I was just reading an item on the BBC about IBS treatments and I thought of the other (slight) issues that I have that are really not fair...
The item was about old fashioned remadies that doctors generally ignore these days, but may actually be the most benificial. I suffer from mild IBS (I know people who suffer with much more acute symptoms than me, and they really have my sympathy). Basically from time to time I bloat like a baloon over the course of a few minutes - from trousers that have inches to spare to not being able to do them up. This is accompanied by major stomach cramps and other issues that I will not go into here :) I may buy some perpemint oil and see if that actually works...
The other issue is my knees - well joints in general. I have been under treatment from a physiotherapist a couple of times in the past due to major pain in my knees. Almost like I had seriously sprained it, to the point where I could not walk on it.
X-rays showed that there was nothing wrong, and a few weeks rest cured the symptom until I started to use my knees again. After speaking to the physio she told me that all of my joints were, and I quote, "Too floppy" and as a result I was damaging the minicus each time I moved. I had to learn how to stand correctly, walk correctly, and cycle correctly in order to force my movements to match what a normal persons joints should automatically do.
The point... Both of these issues are common on both sides of my family. My mum and most of my aunts, and my female cousins have issues with IBS, and a good number of my aunts have issues specifically with their knees.
This is what think isn't fair - I have something in common with most of my female relations, and what is it? Illness and injury!
;p
PS In case not obvious from my writing the comaplint is a little tongue in cheek (even if the issues are not) :)
Staci,
ReplyDeleteI have also heard about the peppermint oil, but its action is on the esophageal sphincter, that is the muscle between your esophagus and your stomach. The peppermint oil relaxes it and causes it to open, thus allowing you to belch all of the gas out. Here is where it gets tricky, if you have bad reflux (acid indigestion) then the acid will also work its way up your esophagus and burn all the way up and down. There are two other foods that do this, alcohol and chocolate. If you drink beer it will relax it, but also bloat you from the carbonation-in case you were going to ask. The best way I know to control IBS is through diet and diet only...sorry, no magic fix here.
B
Stace,
ReplyDeleteDo you ride a bicycle? Building up your quadriceps (front thigh muscle) will help to stabilize your knees. Running doesn't do a whole lot for the quads, unless you do a lot of up hill running. Bicycling does build the quads up. So does sitting on a table and raising your legs with a light weight tied to your foot.
Bree is right about the peppermint oil and diet. Have you ever noted what you had to eat the days when you had an IBS incident? Certain foods tend to produce a lot of gas. Unfortunately, those are usually high fiber foods. The kind that are usually the most healthy for you. The answer to your problems could be something as simple as taking Beano before meals with certain foods.
Melissa XX
According to Gunther Grass (in The Flounder), caraway seed is am anti-flatulent (er, are we talking gas here, or did I get the wrong end of the stick?). And it's a good excuse to add them to salads, potatoes, cabbage or indeed whatever....
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info all. I did keep a diary when I first got it, but there was nothing that I could pinpoint that caused it. Wheat and dairy are the only things that appeard each time it hit me - but I eat / drink those everyday and it doesn't hit me that often.
ReplyDeleteStress could be a cause - but again I can be overly stressed and nothing, or slightly stressed and in agony.
I've had ultrasounds and x-rays for other issues over the last few years and been given a clean bill of health each time - so it's a mystery to me.
I'm really looking for something to take the symptoms away once they've hit rather than something to stop them hitting in the first place...
Dru: What are caraway seeds?
Stace
Melissa:
ReplyDeleteAbout the cycling... I do cycle a lot (living in holland that at least is easy). During the summer I try to get off of the train a stop early and cycle the remaining distance.
I also do a anamount of inline skating (which I *think* helps).
I just have to make sure that whatever I do, I have the right support on the knees, and that I walk / run / stand / cycle with everything pointing in the right direction.
The physio did suggest some stationary exercises to strengthen to supporting muscles - but I'm terrible at keeping a routine so haven't done them in a while. If I ever have a week or so of real pain then I start them again.
Stace
Dear Stace,
ReplyDelete"De boel bij elkaar houden" as Job Cohen our former major of Amsterdam used to say.
In your case "Keep your knees together, girl" as my mother used to say.
As for your IBS you wil have to keep your bottomlines together I would say
Tongue in cheek? you bet!
Wish you well,
Corinna
Caraway are fragrant seeds used in cooking, Stace; they are an important ingredient in Goosnargh cakes. I like them in bread, or in cabbage or potatoes. I think they're called Kummel in German or Karwij in Dutch...
ReplyDeleteCorina: Het spijt me voor mijn slecht gramatica - ik ben alleen en domme buitenlander - maar...
ReplyDeletebillen en knieën blijft bij elkaar :)
Dru: Thanks for the info - I'll have to see if Mrs Stace knows them to give them a try.
Stace