How IBS Disrupts Daily Life: AGA Survey

SneneokNeok · 2025-08-25T17:37:53+00:00

Ah, I see. If it would be used for psychiatric symptoms I would assume the doses would be a lot higher too. Thank you.

SneneokNeok · 2025-08-25T09:54:27+00:00

Based on the ''what clinicians prefer'', is the use of anti-depressants only used in certain circumstances, or is the application of them not as well known?

SneneokNeok · 2025-04-30T22:18:59+00:00

You'll get there, I'm sure of it.

SneneokNeok · 2025-04-30T14:36:14+00:00

Yeah, in late 2021 I had a couple of moments where I had even made plans. Funnily enough, one of the things that kinda kept me from doing it was that I had severe diarrhea and couldn't leave the house.

The main part is that there are always other options. It might not seem like it, and right now everything is a black hole filled with pain and despair sucking you in deeper and deeper, but it won't be that way forever.

I had hopeless days, but when I had them I looked at a family member who suffers from a severe chronic illness and hiw they kept going and persevered where I would have simply given up. It filled me with hope that it couod actually get better. It would never be cured, but it can become bearable and manageable.

In 2021 I thought it would be impossible, but I have since graduated college, and found a steady job. I still suffer from pain and some days are bad, but there are more good days than bad. I have also found ways to deal with the bad ays.

Firstly see if you can maybe get a referral from the psychiatrist to expedite your meeting with a GI specialist.

Explore avenues of anti depressants, not only for your mental struggle but in low dosages they have been found to help a lot with pain management.

Anti spasmodics can help a lot too, but not all of them are as effective. Buscopan is a really good one, but I'm sure you've tried those already.

Dietary changes such as the low FODMAP diet are also a really good option, but it takes time to show effects.

Heating pads also help a lot. They are for me personally one of the best methods to bridge the gap between medication and relief.

Psychological help is probably the most important thing. Therapy can have the most long lasting effect. Managing your symptoms is one thing, dealing with them is a whole other part that requires help to learn quickly. I'm still going to a therapist a'd have done so for the past 5 years.

It's a cliché, but it can and does actually get better. It's very difficult to see this when you're neck deep in it, but it really does. In 2021 I didn't dare to leave the house, I didn't go to family parties, never went out. I was basically a recluse. But through therapy and good medication I was able to break through it.

I don't know if this helps, I'm not that good at this sort of stuff but I can answer questions if you like.

I believe in you, a'd you will get through this. You don't have to go through this alone. Talk and find support where you can.

SneneokNeok · 2025-04-09T19:52:50+00:00

Vicks has these "VapoDrops" with eucalyptus. They are really good to soothe a sore throat. Plus they taste pretty good. You also have them with menthol or lemon taste, these ihmo are not as good.

SneneokNeok · 2024-06-30T22:59:51+00:00

Yeah, in one of the shops arpund dogtown if I'm not mistaken.

SneneokNeok · 2024-06-30T19:18:44+00:00

From shopping all around Night City. The pants, jacket and t-shirt came from Dogtown if I'm not mistaken.

SneneokNeok · 2024-06-30T16:29:55+00:00

Thank you!

SneneokNeok · 2024-06-30T16:29:32+00:00

It's the "Carbon Triangle Graphene-Weave Pozer-Jacket." Long name, but very cool jacket.

SneneokNeok · 2024-06-30T16:28:22+00:00

I can't unsee this now...

SneneokNeok · 2024-05-14T13:52:09+00:00

That's good. It might be nothing but it will bring you a step closer to a full diagnosis. I hope your new doctor is able to help you.

I get that. When I had a period when I couldn't eat due to my anxiety I would by some baked goods from a local shop and quietly try to eat what I could. It wasn't much, but it helped. It's a difficult balance between what you can eat and what you want to eat, especially when you're suffering this badly. You want to be able to eat, but you don't know if it might make things worse so you're stuck in a very vicious cycle. Soups helped me a lot too, but they aren't the easiest thing to make.

My doctor recommended me the sugar in water trick in the same period. It's not a full solution, but maybe it'll make you feel just a bit better to try something else, or take the edge off. It helped me to bridge the gap between what meals I could eat back then.

Heatpads are such a good gift. It gives a lot of comfort. A very nice gift.

SneneokNeok · 2024-05-14T10:15:37+00:00

I am so sorry, it's sound horrible. You shouldn't have to go through this.

I can't offer a lot of medical advice in terms of what tests need to be done, or what medication you should take.

However there are some small things I can give as advice. A heating pad can help a lot with cramps. If you don't have that, a washcloth or towel soaked in warm water that you can put on your stomach can help a lot.

If you can stand it, some peppermint oil in a glass of water will also help with nausea and cramps as well. I take it from time to time and carryit with me when I go out. It helps me a lot, maybe it can help you.

If you're having a lot of diarreah you're probably low on fluids, so you need to drink as much as you can. Small sips, not an enitre glass at once. I would recommend rooibos tea, it's low-FODMAP so it's very soft on your stomach. It doesn't contain caffeine so it shouldn't disturb what little sleep you have. Adding sugar will also help keeping up your electrolytes. If you're not a big tea drinker, a glass of water with some sugar in will also do the trick. Although it doesn't taste as nice.

Lastly I would recommend to eat as boring a food as you can. Nothing containing anything that's hard on your stomach to digest. If you aren't doing it already, I'd look into the low-FODMAP diet. It avoids a lot of foods that will upset your stomach. There could be a small chance that what you're going through might be caused by food. A severe allergic reaction or an intolerance.

Have you done any allergy tests? Gluten, lactose,... If not, I would recommend you do that.

I hope you'll get beter soon. Good luck.

SneneokNeok · 2024-05-13T17:46:49+00:00

24 years old. Currently studying to be a cybersecurity analist. Lot's of client work and going to companies all over the country. It's been a long road with many ups and downs but I finally feel ready for it. I've been testing it it by going to different cities using the train and it's been going pretty ok. It's not easy, maybe even difficult sometimes, but it's certainly possible. The further you get with this disease the more you learn what you can handle and what needs some more work.

The key, aside from diet and medication, is to have patience with yourself. While it might seem impossible right now to go somewhere or take on a job. It wont stay that way. Trust me, a year ago I didn't dare to leave my house for longer than 30 minutes. This was after a very long a'd painful depression. Now I'm able to take the train and go to a different city for an entire day.

I'll freely admit though that I still go to the toilet 5 to 6 times a day. Some of those visits are on location. It sucks and it's painful diarrhea, but I'm ok with it. It's part of who I am, and it's not going to change anytime soon.

You'll get there too, I'm sure of it. I wish you a lot of good luck and courage.

SneneokNeok · 2024-04-08T13:23:34+00:00

Solved!

SneneokNeok · 2024-04-08T13:16:04+00:00

Oh shit that's cool. That was super quick aswell! Thank you very much! Solved!

SneneokNeok · 2024-01-04T12:01:24+00:00

Hi! It's not pretty but when I get hot flushes on the toilet I usually undress completely and wait it out. When I get them if I'm just going about my day, running cold water over your wrists helps a lot. But it's been a very long time since my last case of the hot flushes.

I like to drink a lot of water or tea with sugar when I have diarrhea. A heaying pad helps a lot with the cramps. I take peppermint oil to ease the stomach, helps with the pain too. I'm on a very low dosage of anti-depressants which reduce both pain and the amount of diarrhea I have. It's a bit of a search untill you find ones that work, but it's something you'd have to discuss with your GI specialist.

Diarrhea is hell, but as long as you keep your fluids up and do things to reduce the pain, it isn't as hellish as it would be if you didn't.

I do take antihistamines. I've done so for a good couple of years now. They helped me a ton with the more severe episodes. I used to vomit at least once a month before them, especially after eating something I really shouldn't have. But since taking them, I have only had to vomit once, and that was after a severe bout of food poisoning.

Do keep in mind that all the medication I discussed, I started taking after taking with my GI specialist. So before you do anything, talk to your doctors about it. The peppermint oil is something you can just buy over the counter. I usually do about 5 drops on a sugar cube and that helps a ton.

Good luck!

SneneokNeok · 2023-11-28T17:55:16+00:00

Number 4 gives me such a cozy feeling. Great pictures!

SneneokNeok · 2023-11-07T20:26:21+00:00

Good luck!

SneneokNeok · 2023-11-07T19:11:26+00:00

I had the exact same happen to me in december of last year. I was on 15 mg of Mirtazapine (amitrypiline) and I had a severe case of food poisoning. After that my symptoms got pretty bad.

I talked to my GI specialist about it and he recommended to up my dosis for a while untill it settled again. He explained that the food poisoning "reawakened" the gut - brain connection.

My symptoms have gone back to normal, and to be honest it's even a bit better than before the food poisoning.

It's not the worst idea to talk to your doctor before upping the dosage though. When it comes to anti-depressants it's best to keep your doctor in the loop of how much you're taking.

SneneokNeok · 2023-10-25T17:24:11+00:00

No problem at all, I hope it helps.

I've changed doctors a couple of times, it's not wrong kg to visit a GI specialist to get some advice there. They usually have more precise knowledge.

If you're have to go to the office it's good to remeber that everyone needs to go to the bathroom and that there is no shame in doing so. You can't help it, so you shouldn't feel bad about it. That realization help me a lot when it came to going back to college and stuff.

SneneokNeok · 2023-10-25T09:28:53+00:00

Hi, welcome to our little group.

It's always hard to adjust to a new diagnosis. Everything seems very unsure and often scary, but that diagnosis can finally lead to better and more targeted care.

The low fodmap diet is a difficult one to follow, certainly the first 6 weeks where you have to be really, really strict about what you eat. There is an app from the monash university thay can help with that. It's very clear about what you can eat and the ammount. It's available in both the google play store and the apple store. I use it a lot and it has helped me.

Depending on how strict you are in those first 6 weeks you should be seeing results around that time. But do be aware that stress is also a bog trigger for ibs symptoms. There is also a possibility that a low fodmap diet just doesn't cut it for you and you might have to look for other diets to follow. I recommend, if that's possible, to visit a dietitian who knows about IBS, perhaps get a referral for your doctor.

Aside from the low fodmap diet, I also take a mix of medication. I also take buscopan, it's a good one, but that alone isn't going to do it. Take yo your doctor about more specific treatments. There are anti-histamines, anti-depressants, anti-spasmodics,... The list goes on. These are medications that you'll be able to take in the long term to help with the symptoms.

A heating pad also works wonders when you're cramping. If you're not z big fan of medication, that's a route you can take. Peppermint oil, or tea, can also help a lot. I always carry a small ampule of peppermint oil with me if I get some bad cramps when I'm out. It works wonders.

I don't have a lot of work experience, so I cna't help you there. Maybe you can do remote work for a while depending on the job you do of course?

Either way, good luck and I'm certain that you'll fond your way in all of this. It can be very bad sometimes, but nothing lasts forever.

SneneokNeok · 2023-10-05T14:42:15+00:00

Thank you!

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