How to Manage IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

Member Name: Praskipark

Product:	Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Date:	31/07/08 (1273 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: No cost lifestyle changes

Disadvantages: Won't work for everybody

Do you ever lie in bed some mornings and know something isn't quite right but you aren't sure what it is. You feel lethargic, your head feels muddled and you have a dragging feeling on the right side of your abdomen. When you do eventually get out of bed you drag yourself into the bathroom or into the living room where you sit on the sofa staring into space. You would like a cup of tea but can't really be bothered to even flick the switch on the kettle. As the morning moves on you don't move with it - you just feel so lazy and really don't want to do anything. You try to cheer yourself up but that darn pain in the side hurts and the whole of your stomach feels so bloated - you suddenly are transformed into that beached whale. Ever had those symptoms?

I first had these symptoms about 7 years ago and at first I thought I just had a stomach infection or had eaten something nasty. After a day the symptoms went away so I let it go as I thought it was a one off. About a month later I had exactly the same feelings and the pain in my abdomen. I told my husband about the symptoms and he said it was obviously some food that I was allergic too and said that I should make a list of all the foods I had eaten a couple of days ago. I made a list and I couldn't immediately see anything unusual although at that time I did used to use a lot of olive oil in my cooking but thought it couldn't be that as the Greeks and Portuguese live forever on the stuff. It is their elixir of life.

In the end when the pain and moodiness appeared again I made an appointment with the local doctor. I explained the scenario and told her where the pain was. Firstly she asked me my age and I had to get weighed. I wasn't overweight so that was a good start. She asked about my diet and could I think of anything that could have upset my system. We went through the list of foods together and I said possibly olive oil or maybe tomatoes as I do love tomatoes. She said had I had any gut infections in the past. Actually, I had suffered from a terrible bout of food poisoning a few years back in Sardinia and I was quite poorly with that for a while. She then felt my side which hurt and she said that pain was muscular. I thought how can it be muscular I don't use those muscles. I paint or write or walk - I don't do anything strenuous. She then asked if I suffered from indigestion which I did sometimes and at that time actually quite a lot. After writing all this on the computer and looking through my notes she then prescribed some tablets for indigestion and said if the pain didn't go away to go back for another visit.

The long and the short of it is that it wasn't indigestion although that was one of the symptoms, and the tablets actually didn't make a lot of difference. These symptoms plagued my life on and off for at least two or three times a month and when this happened and still happens I get extremely down. In the end I went to see a friend of mine who is a homeopathic doctor. Now I am not a great believer in alternative medicine but I thought I would be able to discuss it with my friend as I had known her for a long time and I trusted her. The first question she asked me was had I done anything stressful like move house or change job? Well I hadn't changed my job as I am self employed but I had just moved country but because I have done it several times before I never think of it as stressful which is a bit ridiculous really because of course it's stressful! We then discussed my symptoms which are;

Bloated stomach after eating even small meals, dyspepsia, depression, sleep disturbance, loss of appetite and nausea.

My friend said I think you might be suffering from irritable bowel syndrome(IBS) and this is an illness which can sometimes be difficult to diagnose. She didn't suggest medication at first but wrote down a plan of diet and exercise and how I could try to prevent these feelings again. I am sure there are other people out there who suffer in this way or have similar symptoms so I would like to give you a bit more information which you could use as a self help guide .

What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
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It is apparantley a very common condition and is known that at least 1 in every 5 adults suffer from it. IBS or IBIS as I call it is a mixture of different abdominal pains that arise for no apparent reason. There is evidence that 50% of sufferers have increased sensitivity within the gut to external stimuli which is mainly some form of stress. Examples of triggers that can cause stress could be change of job, moving home, a bereavement, family disorders. Anything psycological can trigger IBS off.

If not stress related it sometimes could be triggered by inflammation of the stomach caused by a severe bout of gastro-enteritis.

In some cases the trigger point cannot be identified.

Symptoms
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These obviously can differ from patient to patient as we are all made differently. IBS can start at any age but it is most coommon in late teens and early adulthood. In my case it was in my forties.

The 4 most common symptoms are;
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Bloating after a meal, small or large, subsides in the evening but returns the next day

Constipation,
Diarrhoea.
Various types of abdominal pain.

I mention different types of abdominal pain because some times the pain can be in different parts of the gut or only in one part an can change over time. Generally my pain was in my left side and under my left rib.

There are other symptoms involved also which are;

Headaches
Passing urine more frequently
Fatigue and tiredness
Nausea
Sleep Disturbance
Depressive symptoms

Other symptoms that need to be checked by a doctor which are not involved with the gut are;

Painful swallowing of food
Variable and erratic bowel movements alternating from diarohea to constipation
Flatuelence
Sharp stabbing pains in the rectum

As you can see there are a lot of symptoms and each sufferer will have a variation of these symptoms. These symptoms could also be pertaining to other illnesses so just don't assume you have IBS please go to see a doctor if you are worried and you have any of these symptoms;

Difficulty in swallowing when food gets stuck.

Indigestion-type pain that wakes you up at night.

Abdominal bloating that does not get better overnight.

Significant and unexplained weight loss.

Bleeding from the back passage.

Chronic, painless diarrhoea.

If there are other symptoms as well then have them checked and especially if you are like me over 40.

There are ways a doctor can diagnose IBS but I decided to try and help myself with changing my lifestyle so I didn't choose this path but this is how a diagnosis would be done?

Blood Test
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This is important as it will exclude other conditions

Gastroscopy
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This eaxamines the stomach, small intestine and oesophagus with a small camera which is on the end of a thin tube

Ultrasound
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Barium studies - this is a salt that shows up in X rays of the intestines and stomach

Colonoscopy
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This is an examination of the colon with an endoscope.( the name for the camera i have described above).

Prescribed Medicines
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Medicines can be prescribed such as anti spasmodics (spasmonal and Buscopan) to help relieve stomach cramps.

If constipation is a problem laxatives like Fybogel, Regulan and Isogel can be used. Senokot is not used as it is known to bring on stomach cramps.

Anti-diarrhoeals such as Imodium can ease diarrhoea. Imodium plus also eases cramps and bloating.

If gas and tummy rumbling is prelavent charcoal tablets can help relieve this problem and Wind-eze and Windsetlers can also help as there is an ingredient called simethicone in the compound of these tablets and this disperses trapped gas in the stomach and intestine.

Prevention
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If you want to try and prevent these symptoms here are some tips.

Drink lots of water, preferably two litres a day. I know we all mean to drink more water and I am the worse culprit. Some days I can drink gallons and then other days I can't be bothered but one should really try to.

Try and increase the amount of fibre in the diet but gradually to allow the stomach to get used to the change.

Avoid food or beverages that make the symptoms worse. Coffee, milk, tomatoes are examples that need to be avoided.

Try to keep a diary of what foods are eaten and seem to upset your tummy.

We all love them but try to avoid strong spices and foods that give you wind.

Eat regularly, try to cut down on the size of meal as small meals are beter for your digestion.

And the big one - cut down on your alcohol intake. That's a hard discipline to install, I know.

Physical activity is good for the body and soul. Exercise can improve digestion and reduce stress levels. Try it!

Hot water bottles can relieve stomach pain.

Don't laugh but meditation helps if you have a lot of stress in your life . Or try other relaxation techniques like yoga or listening to world music, even swimming I find relaxing but not in a noisy communal pool. In a lake or in the sea. Try to reduce the amount of stress in your life.

Try not to worry about your IBS as this could lead to social and psychological problems.

Well I hope this information helps other IBS sufferers. It took me a while before I realised I had the illness. I have never liked taking tablets ever since I was a child so that's one of the reasons I didn't want to use medication. I tried to change my lifestyle. Sometimes I can go for months without any symptoms but every now and agian if I eat in excess or have one glass of wine too much IBS attacks again and I feel lousy for days.

Last note - this is not a life threatening illness. It may be uncomfortable but if you try to help yourself by introducing a few new eating habits and partake in a bit more exercise the symptoms will improve and have been known to disappear for a fewmonths or even years. Thanks for reading.

Summary: A natural and practical approach to understanding and managing IBS