Calm Down You Irritable Old Bowel! (My Experience of Digestive Disorders)

Member Name: jusophine

Product:	My Experience of Digestive Disorders
Date:	14/08/01 (5993 review reads)
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This is an opinion about Irritable Bowel Syndrome, a topic that is dominated by, well quite frankly, BOTTOMS, and how they function. Yes I know your personal bowel habits are your business, it's a private matter, but everybody has to defaecate(thats a posh word for poo), well almost everyone. The only person I know of that doesn't have to defaecate is the queen. She's got a thrown, but not the kind you would want to poo on.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome(IBS), is really common, 10-20% of the population suffer from it in some shape or form, and I am one of them, in fact IBS is more common in women. To be perfectly honest, I find it a pain in the ****, quite literally, it's no laughing matter. IBS often begins between the ages of 15 and 40. Commonly it's onset can co-inside with a time of stress, such as the exams, the death of a loved one, and divorce. There is no specific profile of the disorder, there are a range of symptoms that the individual can suffer, and for that reason it known as a syndrome(a collection of manifestations).

WHAT IS IBS?
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IBS is a 'functional disorder' of the bowel. That means that it's primary abnormality is an altered physiological function in the way that the body works. A diagnosis of IBS can be reached when your doctor has been able to rule out any structural or biochemical abnormality of your intestinal tract, in other words, there is no evidence of organic or physical disease. IBS affects the way your bowel moves it's contents along from one end to the other. This is known as 'motility', which normally should perform in regular rythmic wave like motions(peristalsis). In an IBS sufferer, part of bowel's nerve and muscle supply behaves abnormally, it is over sensitive and produces abnormal and uncoordinated muscle action. This leads to various unpleasant symptoms dipending on where the abnormal function exists. For some their symptoms will be occasional
and manageable, for others their symptoms will be more or less constant and disabilitating.


SYMPTOMS
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~ A sensation of a lump in the throat and difficulty swallowing.
~ Heartburn(dyspepsia)
~ Abnormal bloating.
~ Feeling full after having eaten very little.
~ Abdominal pain and spasm.
~ Aternating diarrhoea and constipation.
~ Mucus in your poo.
~ Rectal spasm.
~ Bowel urgency, and a feeling of incomplete emptying after pooing.
~ An exaggerated gastro-colonic reflex(that is you need to poo whilst or shortly after eating).
~ Very loud rumbling bowels(and thats no lie), known as borberigmia, a name given by someone having a laugh!

Symptoms that are not connected to IBS that MUST BE INVESTIGATED are;

~ Blood in your poo.
~ The presence of a high temperature.

Interestingly, people who suffer from IBS are more likely to suffer from; restless Leg Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, primary Dysmenorrhea and Migraines. Research has also shown that women with IBS have an increased risk of unecessary surgery because of a confused diagnosis, such as ovarian surgery.


TRIGGER FACTORS
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Recent data suggests that biopsychosocial factors are involved with the onset and continuing course of IBS. These are Physiological, emotional, cognitive and behavioural. Much has been said of IBS being a 'psychosomatic' illness, and indeed, 60% of sufferers report their first symptoms occuring at a time of stress, however, others, myself included, find that symtoms can come on at any time.

The following substances can bring on IBS symptoms, although these are highly individual;

~ Caffiene(remembering that tea has as much as coffee).
~ Fatty foods.
~ Red meats, and not just beef.
~ Spicey food.
~ Dairy products, milk, cheeses ect.
~ Gas producing foods such as brocolli and runner beans(take my word for it!). r><br><br>~ Cigarette smoking. Nicotine as a stimulant only serves to increase the spasm ect.

Interstingly I have read that some alcohol can actually help to regulate regular contractions of the bowel. This makes sense as pure diluted alcohol used to be used to stop premature labour in pregnant women.


SELF HELP
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You may by now be thinking, 'Hey, thats me, I get some or all of the above.' Many who suffer with IBS have never sought medical help. I was diagnosed after experiencing mega painful abdominal spasms that left me curled up in a ball, from the age of about 10. I was investigated for problems with the urinary tract when I was 18, but very little was found to be abnormal(except from the occasional infection). At that time a consultant told me that I suffered from non-specific renal pain. The periodic pains continued, and 6 years later, a very sensible GP diagnosed me with IBS.

I now have several of the symptoms that I have described above, occasional diarrhoea(especially if I am anxious or nervous), very loud bowel sounds, which only seem to rear their ugly head when I am in a silent room full of people. The more you squirm in an effort to 'escape' the dreadful things, the louder they get. The main problem is the spasmodic pain, and over the years I have had to learn the best way to manage this. There are various solutions to the problems of IBS. In a bit I'll mention pharmacological help, but here are some things you can try, and not everyone likes to take chemicals.

Start by keeping a diary over a 3 month period of time. A diagnosis of IBS is formally made after a patient has suffered with symptoms for a minimum 3 months, so if you do seek medical help, this will help. From a personal point of view, recording daily events, diet, moods and anything else you may find helpful, will give you an indication of trigger factors that are more likely to cause symptoms. If you have
suffered with IBS for a number of years, you may already be well aware of what makes the condition worse. However, you may have suffered for years and never really thought about the fact that you could have some control over the condition. In which case, you too may find it useful to start a diary.

Dietary modification is a key element to controlling your IBS. Once you have been able to indentify substances that exacerbate your symptoms, you can start to modify your diet. You could also start off by taking a really bland diet, and gradually introducing various things, in this way you will be able to exclude the specific things that make your symptoms worse.

Modifying your lifestyle may sound a bit drastic, but you know if you live a stressful life, have deadlines to meet, or no time for your self. Learning relaxation exercises, or taking up Yoga is a good way to learn to relax. Also hypnosis, acupunture and massage are good.

I personally find that to manage an episode of pain, I must first try to go to the loo, then take a hot bath. I often put a little lavender iol in the water, but if you like herbal infusions, an infusion of either mint, ginger or chamomile can be useful to sip on. I try to keep my breathing nice and regular and consciously try to relax.

When the pain is what I would class as severe, I take to my bed with a hot water bottle. I also take apin relief and a smooth muscle relaxant(which I shall mention later).

Those of you that suffer with ongoing constipation, will find adding more fibre to your diet really helps. Even those who swing between constipation and diarrhoea will find increasing their dietary fibre gradually over a period of time can help to regulate their symptoms. I would however say that although most, if not all GP's will suggest adding more fibre to your diet, this is not for everyone. I find too much fibre makes my symptoms worse, it's often a matter of trial and error.


Experts in IBS suggest increasing the amount of exercise you do to combat IBS symptoms. This helps to regulate bowel function. personally I am terribly lazy, and could do a lot more.

PHARMACOLOGICAL HELP
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~ Antocholinergic drugs reduce the abnormal sensitivity of the cholinergic receptors in the smooth gut muscle.

~ Antacids and anti 'wind' type drugs, such as 'Wind-eze' and 'Deflatine', which contain a substance called Simethicone are very useful. Simethicone(similar to that in Colic treatments for babies), breaks down big gas bubbles and helps you to fart them out.

~Anti-diarrhoea medication, such as 'Imodium' can help you through the day if you get alot of diarrhoea, but is not great for diarrhoea of an infectious nature(i.e food poisening), as it's best to get the toxic substance out of your body.

~ Smooth muscle relaxants, such as Merbeverine and Peppermint oil, are excellant for that spasmodic pain, and work relatively quickly. I always make sure I have these in the house. Thses can be bought over the counter.

~Ant-depressants. There is no doubt that for some people will benefit from taking tricyclic antidepressants, and seratonin reuptake inhibitors such as Fluoxitine. These may work on several different levels.



CONCLUSION
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Well, if your still with me and manages to read this far, I hope if you suffer with IBS, this rant will be of some use to you. At the end of the day, it's mainly been influenced by my own personal need to know more about the condition. My symptoms will vary from others, but they are real. If you suffer from any of these very real and unpleasant symptoms, I wish you all the best in calming your irritable bowel!