Arrgh! IBS is worse than labor. WAY worse!!

[Clover Jane]

Facking IBS is flaring up again.
I've been constipated, so I took some Colace today.
I was woken up an hour ago with horrifying stomach cramps. I would've assumed i was miscarrying, except I'm all too familiar with these cramps: it's an IBS flare-up.
So I ended up sitting on the toilet for 45 minutes, crying, shaking, blacking out from pain, and having more diarrhea than I would've imagined possible.
I had to pull the bathroom trashcan in front of me, so that I could vomit into it repeatedly.
And I had to do something that I've only done a few times before, during my worst attacks: run a hot bath and soak in it. This sometimes eases the bowel spasms, but this time it didn't help much.
This illness seriously makes me want to die.
Thankfully, my symptoms have gotten a lot better as I've gotten older, but now that I'm pregnant again, they're back in full force. They haven't been this bad since I was a teenager, at which point they were so terrible they caused me to drop out of school.

God i hate this. I'm having anxiety attacks, just imagining my next bout of IBS.
At least this time it happened at home, rather than in public. Thank god for small mercies.

 

[cooper2010]

Oh man that is terrible. I feel for you. I have stomach issues but clearly not like that. It is very hard to deal with. Isn't there anything that can be done for you?

 

[Clover Jane]

Oh man that is terrible. I feel for you. I have stomach issues but clearly not like that. It is very hard to deal with. Isn't there anything that can be done for you?

No, not really.
Doctors don't know what causes it, why some people get it.
It doesn't do any actual harm to your body, so it's considered a "functional disorder". I don't know if doctors have any real clue how terrifying and debilitating it can be.

Any time I ask a doctor about it, I get the usual advice: avoid smoking and caffeine, avoid stress, eat lots of fiber, drink water, etc, etc.
I already do all that stuff, which is why I've had the condition pretty much under control up til now. But my pregnancy hormones are causing it to go crazy again.

 

[highhopes19]

I can really symathise with you on this hun, IBS is alwful especially when it flares up. A couple of weeks ago I was like you
On the loo with it coming out both ends :'( . The bit I hate is when your constipated and your stomach churns and cramps, you run to the loo and can't this goes
On for a few hours and then all of a sudden once you do go you can't stop, its horid hun I really feel for you
It makes me sweaty and panicy aswell.
The pain is unimaginable somtimes, I remember thinking I was dying rolling around on the bed in agony from the cramps.

With my dad having bowel cancer it makes me worry so much, I have colonoscopys every 3 years, the medication you take for that completly clears bowels so the good thing is
I don't have a flare up for months after one

A friend who had a baby recently also has IBS said her labour wasn't anymore painful than her IBS flare up, so I've got
Everything crossed she's telling me the truth lol. If she is, I'm sure we'll fly through it hun lol
Hope it gets better soon hun xxx

 

[babyhopes2010]

i have severve ibs drs took me off tablets as cant take them during pregnancy.
he just gave me diet plan x

 

[Jamaris Mummy]

oh my gosh hun thats terrible i cant imagine how sick that'd make you feel! i hope it eases up for you soon! I have a question about ibs, this is REALLY embarrasing, im so embarrased i dont want to ask my dr, but when i have bowel movements lately i notice (total tmi!) like cm type 'stuff" in the 'movement' if you get my drift! This has scared me a little bit, ive had a viral infection-flu for the past few weeks n drs have been asking if ive had any diahorrea and i havent, ive had quite the opposite since being preg-quite constipated so wondering if this 'stuff' in my movement may be a sign of ibs or the virus i just dont know..sorry to gross u out, i just thought having ibs you might be able to suggest what this could be at all? hope ur getting on better hun, goodluck with it!

 

[Housewife83]

I have IBS and I get mucus in my stools a lot both before and after I was pregnant.

OP, I'm sorry you've had such an awful time. I suppose the consolation is that you can take that pain so you can easily take labour.

 

[Jamaris Mummy]

I have IBS and I get mucus in my stools a lot both before and after I was pregnant.

OP, I'm sorry you've had such an awful time. I suppose the consolation is that you can take that pain so you can easily take labour.

housewife have u asked ur dr about the mucus? do u think i should and is it normal? Ive been so worried and too embarrased to talk to anyone about it ive been thinking it may be cancer or something serious like that! yes thats how id describe it..mucus like! thanku for ur help!

 

[Clover Jane]

I have IBS and I get mucus in my stools a lot both before and after I was pregnant.

I agree; I've seen this too. It's a symptom of IBS.

OP, I'm sorry you've had such an awful time. I suppose the consolation is that you can take that pain so you can easily take labour.

I actually tend to have easy labors.
I do not find labor to be nearly as painful as a severe IBS attack, nor as nasty... although of course it lasts a bit longer.

I just got on my scale and weighed myself, and I'm down to 127 pounds... so, I lost 2 pounds last night during that attack.
I figure I must be very dehydrated, so I'm drinking water like crazy.

Glad to know I'm not the only one here who has IBS, but I wish none of us had it.

 

[Honeybear1976]

Hi Ladies,
I've got IBD (ulcerative colitis). It's severe and the whole of my colon is affected, my consultant had wanted me to have everything taken away in 2009 and have a colostomy bag but hung on in there (had to have 12 units of blood ) whilst they tried a few different types of drugs to control the symptoms and eventually found the 1 I'm taking now maintains my remission. It's an immunosuppressant though so comes with lots of other side effects. The mucus is something that you get with IBD so maybe is worth mentioning to your GP but main symptoms are bleeding and urgently needing the loo and sometimes not getting there in time. Really hope your symptoms go away and don't return

 

[Clover Jane]

Hi Ladies,
I've got IBD (ulcerative colitis). It's severe and the whole of my colon is affected, my consultant had wanted me to have everything taken away in 2009 and have a colostomy bag but hung on in there (had to have 12 units of blood ) whilst they tried a few different types of drugs to control the symptoms and eventually found the 1 I'm taking now maintains my remission. It's an immunosuppressant though so comes with lots of other side effects. The mucus is something that you get with IBD so maybe is worth mentioning to your GP but main symptoms are bleeding and urgently needing the loo and sometimes not getting there in time. Really hope your symptoms go away and don't return

Sorry you've gone through this! I'm glad you're in remission.
Fact is, everybody has mucus in their poop sometimes; it's normal. Even a healthy colon produces mucus.
You're more likely to actually see it when something is wrong (IBS, IBD, whatever), causing things to move too fast or too slowly.

Blood in one's stool is not a symptom of IBS, and should immediately be reported to a doctor. It could be hemorrhoids, or it could be- as you point out- something far more serious: ulcerative colitis, even cancer.

Best wishes to you, and I hope you're able to maintain your remission!

 

[Rheaz]

God, I can relate.
I had such a bad "attack" last week I ended up in the birthing suite.
I am SO anxious during this pregnancy and absolutely TERRIFIED of going into premature labour.
The pains were immense.
I had had a similar attack 1 week earlier, though not as bad, and 1 a week earlier than that too which was almost as bad.
I take Colofac and EVENTUALLY it eases.
The Dr was amazed as in 1 moment all of the colour came back to my face.
Before apparently I had been sheet white, sweating and severely shaking from the shock of the pain.
My pains are VERY low and they seem like the pains you could get with premature labour, so being already very scared of this I was just in bits.
I am IBS C in pregnancy but was ALWAYS IBS D before, I was even seemingly in some type of remission early on in my pregnancy and got no symptoms until I found myself almost passed out on the loo floor at work 3 weeks ago and had 2 separate attacks since.
I am in torment worrying it will happen again, and that the stress or shock of the pain could hurt my baby.

I wish I was further along as 25w is still SO vulnerable and fragile.
I am thinking of you all.
I take Laculose to move it along and have been since the big attack.
Today is worked the best ever and I went to the loo twice, but God, the pain is SO bad and SO SO scary.
Thinking of you all.
It's just the most frightening thing when you're pregnant.
I can really really relate and the thought of having another attack haunts me every minute.

xx

 

[AimeeM]

I agree, it's so bad and I've been suffering a lot this time. the doc gave me Fybogel as it's only thing safe in pregnancy really but it made me 10 times worse for a week. I feel your pain =(

 

[sazibubba]

i had a whole week of this recently and it was horrendous! was stuck in bed crying because of how intense the pain was. I had 4 baths that week because it was the only way to relieve it. It all started by eating a couscous salad and i just flared up and became dehydrated. I had to use rehydration sachets and could hardly eat. I think i caught a virus or something from the food as it was so like food poisoning. Had stool sent off and it came back satisfactory and they didnt say any more. Ive always had bowel issues but never as bad as this since being pregnant. Always having abdominal cramps from it is the scary part because sometimes i feel like im gonna go in to labour. I feel your pain hun and hope your much better now xxxxxxx

 

[hulahoop09]

I have suffered from ibs for years mainly triggered by anxiety. I used to find the pains sooooo horrible but now I just accept them and dnt tend to take painkillers etc jst hot water bottle. There have been times when i have had to lie down and rest and have almost passed out from trapped wind but the fact you blacked out from the pain is terrible! i have also suffered with mucous in my stool which atm isnt happening. I hope you feel better soon. xx

 

[scots_mum]

I have IBS too and while its been causing stomach cramps throughout my pregnancy, everything i eat gives me a sore tummy ive only had one severe attack during the pregnancy at 8 weeks. It was brought on by eating pizza and like you the pains were horrifying i spent hours on the toilet with diarrhea and vomiting, sweats, chills, shaking until it all cleared out its a horrible horrible thing to suffer from mine is brought on my greasy food but not always so i can have say chinese food 20 times but ONE TIME it will cause an attack x

 

[Clarina1980]

I've had those severe attacks too, the cold sweats, shaking, vomiting in the bin while sat on the loo pains. I've always wondered how painful they are in relation to labour as i've never experienced it.

I found out mine was related to alcohol and since giving it up 18 months ago, i've had a lot fewer attacks. I went for years having these attacks at least once a fortnight. I also can't eat mayonnaise and a few other things. Have the people here with IBS been for food allergy testing? I haven't but I started making a note of when it happened and it's cut down symptoms dramatically