Serenity
|
Irritable Bowel Syndrome I.B.S.I've suffered from IBS on and off throughout my life. I know Jules (Cheekychops) has too. Here are a few facts about this often distressing syndrome.
About IBS
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a condition associated with an upset bowel. It is extremely common in the UK with around one in three people being affected at some stage in their life.People with IBS will experience a number of symptoms, which often includes painful abdominal cramps and spasms, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation. However, IBS affects people in different ways and can be very changeable and unpredictable, so there may be times when the symptoms are mild and other times when they are severe.
In my case, everything can be fine for a few years and without warning start up again.
|
Serenity
|
Symptoms
Abdominal pain and discomfort can strike at any time, without warning, and can have a considerable impact on your everyday life. There may be times when the cramps and spasms from abdominal pain can literally stop you in your tracks or leave you doubled up in pain. This can be really disruptive and may prevent you working, studying, sleeping or even carrying out the simplest tasks. Other symptoms can include wind - bloating - tiredness - headaches -backache.
So what causes abdominal pain?
Abdominal pain can be caused by muscles spasms in the stomach, intestines or colon. These spasms can be triggered by a number of factors, both internal and external. Internal factors include food allergies or intolerances from the things we eat or drink that can have a bad reaction, quickly setting your muscles into spasm when consumed.
Other factors that are also a cause of abdominal spasms and cramps are psychological in nature, such as tension and stress. Imagine when you feel nervous or anxious - your body can often become tense. The organs of your digestive symptoms may be said to mirror this tension, causing the normal muscle rhythms to go out of balance. This can result in the muscles irregularly contracting causing strong, painful cramps. Although painful, abdominal cramps are usually harmless
|
Serenity
|
Top Tips
Step 1
Get Diagnosed
Be sure that your symptoms are due to IBS and not another condition.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 2
Treat the root of the problem
To cope with pain, a number of treatments are available for painful abdominal spasms associated with IBS.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 3
Exercise regularly
Exercise helps relieve depression and stress, stimulates normal contractions of your intestines and can help you feel better about yourself.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 4
Identify your trigger foods
Keep a food diary. People can often identify food and drinks that trigger symptoms and diet can subsequently be modified.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 5
Talk things through
It is often the case that stressful events can bring on or exacerbate symptoms. Through dealing with the bigger issues, the pain may be avoided. Don't be afraid to try psychological therapies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 6
De-stress
Stress can often be the cause of symptoms to flare-up and can further exacerbate an existing attack so look into relaxation techniques.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 7
Be informed
It is important to feel in control of your symptoms so gather as much information you can.
|
Serenity
|
There are a range of medical products readily available from supermarkets and pharmacies that may be helpful in relieving symptoms associated with medically confirmed IBS.
I used to take a prescribed tablet called Colpermin, which was a peppermint tablet used to treat the toilet issues. Aslo a anti cramping tablet, that I've forgotten the name of. lol
I've also had trouble with an irritable bladder over the years too. I sound like a hypochondriac pmsl !! Its the same sort of thing as IBS, something either nerves or something you eat or drink, irritates the lining of the bladder making you pee frequently. I found that changing to Decafe Tea bags did the trick!! Was obvious after all those years, that caffeine irritates me  Sometimes it's just a simple change that can make all the difference.
|
redhead
|
Both my daughters suffer with IBS one as it under control , the other one not so good at the moment she has a new boss at work who totally stress's her out so IBS as flared up bad .
|
Selious5
|
Know people who have this IBS and it is a terrible thing to see. I don't know if this would help with the cramps but it does for musular spasms and that is Indian tonic water because it has quinine in it It must be Indian not ordinary stuff. The tablets you are taking quite possibly have a quinine content somewhere so the tonic water may work for you
|
cheekychops
|
ty for this debs, i also have irratable bladder to , drives me mad, bloody frustrating , i took those tablets u took to , did no good at all ,ive got some diff ones at moment, went to hos today , they dont think at mo i need to have cam down , he deff thinks its bad dose of ibs , which like he said can take over ya life at times, which it is for me at mo , hes sent my doc a prescription for some medication to take before i eat so i can digest my food a bit easier , cos main prob i having is i feel 10 stone heavier when ive eaten , and takes hours to digest, he says stress is one of biggest causes , well ya cant help ya personality which for me is a born worrier and a total stresshead lol but do feel better for going to hos today ,
|
Serenity
|
It's nice just to be listened to Jules, and for a doctor to confirm theres nothing more serious going on, not that IBS isn't distressing, because it is! Strange how we both had IBS and bladder too! I'm like you though, a born worrier, some of us just are eh *sigh* lol I would suggest for your bladder tho (and bowel), switch to decafe, if you havent already? It really worked for me  xxx
|
cheekychops
|
i dont drinkk a lot of tea hun and dont drink coffee atall , lucky if i drink 4 cups of tea a week ,and uptil few weeks ago didnt drink it at all lol only have boiled water lol
|
Ducky
|
it must be terrible living with this sort of thing. i get constipated quite often but thats because i dont drink enough water and take pain killers. theres always some adverse affect and this is one of them. it can be a real nuisance at times. id hate to have problems constantly though.
|
knewlove
|
I know this is probably worst case scenario but please be careful with IBS girls...
My mom was first diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) when she was in her early 20s (the doctor's said it was most likely caused by stress). By the time she was 25 she ended up in a coma for 2 days and had to have stoma surgery. She has had an ileostomy/colostomy bag on her side since.
A stoma is an artificial opening to or from the intestine on the abdominal wall. An Ileostomy is an opening from the small bowel, to allow faeces to leave the body without passing through the large bowel, a Colostomy is an opening from the large bowel, to allow faeces to bypass the anus.
So far I am lucky...no IBS or bowel problems...I have my usual 2 cups of coffee in the morning (don't know whether that's good for me but it keeps me regular). No pain or discomfort so far...knock on wood..(unless I eat too much fruit or fibre) altho IBS isn't hereditary and doctors are (somewhat) more informed about bowel problems today than they were 30 years ago ... but still... keep an eye out please...
|
redhead
|
Oh your poor mum , I have heard of stoma before but it's always worth knowing that what the doc's diagnoise isn't always correct , I will certainly inform my girls to be wary if IBS gets worse for no apparent reason to get it checked with the doc and not become complacent .
|
cheekychops
|
ty for that will keep it in mind xxxxxxx
|
jojo1
|
I think I might have IBS too. I get awful stomach cramps and it feels as if I need to go to the loo but when I get there nothing happens. When I do manage to "go" its very loose and I dont feel as if I have emptied my bowels properly, and I end up off and on the loo quite a few times during the day. My stomach is well swollen up and makes awful embarrassing churning noises.
I have had a CT scan done as I have terminal breast cancer and they want to rule out any connection with that.
I think if there was anything seriously wrong, it will show up on the CT scan.
|
Serenity
|
I think youre right jo if it were more than IBS it would have shown up, and it sounds like the same sypmtoms, pretty awful it can get at times too. But with the worry of your Breast cancer it's no wonder you have IBS. How do you cope with the cancer? If you don't mind me asking, I understand if you'd rather not talk about it you sound so brave, have you been diagnosed for a long time?
|
jojo1
|
No I dont mind talking about my cancer
I was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 just after we had moved to this house we are living in now. I remember feeling this lump which seemed quite big but just thought it was a just a bit of fat as it didnt seem to be getting any bigger (just seemed big to start with). Anyway went down the docs who immediately faxed the hospital and I got an appointment the next day. It turned out to be cancer so had a lumpectomy followed by strong chemo and radiotherapy. All seemed ok until two years later when I started getting pains in my leg and after numerous visits to my local GP and eventually an xray which showed "nothing" according to my so called specialist at the hospital, I fell at home and was taken into hospital where they said I had broken my femur due to the spread of the cancer (now in my bones).
Cancer which has spread from breast into another part of the body is incurable and is classed as secondary. I had another session of strong chemo and radiotherapy on my leg after having a hip replacement. I am now going every three weeks to have the drug Herceptin which is supposed to stop is spreading to the soft organs such as the lungs and liver for a while at least. My cancer was very aggressive and hormone related so I am on tablets to stop the production of Oestrogen which fed my particular cancer.
I know I am going to die from this disease but for a while at least it is being kept under control.
Somehow you do keep going and tend to put it to be back of your mind. I have a part time job which helps and also my hobby which is football. Dont get me wrong there are quite a few times when I ache and feel very tired and feel like giving up but I just have a good sleep and get up the next day and concentrate on my job.
Its not as bad as people think.
|
Serenity
|
You sound like you have a good positive mental attitude joanne, and bravo to you. I think being women we do tend to just get on with things, like you say, from the trivial to major, we always keep going. And at the end of the day, theres no use worrying away our time. I'm glad it's under control for you and you are coping with it, and I hope sharing it with others helps too.
In a lot of our health posts and our sharing and caring too, it's been good to talk about our illnesses and share our knowledge with each other. And it's comforting to know others are here to listen too, even if you feel like screaming and shouting and letting some anger out, please feel free to do so lol we dont mind honest *cowers*.....hell, my HRT can handle anything pmsl!
|
jojo1
|
Thanks for that, and I will keep everyone informed on my progress through this disease.
|
cheekychops
|
good luck with that , you sound like tou have a postive attitdue which is a good thing to have, its a bout time they found cures for this horrible disease , xx
|
|
|
|