Probably a long shot but...anyone here with IBS?

Jenni Addams

Jenni Addams

New Member
Jun 20, 2007
343
0
0
Angus, Scotland
Hope this is okay in here. Living with it makes it seem like a disability! And when i'm having a bad day, i'm housebound.

Are there any newriders out there with ibs? How do you manage the horses with the unpredictability of the condition? I'm managing my part loan because he's out 24/7 and if i can't get up, then he's happy enough just to get the day off!

Just looking for other people in the same boat as me. Its a real struggle. I can only work late shifts, and only short 4 hour shifts. I'm really fortunate that i'm only a student working temporarily over summer.

Is there anyone else out there? :o
 
Hi there, sorry to hear about your condition. OH has ibs and also UC (ulcerative colitis) and it can be hell for him to live with around the horses! Last year was awful he was in and out of the hospital - and he had real flare ups and we just had to manage as best we could around the horses. We keep ours at home, so it was better than being on a yard - it wouldn't have been much fun having to cope with the unpredictable episodes!! I guess you just have to do your best and try and muddle through! its not always easy tho and the tiredness associated with these conditions can be a real killer too.
 
IBS is quite like Chrones disease which my OH has, he spent three years of his life in hospital where the doctors didnt know what was wrong with him at all. they kept telling him he had acid in his belly.

firstly he was diagosed with IBS but after some more testing it was found to be chrones disease, after about 6 months on immuran he began to gain back weight and was released from hospital. He is now in remission after 8 years but he came off his tablets there for about 5 months and it came back and wallopped him again, he is on one of the strongest tablets 3 at a time every day, if he misses a single day he feels like crap and he has to watch what he eats.

make sure that your IBS is not chrones disease, for this you should go to your doctor for 6 monthly blood tests and ask to be tested for that, if it is Chrones disease then it is treatable and some very famous people have it and function very well with it. madonna, justin timberlake, ashton kutcher and so on.
 
Yes, we suspected OH had chronns at one point but it turned out to be UC (equally as nasty I suspect!). With medication it has improved somewhat, but he has to be tested (won't go into gory details on here!) twice a year to make sure nothing turns nasty (he has a family history of cancer). On a positive note, I think the horses really helped him through his illness last year and the year before, they made him much more determined to live the condition and get healthy and fit again.
 
I've been back and forward to the doctors these past few months trying to get something that works. I was 'diagnosed' a few years ago, but that doctor didn't even test for anything else. So i went to my parents doctor and they've been doing blood tests etc. They tested me for coeliac disease, but it came back negative. After that they decided that since i'm only 20 and have suffered for 10 years, they don't want to do the invasive examinations. If i was older, they say they would...but not since i'm so young.
 
Jenni, I think mainly they tested OH cos his father had cancer in that area so that is why the invasive procedures. Plus he is over 35 so the risk increases etc etc. Do you take any long term medication to stabilise your condition? I have heard that natural remedies can help enormously with IBS.
 
I've tried a few antispasmodic (?) medications, colofac and a peppermint oil capsule. I'm currently using soluble fibre. Previously i've been taking imodium every day, but i'm trying to wean myself off it and rely on the fibre instead.
I cant eat dairy. I'm keeping a food diary so that i can keep track and see if i can find trigger foods. Although i feel like i'm in a rut now cause i'm clinging to foods i think i can trust. Same breakfast and lunch every day.
 
Yes, its helpful if you can find out which foods iritate it more than others. I think stress can sometimes be a factor too. Your horse should help in that area, OH swears they keep him sane!
 
hey Jenni...i have IBS too...had it forever! No professional has ever properly been able to diagnose me either. My cousin has Crohn's and a friend has UC so i know it's neither of those. Anyway, if you want to chat i'm here too...and as Trewsers says..stress is a really big factor in my IBS too...if it wasn't for my animals i don't know what i'd do :o
 
ok i have crohn's and i can please point out, that no gp should DIAGNOSE ibs when they have not ruled out IBD, cealiac ect. IBS is a diagnosis that is given when everything else is ruled out. Please, for the sake of your health, insist on being referred to a gastroenterologist for further testing. My gastro says the worst cases he sees is from GP's fobbing people off saying its IBS when they have done zero investigations.

As to how i cope with the unpredictability, i'm on a long term Anti-TNF biologic drug. I get this drug via an ifusion every 8 weeks. This eradicates my symptoms for 6 weeks, i then have to get through the final 2. Over those two weeks, i'm very careful with my diet. I live on a low residue diet, and this means i eat very little fibre. You can tane immodium but be careful as it can go the other way, and you can end up with constipation which can become pretty serious! Any other questions, feel free to ask!
 
i have never heard of the infusions, would you not be suitable for immuane, it comes with various types of levels, how long have you had it for, my OH doesnt have any bad periods any more and he seems to be in remission.
 
I have IBS, but not as badly as some of you have to endure....

Im sorry but IBS is nothing like Crohns disease... Crohnes is very delibitating, and is more than "inflammatory" also the causes are different. With IBS it is mainly brought on by stress, but has other triggers too, such as wheat flour. No-one ever had surgery for IBS.. Crohns is a tissue disease and many people have had diseased parts of thier intestine removed.

Jennie if your IBS has been this bad for a long time and the meds arent helping, have a look at your diet and see what can be cut out (wheatflour etc..) stress can also be a trigger... Crohns suffers usually have to cut milk and dairy products from their diet, and take different medication.

Also it may be useful to see your doctor, and get a referral to a specialist. It's not nice having these cramps and a mad dash to the nearest loo.... you have my full sympathy
 
r0450111 said:
IBS is a diagnosis that is given when everything else is ruled out.
Click to expand...

No it's not..... I was diagnosed with IBS about 17years ago, and Crohns, Celiac etc, wasnt ever considered, mainly because I did not have the symptoms for them. IBS is a condition in itself, but it is not as damaging to the intestine as the others.
 
i have it, my farts stink with it too lol. but i dont let it get to me, i keep toilet roll at the stables and i have a nice pretty pink bucket when i get court short lol.when the pain sets in iv learnt to cope with it infact i pant as if im in labour lol i find it helps a lot lol.diet helps and i know what can n will upset mine i i tend to really watch what i eat if i have some thing doing the next day.
 
I have it & have had it for the past 9yrs. It came as an after effect/reaction to invasive surgery to keep me alive after an ovarian cyst became abscess & burst.

I opted not to try any drug therapy for it, just having those opps that caused it was more than enough drug taking for me. Instead I took up the community nurses suggestion and started a food diary which was also to include chemicals I used during the day for housework etc, as sprays get in the air, air is breathed in, chemicals in slight amounts can be ingested, could be a trigger etc.


2yrs of keeping that diary & I knew what I could and couldnt eat. Cant eat more than a slice of bread a day, cannot tollerate more than 2g of fat a day, have to regulate my fiber intake, avoid citrus fruits, and countless others, but suffice to say it is now pretty much under control & almost 14 months since I had a bad spell.

Stress was a killer for me, but since we've moved to no mans land, stress is no longer part of my life.
 
newrider.com
Top Bottom