Hi
I have been diagnosed with ibs since 2004 but have suffered for a long time with the problem before I was finally diagnosed. I under went all the tests offered to me, colonosopy/sigmoidoscopy, barium follow through, elimination diets you name it and they all came back normal.
My symptoms are really only diarrheoa and severe cramps, and it's so bad that i've lost jobs because of it, my social life was almost non existant because i was always canceling on people or dashing off home in the middle of a night out/shopping trip etc. I'd panic when out if I didn't know where the nearest public toilet was and now that i'm married with two children and am not currently working we rely solely on my partners income to support us and more often than not he would end up taking time off work to look after me and do the school run etc for the kids when i was having a flare up. My ibs attacks could be as often as 4 times a week to maybe once or twice a week, I couldn't physically do anything when i had them. All my gastroenterologist could suggest was that I try hypnotherapy, but we could not afford this, so it was not an option!
During my pregnancies (once the 1st trimester had passed) my ibs went and I was able to live a relatively normal life it was fantastic! I then went on the pill and since taking it my ibs seems to have pretty much disappeared!! I still have cramps etc once in a while but that has come down to perhaps one episode a month if that, I feel i'm leading a normal life again.
However.... being on the pill gives me migraines with aura, they are so dibilitating and once again my partner is having to take time off work each month to care for me and our children while i'm laid up in bed suffering with this!
My dr is not happy with me being on the pill because of the risk of stroke due to the migraines and the fact that strokes at a young age run in my family, I was so upset when she suggested i came off it ( i was scared of the ibs retrning) that she agreed to let me stay on it with reg check ups and she suggested i take 1 asprin a day to thin my blood and help lessen the risk of clots forming.
I've since been referred back to my gastroenterologist as she really thinks i would be better off not being on the pill, I do agree with her but said I wanted my ibs looked at again to try and find some kind of help to live a better life. My dr, my partner and me all think it could be hormone related as it stops when i'm pregnant and almost goes completly when i'm on the pill. The mini pill (progesterone only) made no difference to my ibs, it remained bad while on this pill, the combined pill was good but gives me the migraines. The dr thinks its the extra oestrogen that helps my ibs.
My gastroenterolgist was very unsympathetic or helpful. In fact he was rude saying it was too bad i get migraines on the pill and told me to pretty much get on with it as he had already told me he cant help me any more. We asked him about the effect of hormones on ibs and he didnt seem to think they made a difference. He told me he had never met a case like me where ibs improved with pill use and said he thought it was my previous endometriosis that was probably causing my problems. (It took me three years to get pregnant as i also suffered from endometriosis from the age of 16 to diagnosis and treatment of this at the age of 26). He has refered me to a gynea now! I feel I'm being palmed off on another department. I know he could be right but deep down I dont believe I have any endometriosis anymore as my periods are no longer a problem.
Has anyone else with diarrheoa ibs had this experience with the pill helping or does anyone know of anything else I could try to help when i come off the pill - as I will eventually.
Someone mentioned an eostrogen injection that had been tried on ibs sufferers but i've not heard of this niether had my consultant! Has anyone here?
Please help, am at the end of my teather.
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IBS and hormones
