# IBS-D for 4 years now, getting better then worse and all over again



## M11 (Jan 9, 2013)

Hello,

Just to introduce myself and my story :

I am now 31 years old, French living in Hong-Kong. I started to have guts issues about 4 years ago, when one morning, after having a dinner the evening before in a mexican restaurant in St Michel quarter in Paris, I woke up with severe diarrhea. After going 5 times to toilets in a row, my girlfriend suggest I go to see a doctor. Based on the description I gave, the family doctor suspected a kind of slow motion appendicitis and sent me to a specialist. This specialist was apparently too busy to take me in and as I was supposed to fly back to K 2 days later (on monday, we were saturday that day) and as I did not want to go back with an appendicitis, I went to Emergencies in hospital. They found an inflamation on my guts and was scheduled for a colonoscopy 2 days later (postponed my flight then). ended up that I was having an inflamation of the small intestine coupled with a parasite : campylobacter. few antibiotics later, I was OK, but then started repeated discomfort period (my job back then required me to travel to factories, means 2 hours drive to go same to come back) and the social life started to fall the cliff.

A first specialist just told me that it was the stress and to take it easy. 3 months later, another specialist named me the name IBS. that was the best thing and the worst I heard about my belly issues, I knew finally what it was, but I can't do anything about it.

I then started to try to cure it and here are the results :

Probiotics 299v : seemed to work for 2-3 weeks, then I got a really bad week, I started to doubt about the efficiency and did not renew my stock, so I stoppped it and can not really judge it.

Sports : I restarted to go to the gym (unfortunately, my busy life made me skip few times) and this helped greatly, if I go in the week-end do my 5km running 100 abs and 100 weight lifting, I am better for 2-3 days, but then, back to IBS world.

Diet : I never did diet per se, though I tried to identify which food was bad for me... no luck there, I thought coriander was one source, stopped it, without improvement, same for pepper, tomato, spicy food, alcohol. On the latter one, I even saw some improvement while drinking a daily glass of wine or whiskey, but then again, not consistent results as sometimes, the day after is living hell.

Temperature : I observed that the hot temperature makes belly faster, cold weather helps me to hold. So now, in winter when here we have 10-15 degrees C, I am wearing just a T-shirt, and I am worrying about the summer already. Also, when I feel bad in the metro or a shopping mall, I put my cold hand on my belly (that is usually quite hot) and it helps. Also, gentle massage helps, but those usually help to release gas and it is a bit worrying to release gaz when you have D. Still on the temperature topic, breathing with open mouth to evacuate more hot air also helps.

Discussion : the thing I found the most effective so far was to discuss about it with my family, friends or colleagues, this done, I have a big stress gone, the one of being laughed at in case of accident, and it seems silly, but that is not nothing.

Apart that, I became an expert to find toilets in public place and as I have good memory for the places, I do not need those app to locate toilets, I became one (litterally, last week my wife called me while she was looking for a toilet while shopping  ), also, a lot of small stuffs to relax (like telling myself that if an accident arise it is no problem as I am on the way home and nobody would notice) make me take it easier and helps not to go in the stress spiral.

I am also lucky to have flexible working hours and can let the morning routine take place before going to work, even if it means go 30minutes later.

Ha and last stuff, I drink up to 4 liter of water per day with a minimum of 2 L, average being 2.5-3.0 L. if I do not drink this amount one day, the following day is for sure a not so good one.

I am joining here to mostly discuss about it and feel less alone in my boat so I'll drive out of this place quicker. I want to be IBS free again.


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## Pepper H (Jan 3, 2013)

Hi fellow French! If you'd like to look into it, we have a French association (APSSII) for IBS patients, even though I don't really find anything new in what they do. I'm going to email them and see if there's more to it than the website - but it's actually quite a big thing because IBS is not something well-known here, it took about 5 to 6 gastro-enterologists to tell we what it was. You're lucky you got diagnosed early, I had to wait about three to five years if I recall correctly.

I have similar symptoms to yours, but the temperature issue is a bit different for me. Cold makes it worse, temperature changes are the worst, and I'm quite okay with heat actually! And I'm also quite good at remembering an locating toilets everywhere I go. I can remember about the toilets in places I haven't been to in years, like on holidays and stuff. Quite a good thing.

Well, good luck, bon courage, et bonne continuation !


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## M11 (Jan 9, 2013)

Hi,

Yes, it seems that IBS in France is not widely known or maybe not accepted as a trouble and they look for something else, I've actually been diagnosed in HK. It is indeed quite practical to remember the toilet location so easily, though I would be glad to remember something else instead (like the birthdays I always forgot  ).

I heading to the french website then, to see what they say there.

Good luck to you too.


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