ibs and pregnancy stories - page four
The pregnancy tale of...Marcy
I would like to share my IBS story. I had my first IBS bout in July of 1994, it was the early morning of July 5th and I was about five months pregnant. The pains awoke me from my sleep. I thought that I was in early labor. Than I finally went about five times and it went away until three months after my son was born. It came back with a vengeance.
It was so bad that I called my mother and told her to come over and take my two children because I called an ambulance. That was in 1995. I have been off and on miserable ever since. I have since had another child, the only thing that helped a little was Tylenol 3 during that pregnancy. After that, I was given many different painkillers and had to get off because I was afraid of becoming an addict.
I finally was told, after three colonoscopies and two endos that I had IBS. Noting much works. I have the big diarrhea kind. Before my recent pregnancy, I was on Ultram which helped, but the side effects where sometimes not so pleasant. The GI put me on an anti-depressant. Not the normal kind. I can't remember how to spell it right now but it is the kind that they use for nerve receptors, to dull them. It seem to be working, but I got pregnant and had to stop.
Right now, I am on Tylenol 3 again until two weeks before delivery. It has been one hell of a ride. Because of my IBS, I lost a husband, he divorced me, couldn't stand dealing with me. Health went right down hill. I have actually lost bone in my jaw that they are saying was because I wasn't eating right for over 10 years. Life was hard and the only thing that got me through was my children, my mother, and my brother. My mother and brother have IBS but not as severe as me.
Thank God I did find a man who believes it isn't in my head. He loves me and helps me always. I can count on him to make me rice and tea when I am so miserable and the trips to the ER while I am in the back seat, probably going in a Depends that I keep just in case I can't make it.
I am one of the ones who can't eat a lot of things. That fiber does nothing but make it worse. If I could pick one thing to get rid of that would make it easier to live with, it would be those horrible cramps! My God. They are a lot like labor pains.
But I hold out hope that they will find something to end IBS, both constipation and diarrhea.
E-mail Marcy: memarcej@yahoo.com
The pregnancy tale of...Angela
I'm 30 now and have been suffering since I was 13, mainly with bloating, bend-over-double cramps and diarrhea. I've had periods of up to a year in which the symptoms were infrequent enough to get on with life, and so I've managed to move around quite a bit - and gathered some experience of doctors' attitudes in different countries.
I grew up and went to university in the UK, and National Health Service doctors never helped at all. "You probably have IBS" was the most constructive thing they said. Maybe attitudes have changed in the last few years?? My doctor in the USA had IBS herself, and suggested eliminating foods to find out what might exacerbate it. That's how I found out that I can't take monosodium glutamate, a start at least!
These days I live in Germany, and here I have had an endoscopy and full investigation to confirm that there is nothing else going on (about time!), but...apart from a sympathetic doctor who told me that I could take Loperamide (Imodium) as often as I needed to with no guilty conscience, and the knowledge that I don't have anything "serious" going on, that's still it.
For the last two and a half years my IBS has really been at its worst, and has started to affect my life a lot more. I've stopped going out much, and think twice before I get on a bus or a plane - I'm terrified of not making it to a toilet. This hasn't happened to me yet, for which I thank my lucky stars, but it's often been a very close call. Imodium may be a wonder-drug, but it's not a cure (and gives me a lot of pain and constipation!).
As for fibre - I've read a lot about insoluble fibre supposedly clearing IBS up, and - no way! It makes the diarrhea yet more frequent, every time. I already drink upwards of two litres of water a day, and have tried introducing the fibre very gradually. Just doesn't do it! Although soluble fibre in the form of oats (porridge) does seem to help. I'm planning on trying a high soluble fibre diet as the next step.
Anyway...I found your excellent website whilst searching under "irritable bowel syndrome and pregnancy", for which there isn't too much information on the web, and I thought maybe I could contribute something of use.
I'm currently in the 13th week of my first pregnancy, and have found that the world expects pregnant women to be constipated. Not me - I've had diarrhea since the beginning. It was at its worst during weeks five to nine and came several times a day, almost every day, but that's calmed down now to two to three days a week. And alas, no more Loperamide! It hasn't been proved safe for use in pregnancy.
My sister also suffers from IBS and had the same during her second pregnancy. She says it got much better around the fifth month. She has one pregnancy book which acknowledges that "the hormonal changes of pregnancy can trigger diarrhea in some women". So whether that's really IBS or not, who knows? (But it does feel the same).
My doctor says that if diarrhea occurs less than 10 times a day he would just live with it (he is, of course, a man and not pregnant), and be sure to drink enough, but if it gets more frequent he WOULD actually consider Loperamide, because dehydration can be damaging or even fatal for a foetus. The initial indications are that Loperamide is not harmful, but there is not enough data to prove this. Apparently if you have to take unproved drugs, though, the second trimester carries the least likelihood of foetal damage.
I do find that the diarrhea gets worse if I am stressed, or tired, and that if I take a day off work (and spend most of it in bed) then it really helps. Fruit juice or meat every day make it worse, and calcium, vitamin C or magnesium supplements all have a guaranteed effect 45 minutes later!
The good news is that according to my sister this doesn't happen in every pregnancy (her first was just fine), and it does clear up at some point. I also have an IBS book which says that for some lucky women, their body changes so much during pregnancy that their IBS clears up long-term...so don't be put off!
The pregnancy tale of...Caryn
I was diagnosed with IBS in 2003 after many tests, and being told I had gallstones. I was even scheduled with a surgeon to have my gallbladder removed when the weekend before the appointment, I went to the emergency room in pain and they did another sonogram which showed no stones.
From there I had an endoscopy, and the gastro doctor told me I had GERD, but she wanted to do a colonoscopy because of my symptoms. After the colonoscopy the doctor told us that I had IBS/spastic colon. Her nurse then called the next day and told me to increase my fiber and drink lots of water, also to stay away from dairy as much as possible.
So, I stopped the hyoscyamine that I had already been prescribed and tried watching what I ate. It did not help. Finally, I spoke with another sufferer of IBS and she said lettuce was a big trigger for her. Well, I had been eating a lot of salads, so I stopped. It did help for a while, but I soon found out many things seemed to trigger it, especially stress.
So, in March 2004, I found out I was pregnant and shortly thereafter the pains started and lasted until right after the third month. My OB/GYN told me I needed to figure out the difference between false labor and IBS pains. It's funny because I often had equated to pain to contractions before I was pregnant. If I could do that I wouldn't have had to ask him!
Anyway, I found a midwife and am planning a homebirth. From the fourth month to a few weeks ago (about week 33 of pregnancy) I had no bouts. Then starting at this point the whole process is starting up again. I am concerned because I really can't tell the difference between the IBS "contractions" and the Braxton-Hicks and wonder if I will no when I start true labor. I would imagine I will know the difference when active labor starts though.
Again, thank you for the website, I just got out of bed and did a search on pregnancy and IBS because of my frustration! I am comforted to hear others' stories.
E-mail Caryn: cdc@otnow.com
The pregnancy tale of...Jodi
I am 29 years old and have had IBS for as long as I can remember. I haven't had many problems at all within the past few years, but now I am a few weeks pregnant and from the get-go, I have had TONS of problems.
I've had stabbing pains in my abdomen (talked to my OB/GYN and he chalked it up to IBS) to the point where I am in a cold sweat and am almost blacking out. I've already had three pronounced episodes in the past week or so.
Is this common at all? And if so, can anything be done to help? I'm really needing some friendly advice here.
The pregnancy tale of...Rachele
I am 23 years old and have suffered from IBS with diarrhea for as long as I can remember. My mom suffers from IBS with constipation, so for the longest time I thought my stomach problems were hereditary. I am now beginning to think that it has a lot to do with my nerves.
My father passed away while my mom was three months pregnant with me, so needless to say her nerves/emotions were chaotic for a long time. I have recently gotten to the point where I feel completely helpless. I had a colonoscopy done four years ago and the doctor said that I had a spastic colon. He prescribed me Levsin which I took successfully for a couple of years.
Well, the main problem now is that I am pregnant...30 weeks to be exact, so I am not able to take Levsin or similar medications for my problem. I was even told to limit my intake of Imodium AD which I somewhat rely on during those horrid diarrhea explosions...it helps some of the times, but I always have to return to the bathroom at least twice after taking the two-pill dosage before I feel any relief.
I know that my problem is frustrating and annoying not only to myself but also to my husband and others who have to deal with it. I have a large family who likes to visit over meals, but I do not feel comfortable unless I know there will be a restroom near at all times after I eat.
It has gotten to the point now where I dread leaving the house because I know that at any minute my stomach spasms could start. This will be our first child, so I haven't gone through labor yet, but I hope that it's not much worse than these stomach pains that I get with the episodes because they put me in tears.
I continue to ask the doctors for help in what medications I can take or what I can do to help, but all they ever say is to watch what I eat. I don't know how many times I tell them that it doesn't matter what I eat...my stomach has a mind of its own and apparently it hates me.
I have had countless embarrassing diarrhea moments and so I stress over these re-occurring every time I leave the house. Are there any recommendations for my situation? I have read the other stories and can definitely relate, but my pregnancy is causing a lot of dilemma in solving my problem, especially using medications. I don't care if they prescribe me a drug that I have to take the rest of my life, as long as it helps relieve the pain and chronic diarrhea.
E-mail Rachele: rrwcmb@yahoo.com