At the end of my rope
#294188 - 12/20/06 06:25 AM
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cejay
Reged: 08/27/06
Posts: 84
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Hey all, I just need to vent and get some suggestions. I am sure the holiday season and stress has a lot to do with my flare-up but I am at the end of my rope. First off my Mother is ill, she has COPD, and this could possibly be her last Christmas with us. My family will not pull together to make it a great time for her so I am very stressed about that.
Anyway, since last week I have had pain that instead of relenting is getting worse. Last week I had constipation and finally Friday I gave in and drank the mag. citrate. I did my business and felt better even though I cramped really bad. The only thing that I have ate that could possibly cause me a problem is a little bit of an omlette SATURDAY night. I have ate nothing but rice, baked chicken cut up in the rice, toast, chicken broth, potatoes, and crackers since then. But still I sit here with tears in my eyes from the pain. I have been taking Tylenol, Advil and yesterday Excedrin migraine for bad headaches. I have been taking Pamine Forte 5 mg the last three days for the pain but it is practically no help. Drink water and chamomile tea. That is it!!!!!
What else can I do????????? I have a prescription for Bentyl but not sure if it would be a waste of money like the Pamine was. Any help will be appreciated.
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I am sorry that you are having a rough time right now. I am not pain predominant so I cannot offer much advice there, but I do take Bentyl and I just wanted you to know that the generic is very inexpensive and might be worth a try. I take it twice a day and more during stressful times or around that time of the month. I think I get 90 at a time of the generic for less than 10 bucks and I don't have a co pay.
Christy
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I'm sorry you're having a tough time. I think stress is one of the worst triggers because, unlike food, it can be much harder to recognize and quantify. It sounds like your diet is nice and safe, unless there are hidden dairy products in the bread and crackers, or there's msg in the chicken broth. But I really do think it's stress rather than diet here.
I don't have a lot of pain, so I can't offer any advice on the Bentyl. However, if you don't have any reflux issues, you could try peppermint tea or capsules. Keep drinking chamomile tea as well, since it is a mild sedative and can help with the stress and tension, too. A heating pad might help, too.
I hope the pain lets up soon, and that you have a good holiday in spite of all the stress and your mother's illness.
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-Carol
IBS-A
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Sorry you haven't been feeling well. I'd like to offer a bit of advice. First off, I do horribly with pain killers, they always hurt my stomach and give me D. Advil is the worst of them. Tylenol I usually do ok with, and most people have agreed it's safe. I would cut out the Advil completely.
Also, as a C, you need to get more IF to get things moving. Try having some IF with every meal, in a very safe way. So that means cooking veggies until super soft, purree fruits (or veggies) etc.
"have ate nothing but rice, baked chicken cut up in the rice, toast, chicken broth, potatoes, and crackers since then."
There's no IF there at all. I wouldn't expect you to have a BM if that is what you are eating. Also make sure you drink a ton of water/tea, and get exercise it will really help.
Hope you feel better soon,
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Kat
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I'm sorry to hear about your mother and about the rough time you're going through this holiday season.
The other replies you've gotten have been great, and I would add that you should try heat therapy (especially those disposable heat patches - they're the best for abdominal pain). Have you tried peppermint tea yet? I find that helps with the abdominal pain and cramping a bit better than chamomile tea.
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I stopped taking Advil long ago when I realized that it was a BIG problem of my pain. I ONLY do Tylenol now when I have. From what I understand, many people without IBS have problems handling Advil on their good bellies!!
As far as advice, I don't have much except just keep reading and trying. I know, like yesterday, I had a bad day and have no idea what I did, ate, or what to make me not feel great. Sometimes I simply write it off to a 'bad day', or unfortunately, a 'bad couple of days'. Luckily, I'm better today, but still a little achy. I hope it gets better for you.
I know the fennel tea has helped me a lot lately with bloating and gas, and even though I HATE the taste, I drink it for the benefits. Good luck.
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If you're normally a C, you need to eat much, much more insoluble fibre to get things moving.
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I'm sorry to hear you're having such a rough time. I hope things get better. Just wanted to share my experience, maybe it'll help you. I take Bentyl & it works great for me. If you live near a Walmart you should be able to get the generic (which is what I get) for about $5 for a 30-day supply. HTH.
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IBS-A...I can never make up my mind 
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I can identify with what you are going through. My sister is in the ending stages of COPD, and I am her caregiver. Her doctor has said that she will not survive another cold, so as with your mother, this may well be her last Christmas. I am IBS-C, pain predominent. As with you I have been doing fine, but the last two weeks, the pain has been horrible no matter what I do. I know it is stress related because I have no pain in the morning after a good night's sleep then as the day goes on the pain worsens. The fennel tea helps me the most and exercising to get the gas going. I tend to hold all my stress inside, and can feel my body tensing up  I listen to relaxation tapes at night before I go to sleep. Hope this helps. I'm sorry to hear about your Mom. I know it isn't easing watching someone slowly die. I see it everyday.
Snookie, IBS-C
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Snookie, IBS-C
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Re: ECM
#294273 - 12/21/06 05:41 AM
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cejay
Reged: 08/27/06
Posts: 84
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Thanks ECM for your comments and understanding. It is nice to know that someone understands all the facets. Unfortunately, I too hold things in and it affects my sleep, as in getting none, I am getting about 2 hours a night and sometimes that is because I go to sleep on the couch or in my chair. My pain is worse in the morning and at night. Too much time to think and then being tired. Do you take anything for the pain? How do you cope with the constipation? I also live in Georgia although I am not sure where Norcross is but I have heard of it. This is only the last in a line of stress/nerve induced illness. I have fought a battle with depression and a few years ago I was having multiple panic attacks, to the point where I was afraid to go out. But I battled through it and with the help of a good therapist can control the panic. But I think that maybe I have not healed the underlying issues so now it is manifesting as IBS - does that make sense? One last question and I will leave you alone, do the hypno tapes work? I had to learn to breath correctly in order to help control my panic attacks so I know how important it is to relax.
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