The story of how one woman refused to be irritated by IBS…

You know the feeling…you are sat in a crowded room and your stomach groans with peculiar sounds, accompanied by excruciating cramps. You don’t know whether to sit it out or make a dash to the closest toilet and hope nobody is already occupying the adjacent cubicle.

This might sound like a humorous situation for a sitcom, but it is a fairly common experience for millions of people who have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and it is certainly far from a laughing matter. In particularly, IBS at work can be a deeply distressing thing to try and fight, but can be managed with a proper understanding of the condition and what can be done to ease/avoid an occurrence of symptoms.

The gut disorder can result in a variety of symptoms, but common symptoms generally include: bloating, wind, stomach cramps, and most people with IBS have bouts of diarrhoea and/or constipation.

Evidence suggests that the majority of people with IBS first begin to develop their symptoms between the ages of 20 and 30. Symptoms often appear and disappear in bouts, commonly after eating certain foods and during times of stress.

For one sufferer however, the problems began at a much earlier age. Medical librarian Vicky Grant, 43, has been trying to cope with IBS symptoms since the age of 13.

Vicky, then in her 30s, was in a work meeting when she was struck down with the all too familiar feelings of the condition.

She recalls: “I didn’t know whether to make a dash to the bathroom or just sit it out and hope it would pass. I was coping with up to seven bouts of diarrhoea a day and it was really taking its toll on me. I decided to risk it and stay put, but I was concentrating so hard on staying in control that everything being said in the meeting passed over my head.”

Vicky’s life was severely restricted by her IBS. She adds: “I felt bloated, tired and fatigued. My weight was below 7st (I’m 5ft 3in). I’d lost so much weight and looked terrible – I’m sure people thought I had anorexia. It was also making me depressed. I’d tried every drug, complementary therapy and diet under the sun, some things helped a little but nothing made my symptoms manageable. I was just so fed up with being ill all the time.”

Vicky is not alone though and a tenth of all doctors’ appointments are for symptoms related to IBS, which many doctors find difficult to treat. After all, the exact causes are still unknown and even though patients suffer with uncomfortable and sometimes distressing symptoms, unlike other bowel diseases IBS does not leave the gut with any noticeable damage.

Treatments are often a case of trial and error; changes in diet are often advised and IBS patients are usually instructed to keep a food diary. This can pinpoint the main triggers, i.e. are dairy or wheat products causing a flare-up of symptoms? Psychological therapy is another option for patients, and a lot of people find relief with antispasmodic medicines such as Buscopan IBS Relief and Colpermin 100 Capsules.

It took years for Vicky to find the courage to see her GP, finally going to see him in her early 20s. “He told me I did have IBS and that in my case it was due to stress and advised me to tackle the stress,” she says.

“I didn’t think I was any more stressed than any of my friends and thought the stress I was under was at least partly due to coping with my IBS. I tried meditation, but it made no difference. Over the years my IBS left me feeling totally drained.”

Nothing seem to have much effect for Vicky’s symptoms so three years ago she took to the internet to search around for stories of other people’s experiences and what worked for them.

One thing that kept being mentioned was vitamin D. Vicky recalls: “One thing that kept cropping up online was how high-dose vitamin D supplements could help. I read one blog then reports from patients on forums talking about this – it was generating a lot of interest.”

From things she had read on the internet, Vicky decided to try taking vitamin D2 – a dose of the nutrient (1,000 international units), but she had little success.

“Then a work colleague who has multiple sclerosis mentioned that vitamin D3 from fish oils is closer to the type the body makes naturally and was more effective and should be taken at a higher dose,” says Vicky.

“So I switched to 4,000 international units a day of D3, which is a safe dose. Within days, my symptoms eased and progressively improved over the months. After years of symptoms, my diarrhoea, cramps, pain and bloating disappeared. I started to feel well, put on weight and my depression lifted. It was amazing. My symptoms would flare up again though, if I forgot to take it.”

It is believed vitamin D might work by boosting the immune system as well as the gut’s barrier. Dr Nick Read, chairman of the IBS Network’s medical advisory group, says there is evidence some types of IBS involve a low level of inflammation in nerve endings in the gut.

He comments: “Inflammation around the gut’s nerve cells may make the intestine more sensitive to food and stress. We can’t say vitamin D works as a treatment for IBS yet. Only a properly designed trial will establish whether it works or not.”

Julian Walters, professor of gastroenterology at Imperial College, London, says it could be ‘plausible’ that vitamin D has a role to play in IBS treatments, although warns: “We shouldn’t assume it will work. It could just be the power of placebo.”

Do you have the stomach for a fight? How to combat IBS…

At Medical Specialists Pharmacy we deal with tens of thousands of patients each and every year, many of whom are suffering with a varying range of health problems such as: male impotence, acne, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), obesity, asthma etc.

Therefore, in addition to the huge number of different prescription medications we provide such as Viagra (for male impotence), Aknemycin Plus (for acne), Valtrex (for STIs), Xenical (for weight loss) and Ventolin Evohaler (for asthma), we like to provide all our new and existing patients with knowledge and information.

This knowledge and information can be about reasons/possible causes behind their particular ailment, tips and advice on how best to manage their condition, discussing some common myths that are rife (especially across the internet) in regards to a certain condition, and what foods are good or bad for a health problem.

Just some of the informative articles we have published in the previous year include 6 foods for stronger erections, debunking some of the common myths about erectile dysfunction, the best foods for great skin and the common culprits for acne, the best foods for healthy hair and information about important and often ignored key factors in how to lose weight.

Today, Medical Specialists put the digestive system into the spotlight, focusing on the common digestive disorder irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). So common in fact, that there are believed to be a staggering 12 million sufferers of IBS just within Britain alone – and around twice as common in women than men.

Some of the usual symptoms for sufferers include highly discomforting stomach cramps, bloating and diarrhoea or constipation, or sometimes even bouts of both. Exact reasons for the development of IBS in those who suffer with it are still unknown, but it is believed to be one or a combination of factors like bacterial gastroenteritis – an infection of the stomach and intestines, genetics – i.e. it may run in families, psychological factors such as stress or depression, or food sensitivity – i.e. symptoms are induced by consuming foods high in carbohydrates, foods high in fat, spicy foods, alcohol, fizzy drinks and caffeinated drinks.

We hope the majority of the 12 million people who have IBS in Britain are aware of effective treatments available to them such as Mebeverine, Colpermin and Buscopan IBS Relief, but also that there are a number of steps to be taken to reduce the frequency and severity of symptoms rearing their ugly head.

There has never been a ‘one size fits all’ rule in regards to diet for people with IBS. Certain diets might lessen the symptoms for one person, but be relatively ineffective for somebody else. Many find it beneficial to maintain a food diary for a period of around two to four weeks in order to pinpoint the particular food or drink that are causing or worsening symptoms. You should always seek the advice of your GP before making drastic changes to your diet as advice could differ with different symptoms.

However, people with IBS are commonly recommended to alter the intake of fibre in their diet. There are two types of fibre; soluble fibre – which the body is able to digest, and insoluble fibre – which the body is unable to digest.

Soluble fibre is contained in:

. Flaxseeds.
. Barley.
. Rye.
. Oatmeal.
. Fruit, such as apples, bananas, pears and strawberries.
. Vegetables, such as carrots, celery, cucumber and potatoes.
. Golden linseeds.

Insoluble fibre is contained in:

. Brown rice.
. Wholegrain bread.
. Wholemeal pasta.
. Wholegrain cereals.
. Wholewheat flour.
. Popcorn.
. Lentils.
. Beans.

Those who suffer with IBS and often episodes of diarrhoea may find it helpful to reduce the amount of insoluble fibre in their diet and avoid the skin, pith and pips from fruit and vegetables, whilst people who suffer from IBS with constipation can usually find benefits by increasing the soluble fibre in their diet and drinking more water.

There are also numerous other dietary and lifestyle choices you can take which may prove successful at easing your symptoms. These include:

. Have regular meals, evenly spaced out, making sure not to go long periods without eating and pace yourself whilst eating.
. Try to drink around eight cups of fluid each day – preferably water. Limit drinks containing caffeine as well as alcoholic drinks.
. If you can’t bear to give up tea and coffee, restrict your intake to three cups each day at the very most.
. Restrict fruit intake to three portions each day.
. Those suffering with diarrhoea should avoid artificial sweeteners such as sorbitol. This is contained in some sugar-free sweets, chewing gum, and certain diabetic and slimming products.
. Vigorous exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes each day, at least three times a week, is beneficial to most IBS sufferers. Discuss with your GP which exercise is most suited for you.
. If stress, depression, or anxiety is the main cause of your IBS symptoms, relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises or meditation may help, in addition to more physically-involved activities such as pilates or yoga.

If you are one of the 12 million people around Britain who have IBS, or one of the millions of others around the world who are also suffering, you do not have to live in misery or let your symptoms majorly affect your day-to-day activities. We have previously discussed IBS at work, and why not browse around the ‘Stomach and Bowel’ area of the Medical Specialists website.  We offer an ever-growing range of effective medications for IBS such as the previously mentioned Mebeverine, Colpermin and Buscopan IBS Relief, plus you can find treatments such as Lansoprazole and Omeprazole for acid reflux.

Radical new Symprove drink could help millions win the fight against IBS

Today we at Medical Specialists Pharmacy are thoroughly delighted to offer a brand new, revolutionary treatment option for the estimated 12 million people in the UK who are caused misery by the painful and inconvenient stomach condition, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Some of the most common symptoms for sufferers include highly discomforting stomach cramps, bloating and diarrhoea or constipation, or sometimes even bouts of both.

The IBS treatment in question is a non-dairy, gluten-free probiotic food supplement produced by Symprove Ltd, named simply ‘Symprove’. Those with sharp memories will recall that we first mentioned about this fantastic IBS treatment way back in May. In fact, its effectiveness at combating the common stomach and bowel complaint is so exceptional that even national media has picked up on Symprove, subsequently being featured in newspapers such as the Daily Mail, the Daily Mirror, as well as HELLO! magazine.

Therefore the opportunity to offer our patients this brilliant solution to help with IBS was one we could not refuse, and proudly working together with Symprove Ltd, we now have the delicious 500ml mango and passion fruit flavoured version in stock and available from the Medical Specialists chemist shop for the low price of £19.93.

So, what exactly is Symprove you may wonder, and how does it work? Well, it is a water-based barley drink that is taken once daily – ideally prior to breakfast. With every batch produced being independently tested to ensure the highest standard of quality, each 50ml serving contains approximately 10 billion live bacteria.

However, here is where it gets interesting; Symprove’s 4 species of live bacterial cultures (L. rhamnosus, planatarum, acidophilus and E. faeciumbacteria), are fully alive and activated from the moment Symprove is swallowed. What sets Symprove apart is the fact that unlike other everyday probiotic products, the probiotics within Symprove manage to reach the gut and get to work in a mere 20 minutes without triggering the digestion process.  This may sound strange and something you would expect and want to happen. However with other probiotics, digestion results in stomach acid and bile salts being released in order to break down food. The stomach acid means that probiotic bacteria struggle to survive in this environment and any that do, will be ineffective inside the gut.

Symprove is successful at travelling straight through the stomach without triggering digestion, meaning its probiotics are able to reach the gut and then establish a more healthy balance of  ‘normal bacteria’. It is the existence of ‘bad’ pathogenic bacteria that initially causes digestive and other problems. Symprove’s revolutionary method of fighting the symptoms of IBS means that the bacteria are not freeze-dried like many other products out there. Basically with its ‘Unique Delivery System’, the bacteria are ready to start working from the moment they pass your lips!

At Medical Specialists we fully understand that IBS can be a deeply distressing condition to live with, especially when trying to manage it whilst at your job. Many underestimate the psychological impact that IBS can have from trying to cope with the pain and discomfort. It is even thought that three out of every four people who suffer from it, will have at least one bout of depression, with half experiencing some varying degree of anxiety. You should not let it control your quality of life though, and with appropriate treatment you can live a normal and happy life. In addition to Symprove, there are other available options to help with the symptoms of IBS such as Buscopan IBS relief, Imodium and Mebeverine. All are available from the stomach and bowel area of the Medical Specialists website.

Gutted with IBS at work? Don’t be…

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common condition of the digestive system that nearly all of us will have heard of in conversation. In fact, there is a probably good chance that you know somebody who is suffering from it. The symptoms include bloating, stomach cramps, constipation and diarrhoea. Unfortunately for the 12 million Brits affected by IBS, the symptoms usually strike intermittently, sometimes at the most inconvenient of times and can massively impact the day to day lives for sufferers.

One of major these impacts is the workplace. For somebody who is lucky enough to be blessed with a healthy-working digestive system, it may be difficult to fully appreciate the stress than can be caused by IBS or empathise with that work colleague who had to rush home because of a flare-up of their symptoms.

If the average person awakes in the morning to severe pain in their stomach, they can simply ring in sick to their employer and just return to work after a few days when the problems have begun to subside and they are feeling better. Imagine though having to wake up every single day to chronic abdominal cramps and unpredictable bowel movements, and this is before you have even arrived to work!

Even the commute to work would be stressful enough, panicking about if or when the symptoms could hit you again and your precise proximity to the closest toilet. Simply put: calling in sick each day is not a viable option. With Brits feeling the full force of the recession, many of us are forcing ourselves into work regardless of illness and this applies to those with IBS too. There are bills to be paid, mortgages hanging over us, and statutory sick pay just will not suffice.

In an ideal world for anybody who has IBS, they would be permitted to have their own private workspace and interminable access to their own luxurious bathroom area, without interruptions from others. As this isn’t always feasible, suffering with IBS in the workplace can create huge amounts of stress for those with the condition, which in itself can worsen symptoms as stress is one of the primary causes for IBS. If you are also stuck in a job you dislike or have a boss who is unsympathetic to your situation, this is not going to help matters either.

There are a wide range of problems and situations that could present themselves to IBS sufferers in regards to the workplace.  In severe cases, it is not uncommon for some people to experience three to five bowel movements before they have even left the house, often leaving them running late for work. On top of this, if you happen to work in a quiet office, the last thing you want to hear is a gurgling sound being emitted from your stomach due to the circulation of trapped wind. 

Having to try and cope with dealing with an unpredictable bowel can leave many people miserable at work. As any good Manager will be aware of; an unhappy employee will ultimately result in an unproductive employee. Moreover, trying to concentrate on a work task can seem an impossible mission when you need to get up to go to the toilet and then being required to quietly sit through meetings or presentations can be torturous.

Statistics to have been released into the public domain in recent years go a huge way in demonstrating how underestimated the seriousness is of IBS in the workplace, the demographic of sufferers and the financial burden it can place on the NHS and society in general.

It is estimated that certain complicated IBS tests at hospitals can drain the NHS of £3,000 for each examination, and it’s not always a foregone conclusion that doctors can get to the root of the problems or offer adequate treatment. It would appear than men are getting off lightly, with women accounting for 70% of the 5,000 IBS-related hospital admissions during 2011 in England. In total, women aged between 40 and 44 comprised of these 5,000 visits. Along with back pain, symptoms connected to IBS are among the most common reasons for time off work and it is costing employers and the NHS millions each year.

What can be done though? If you are suffering from IBS, you can make many small changes today that can have major benefits to coping in the workplace and prevent it from interfering with your job. One of the most important things you should immediately try to do at work is speak to your employer. They will probably be sympathetic if you explain your predicament to them and may be even able to provide a workspace slightly away from colleagues if flatulence is an issue, and also make sure you are seated nearby to the toilet facilities.

As mentioned previously, stress is one of the main causes for triggering IBS symptoms, and it should be minimised as much as possible. If workload is organised properly in an efficient manner, you will have a much better chance of meeting deadlines and not feeling overwhelmed. Another issue we touched upon earlier is dreaded long meetings or presentations. Do not feel afraid of speaking to your manager about this issue and then could even slightly alter your job role so that you are not required to attend them.

In regards to limiting your symptoms, try to maintain a regular schedule. Keep your body on an even keel by aiming for regular sleeping and eating patterns. Sticking to timed, small, low-fat meals can avoid unnecessary upset to your stomach. Pinpoint what foods may be causing your symptoms to flare-up or if you are unsure of the culprits, speak to your doctor and they can refer you to a dietician who may be able to identify the problem foods. Other things you can do include restricting tea and coffee to three cups a day as the caffeine may be problematic in some people, restrict your intake of fizzy drinks and aim to drink at least eight cups of water each day.

For the millions of IBS sufferers around the UK, we hope this guidance will provide you with more knowledge on how you can tackle your symptoms in the workplace. Nobody has to suffer in silence and by speaking out to those around you and sharing information, you can go on to enjoy work again and stop IBS from overcoming you.