Living with....IBS

IBS or irritable bowel sydrome is an illness so common that often people don't realise they are suffering from it and often it is something that people find quite embarrasing to talk about. I have suffered from IBS for the past 7 years and whilst it's not something which stops my every day life, it can be very painful and also occur at the most inappropriate moments! Often the pains can be so bad that they prevent me from sleeping and often over the counter medication doesn't work. I have found ways to cope with it over the years-I even tried a very expensive food intolerance test where I was told I have a wheat intolerance-I thought I had solved my problem until I realised the information they gave me was a load of cobblers. I do not have a wheat intolerance, I still have not pinpointed what food makes me ill and I don't feel like anxiety ever causes it but it can make it worse. Here are a few ways I cope with the illness...


Peppermint tea

I have found peppermint tea *sometimes* can ease my pains especially if I have it soon after my dinner and sip it slowly. As well as this I have taken peppermint capsules before and they have proved sometimes successful.

Avoid sweeteners

This is one thing I have pinpointed that makes IBS worse and that is sweeteners in tea, low sugar drinks and food and so on. I have to admit I still drink diet coke in small amounts but I never use sweeteners in my tea-I always drink high juice (doesn't contain sweeteners) and I HAVE noticed a difference in how often I get IBS now-especially bloating pains.

Go to the toilet when you need to

IBS can cause horrible diarrhea and constipation and sometimes they occur when you least want them too. I find allowing myself to go to the toilet as much as I need to helps-even if you spend a while on the loo, worrying about going just makes it worse.

Keep a food diary

This is useful as you can pinpoint what makes you get IBS-sometimes it is hard to find any link with foods, it could just be down to the way food is cooked. Spicy food used to make me get IBS all the time but over the years (and after a lot of curry) my stomach has become immune. I don't think you should give up what you love to eat but just monitor it.

Stomach massage

This is something which can help my IBS cramps when I get them-particularly when I get bad bloating. It takes about 5 minutes-I lie on my back and rub my lower stomach gently-with each hand circling in a different direction. I also lift one leg up to my knee for 10 seconds and switch and keep repeating. This helps things keep moving in my stomach!

Anyway I hope this helps someone-IBS is a really common but horrible condition but it can be managed if you try out lots of things! I am slowly learning what is right for me and I have had it for a long time.

I am off to Arundel in Sussex for a few days so I won't be blogging for a bit-hope all you guys have a lovely start to the week-no doubt it WILL RAIN whilst we are away. It is tradition with Michael and I and we just laugh about it-I am just going to start to pack and will make sure I put the wellies and pack a mac in! Take care everyone xoxo