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IBS is a fairly undefined and idiopathic ailment. I’ve been diagnosed for just over a year and I’m lucky to have relatively minor symptoms – stomach pains that range from bent-over-in-tears at worst or mild on most flare days, acid reflux that can be very uncomfortable but controllable with Gaviscon, and lastly the “stomach symptoms” that no one wants to talk about and that I control with Loperamide (this is prescription ONLY and you must must talk to a doctor before considering this as an option). Loperamide is the only prescription medicine I’ve tried for my IBS that has worked so I’m very grateful to have it!
This post is dedicated to giving advice based on my experiences with coping with IBS (your experiences will probably vary but you may find bits and pieces that work for you). Here’s some tips that might help!
- Find “safe” foods for flare days. If my IBS is ever so that my stomach is sensitive to food I would usually be able to tolerate, I go to my “safe” foods. It takes a lot of trial and error to find what these are for you, but for me potatoes, carrots, pasta, bananas, gluten free bread and salted potato crisps are on the list. When I was first diagnosed I would try to eat “normally” during flare-ups and found myself making it worse, so discovering that I can use “safe” foods to control my symptoms during flare-ups was a big help.
- Find ways to destress if possible. I know, I know, easier said than done, but IBS is often triggered by stress rather than food. I like to read in the bath or go for a walk. I also find that light exercise eases stomach pains.
- Make the most of your IBS free days. Take notice when you feel well and use to get things done because you don’t know how many hours you may have to write off when the next flare-up hits.
- Drink lots of water. It may seem obvious but if you have bad pains or IBS-D you may find that substituting other drinks for water makes all the difference. I personally I only drink water just due to preference – I don’t really like anything else!
- Figure out your trigger foods and avoid them. Again, it might seem obvious but it can take a lot of trial and error to find your trigger foods. Once you know what they are (FODMAP lists might help you to narrow down what to try) DON’T cheat! It’s never worth it to say “oh well, a little bit won’t hurt” and then spend the evening in agony. I can’t describe how much I miss garlic but remembering the pain helps me to resist!
- Find other people in your situation. Whilst everyone with IBS has a different experience, speaking to other people can help you to find solutions for you own issues. Online is really good place to start – Facebook groups or finding people to follow on Twitter, for example.
- Make sure your friends and family know what you are dealing with, and ask for their help if you need it. I’m lucky to have a supportive boyfriend and my immediate family and friends know what I need when I have issues. Help them to understand what you go through.
- Remember that there is always someone worse off. There are far worse conditions than IBS out there and whilst I understand the hardships, just remember that there is someone out there who is struggling worse than you.
- Try to be positive. Learning to cope does get easier, and the more positive you are about helping yourself with this, the better you will learn to cope and the more willing people around you will be to help.
- Allow yourself the occasional duvet day during a flare-up. Stress is a big trigger for IBS and so writing off productivity for one day can be a big help. Perhaps spend one of your days off watching TV and relaxing instead of trying to make yourself go out. Sometimes we all need a chill out day.
Thank you for reading and good health to you all!
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The Gluten Free Veggie 
February 6, 2017 at 11:39 am
I’ve never really known whether I do have IBS, I tend to refer to it as ‘IBS symptoms’ and usually assume I’ve been glutened. I’ve been to the doctors a couple of times with stomach problems, and they’ve always said well we would test you for coeliac with these symptoms… but as you already have it, it’s probably IBS! Another time they said acid reflux. Medication hasn’t really worked for me and it clears up on it’s own. I think figuring out my triggers is the hardest thing, to me it seems totally random! It can be really bad for a week and then be fine for a while. I guess I should be strict and try the FODMAP diet but it’s quite daunting. I seem to find that it’s my anxiety that makes it bad, but sometimes it might be IBS causing my anxiety. I tend to take colpermin when I get IBS symptoms and antacid tablets with acid reflux, but it definitely stops me from doing things at times.
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February 6, 2017 at 12:01 pm
Ah I’ve been there Josie – it took me about a year to work out that my main triggers were onion and garlic. As soon as I cut them out I had way less issues. IBS is one of these ailments that they haven’t really researched enough – there’s no real reason to develop it (although it’s often linked to the gut damage caused by Coeliac) and there doesn’t seem to a consistent pattern. As for FODMAP – there’s only about 5 things on that list that I can’t eat, and I didn’t cut everything out to begin with. My (useless) dietician put me on an elimination diet where I started on mashed potato and GF bread! Then added “safe” (low FODMAP) foods in until we got more and more. I’m still doing it over a year later – this week’s test food is oranges! Perhaps start off getting rid of the “biggies” – the ones that are most commonly trigger foods for IBS – anything in the allium family (onions, garlic etc) high fibre foods like beans, chickpeas and lentils for example. I hope you get to the bottom of it eventually, I know how tough it is!
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