any IBS sufferers?

Me! I've been a sufferer for about 20 years now and I can mostly work out what foods have caused my problems. To begin with, I would feel nauseous but couldn't be sick then feel I was desperate for the loo and couldn't go, then the next minute I was running at full speed to get there on time!!!

Most of the time now I can control it, with the help of a food diary. Start writing down what you ate on days you are really suffering and you should start to notice a pattern.

Also, recent research suggests a high fibre diet is really bad for IBS sufferers so don't go switching to brown bread and high fibre cereals etc... - it's a great excuse to eat white bread and cornflakes lol

I find that for me its about controlling the fats in my diet - for example, Pizza Hut deep pan is one of the worst things I can eat and I know I'll suffer for day after that little treat!

I also find most ibuprofens set me off - especially anti-inflammatories that I take long-term. I've been suffering from a slipped disc for a while now and can't take them to help ease the problem because the IBS makes the pain worse anyway.

Imodium for the running times and colpermin for the bloating and pain usually help - cheaper to buy than get on prescription too.

anything else you want to know, feel free to message me privately x

Hi bekkijane! I have cut out quite a few foods such as bread, pasta, red peppers, cheese, potatoes........

When I wake up in the morning I have a flat stomach however later on in the day I am bloated, thanks for your tip about the tablets, I will be getting some of them.

My family suffer from bowel conditions such as Chrons disease however I have been tested and don't have that.

It's strange how it comes on all of a sudden, I was in tesco today and though oh no!!!

If I go for a bar lunch then I need to go straight away too, I find eating out can be quite bad, are you the same? Xx

Eating out can be a nightmare! We went to prezzos a while back and I had a carbonara that was so oily it was dripping down my fork! Me being me, I ate it knowing I was asking for trouble and spent the next three days suffering! Stress sets me off badly too and I've been on antidepressants as well flora ?. I definitely think its a trial and error thing. High fibre is awful for me but my mum thinks she is better with it. However we also think she might be gluten intolerant so that may be why.

I also can't eat all those activia type things because they have me loo-tied (excuse the images!!). The adverts really wind me up with all their self-righteous good for digestion stuff lol

Most fruit is a no-no for me but I can eat lots of veg so thats great

My little boy has an allergy to eggs and I often wonder if there is a link to food intolerance but who knoes. Its such a vague thing!! I was never tested for chrons but apparently there are higher chances of developing it so my doc keeps a close eye on me now.

Keep that diary and work out your patterns, really the best advice I can give x

Another one here!

I get the feelings of nausea as well as a sharp stabbing pain if I'm really flaring up. Peppermint is meant to be helpful so you could maybe try that.

Working out your triggers is the way forward, be prepared for it to take a while, as Bekki says a food diary is a must.

Any questions we're all here to help. :-)

Hope you're feeling a bit better today.

I suffer really bad too, I find that stress is my trigger more than food! I never get the feeling that I need to go now but I get constant bloating, and my bowel movements are a nightmare, one day I'll be constipated the next day the opposite. The joys of IBS!

I've only recently been diagnosed but mine is constipation, not the other!

I don't know my triggers, I've always been like this. So i'm basically stuffed. Figuratively and literally...!

I tried cutting out gluten a year ago as that worked for my mum and it made an amazing difference! Like everyone else, fatty foods tend to give me problems and stress is the worst trigger of all! I'm studying at the moment (career change) and on the morning of my exams I struggle to get out of the house as I'm glued to the toilet! Colpermin tablets and peppermint tea are a godsend, also just sucking mints when I feel nauseus. Oh and curling up with a hot water bottle clamped to my stomach when the cramps are bad!

Another one here!

In terms of OTC medication - the colpermin tablets are branded enteric coated peppermint capsules. You can get them much cheaper at Holland and Barrett as plain enteric coated peppermint capsules (Make sure you get enteric coated ones not normal ones). If I'm really suffering I take Buscopan IBS relief as that has a drug in it which numbs your bowel for a bit so stops the cramping. I don't like taking it for long though as I worry it might end up making the bowel lazy. You can take as many peppermint oil capsules as you like though. Although I once took ten in a day and they had a 'cooling' effect at *ahem* the other end. Try peppermint tea and also Fennel tea for digestion. I prefer fennel tea as I like the aniseed flavour. Fennel has been used in Asia for centuries as a digestive aid.

Triggers for me are stress and wheat. So bread, pasta, cake etc are all on the 'shouldn't' list. There are lots of gluten free options around which makes it easier these days. I also find some diet foods that pump up the amount of fibre in them by adding inulin are really terrible for me. I check the ingredients now of stuff which has a higher fibre level than it would normally.

BJ I notice that you said pizza and carbonara were two of your recent triggers. Could it be the wheat in them contributing too rather than just the fat?

Entirely possible! However, there are other pizza brands that don't set me off such as dominoes and pizza express which both use thin bases as the norm. And I'm fine with pizzas that you cook at home in the old-fashioned oven ? We eat a lot of pasta at home too and I've never noticed an increase after home cooked food. I think that most restaurants and take-aways use a lot of extra oil/fat whereas at home I use fry-light or olive-oil spray and hardly ever use high-fat options - that's what makes me think its the high-fat content that does me in.

Having said that, when I do try and lose weight, I also have to avoid aspartame as much as possible as that has a nasty effect on me too!!! It''s frustrating to say the least lol

I have suffered with IBS for quite some time too, but just recently my GP diagnosed me as Gluten Intolerant rather than IBS. I didn't know there was a difference?

Anyway, since then I have cut out all gluten out of my diet and I feel so much better, more energy, no more bloating and feeling/being sick. I have also bought a book from Amazon and its called Cooking Without, its amazing!

IBS AND IBD are two totally different things. A lot of people just diagnose themselves with IBS when in fact it could be more serious. IBD is irritable bowel disease which is crohns or colitis. If theses aren't monitored then can lead to having your colon out or bowel cancer.

What I'm trying to say really is please don't diagnose yourself please see a doctor. I've had crohns since the age of 9. Stress is a massive trigger point. Pink and glitz if you don't start to feel any better go back to your doctor and keep going back until you do start feeling better. A lot of gp's miss diagnose because they don't know enough about IBD.

Hope you feel better soon.

Xx

Hello ladies, thanks for all your comments. I am feeling much better today, had a good night's sleep and a good clear out lol! IBS seems to be getting more common these days. What does anger me about having this condition is the fact that my employers don't seem to understand this condition. I work for local government where they have meetings with you if you are off sick, they ask the most stupid questions such as 1. Can you go to the doctor to get this sorted, 2. What foods make you ill 3. It's not acceptable to be off work to attend hospital appointments for colonoscopy, consultant etc.....

Anyone else treated like this by your employer?

X

I don't work as I'm a SAM and OU student at the moment but can understand how hard it is to explain to your boss! I once had a girl tell me she knew just how I felt - she'd had an awful stomach bug that lasted for 48 hours once. Trying to explain to her that it was like having that 48 hour bug at least once a month and never knowing when it would hit and that the likelihood is that I'll have it for the rest of my life - yeah, that didn't really get through.

I work in the private rather than public sector and all the firms I have worked for are incredibly tough on sick leave unless it's something extremely serious eg cancer. You can push the odd day or so for flu but mainly I have to work through any attacks I have so I have to be really careful with my diet and always carry some medication with me. I have learnt over the years to pick up on the early warning signs and find things like peppermint oil capsules taken as soon as I feel a bit funny can stave off major cramps. And those stick on heat pad things work a charm.

I have had this now for 20 years so it does get easier when you know your triggers and can manage it a bit better. I find that if my diet is good for most of the time then I can get away with occasional blips (eg cake or a bacon sandwich) without it triggering an attack. However, once it's inflamed then my diet has to be perfect to give it time to heal. My last holiday to Italy (seriously, it is impossible to go wheat free in Italy all that pasta and pizza!!) left me in agony for a week and I had to be very strict for another month or so following that before I could even look at wheat again. Worth it though lol. Luckily haribo isn't a trigger or I'd be screwed.

There is a lot of stuff on t'internet about the various conditions so do read everything you can. And see a doctor to get an official diagnosis.

I have IBS (diagnosed following sigmoidoscopy) but I must have a mild case as it really doesn't interfere with my life at all. I tend to be fine so long as I go to the toilet every day. Occasionally if I'm somewhere that I don feel able to go an I hold off, that can lead to a week or so of painful constipation. This only happens once or twice a year though so not a big deal for me. I've never tried to work out which foods trigger it, I'm too greedy. Although when I follow slimming world properly I do go more often and feel better for it. Feel very sorry for all you Hitchers who are suffering, puts mine in perspective.

I too have IBS!! I've had it for years.

Major triggers for me are fatty foods and stress, however, sometimes, it just happens. I can have to go to the loo up to 15 times a day, which really does affect my lifestyle! Like today for example. I wanted to go to a wedding car boot for inspiration, but in the 2 hours I have been up, I have had 3 bouts, so I ain't going nowhere! The liklihood of an emergency poo situation is too great for me to leave the house!

I find a nice hot water bottle works wonders for the cramps, and I have a version of immodium on prescription that I have to take everyday. 2 tablets every morning followed by more as and when necessary.

My main job are not supportive at all, but I have a second job as a youth worker, where they are completely understanding and they adjust my responsibilities to suit my stomach.

x

So do l. Mine seems to be triggered by stress and naughty food. A few years ago it reached it's height and l would literally be woken at 6am with asore stomach. Need to use the toilet then l would have cramps and sweating for over an hour.

ALMOST MRS hope your feeling better now x