods at the same time.

The IBS label covers several similar conditions it seems. My DH has a version affecting the lower bowel and is on a cocktail of medication. He has regular tests for cancer, ulcers, polyps, and anything else out of the ordinary. You may have developed ulcerated colitis or something in between. It doesn't automatically mean cancer. But you must see your doctor as your medication may well need changing.

Are you 100% sure it could not be an ulcer,please seek medical advice asap I hope you feel better soon x

I urge you to see your GP and have further investigations. Like you I had years of discomfort and eventually went private and had a colonoscopy, I had bowel cancer. There is no reason to think you will have the same but IBS is a diagnosis reached after eliminating everything else as there are no definitive tests to prove IBS.

At the risk of stating the obvious - have you seen a doctor? Been referred to a gastroenterologist? Reviewed what you have eaten which might have triggered this attack?
It may not be IBS -do see someone.