Photographers with ibs

I don't have IBS, but I do have IBD (Crohn's disease to be precise) so I know what you are going through. Landscapes are my genre of choice but it often means not being able to do what I would choose to. In those situations I play around with other genres, mainly still life/table top stuff. Also allows time for learning more about LR/PS.

Try and make the most of what you can do rather than worry about what you can't.
 
I think the issue I have is that I can't find my triggers for it.
What have you been tested for?

I have Coeliac, and I know the current NHS guidance is for anyone with IBS to be checked for that condition.
 
Do you still take your meds even when all ok and no flair up?
 
What have you been tested for?

I have Coeliac, and I know the current NHS guidance is for anyone with IBS to be checked for that condition.

Guidance is one thing, actually getting help on the NHS is quite another. I was told for years that I just had IBS and it was down to 'stress and anxiety' which I knew damned well it wasn't (despite there being three coeliacs in the family). I suffered for years, I lost catastrophic amounts of weight and was then accused of being anorexic. I only got tests and investigations when I could privately fund them. Turns out that even though my symptoms looked like very extreme IBS (I'll list them if the OP really wants me to) it turned out I had a problem with my small intestine and so completely undigested food was passing into the large bowel causing severe irritation and the associated debilitating symptoms. I spent years not being able to eat, drink, have a social life, sleep etc etc.

Blaine, If your symptoms are going on and on then the best initial diagnostic test would probably be a colonoscopy - not terribly pleasant but it is very good at ruling out specific bowel conditions before your physician looks elsewhere.

For me, it was about learning which foods I could tolerate and for two years all I could eat was rice, lamb and sweetcorn. Gradually as the sensitivity reduced I could introduce small amounts of milk into my tea and so forth. I can now eat fairly normally but I have to avoid anything acidic such as fruit juice, alcohol, salad dressing, anything spicy and quite frankly anything which has any flavour. But at least I can go out without being in screaming agony and wondering where the nearest loo is.
 
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But at least I can go out without being in screaming agony and wondering where the nearest loo is.
I know that feeling - I have a 20 mile drive each way to work - I know where all the toilets are along that route! Several large supermarkets which is very useful.
 
I know that feeling - I have a 20 mile drive each way to work - I know where all the toilets are along that route! Several large supermarkets which is very useful.

For me at least, the only thing that helped a bit when I had a journey was to not eat beforehand (other than a piece of bland toast) followed by immodium and if the pain was bad paracetamol (I'm sure you realise that you should avoid aspirin or NSAIDs). Occasionally I would take solpadene for the pain because the codeine element calmed the intestine - but obviously you would only do that on your doctors direction and use sparingly. Gradually my condition moved further upwards and I now have a stomach full of ulcers as well - fun isn't it?
 
For me at least, the only thing that helped a bit when I had a journey was to not eat beforehand (other than a piece of bland toast) followed by immodium and if the pain was bad paracetamol (I'm sure you realise that you should avoid aspirin or NSAIDs). Occasionally I would take solpadene for the pain because the codeine element calmed the intestine - but obviously you would only do that on your doctors direction and use sparingly. Gradually my condition moved further upwards and I now have a stomach full of ulcers as well - fun isn't it?
Feel for you - I know now what is safe to eat and what isn't most of the time. My Crohn's is exacerbated by an overactive immune system - tends to attack parts of me it shouldn't. Apart from the general IBD meds I am also on immune suppressants, but the problem with that is I catch everything else that goes round like colds really easily, and takes ages to shake them off. And yes, Paracetamol is just about the only painkiller I can use.
 
That's absolutely rotten Brian, I wish there was something I could suggest. Sometimes it just comes down to learning what type of management works best for you as an individual and then doing what you can in terms of coping strategies. It really does weigh you down though. I hope something can be done to help you feel better. I worked my way through the various peripheral suggestions such as yoga, meditation and all that, by I am rubbish at that sort of thing. Chronic conditions like that can make you feel really low.
 
Blaine I was diagnosed with IBS eventually I has some intolerance tests done at Yorktest, I found that I had several things that upset me among them wheat, dairy and egg white. might be woth a try.

<cough> read up on the York test.. .. you might find some of the professional medical opinions interesting.
 
When I was being treated I was told to avoid tests like that as they have little credibility - I was told instead that any suspect food should be eliminated from my diet one at a time for several months in order to determine if it was a trigger.

With many of these 'food intolerance tests' pretty much everyone on the street would come out as being intolerant to those old chestnuts.
 
All I can say is that cutting out wheat and dairy worked for me, I also take Kefir every day that helps too, I use a special milk called a2......

Cutting out dairy will help pretty much anyone with bowel problems simply because dairy products are known irritants. Likewise quite a lot of people can be intolerant to wheat (although cutting that out of my diet made no difference - I tried eating rye bread on recommendation and that made me really unwell). Dairy/wheat are known trigger foods and any dietician will probably suggest seeing what happens if you remove them (one at a time). A couple of people recommended aloe vera juice to me (tried it and it made me worse) and manuka honey - I tried that and ended up with a very light wallet.

Before I actually got any tests I saw one consultant who took one look at me and decided I just had IBS (purely on the basis of the half cocked referral letter from my GP) - he told me I should go away and do some yoga because that's ideal 'for people like me'. I love it when doctors can make a diagnosis simply based on your hair colour, that obviously saves a great deal in terms of actually having to do any tests. Oh, I tried the yoga and ended up with bad sciatica necessitating an x-ray and two grudgingly offered sessions of physiotherapy.
 
Lindsey.............There are 3 things that have helped me,I have found that I can tolerate spelt so make my own bread, I use a2 milk and make kefir with it and have 200ml per day, and try to keep stress free...............

Stress is one of the most common triggers..................
 
Colitis for me, everyone has their recommendations, you have just got to find what best works for you. Touch wood, mine is under control at the moment with medication, but I know what its like when its bad, not nice!
 
Lindsey.............There are 3 things that have helped me,I have found that I can tolerate spelt so make my own bread, I use a2 milk and make kefir with it and have 200ml per day, and try to keep stress free...............

Stress is one of the most common triggers..................

I will look into those things Judi - totally agree about the stress side of things, I suspect that probably triggered my illness in the first place. I am still grappling to try and find ways to minimise stress but am failing dismally.

I don't know about you but I tried soy milk and it made me violently ill - never again.
 
Colitis for me, everyone has their recommendations, you have just got to find what best works for you. Touch wood, mine is under control at the moment with medication, but I know what its like when its bad, not nice!

I can't remember the exact source, but this was quite well reported and I think it was on TV. Worms - I think they are just ordinary common or garden thread worms, but they have a desensitising action on the bowel and apparently can be highly effective at easing symptoms associated with various inflammatory bowel conditions. Apparently all you have to do is be given a small drink containing the worm larvae.

Obviously the side-effect is that you have worms, but apparently they are harmless (unless you get over infested which I think is rare).

Edit: I think I would rather suffer.
 
I can't remember the exact source, but this was quite well reported and I think it was on TV. Worms - I think they are just ordinary common or garden thread worms, but they have a desensitising action on the bowel and apparently can be highly effective at easing symptoms associated with various inflammatory bowel conditions. Apparently all you have to do is be given a small drink containing the worm larvae.

Obviously the side-effect is that you have worms, but apparently they are harmless (unless you get over infested which I think is rare).

Edit: I think I would rather suffer.
Doesn't sound too nice ;-)
 
One of the things that can help with Crohn's is nicotine apparently - unfortunately the side effects of smoking are much worse. I have been considering trying vaping as I gave up smoking thirty years ago, but I think I will give the worms a miss :)
 
A IBS sufferer here, a side effect of Fibromyalgia, but the Gastroenterologist initially thought I had Chrones due to the pain I was having and especially on my lower right side where the ileum is. Anyway he arranged for a colon and endosocopy but the he only carried out part of the examination on the colon, and didn't go near the ileum?????????? strange after his previous comments.

I have found that keeping a food diary helps along with changing my meds, I now take Buscopan and Omeprazole and it was thought that the Lanzaporole I was taking previously was making things worse. I am also on the Pain Management Program and since coming off Solpadol and going to Morphine along with Gabapentin and Amitryipline for my pain problems has seemed to settle things down. I also have problems with my bladder and the medicines I take for that maybe also be helping.

A friend who also suffered with IBS swears by Lepicol and I found some benefit initially but it soon wore off so maybe worth a try, as he suffers the same as me, dual IBS. He has been taking it for a few years and is very stable using it.

Lepicol > https://www.google.com/search?q=lepicol&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
 
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I will look into those things Judi - totally agree about the stress side of things, I suspect that probably triggered my illness in the first place. I am still grappling to try and find ways to minimise stress but am failing dismally.

I don't know about you but I tried soy milk and it made me violently ill - never again.

Soy made me ill too..can you tolerate goat milk if so try goat kefir from www.chucklinggoat.co.uk Kefir contains about 50 strains of good bacteria. it can be made with almond/coconut/soy even water!
cutting out sugar help too........
There has been a lot of work done on repopulating the gut with the 'good bacteria' there are several ways of doing that but I won't go into to that on here,(google is my friend) I prefer to have Kefir everyday
 
That sounds really unpleasant Simon, but at least you have been able to get the worst of your symptoms under control - hopefully that will continue.

Re: colonoscopy, I was told they can't always get right round to the ileum for a number of reasons. The first time I had it done I was given some sedation which helped a bit but I did scream a lot - the guy did get round to the small intestine (with lots of shoving) but the second time I had it done I just had gas and air and they only got as far as the sigmoid - that may have been partly to do with the CD they played at the time in theatre, a particular album of the Cranberries which I wouldn't describe as particularly relaxing. They were discussing the band across my writhing body and at one point I had to interject to inform them of who the lead singer was - but otherwise, I don't think I was spoken to directly. Doctors seem to forget that something as simple as a human touch and a little bit of empathy and humour can go a long way to getting certain procedures completed.

The proton pump inhibitors did absolutely nothing for me so I went on to Ranitidine which does control the upper tract symptoms fairly well. As has been said, what does and doesn't work seems to be highly individual.
 
I have suffered from IBS for years
When I did weddings the flare up always presented itself at the worst times
immodium were my friend
I have had all the endoscopy tests done for years all clear.
Since stopping weddings its still there
I have found Isbaghol husk in yoghurt really helps.
Sometimes though that loo desperation panic is horrid
 
I have suffered from IBS for years
Since stopping weddings its still there

I was going to ask about that - my condition was one of the reasons I moved away from weddings, because I wasn't sure I could cope on the day. I would like to do the odd wedding but I feel that the anxiety over worrying about whether my condition will prevent me from performing is holding me back. That's the problem with these conditions - it can wreck your confidence and it stops you from doing many of the things you want or need to do.
 
I was going to ask about that - my condition was one of the reasons I moved away from weddings, because I wasn't sure I could cope on the day. I would like to do the odd wedding but I feel that the anxiety over worrying about whether my condition will prevent me from performing is holding me back. That's the problem with these conditions - it can wreck your confidence and it stops you from doing many of the things you want or need to do.
Hi again
TBH the night before and the morning of a wedding were pretty hell for me
It wrecks your mojo too I have to say
I am better than I used to be I feel its more or less controlled by diet
Cant eat bulky meat foods really and tomatoes don't help!
 
Don't talk to me about tomatoes - or oranges, lemons, salad dressing, peppermint, alchohol, or chilli ...... when I feel better I sometimes relent and feel that a glass of orange juice will be a nice little luxury. Then I will be extremely unwell for at least four days, unable to get up off the floor or eat. My iron levels went down because my insides bleed quite badly if I eat the wrong thing.

One of the hardest parts is dealing with other people who think you are just a picky eater and you're being difficult. Because of that I avoided all (or at least most) social occasions for nearly a decade. Being self-employed makes all of this very difficult because we can't just phone in sick for a few days like we can if we work in an office.

I can eat lamb providing it doesn't have any fat on it. Sausages are out of the question.
 
I think the issue I have is that I can't find my triggers for it.

I didn't at first - it was literally anything that I ate. That's what happens when your condition becomes quite acute. The only thing you can do is think of the 'logical triggers' as mentioned above and then slowly act on these by removing them one by one over a number of weeks or even months. Generally any inflammatory or irritable bowel condition will be exacerbated by dairy (and sometimes weeks) and anything which is acidic or strongly flavoured. Therefore a bland diet is normally the best starting point.
 
For me I have stopped all fruits and try and replace by having vegetables more, I just found with fruits they just make things worse for me.. I try to stay to a normal diet as possible but I find that I can't tolerate different brands of milk or butter/spread. I now only use Tesco milk, and I can manage a little Flora and Clover spreads otherwise I have terrible Nausea. Not that I have a lot of dairy products.

As for weddings I could only imagine the problems it would cause for you pro's, when I have a flare up I feel so unwell I couldn't go outside. I build myself up then with a little rice and chicken dishes over a few days and clear drinks. My doctors told me not to use Imoduim at all, and let your body sort itself out. I have cancelled hospital appointment etc...rather than take Imoduim and they are usually sympathetic when you tell the reasons.
 
I'm quite surprised by your doctor's advice regarding the Imodium - particularly as sorting out these conditions can take years. I was told that it was absolutely fine to use Imodium if I had a long journey or protracted periods in the field away from facilities. The only time the doctor has told me not to use Imodium is if I have food poisoning or a bug, in which case the advice is to stay at home and let your system clear itself. If I was you I would have another chat with your doctor about the Imodium, because if you can't get to appointments as a result of this advice then they are not helping you at all.
 
Thanks for the advice Lindsay. I need to see the Doctor this week as he has sent me a letter last week after my recent Urologist appointment.

On my last bad bout, I phoned the doctors and my wife did regarding my medicines, as obviuosly I wasnt eating and only drinking fluids and whether to carry on with my meds. I take 70mg Morphine, 1500mgs of Gabapentin and 75mg of Amitriptyline plus other meds so I was concerned about taking my meds with an empty stomach. Due the excruciating pains they also advised to up my Morphine to try and help relieve pains. I take one in morning and one last thing at night and they advised to take another in the day to help. The morphine is MST and it's a slow release drug.

When we asked about Imoduim this is when they stated not to use and let your body sort itself out. Also, by that time I think I had taken 6 tablets of the Imoduim plus? as this one can help with cramps over basic one according to Pharmacist?? ......... and there had been no benefit to me at that time, and maybe the reason the Doctor said to stop???
 
You poor thing Simon, it sounds like you are having such a rotten time. As you say, if the immodium is not helping then that might be why your doctor suggested you stop. If I take it I only take a minimal dose and only if I am faced with a particularly bad week or a long journey (it gives me about 3 hours of reasonable relief and calms the cramps a bit), but it sounds like even a high-dose isn't helping you. I do hope something can be found to ease your symptoms. Reading this thread has been very interesting - I thought I was the only one who had suffered badly with this kind of thing but clearly there are lots of people out there who suffer horribly and are much worse me. I did get better over the years and I really hope that you will as well.

When I was in hospital a few years ago when at my worst, they gave me an anti nausea drug called Maxolon - it is the only thing which has ever worked on the lower bowel pain, but I think it speeds up gastric transit which if anything will make food go through faster at times.
 
Thanks for the advice Lindsay. I need to see the Doctor this week as he has sent me a letter last week after my recent Urologist appointment.

On my last bad bout, I phoned the doctors and my wife did regarding my medicines, as obviuosly I wasnt eating and only drinking fluids and whether to carry on with my meds. I take 70mg Morphine, 1500mgs of Gabapentin and 75mg of Amitriptyline plus other meds so I was concerned about taking my meds with an empty stomach. Due the excruciating pains they also advised to up my Morphine to try and help relieve pains. I take one in morning and one last thing at night and they advised to take another in the day to help. The morphine is MST and it's a slow release drug.

When we asked about Imoduim this is when they stated not to use and let your body sort itself out. Also, by that time I think I had taken 6 tablets of the Imoduim plus? as this one can help with cramps over basic one according to Pharmacist?? ......... and there had been no benefit to me at that time, and maybe the reason the Doctor said to stop???

There is definitely a pain relief when I take Imodium so I just take one every four hours for that day and it really settles it. I also find a diet of smoked haddock and mash stops IBS!!
 
Boots do a generic version of Imodium at a much reduced price, exactly the same ingredients and works as well

Have you ever tried the old fashioned Kaolin and Morphine, tastes foul, but works a treat
 
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