IBS

[kerryt84]

I have suffered from IBS for 4 or 5 years now, but I am getting to my wit's end with it. I wanted to know if anyone else suffers from it and try and get some advice.

 

It is triggered by anxiety, usually to do with a social situation. It is sometimes triggered by rich foods (such as chinese) or over eating. Up until now it has meant I have had to rush to the toilet when I am feeling anxious. I know it will happen so prepare myself, knowing where the nearest toilet is and trying not to each much beforehand. I went through a patch at my old job (for a few months) of being sick every morning before the children came in (I'm a teacher), but luckily that stopped.

 

This weekend it has been ridiculous though. My boyfriend and I were staying with some of his friends from New Year's Eve until yesterday. Of course I was anxious, but I know his friends quite well now so the anxiety has reduced. My sister was also there which helps to relax me more. But on New Year's Eve I had a really bad attack of IBS. I had had a couple of drinks and 2 slices of pizza (which has never been a problem before) and then I was rushing to the toilet several times, my heart rate started racing and was going well over 120 at times, I felt dizzy and really sick. I layed down for a bit, but we were going to a house party and I didn't want to ruin everyone elses night so I went along. I spent the whole night racing to the loo, feeling very sick and not being able to stand up for more than 2 seconds for fear of passing out. It got a bit better at about half 12.

 

On New Year's Day I felt sick all day, especially after eating. On Saturday and yesterday I had stomach pains quite a lot, more after eating. Funny thing is I did feel ok last night once we got home. I haven't eaten yet today but feel fine. So it makes me wonder if it was just the stress of the whole time away.

 

I was going to go to the doctor today to see what they say, but I'm feeling ok so don't know if I should. I did go to the doctor a few years ago about it, but they told me there wasn't much they could do. They gave me some beta blockers to try and slow my heart rate when I have an attack but they don't do much. Not only do I worry about social situations now, but I worry about the embarrassent of when I have to rush to the toilet too.

 

Please, any advice would be great.

[JsMum]

 

 

It sounds like the pizza just didnt agree with you, it might of had a different brand cheese on top, or a different pizza base, so it could be this, you can eat some things for years and then all of a sudden become intolerant to it, and vice versa.

 

For IBS I would stick to wholemeal products, so no white bread, base ect.... lots of veg and fruit for a few days, to give your stomach a good rinse, sometimes the IBS worsens when the body is about to get rid of food, but once you have been it can improve, so I would go for a physical examination just to rule out anything physcial with your colon/intestines.

 

Massage is very good for IBS if you could cope with been toutched.

 

As is YOGA, Swimming and stretching.

 

If your Anxious it can cause it to worsen as Anxiety caused the Stomach to shut down as the body thinks its in Battle mode, and has to be prepared for injury so all the blood goes to the internal organs, different chemicals are released to give you the motivation so you dont fall to sleep on the job of saving your life which is the adrenalin which causes the Heart to beat stronger and other chemicals such as cortisol are also released, your senses are more intense too as the body has to hear, see thing better in battle.

 

Controlling your anxiety may help your IBS symptoms so look into Meditation CDs and other Relaxation therapies.

 

Good Luck it is very distressing to cope with.

 

JsMumxxx

 

[puffin]

You should perhaps keep a diary of what foods you eat and whether you react to see if any pattern can be found - a friend of mine found her symptoms were triggered by Green apples - which sent her stomach into spasm - yet she thought she was doing the right thing by increasing fruit and veg

 

Some people benefit from a high fibre diet - but personally my symptoms get a lot worse when I increase the amount of fibre too far as it seems to aggravate the symptoms - high fibre breakfast cereals sent my entire colon into spasm. I have the same problems with early morning exercise - if always seems to trigger a reaction.

 

I also know people who react to certain vegetables.

 

It might be a good idea to visit the doctor to see if any medications can help

[Tally]

I have gut problems. Apparently they are very common in ASD.

 

I get these sudden episodes where my guts feel like they are bubbling, and then I get diarrhoea. I also feel light-headed and shaky with a rapid heartbeat. Eventually this passes and I feel really tired and sleep for about 3 hours. I had this so frequently that I was frightened to go out because the light-headedness was so bad that I could not sit up and had to lie down, which you obviously can't really do in a public place.

 

By keeping a record of what I ate, I found it seemed to occur 3 hours after eating gluten. These episodes stopped when I stopped eating gluten. I was tested for coeliac disease and it came back negative, but I am still certain I have another type of gluten intolerance.

 

I don't get the nausea like you, but this is the first time I've come across someone else who has the gut/heart/dizziness combination that I do!

[joybed]

I too have suffered from IBS/ oesophagitis most of life and also felt lethargic and dizzy as well as many other health problems. After many years of feeling ill all the time i was tested for coeliac disease, it came back negative but I was sure there was a food intolerance of some kind. I went on to pay for food intolerance testing . I was found to be intolerant to loads of stuff including gluten, eggs and dairy and cut these out of my diet. After about a week I felt so much better and had more energy than i had had my whole life (I also lost 16 lbs in weight ). I recently ate some dairy by accident (in a restaurant) and the old symptoms reoccured. It is difficult to cut all these things from your diet but the benefits for me far outweigh the negatives.

[trekster]

I have suffered from IBS for 4 or 5 years now, but I am getting to my wit's end with it. I wanted to know if anyone else suffers from it and try and get some advice.

 

Yes i have it and at the moment im having problems going (if you get me). Thats mainly a side effect of my dmsa chelation though.

It is triggered by anxiety, usually to do with a social situation. It is sometimes triggered by rich foods (such as chinese) or over eating. Up until now it has meant I have had to rush to the toilet when I am feeling anxious. I know it will happen so prepare myself, knowing where the nearest toilet is and trying not to each much beforehand. I went through a patch at my old job (for a few months) of being sick every morning before the children came in (I'm a teacher), but luckily that stopped.

 

Is your IBS more nausea or more bowel problems? i find ginger or lemonade help my nausea but dietary changes help my bowel problems. MSG is in a lot of chinese foods so maybe avoiding that could help with your IBS?

This weekend it has been ridiculous though. My boyfriend and I were staying with some of his friends from New Year's Eve until yesterday. Of course I was anxious, but I know his friends quite well now so the anxiety has reduced. My sister was also there which helps to relax me more. But on New Year's Eve I had a really bad attack of IBS. I had had a couple of drinks and 2 slices of pizza (which has never been a problem before) and then I was rushing to the toilet several times, my heart rate started racing and was going well over 120 at times, I felt dizzy and really sick. I layed down for a bit, but we were going to a house party and I didn't want to ruin everyone elses night so I went along. I spent the whole night racing to the loo, feeling very sick and not being able to stand up for more than 2 seconds for fear of passing out. It got a bit better at about half 12.

 

Pizza could contain MSG or you could have a previously undetected gluten or milk sensitivity. i didn't realise i had problems with milk, gluten, msg or aspartame until after i had avoided them. It is possible to develop celiac disease or for autistic gluten/milk/msg/aspartame sensitivities to happen later in life.

On New Year's Day I felt sick all day, especially after eating. On Saturday and yesterday I had stomach pains quite a lot, more after eating. Funny thing is I did feel ok last night once we got home. I haven't eaten yet today but feel fine. So it makes me wonder if it was just the stress of the whole time away.

 

I was going to go to the doctor today to see what they say, but I'm feeling ok so don't know if I should. I did go to the doctor a few years ago about it, but they told me there wasn't much they could do. They gave me some beta blockers to try and slow my heart rate when I have an attack but they don't do much. Not only do I worry about social situations now, but I worry about the embarrassment of when I have to rush to the toilet too.

 

Please, any advice would be great.

 

If the IBS has suddenly unexpectedly got worse then maybe something thats changed in your life is affecting it? i mean a different brand of food that you eat for example could be the trigger. Also trying to find something to help with your anxiety which i realise is easier said than done. There are social anxiety groups around you could try and join?

 

Alexis

 

[trekster]

I have gut problems. Apparently they are very common in ASD.

 

I get these sudden episodes where my guts feel like they are bubbling, and then I get diarrhoea. I also feel light-headed and shaky with a rapid heartbeat. Eventually this passes and I feel really tired and sleep for about 3 hours. I had this so frequently that I was frightened to go out because the light-headedness was so bad that I could not sit up and had to lie down, which you obviously can't really do in a public place.

 

By keeping a record of what I ate, I found it seemed to occur 3 hours after eating gluten. These episodes stopped when I stopped eating gluten. I was tested for coeliac disease and it came back negative, but I am still certain I have another type of gluten intolerance.

 

I don't get the nausea like you, but this is the first time I've come across someone else who has the gut/heart/dizziness combination that I do!

 

Celiac disease wont come up whilst you are avoiding gluten. Avoiding malt helped with my diarrhoea and avoiding MSG helped with my light headedness.

 

Alexis

[Mandapanda]

Hi Kerry

 

I get IBS and I sympathise.

 

I find that fat and too much fibre or not enough fibre trigger it off. I am fine with coffee normally, but when my IBS is bad coffee makes it worse. It is also worse when it is my period (presumably hormone related), and of course when stressed. I have tried the Buscopan tablets but they seem to very rarely work for me.

 

When I get bad pains I take paracetamol straight away which seems to help.

 

Being aware of what stresses me and makes me anxious and trying to consciously deal with that by accepting that I am anxious/stressed and why that is, I found this does relieve some of the pressure and helps. Relaxation techniques such as slow deep breathing, and distracting myself by doing something (going on here for instance).

 

If all else fails, I wear a pad, just in case and to save any major embarrassment, this makes me feel less vulnerable (which can lead to the sort of anxiety in social situations that you seem to be experiencing).

 

The main thing that helps me is not eating the wrong things, which can be really hard. Fatty foods, including crisps, biscuits and chocolate, pizza, too many slices of wholemeal bread in a day. If we have pizza I have a tiny slice and try to have salad with it (hard in the winter!).

 

I joined a Rosemary Conley class just over a year ago, and following their guidelines (rather than the actual menus) has meant I didn't have any IBS symptoms for a very long time. I realised then how much I was eating that I shouldn't have been - a biscuit here, a penguin bar there (chocolate being my main downfall and all too easy to eat in little bits and pieces without really noticing. I now (try!) to replace my choc snacks with cherry tomatoes. They are sweet and juicy and you can have 8 at a time, but they don't make me crave more like choc does.

 

You need to work out what is triggering it alongside the stress.

 

Good luck <'> <'>