Irritable Bowel Syndrome

southernscouser

I'm not sure I've even spelt it correctly but what the heck! We all know what I'm talking about! :rolleyeyes:

My mum suffers from IBS (and yes it is her, not me) and to be honest it's a pain in the a$$ for me! Can never get in the bathroom of a morning!

Now I'm not after medical advice because that's against the rules :whistle: but what I do want to know is there anything she could take to help it?

She was told by the quack to take Immodium but that left her with stomach ache/cramps that sort of thing. Is there anything 'cheap' she can take take that might help?

Thank you very much for reading! I know it's not a particularly enjoyable read! :beer:

Westywoodpecker

Irritable bowel disease can involve either or both of the ileum and colon. It refers to two chronic diseases that causes inflammation of the intestines, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

The cause of both of these conditions are unknown. I suggest that she has a diagnosis as although both of these diseases have some features in common, there are some important differences, and also in their treatment.

HTH Westy ( very newly qualified stoma nurse)

iwanttosave_2

peppermint is fantastic for it, you can get capsuals from the health food shop.

Also tell mummy SS to keep a food diary (exactly like a spending one) and she can over a few weeks pin point what kicks it off.

I find that poultry starts mine so I dont eat it, and very rarely get flair ups now, its very common.

ILoveHenryJames

iwanttosave wrote:

peppermint is fantastic for it, you can get capsuals from the health food shop.

Also tell mummy SS to keep a food diary (exactly like a spending one) and she can over a few weeks pin point what kicks it off.

I was just about to make the very same two points.

It must be remembered that IBS is not all about the intake of the 'wrong' type of food. Stress and worry can have a serious impact alone.

The food diary is massively important; I now have a massive list of 'banned' food but have found that my IBS is under much better control.

southernscouser

She has it everyday to be honest so I'm not sure whether it's a certain food. She has got a few health issues so I think the best bet would be to get the doctor to do a bit more than prescribe immodium! :think:

Will get her some peppermint capsules though. Thanks wanty!

Ted_Hutchinson

Lactobacillus and bifidobacterium in irritable bowel syndrome: symptom responses and relationship to cytokine profiles.

This is one of several research papers showing that probiotics do help IBS. It's worth looking out for those that mention IBS Both Lactobacillus salivarius UCC4331 or Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 but the bifidobacterium was clearly more effective. this symptomatic response was associated with normalization of the ratio of an anti-inflammatory to a proinflammatory cytokine, suggesting an immune-modulating role for this organism, in this disorder.

I'm sure those who are aware of my posting history will now be able to anticipate the rest of this post. anti-inflammatory action suggests that eating oily fish or supplementing with omega 3 will help as it is known omega 3 acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.

immune-modulating as IBD is an auto-immune condition and we know that there is a direct and indirect regulation of T cell development and function by vitamin D, so encouraging your mother to spend as much time as possible between now and the end of September outside, getting as much sun on as much of her skin as she dare will ensure she maximises her vitamin d reserves from October, unless she's able to spend the Winter in the Canaries using 5000iu D3 fromThe best source for Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol. every other day should be sufficient though no harm will come if she took them every day from October to March.

As ILoveHenryJames has suggested there is a mental health component to IBS which may lead to a reduction in symptoms. This is why Placebo, Hypnotherapy, and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy can all be shown to be an effective treatment for some with IBS. Depression causes inflammation and controlling the cause inflammation is as important as responding to that inflammation, which is why having reserves of both omega 3 and vitamin d is so important. Both known anti-depressants, both proven anti-inflammatory agents.

wigginsmum

I've found that mine is under control as long as I avoid wheat, barley and rye (I haven't yet ruled out the possibility that I'm coeliac).

As several people have said, there is an emotional component to IBS which can exacerbate symptoms. Managing stress is extremely important for IBS sufferers.

abbecer

I was hospitalised with mine in January it was so severe. I was discharged on 21 tablets a day!!! Soon after i started taking Aloe Vera Drinking Gel. It has worked well for me and i now have no symptoms. Hope this helps.

Rebecca x

P.S I know Ted does not agree with this and says there is no evidence to support it. I am just saying what has worked for me. I would like to be honest and say i do sell aloe products but i joined the company because of the brilliant results i got from the drinking gel.

Linda32

At the moment I use Buscopan IBS bought from Tesco's its expensive, about £4.50 for 18 tablets. But it works and its about the only thing that does as far as I'm concerned.

But the pack states it must be for medically diagnosed Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

As it happens I came on this board to see if I can buy them cheaper.

wigginsmum

Mine was medically diagnosed from a colonoscopy. What that really means is 'We've stuck this camera up you and we have absolutely no idea why you can poo through the eye of a needle 15-20 times a day, and we've ruled out anything obvious, so we'll call it Irritable Bowel Syndrome.'

seven-day-weekend

wigginsmum wrote:

Mine was medically diagnosed from a colonoscopy. What that really means is 'We've stuck this camera up you and we have absolutely no idea why you can poo through the eye of a needle 15-20 times a day, and we've ruled out anything obvious, so we'll call it Irritable Bowel Syndrome.'

My husband loved this quote and totally agreed with it!

His is almost entirely stress related what he does or doesn't eat or drink seems to have very little to do with his symptoms.

He has peppermint oil capsules for relief of spasm and bloating and immodium for when the diarrhoea is really bad. He has been attended hospital for it (here in Spain) and was given some tablets by a Doctor (who couldn't speak English very well) for the 'Big Pain'. Eventually I realised he did not mean my husband, but the pain in his stomach. They are called Spasmoctyl (might be a different spelling in English).

We haven't found anything that will stop him having to go to the toilet when necessary, but the above things relieve the symptoms.

However, the most important thing to control is the stress.