I have noticed recently that my periods often accompanied by bad bouts of IBS. Has anyone else had this, and what did you do to help it?

I've had various types of tablets, all of which work for a short time, and thats it.

The bouts of bad IBS have really started to get to me of late, so much so I want to give everything up and not even bother trying. Stomach cramps are really strong, and I am feeling so tired from it all. I have also noticed I have really bad gas (trapped gas is a killer!) and my stomach makes noises so loud most of the room can hear.

I would go and see my Dr but I'm starting to feel like I am always there and none of them seem particularly interested.

Any advice?

Don't know owt about IBS, but your doctors sound a bit useless. Could you ask them for a referral to somebody who's an expert and actually knows what they're doing??

I've been trailing up and down to my doctors for months now with incontinence, and she's never been anything other than concerned about getting me sorted out! She told me last appointment that if the latest dosage of pills doesn't work, then she'll refer me to a specialist, because she'll have done all she can.

I have been traipsing back and forth to the Drs for little over 4 years now.

At first I was accused of putting it on, then was sent to Seacroft clinic for eating disorders as the Drs thought I was either starving myself, taking lavatives, or both.

Finally I got sent to a Psychiatrist as they thought I was round the twist.

After 18 months of endless begging and pushing I was sent for a gastric camera into my stomach, samples came back negative. Then I was sent for a colonoscopy, again nothing.

After I was sent to a dietitian who was fresh from uni and had no idea, so again sent me on my way.

Drs have fiddled with my tablets, tried to give me anti depressants and basically accused me of it all being in my head.

I have found a specialist albeit in London I am going to push to be refered to, I have to go to the local trust board and put forward my case, it will take a long time but I have to get MY Dr to agree first :rolleyes:

yep my periods affect my ibs.
you release hormones to start your uterus to shed the lining, its quite possible those hormones effect your bowels sending them into spasm too

i get by on immodium and extra painkillers, for me it only lasts 3 - 5 days

definatly push to see a specialist if your gp is useless

I have been traipsing back and forth to the Drs for little over 4 years now.

At first I was accused of putting it on, then was sent to Seacroft clinic for eating disorders as the Drs thought I was either starving myself, taking lavatives, or both.

Finally I got sent to a Psychiatrist as they thought I was round the twist.

After 18 months of endless begging and pushing I was sent for a gastric camera into my stomach, samples came back negative. Then I was sent for a colonoscopy, again nothing.

After I was sent to a dietitian who was fresh from uni and had no idea, so again sent me on my way.

Drs have fiddled with my tablets, tried to give me anti depressants and basically accused me of it all being in my head.

I have found a specialist albeit in London I am going to push to be refered to, I have to go to the local trust board and put forward my case, it will take a long time but I have to get MY Dr to agree first :rolleyes:

Some of the medical profession can be right pillocks! Just keep nagging at your doctor for the right referral - s/he'll give it to you in the end, just to shut you up. Not how it should be, I know, but it's results that count.

Have you asked to see your medical notes, to see what's been written about your IBS? I've heard of cases where the GP has written some nonsense or the other which the specialist has taken as gospel, and therefore not taken notice of what the patient actually tells them.

I had a release of medical notes for my Uni application, but it had no mention of the IBS, only the fact I had seen a psychiatrist and had been discharged back to GP care as he didn't feel I needed his help.

I may ask for a full record disclosure though if needs be.

Trouble with my local GP surgery is you see someone different every time, and each Dr has different beliefs with the IBS, one Dr even implied it didn't exist, needless to say I haven't been back to see him

I had a release of medical notes for my Uni application, but it had no mention of the IBS, only the fact I had seen a psychiatrist and had been discharged back to GP care as he didn't feel I needed his help.

I may ask for a full record disclosure though if needs be.

Trouble with my local GP surgery is you see someone different every time, and each Dr has different beliefs with the IBS, one Dr even implied it didn't exist, needless to say I haven't been back to see him

I'm lucky, I can usually get an appointment with "my" doctor and, if she isn't available, there are a couple of others who are equally concerned about their patients, as opposed to being concerned about not over-running however few minutes they are allocated for each appointment.

But I'm not the least bit surprised that one your doctors doesn't believe IBS exists, some of them seem to have as many prejudices and ill-thought opinions as anyone else. When I was being referred for a hysterectomy, my doctor said she'd refer me to the Consultant who believed in elective surgery and not the one who firmly believed that the only reason for a woman to have one was in the case of a life-threatening illness!!! Otherwise, we should just put up with our "women's problems" and not whine about them. :loopy:

Don't even get me started on those :hihi:

I sympathise with you Peaches. I used to suffer dreadfully from this and never found anyone to take it seriously, it was very much a case of suffer in silence.
Can you afford to see a nutritionalist? I know it can be pricey but if it helps it could be money well spent.

Not really no, but I am going to keep on at my Dr to refer me to the specialist in Leeds

ugh i suffer from this and i friken hate itttttt:@

Peaches, have you approached this from the gynae point of view? Get referred to a good gynae and see if the IBS is caused by the periods instead of the other way round??

I haven't but the IBS is pretty random, just gets worse with a period

Still might be worth seeing one, something like endometriosis on the outside of the bowel could make mild IBS a lot worse.
Just an idea anyway
xx

I will ask, I'm due back for some bloods soon :)

mine is quite bad most of the time but is extra bad at the time of my period and a few days before

As far as I know I don't suffer from IBS but once a month without fail when I start my period I get a bit of an upset stomach. I also get really severe cramps with my period for the first 2 days or so - I guess that could be a bowel thing too, not sure. The rest of the month I'm generally ok though. I suppose my point is that I think periods can effect your bowel based on my own experiences.

keep in the Peaches , Dave my hubby had a big problem the doctors thought was in his head but it turned out to be very serious and he could have died as a result of their actions, so much so he has just been paid an out of court settlement for this treatmen.
IBS is painful my sister has this and it does get worse around period time.

I don't have periods anymore but when i did before my IBS diagnosis i remember feeling really ill as i sometimes do now :) x

I get the same thing peaches - and usually just manage it by avoiding foods I know particularly provoke it

monthly I get constipation followed by the reverse, so working out what to eat when helps that a lot

natural or probiotic yoghurt has been a godsend - and I think the evening primrose tablets make me less tense which helps too (check they don't clash with other medication before taking those though)

I'm going back to the Dr today, the bloods said my serum feritin was low but my iron count was not, so told me to carry on with the iron ???

Anyway, its beginning to be a real struggle to eat, because I know as soon as I do I will feel sick, tired and probably end up attached to the loo for a few hours.

I've just had enough :( They've played with my medication, even though the one thing I found worked, they insisted on taking away from me.

I know what I will leave with a script for, same thing I always leave with - Anti depressants :(

anti depressants have really helped me hun i still have my bad times but then i am back on the mebrevine and colpramin, in fact i take the mebrevine perminantly now

I have suffered from really bad IBS for a number of years and had reached the end of my tether. I had tried all the different combinations of tablets from the doctor, had undergone tests, changed my diet etc etc to no avail.

Not knowing what else to do, I decided to give colonic hydrotherapy a try. I know a lot of people don't approve of this treatment but it has completely turned my life around.

I booked a course of 5 treatments and must admit didn't notice a great difference after the first one but, after the second I felt like a different person.

I now have a treatment once every 3-4 months and have gone from being on a cocktail of up to 5 different tablets a day to just taking one mebeverine when I feel a twinge.

Like I said, I know a lot of people frown upon this but it has worked for me and when you suffer from bad IBS, you are willing to try anything.