IBS/Stomach Health Gang

Qikz wrote:

LewisD wrote:Peppermint oil capsules from Holland and Barrett, they are a life saver.

Start necking two in the morning and two in the evening when I feel the telltale sign of a flare up and it keeps it in check and it doesn't do the demolition on my bowel like I used to get.

Currently waiting for my Colonoscopy in June.
Had a sigmoidoscopy last month but the doctor said my rectum looked pretty healthy and so my colonoscopy probably will come back blank. He suspects IBS.

But dude. Honestly the peppermint oil capsules have taken me from a week long flare up every other month to none in four months.

Colonoscopy? My GP just said I had IBS based on my symptoms that I gave him and this was about 10 years ago. Was I meant to go through something more serious? I mean I know for sure it's IBS but I feel glad I didn't have to go through anything like that.

Might be because I'm older and more prone to it being something worse perhaps? I dunno.

I was having it for years and finally found a GP who didn't dismiss it as eating something my stomach didn't agree with.
Did blood samples, poo samples and then got the bum-camera referral in January.

I'm pretty sure it's "just" IBS, based on being able to keep it under control pretty well now, but doesn't hurt to let a man look in my arsehole every now and again.

Open wide and say "TOOT!"

I promise you’ll never again feel as clean and light as the hours after drinking the two litres of intestine evacuator

good ol cleanprep™

I suffer with horrendous trapped wind and bloating, possibly IBS but parttially because I use a cpap non invasive ventilator which basically means I swallow air when I eat and drink.

Peppermint oil capsules, Windeze (currently unavailable anywhere due to manufacturing issues), buscopan and Twinings Digest tea (spearmint, apple, roibos and boabab) all work for me.

I also have prescriptions for Maalox and Dicycloverine Hydrochloride, the latter works really well but is expensive af (£120 for a 150ml bottle).

Did you try FODMAP with a dietitian? It mustn't be attempted alone. You need to ask your GP to refer you to one. This is what a dietitian at work said to me when I said I was doing the fodmap diet myself.
Apparently with going gluten dairy free etc you won't feel all the effects until you have done it for 3-6months this is what a doctor told me.
Out of all the gut friendly bacteria supplements I tried there is one where I actually felt the difference after taking it for two days only. I highly recommend you try it. It's called Alflorex, you can get it at Boots, Amazon but on their website they have an offer https://www.precisionbiotics.co.uk/

In terms of me being diagnosed with it...my GP at the time just said yes it's IBS after I tested negative for coeliac. Another GP who was a locum wanted to do an endoscopy but my GP cancelled the appointment said I was too young for that and I was 26 at the time. I then had stool samples and again that came back clear. Finally I insisted on seeing a consultant gastroenterologist and again he said it was IBS.

Do you know what your trigger foods are? Have you ever kept a good diary?

hi n1fff, yeah I did the fodmap with my gp and hospital consultant at the time

thanks for the tips too, I’ll look into that stuff

I really need to keep some sort of diary (no idea how long you’d need to keep one for before looking for any patterns, maybe a month? 2 months?) as I do feel I go through phases of what could be some form of IBS before things return to normal. I’m also not sure if my less than ideal shift pattern at work could be part of the issue as I get nowhere near the recommended 3 hours between eating before going to bed due to having to try and get to sleep fairly early most nights, my days off are nearly always trouble free, so not sure if I’m getting myself unnecessarily stressed re work for some reason as well. No idea if the latter portion would impact things or not kind

Might try the Twining tea bags Ironhide mentioned if they sell them where I work as I do love a cuppa

False wrote:hi n1fff, yeah I did the fodmap with my gp and hospital consultant at the time

thanks for the tips too, I’ll look into that stuff

Cool let me know if you do try Aflorex. Would be interested to know if it works for you too.

Robbo-92 wrote:I really need to keep some sort of diary (no idea how long you’d need to keep one for before looking for any patterns, maybe a month? 2 months?) as I do feel I go through phases of what could be some form of IBS before things return to normal. I’m also not sure if my less than ideal shift pattern at work could be part of the issue as I get nowhere near the recommended 3 hours between eating before going to bed due to having to try and get to sleep fairly early most nights, my days off are nearly always trouble free, so not sure if I’m getting myself unnecessarily stressed re work for some reason as well. No idea if the latter portion would impact things or not kind

Might try the Twining tea bags Ironhide mentioned if they sell them where I work as I do love a cuppa

Every doctor I have seen about IBS have always mentions stress but I always doubt it's one of my trigger points as I am a very laid back person.

No:1 Final Fantasy Fan wrote:Every doctor I have seen about IBS have always mentions stress but I always doubt it's one of my trigger points as I am a very laid back person.

No:1 Final Fantasy Fan wrote:

False wrote:hi n1fff, yeah I did the fodmap with my gp and hospital consultant at the time

thanks for the tips too, I’ll look into that stuff

Cool let me know if you do try Aflorex. Would be interested to know if it works for you too.

Robbo-92 wrote:I really need to keep some sort of diary (no idea how long you’d need to keep one for before looking for any patterns, maybe a month? 2 months?) as I do feel I go through phases of what could be some form of IBS before things return to normal. I’m also not sure if my less than ideal shift pattern at work could be part of the issue as I get nowhere near the recommended 3 hours between eating before going to bed due to having to try and get to sleep fairly early most nights, my days off are nearly always trouble free, so not sure if I’m getting myself unnecessarily stressed re work for some reason as well. No idea if the latter portion would impact things or not kind

Might try the Twining tea bags Ironhide mentioned if they sell them where I work as I do love a cuppa

Every doctor I have seen about IBS have always mentions stress but I always doubt it's one of my trigger points as I am a very laid back person.

Yes. Famously laid back.

Wow just found this thread which is weird as I've had a flare up myself over the last few weeks.

Some tips I've found, Yakult seems great. It seems counterintuitive as I have cut out lactose from milk so it must be something to do with the way Yakult is distilled or something. Anyway, it has really helped. I've also added kefir yoghurt drinks too.

My doctor actually recommended that as he said it helps sooth your intestines or something when they are enflamed during an IBS flare up.

I've had to live with it for about 20 years so I know a lot of trigger foods. Fruit juices and too much fruit are killer. I read its to do with soluble and insoluble fibre, so some fruits and veg are fine, other aren't.

I'll have to try the peppermint oil trick and see if that helps.

ive been doing peppermint colpermin pills and oats for brekkie as suggested and my cramping is better

gas is about the same, toilet frequency has dropped but consistency no better

so i think on the (w)hole, improving

im doing a semi fast today to see if i can relax and clear out the insides and reset a bit

Cheeky Devlin wrote:

No:1 Final Fantasy Fan wrote:

False wrote:hi n1fff, yeah I did the fodmap with my gp and hospital consultant at the time

thanks for the tips too, I’ll look into that stuff

Cool let me know if you do try Aflorex. Would be interested to know if it works for you too.

Robbo-92 wrote:I really need to keep some sort of diary (no idea how long you’d need to keep one for before looking for any patterns, maybe a month? 2 months?) as I do feel I go through phases of what could be some form of IBS before things return to normal. I’m also not sure if my less than ideal shift pattern at work could be part of the issue as I get nowhere near the recommended 3 hours between eating before going to bed due to having to try and get to sleep fairly early most nights, my days off are nearly always trouble free, so not sure if I’m getting myself unnecessarily stressed re work for some reason as well. No idea if the latter portion would impact things or not kind

Might try the Twining tea bags Ironhide mentioned if they sell them where I work as I do love a cuppa

Every doctor I have seen about IBS have always mentions stress but I always doubt it's one of my trigger points as I am a very laid back person.

Yes. Famously laid back.

Well the raft was laid back at least

Try necking codeine. Works wonders for me.

No:1 Final Fantasy Fan wrote:

Robbo-92 wrote:I really need to keep some sort of diary (no idea how long you’d need to keep one for before looking for any patterns, maybe a month? 2 months?) as I do feel I go through phases of what could be some form of IBS before things return to normal. I’m also not sure if my less than ideal shift pattern at work could be part of the issue as I get nowhere near the recommended 3 hours between eating before going to bed due to having to try and get to sleep fairly early most nights, my days off are nearly always trouble free, so not sure if I’m getting myself unnecessarily stressed re work for some reason as well. No idea if the latter portion would impact things or not kind

Might try the Twining tea bags Ironhide mentioned if they sell them where I work as I do love a cuppa

Every doctor I have seen about IBS have always mentions stress but I always doubt it's one of my trigger points as I am a very laid back person.

The only reason I think it’s partly stress related (in my case at least) is that on my days off where I don’t get a little bit stressed about getting anywhere near what resembles a trouble free few hours of sleep I’m fine probably 80% of the time. When I’m at work it’s probably 50/50 whether I’ll have a good day or bad day, last few days have been a bit better thankfully so hopefully I’m going through a decent spell, however long it might last for.

Is peppermint oil meant to be quite helpful for this then? I’ve never tried it.

You need to take chia seeds, goji berries and apple cider vinegar six times a day.

My partner's pretty much eliminated meat in our meals and I'm coeliac so gluten free as well. A tea or a few throughout the day and loads of seeds seems to help my gut health pretty good. I went lactose intolerant for a while but seem to do OK with dairy really, I take advantage of that to have natural plain yoghurts for gut flora. I eat oats or corn 99% of the time for breakfast and lunch, maybe it helps to eat the same grains, but wheat is generally kind of shitty and not especially nutritious grain (a lot of bread is also just watery, sugary junk). But I know too much fibre can be bad for IBS. She'll still eat bread and pasta etc for lunch but often leftovers from a meal she is used to (although doesn't stick rigidly to avoiding foods that can cause her a bad time, it's perhaps too miserable to cut out every meal if you enjoy them). When I need to poop I need to poop, I don't bother going if I'm half way there, and I mean sometimes I'll do tiny poops but other times I'll do mammoth poops I swear over a foot long with epic girth in a single movement, it's pretty impressive and so I'm immensely proud of my adaptable sphincter for entirely non sexual purposes.

With wheat when the onset of my coeliacs became apparent (stress event moving out aged 19), I often had really bad bloating, constipation or the gooseberry fools. Which is kind of IBS but different cause, gut eating itself (auto immune self flagellation).

Feel bad for my partner who has it pretty bad, she is both terrified of my poops (on the rare occasion I forget to flush ) and needing the toilet most of the time out and about etc because the toilets at places can be grim or non existent.

On the plus side, you are less likely to block toilets. Moved to a place with a fairly weak flush, and it's a right pain in the arse.

Some excellent no context bait there GG.

Robbo-92 wrote:

No:1 Final Fantasy Fan wrote:

Robbo-92 wrote:I really need to keep some sort of diary (no idea how long you’d need to keep one for before looking for any patterns, maybe a month? 2 months?) as I do feel I go through phases of what could be some form of IBS before things return to normal. I’m also not sure if my less than ideal shift pattern at work could be part of the issue as I get nowhere near the recommended 3 hours between eating before going to bed due to having to try and get to sleep fairly early most nights, my days off are nearly always trouble free, so not sure if I’m getting myself unnecessarily stressed re work for some reason as well. No idea if the latter portion would impact things or not kind

Might try the Twining tea bags Ironhide mentioned if they sell them where I work as I do love a cuppa

Every doctor I have seen about IBS have always mentions stress but I always doubt it's one of my trigger points as I am a very laid back person.

The only reason I think it’s partly stress related (in my case at least) is that on my days off where I don’t get a little bit stressed about getting anywhere near what resembles a trouble free few hours of sleep I’m fine probably 80% of the time. When I’m at work it’s probably 50/50 whether I’ll have a good day or bad day, last few days have been a bit better thankfully so hopefully I’m going through a decent spell, however long it might last for.

Is peppermint oil meant to be quite helpful for this then? I’ve never tried it.

Sounds like stress is one of your trigger points then if you can pin point it like that.
Yes peppermint oil I believe is an antispasmodic and works to relax your gut to stop it from going into spasms which in turn causes cramping and other stomach pains.
My favourite IBS medication is Senocalm but it's kind of expensive.