Photographers with ibs

Mark Dell said:
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!!
Click to expand...

I love smoked fish and mashed potato - really comforting and like you it doesn't affect me too badly.

When I used to see the dietician she always said that it was all about easing the burden on your system by consuming food which required the less breaking down the better. So if you ate potatoes, you should avoid them in their whole form (such as new potatoes - which have a horrible effect on me) and have them mashed instead. She said to have vegetables instead of fruit, and to ensure that the vegetables were very well cooked and soft (never crunchy) and also to chew my food as much as possible before swallowing. She said to run with carrots initially because you are less likely to react to them vs broccoli or cauliflower, then to introduce those gradually. All of that does make a difference, but it takes time. I also had to avoid tea and coffee because apparently that can stimulate the gut, so I only drank water for a couple of years.
 
Lindsay D said:
I love smoked fish and mashed potato - really comforting and like you it doesn't affect me too badly.

When I used to see the dietician she always said that it was all about easing the burden on your system by consuming food which required the less breaking down the better. So if you ate potatoes, you should avoid them in their whole form (such as new potatoes - which have a horrible effect on me) and have them mashed instead. She said to have vegetables instead of fruit, and to ensure that the vegetables were very well cooked and soft (never crunchy) and also to chew my food as much as possible before swallowing. She said to run with carrots initially because you are less likely to react to them vs broccoli or cauliflower, then to introduce those gradually. All of that does make a difference, but it takes time. I also had to avoid tea and coffee because apparently that can stimulate the gut, so I only drank water for a couple of years.
Click to expand...

I find this to be my recovery diet from a bad attack - mash and fish
Today for example been to the loo at work 3 times and have pain Imodium tonight I feel.
Last nights food not helping me
 
Oh my god. That is a step too far - I would be more than worried about the safety aspects of that. Thankfully it doesn't sound like it would be viable for any of us lot ...... unless we want to be donors of course. o_O

Think I'll stick with the Helminths.
 
had Crohns since I was 9 (18 years now!) and ended up with a illiostomy bag when I was 18. It is a struggle sometimes, but I often find driving and doing things takes my mind off it, especially if my body knew there wasn't a loo in sight I could about hold it.

Trigger sna control is completely personal, my triggers have changed over the years, at the moment is milk chocolate and some types of alcahol.

Something you can try is an elimination diet, takes a while and is abit of a chore but helped me out, starting with plain food like chicken and potato for a week and see how you are, then each week add 1 new type of food and see how each one goes, you soon find out if you are not good with something.
 
Not in all cases, but wouldn't mind betting that a good many digestion problems are anxiety/stress related. Exercise, drinking enough water, eating healthily and trying to get things right mentally go a long way to settling the innards down
Good many other issues such as muscular pain can be helped greatly by getting the mind right, easier said than done I know, but vitally important to good health.
 
I've had IBS for quite some time, it came on as a result of stress and overwork when I was in computers and working stupid hours in a very stressful job. I also occasionally get heart palpitations as a result of those days although thankfully I can go for days or weeks without one rather than every six seconds or so when they first came on.

These days IBS is the biggest annoyance and is usually brought on by worries about family when they're ill and by anxiousness about travelling.

Actually my photography does help when I can get away for the day by myself. I find going for a long walk with my camera very calming and therapeutic and I usually get home feeling happy and at ease.
 
I too am a IBS sufferer, very little dairy, soya instead of milk, (was surprised to read above that this could be a problem) may have to stop that as well!. Have had various tests to confirm it must be IBS. Knowing what you can and cannot eat is the big problem as we all know. One of the hardest things for me is when you are having a "Loo Day" as I call them, and take tablets for it, I then have problems going for the next few days. Very hard finding a balance. I hate having to book anything in advance ( photo days out, golf days ect) because of the unpredictability of IBS. Its nice to know that there are many more in the same boat. I will keep a watch on this thread with Interest.
 
[QUOTE="tonyq, post: 7013637, member: 52195". Its nice to know that there are many more in the same boat..[/QUOTE]

Thanks Tony :D lol.

I recently had a really bad bout of 'something'!! IBS/Colitis? It has been going on for weeks, but has thankfully settled a bit.
It started about 2 months ago, when I got terrible gas problems, and then awful pains, really low down in pelvis. I ended up in out of hours, and they told me I had double trouble. Gastrointestinal issues and a uti :(
I have had stomach problems for years though, and it really limits what I can do. Constantly worried that I will need a loo fast!
If I went on holiday, I couldn't do excursions. If I do photography meet ups, I would be worried about a flare up. Can't even do long walks in the country anymore :(
Also not very good if you are single and looking for a partner.
I want to do some photography in the lake district soon, but will have to go alone because its embarrassing (and take a bucket! lol)
I am now on omeprazole and buscopan, but my doc thinks it is all because I take daily aspirin (stomach lining?). Also told I suffer from bile malabsorption.

It can be a bummer. You are not alone.
 
Last edited:
Not a good week for me IBS very uncomfortable and debilitating feeling more comfortable this morning thanks god
Three days fish and mash and Imodium
 
As someone who is currently with and just been given a temporary ileostomy after 7 months of having a colostomy due to peritonitis bought on by an anostomatic leak which was the result of of a surgical complication to fix diverticular disease anyone with digestive issues has my full empathy. Unfortunately for me I had to give up my career in June due to ill health and have been unable to shoot anything since.
 
I don't suffer from IBS and didn't realise how debilitating it is. I think the word 'irritable' is unhelpful as in my mind that word equates to annoying, whereas clearly IBS is severely debilitating and the word chronic seems more appropriate. So this thread has been useful to better inform me of the condition.

And my sympathy to all sufferers of this and any debilitating condition. Best wishes to everyone and I hope you can all achieve some kind of solution/resolution? Probably not best words...as there may be no solution, but some kind of way of reducing/minimising the condition to allow you to maximise what you can do while managing the condition. Sorry for clumsy wording, but I hope you get the gist of what I'm trying to say.
 
That is a really nice message Steve. God bless you. :)
In my case, it really limits me, but clearly there are worse off than me. I had a scan at age 40, and they spotted diverticular pouches. They said I was very young for those.
I then suffered undiagnosed gall stones for about 2 years, and after numerous appointments at my docs, I decided to consult Dr. Google, who told me it was gall stones.
My gall bladder was removed, and I think it was after that, that I suffered the bile malabsorption.
There is something new going on for me though, which I am concerned about.
I wish you all well.
 
Northantsgeezer said:
[QUOTE="tonyq, post: 7013637, member: 52195". Its nice to know that there are many more in the same boat..
Click to expand...

If I went on holiday, I couldn't do excursions. If I do photography meet ups, I would be worried about a flare up. Can't even do long walks in the country anymore :(
Also not very good if you are single and looking for a partner.
I want to do some photography in the lake district soon, but will have to go alone because its embarrassing (and take a bucket! lol)
I am now on omeprazole and buscopan, but my doc thinks it is all because I take daily aspirin (stomach lining?). Also told I suffer from bile malabsorption.

It can be a bummer. You are not alone.[/QUOTE]


Yes, it can be really difficult to make plans. Fortunately I now have my condition mostly under control (providing I don't stray from my bland diet) but when it was very bad I couldn't make any plans at all. Well I could, but the stress of worrying about whether or not I would be ill on the day made my condition worse which pretty much guaranteed that I definitely would be ill on the day. You just can't win - the condition can be triggered by stress, then the condition itself causes massive amounts of stress.

I suspect that taking daily aspirin is just about the worst thing you could do - as well as irritating your condition aspirin is known to cause gastric and bowel instability if not bleeding. I am not allowed anything with aspirin in or any other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, and I understand that is more or less standard practice with any patient who has similar internal symptoms. Could you possibly take something else in place of the aspirin? I really think you should listen to your doctor on that one.

And many don't realise that if they take vitamins C supplements every day this can trigger severe IBS and gastric symptoms in some people. A couple of months back I had a cold and so I very carefully took half of a Boots own low dose vitamin C tablet - I thought I was okay and I took the other half the following day. OMG - regarding people with colitis, I won't have to describe the symptoms - including the water and blood loss. I've been told you can have a daily vitamin containing low dose vitamin C but not vitamin C tablets themselves, even the buffered ones which are slow releasing.

Aside from the IBS I believe my stomach ulcers and gastritis was similarly caused by reactions to food and stress. My stomach is now permanently damaged and I rarely if ever get a nights sleep due to the pain.

Dating? Forget it - we would need to find someone with the patience of a saint :rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
Digifrog said:
As someone who is currently with and just been given a temporary ileostomy after 7 months of having a colostomy due to peritonitis bought on by an anostomatic leak which was the result of of a surgical complication to fix diverticular disease anyone with digestive issues has my full empathy. Unfortunately for me I had to give up my career in June due to ill health and have been unable to shoot anything since.
Click to expand...


What a horrible time you have had Scott - I do hope they will eventually find something to help you live more normally, you must be suffering so much. This thread has been a real eye-opener - I never realised just how badly some people suffered with tummy problems, and other much more extreme conditions such as your own. My mother had peritonitis after appendicitis wasn't initially diagnosed, she ended up having three operations. In the end they were able to put everything back more or less as it was before (less the bits of gut which had to be removed) and she made a full recovery and eats everything in sight. So I guess some people can do well which I hope will reassure others. However, I'm sad to hear that you have not been so fortunate. I really hope they can improve things for you.
 
Hi @Lindsay D
I am not sure if I can take any alternative, but I do know that I can't stop taking it.
An ex gf said that it was the worrying about it, that brought it on too. I think there is a lot of truth in that. I don't think she could handle me rushing off to the loo after eating, but to me, I would be quite understanding if the boot was on the other foot. I am quite good like that. Maybe because I have experienced it for so long.
As for vitamin tablets, I could take them ok, but always got a cold if I did. I never get colds when I don't take them. I am not unique, apparently its true of many people. Seems a bit backwards :D
 
 
Last edited:
I'm a Crohnie, diagnosed after getting a peri-anal fistula early 2009, and by that Christmas I was on Humira having failed the other ordinary drugs. My Gastro thinks I have a little IBS mixed in as well as my reaction to food is inconsistent. I did go through finding a basic set of safe food but found that over longer term my safe foods weren't. Like, if I had broccoli and/or potatoes my Humira injections hardly lasted a week before being generally symptomatic. Yet I had no symptoms to suggest anything was wrong with those foods. And if I combined foods that seemed to be fine, they would be one week, but not another. I went to the hospital's dietician on a number of occasions but she was utterly unhelpful in finding anyway through the quagmire. Which funnily enough tho led me to doing my own research, which has been a bit of a blessing.

I've stopped all the faffing with fruit, veg, and starches, and figuring a never ending battle with works with what. I stick to beef, chicken, lamb, fish, eggs, and ewe's milk cheese whilst trying to keep in a ketogenic state. Which, umm, kind of works for me. One of the first things I did was drop wheat/gluten which made my inflammation levels fall off a cliff despite at the outset testing negative for gluten antibodies. The rest has been incremental changes from there. The last few months I've almost felt normal. Certainly toilet trips are a dream, and I can pretty much choose when to go. Even the 'comfort wipes' I've needed since the fistula operations have been far fewer, being clean is a novelty. Other side effects are that I no long crash mentally and physically of an afternoon, and my weight has returned back to what it was before all this started - 9st.

Stress certainly played a part in what I think triggered off the Crohn's. Although I think the final straw was a bout of C'Diff after a course of antibiotics.
 
As for what triggers mine.....I have no idea. Very random.
Sometimes I am much better if I 'do' have spicy foods! Work that one out :D
I am glad you are feeling more sorted now @BethAtTheHug :) That's some journey you have been on.
 
Digifrog said:
As someone who is currently with and just been given a temporary ileostomy after 7 months of having a colostomy due to peritonitis bought on by an anostomatic leak which was the result of of a surgical complication to fix diverticular disease anyone with digestive issues has my full empathy. Unfortunately for me I had to give up my career in June due to ill health and have been unable to shoot anything since.
Click to expand...

That's a right bugger! My worst nightmare has been ending up with a stoma. When I was diagnosed both the surgeon who found my Crohn's and subsequent gastroenterologist painted a grim picture of surgery consequences. Kind of focusses the mind to what they were saying about the drugs, which I wasn't super happy to take.
Sorry you had to give up your career too. I decided not to go back into software having been made redundant as I simply couldn't remember what I was doing and couldn't concentrate for anything.
 
Northantsgeezer said:
Sometimes I am much better if I 'do' have spicy foods! Work that one out :D
Click to expand...

I think I can :) There's a suggestion from various studies that Capsaicin is both inflammatory, and anti-inflammatory. Certainly a small amount of chili does me good as lately I've been flavouring with Thai Green Curry paste. Ingredients are basically chili, salt, garlic and lemongrass. Don't know if its because I rather like the flavour or if there really is anything to the anti-inflammatory. Whatever. Maybe the old adage 'a bit of what you fancy does you good' applies.
 
BethAtTheHug said:
I think I can :) There's a suggestion from various studies that Capsaicin is both inflammatory, and anti-inflammatory. Certainly a small amount of chili does me good as lately I've been flavouring with Thai Green Curry paste. Ingredients are basically chili, salt, garlic and lemongrass. Don't know if its because I rather like the flavour or if there really is anything to the anti-inflammatory. Whatever. Maybe the old adage 'a bit of what you fancy does you good' applies.
Click to expand...

Interesting stuff, but still confusing at times. If I have something mild like chicken noodle soup, I can suffer worse than if I had mulligatawny.
I can see your point about anti-inflammatory though. The body really is a complex thing, especially as everyones is different.
 
Lindsay & Beth

Thank you. Yes it hasn't been much fun. I had two attacks of acute diverticulitis, one in 2013 and one in 2014, the latter being more serious. I was treated both times with IV antibiotics but decided that two hospital admissions was enough. Not knowing when the next attack was going to be was an awful feeling.

So I decided there and then to have elective surgery to remove my sigmoid section of colon once I had recovered from the diverticulitis and in Jan 2015 I went in for the op. It was keyhole initially to cut and rejoin the colon, woke up from the op, a little sore but no stoma. Then whilst I was still in hospital some 48 hours after the op I deteriorated. The complication was the rejoin had come apart and I was passing waste into my body which gave me faecal peritonitis. The pain was unbeleivable. I had to have emergency surgery after a CT scan confirmed what had happened. It was at this point I had a laparotomy and a colostomy formed (Hartmann's Procedure). I spent then 2 weeks in hospital. That was in January.

Then 3 weeks ago I went in again to get the colostomy reversed (Hartmann's Reversal) which was to rejoin my colon. I was also given an ileostomy to allow the anastomosis (join) to heal. The ileostomy right now isn't easy - even after 7 months training with the colostomy.

In 3 - 5 months time I will get the ileostomy reversed (which I have been told is a simple procedure - maybe 2 days in hospital if no complications) and then I should be able to function normally. Obviously a little unsteady at first. The purpose of the colon is to reabsorb water from waste so less colon less absorbtion. This should settle after several months but I'm sure I will be taking Loperamide tablets for a little bit.

That's my story, I've not aired this to anyone other than friends, family and colleagues before. It is a nightmare but hopefully for me there is light at the end of the tunnel (if nothing else goes wrong) and I appreciate for many people going through serious illness there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Knowing this adds to my emotions, my heart goes out to all tnose suffering, both here and in hospitals nationwide.
 
Last edited:
Digifrog said:
Then whilst I was still in hospital some 48 hours after the op I deteriorated. The complication was the rejoin had come apart and I was passing waste into my body which gave me faecal peritonitis. The pain was unbeleivable. I had to have emergency surgery after a CT scan confirmed what had happened.
Click to expand...

Scott, my thoughts are - was the surgeon negligent?
 
I have IBD (Ulcerative Colitis) Currently in a flare up. The prescribed dose of steroids has made me diabetic (blood sugar reading of 22. 5 hours after eating) and I everything over about 3 feet away is now out of focus........
My medical team believe I should return to "normal" once I can get the dosage down but if I decrease the steroids before the flair up is under control I'll be back to square one..


Edit: I wished I'd read the rest of the thread before posting my little issue.

I hope those suffering recover soon.

Has anyone else signed this
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/105855
 
Last edited:
Matt. I've seen enough of internet acquaintances to figure that anyone on steroids for more than a week short blitz is going to be steroid dependent if they aren't on other meds... As for the diabetes, temporary hopefully, don't eat carbohydrates/starches as they spike your BG/insulin.
Signed the petition, good idea.
 
Northantsgeezer said:
Interesting stuff, but still confusing at times. If I have something mild like chicken noodle soup, I can suffer worse than if I had mulligatawny.
I can see your point about anti-inflammatory though. The body really is a complex thing, especially as everyones is different.
Click to expand...

I'd suspect the noodles, or if it's a packet, stuff like maltodextrin which goes through me in minutes.
 
There is no doubt about it that gastro intestinal issues some of the posters on here how they suffered.
I have had a real debilitating week at work so far yesterday was aloo visit record 22 visits each with some "production"
The gastro doctor said I have pockets in my bowel system that trap waste - boy does that hurt me.
Looking forward to five days fish and mash
Best wishes to all fellow sufferers
 
Have you considered trying Chlorella, maybe worth a go
 
Ugh, Mark, that sounds horrid. Is it diverticulosis? That is indeed debilitating from everything I've heard. I do hope you can do something to feel better. 22 loo visits is indeed a lot - when I have a bout I can get up to about 14 which is bad enough. Needless to say that does not do one's backside much good.

My problem has come back this week - triggered I think by a period of stress and tiredness. I'm struggling to travel and to stay on my feet for more than an hour or so - it also makes my back ache like hell. My stomach is churning, I feel sick, and I'm not sure whether to risk having any dinner or not. No fish and mash in the house at the moment but I might try half a bacon sandwich - they don't affect me too badly and are fairly comforting. Last three nights zero sleep so I am bad tempered as well. The whole thing almost kicked off a major road rage incident this morning when a guy started harassing me for not going fast enough and when his behaviour got too much I treated him to a stream of language I would never repeat here or anywhere else. Had he gone beyond that I'd have happily decked him. A decline in one's personality and communication skills is an unfortunate side-effect of these illnesses.
 
I must say that the fish and mash thing does seem to work :) I had salmon fillet and potato waffles :)
Mine has eased quite a bit now thankfully.
 
Last week after a recommendation I gave Fennell Tea a try, not one for all the weird and wonderful remedies, but it has definitely cut down the belching and bloating.

Apparently Fennel is the main constituent of gripe water and also found in seed form at many Indian eateries.

Worth a shot, Twinings is about £1.50 for twenty bags or just munch on some seeds if you have them in the cupboard
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top