How do you know it’s IBS?
Hi all,
I’ve been suffering on and off for a while now, with what I think could be IBS. It runs in my family too, if that means anything. I get sudden stomach ache from nowhere, that spreads round to my back and makes my back ache, which sometimes is a worse pain and I don’t know what to do with myself. When I rub my belly it gives slight comfort, it’s almost as though I’m massaging myself to get a poo out! The only thing that seems to help straight away is applying heat to both my back and stomach. This makes it a bit bearable.
It happened yesterday when I was at work, about 3pm. Came from nowhere, I had to go and relieve myself, which helped a little bit I guess. As soon as I got home I applied heat, but it makes me feel so drained and I also felt very nauseous. I had a hot drink, which ultimately made me have to go and relieve myself again, but the pain stayed. When I pressed down on my abdomen it felt like the pain was mostly located in the right hand side. Felt like extreme trapped wind, and almost felt like I could feel food/poo whatever moving through me (don’t know how else to describe it).
As soon as I went to bed and laid down on my right hand side. About 70% off the pain immediately was relieved and went away. I don’t get that! I felt so much better. I then got up quite a lot in the night to wee, not sure if that is an IBS symptom.
I’m feeling okay so far today, although not feeling 100% as feel rather drained and worried to eat as don’t want it to happen again.
I’ve been taking Colpermin capsules, which my mum used to take for her IBS, in the hope that they’ll help me too.
Going to try and make a doctors appointment, but that seems to be harder than finding a needle in a haystack.
So just wondering if anyone experiences the same sort of thing? As I could really use some advice.
Thank you 😊
So sorry you are going through these symptoms. I know how hard it is to make an appointment with a doctor but definitely try to see one, even if it means waiting forever. In the meantime, I would also try to reach out to a Dietician if possible. I worked with one and she was so helpful for me in teaching me what foods to eat when experiencing symptoms. Also what foods help nourish the gut and promote good bacteria growth and healthy gut lining.
As far as dealing with symptoms. Heat is always a good idea. Warm baths. Hot water bottle is better than using a heating pad from my experience. Light exercise. Sunlight. Moving your body daily is key. Walking after meals is great too. Coconut water is excellent for hydration. Just some little tips.
I hope his helps some.
Best, Elizabeth (team member)
Hi
, I'm so sorry you're dealing with this sudden pain. This happens to me when I accidentally eat something that's very hard for me to digest. For example, quinoa always gives me this type of pain. It's definitely a good idea to see a doctor and get some tests done. In the meantime, you could also keep a food diary to see if you can identify any triggers. We have a free one you can download here: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/food-journal-download, and it can also be helpful to know how long after eating a trigger you can experience symptoms, which is described in this article: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/fodmaps-trigger-ibs-symptoms. Before knowing about this, I always assumed it was the last thing I ate that triggered a flare, but that's not usually the case.
As for the pain itself, I want to share our article collection about chronic pain here: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/chronic-pain. Maybe you could find some more helpful tips in there.
Please keep us updated!
Karina (team member)
