IBS help anyone?

R2 D2

Have been rather ill over the last few weeks which has kept me off the bike. the quack has come to the conclusion that it's IBS. My diet is reasonably good, but could always be better I guess but the main issue is that I have a complete lack of apetite, and when I do eat I feel full after just a few mouthfulls, which has had a knock on effect in that I run out of energy after no time in the saddle and trying to force more food in leaves me feeling sick and shivery - so that's a non starter.
Has anyone suffered from similar or has anyone any advice? Any help appreciated as it's doing my swede in. I want to go back out on rides with the others but would need a tow rope at present !

stomith

I've had some weird bug that kept me off work for a couple of weeks. Couldn't quite put my finger on what was going on but it seemed to fall into the annual weird bug that doesn't match any classic symptoms...except i was managing to sleep for 14 hours a day at least.

It was great!!!

No it wasn't. It was very dull indeed, but at the time...I didn't really shiv a git about *anything*.

For me, my mystery bug passed in a few weeks. Your time will come, I am sure.

Keep ur chin up.

asdfhjkl

I was diagnosed with IBS as a teenager and it used to be pretty bad, although these days I feel fine. I've wondered if it was a result of eating so badly, because it hasn't bothered me since I really cleaned up my diet a couple of years ago. I don't know if either my IBS was aggravated by certain bad foods I was eating, or if all that junk was just giving me some problems which the doc thought was IBS.

Either way, my lifestyle these days is totally different to what it was back then. I eat much, much better and I'm in significantly better shape. Try and identify if you feel worse after eating certain foods. Spicy foods and heavily processed foods are usually a good place to start. More fruit and veg can also help by increasing your fiber intake. Drink lots of fluids too.

Good luck.

R2 D2

Thanks chaps.

Yes, spicy food is out of the equation for now. Strange thing is that I have been making an effort to eat healthier and drink less booze and now I get the problems. Sods law I guess .

M1llh0use

i think you need a healthy glass of MTFU!!!




not sure how else i can help though... chin up old bean, we'll go easy on you getting back in the saddle!!

R2 D2

Lol cheers Mr House! you are quite right.
Seem to be feeling far better this week as well. Apetite is a bit better but the main thing is the shitsophrenia has subsided- hopefully permanently!

Been on the bike the last two days and it's not been too bad, bit dissapointed by the lack of snow though

M1llh0use

cool, glad to hear there's no more poo-fountains!!

you gonna be good for saturday ride?

R2 D2

Aye I'll be out Saturday for sure. Looking forward to it

alfablue

You may be interested in reading the NICE Guideline on IBS (this is what your GP should be guided by).

R2 D2

Cheers alfablue. You've been more help than my gp already!

pllb

I had the same diagnosis recently. GP prescribed Ispagel (Ispaghula Husk) which is a fiber drink. This has evened out the effects of the IBS somewhat. Also was sent for blood tests for Ciliac (wheat intolerance). I have also found that Pepto Bismol tablets calm the stomach and deal with the "shitsophrenia." Also try Colpermine for stomach cramps.

Good luck!

alfablue

R2 D2 wrote:

Cheers alfablue. You've been more help than my gp already!

You''re welcome, I have learned that I have to get myself fully informed to get the best out of my gp. I am sure you will be able to improve things if you take a step by step approach.

edpratt

Hi,

I've also been dealing with this for about 15 years - the following things are only things which helped me i.e. i'm not suggesting that they'll certainly work for everyone.

milk in large quantities has given me trouble in the past

anything very spicy - minor nightmare for me as I love REALLY spicy food :roll:

the cramps associated with the illness can be hard to control but a hot water bottle is sometimes helpfull

if you are getting persistent symptoms it might be worth asking your GP about merbentyl tablets - a muscle relaxant

plenty of fibre helps to keep things under control and avoid flare up symptoms, I personally found the fibre drinks (fibogel etc..) nigh on impossible to drink without wretching but as long as I eat plenty of fruit/veg and something relatively high in fibre at breakfast I don't have to resort to the drinks!

Basically, it's loads easier to keep it under control than it is to deal with a flare up - common sense I guess!

Also, you might get lucky and grow out of it - certainly, it's has got less severe with age for me.

hope that helps in some way

Ed

R2 D2

Aye cheers you are quite right on spicy food ( also a favourite of mine) beer unfortunately seems to be out as well which is slightly upsetting I can only thank the lord that wine seems ok, otherwise I really would be depressed.
I have eaten mostly fruit and veg and laid off pies chips etc , not that that was my regular diet, for a while and am seeing some improvements. It's weird as I've always been one of those annoying skinny chaps that can shovel away food without worrying - had to end some day!
Someone mentioned to cut out coffee, so it's been green tea all the way for the last week or so. May be one of the thngs that's helped - pi$$ing like a bloody race horse though!

Cheers for the advice guys.

millimole

If it's IBS (and it's easy for a doctor to say without fully investigating) then it will be different for everyone - you will be unique, and you will get loads of advice from well meaning people, who assume that you are as unique as they are. You will need to find out for yourself what works for you, and for you alone.

I have learned to keep the amount of sugar I consume low (I now have cornflakes without sugar, just milk :roll: ); I cannot eat chocolate (although some cheap continental chocolate seems OK); I cannot drink any alcohol at all; I need to restrict the amount of caffeine I consume. Fruit juices (but not the fruit itself) are 'interesting' :oops:
Porridge has helped in the past; pro-biotics were a waste of money; doctors are (generally) unhelpful; spicy food is OK; peanuts - forget it!

You will be different.
There is a charity which offers help & advice - The Gut Trust - very friendly people.

Kitty

I've had IBS for years but last year got put on a gluten free diet along with the lactose free diet I was already on, since then it's been heaven. I've found peppermint helps though for IBS.

As for appetite, mine comes and goes, just force myself to have at least three full meals a day whether I'm hungry or not, and failing that I have supplement drinks to have instead, although food is always the better option as they're vile.

supersonic

Try peppermint oil capsules.

KnightofCydonia

millimole wrote:

If it's IBS (and it's easy for a doctor to say without fully investigating)

I've had this argument with a doctor at my practice. He is convinced that I have IBS despite their being no tests to prove it, but I've taken every medication available and nothing has worked, I saw a nutritionist who suggested something else, and I asked the gp about it & he went on a rant. Apparently I can have something that he can't prove I have but I can't have a different condition to which he can't prove either way either. Anyway, I'm now treating that eventuality, it's a long-term thing & I'm about to go completely wheat gluten & yeast free (i've been reducing for 6 months) and I'll find out then in 6 months or so if I'm on the right lines. I just hate the fact they can easily say 'oh it's ibs' same as 'oh you're depressed' because they can hand pills out like candy for it.

supersonic

There is no specific testing for it though - however other causes of the symptoms need to be ruled out. The diagnosis is made on the syndrome of symptoms with lack of differential diagnosis. And those symptoms vary a lot!

KnightofCydonia

supersonic wrote:

There is no specific testing for it though - however other causes of the symptoms need to be ruled out. The diagnosis is made on the syndrome of symptoms with lack of differential diagnosis. And those symptoms vary a lot!

This bloke told me "but you don't have anything else" despite not even testing. He's a bit of a fraud though, and I told him, don't think he'll be happy to see me in the future, he just wants the easy "oh its xxxx take xxx and come back in 6 months" type cases

raymenrh

Anyone with suspected IBS should be screen for coeliac disease really as the cause of the symptoms may be due wheat intolerance.

No there isn't a test for just IBS, but there is no way of telling it is just IBS without ruling out other inflammatory bowel disorders. I know they can test for crohn's and colitis with a calprotectin test, but in IBS results are usually not-indicative of disease and can be negative. I would expect IBS to be autoimmune in nature, thus the various serum Immunglobulins such as IGg IGm and IGa may be affected in these cases, but they would have to be tested during a relapse and may again not show anything. I really suppose it would depend on the severity of symptoms as to the testing that gets used.

I myself have diverticular colitis, which is a little more difficult to control than IBS. I'm prescribed asacol, which dampens down the action of some of the white blood cells, which overact and attack host tissue.

I can fully recommend the book 'The Sufferers' Guide to Coping with IBS' if you can find a copy, it's published by the IBS research commity and has many sufferers stories on how they cope in day to day life with the disorder. There are MANY other texts available, including the obligatory dummies guide to.

I can also reccomend to sufferers finding out from your GP or pharmacist whether you can take buscopan. Buscopan is available from the chemist for about £5 for a box. I use it when my gastritis becomes unbareable. It is an antispasmodic that affects the smooth muscles of the bowel, thus hopefully reliving pain and symptoms. However, as with any drug you need to find if A: you can actually take it with any other medication / condition you have and B: it works for you. .

To R2D2 , don't worry. Stressing is going to make the condition worse, you will be able to ride again - I was too. You just have to learn that you will have good days and bad days with a disorder like this, it's learning to control and cope with the bad days that takes time and research into things that make you worse. You will be able to control it eventually to some degree. I certainly found talking to people and being open about it the most benificial of therapies, you'll find so many other people with the same issue and their own solutions to the problem of IBS.

Timcornell

R2 D2
I was going through pretty much the same thing this summer.
I was diagnosed with severe Ulcerative Colitis and I thought I'd never get back on the bike.
One day I googled 'athletes with Colitis' and Sir Steve Redgrave came up. I sent him an email asking for advice and he actually replied with some really nice encouraging advice.

To cut a long story short on medication now that controls it for 80% of the time and the 2 stone I lost during my diagnosis means I've chopped minutes of my PB at my last XC race.

If a man can win olympic gold with that kind of illness it certainly shouldn't stop us peddling!

CrazySmudge

I share your pain, diagnosed with IBS three years ago - and it was a nighmare, was afraid to go out, get the train, eat food etc incase there wasnt a toilet to run to.

But a mate told me to see if I was allergic to anything becasue IBS will turn your insides upside down - found out I was lactose intolerant so stayed away from milk, cheese, cream (you get the idea) and stayed off the beer and bitter. It has really helped, I will ocassionly get the dreaded IBS attack but if you go to boots they have IBS pills will slow your body right down and stop you running to the toilet.

Also IBS is normally caused by stress so learn to relax!

Watch out for to much coffee!!

R2 D2

Cheers for the advice all. Am generally feeling mch better. My diet has changed and I have found that salad is actually quite nice! Still have the occasional off day but have found that an orange or two sorts me out a bit if I'm feeling crap.
Right about the coffee though! It's something that's been cut out bar a cup if I'm on a ride! Previously I was getting through nearly a jar of coffee a week at work - green tea only now though and have to say I am feeling better for it.
Have learnt to take a bog roll in the camelbak. More peace of mind than anything else - although I may have had to find a bush on one recent ride :oops:
only thing now is to try and get some fitness back, not eating and not riding has left me in a state fitness wise (cramped up really badly on last weeks ride)- but only one way to get it back I guess! See you on the trails