Heat Pack and Tablets

Yesterday when I decided on direct action against my IBS I went shopping to the local chemist for supplies to help me. I came back with some Direct to Skin Heat Patches, and some Buscopan. As I sit here I'm wearing one of the patches. I'm not particularly impressed to be honest. I think I need something hotter to permeate down to the pain level. I've just got hot skin now, in a patch.

So that was a waste of £4.69 or some other random amount just under £5.

But I'm thinking about the tablets. I'm a bit scared to have them.

I don't want to be dependent on them or anything, and I don't even know if they'll work.

Today I have had 2 cups of tea, with milk and no breakfast. That's probably not a great start is it? I've got quite a significant level of pain in my lower abdomen which is creeping up in severity as time passes. Maybe the patch is making it worse?

Cripes.

I've also had a significant level of painful gas this morning, and my 'morning motion' was otherworldly. And that's never a good sign is it?

Hmmm

The gremlins are back

Hello I'm Penny and I have IBS. You know IBS, that really embarrassing, not-taken-seriously condition. Hilarious it is. Absolutely hilarious. Especially as my symptoms aren't consistent and therefore 'suspicious'.

So, usually I'm basically fine. Bit of pain, usually gas. Some bloating, but not too embarrassing because pain can be hidden and my gas is pretty infrequent and discreet. What a lucky lady I am. I try to store it up for an epic toilet trip guaranteed to terrify someone in a neighbouring stall.

But sometimes pain can't be hidden. Because sometimes pain is excruciating, and sometimes it is followed or accompanied by 'urgency' which is a beautifully inoffensive way of putting it. It basically means that feeling that you will imminently shit yourself. It's not very convenient, to put it mildly, because life generally dictates that you venture more than a few feet from 'facilities' at some point during the day.

So it's just re-entered the 'inconvenient' stage which means I can't really leave home for too long. Which means I can't go to work. Which means I have to tell work. Which is stressful. Did I mention it's exacerbated by stress? Well, it is. For me, at least. And of course having IBS is pretty stressful in itself. And so the dance goes on.

If you like toilet humour you'll probably love IBS, but I don't, so I don't.

I don't like having to explain to friends and family that maybe, eating some foods sometimes increases symptoms, but that the clever doctors don't know what causes it, and that everyone is different and that even the same person can react differently to the same foods at different times. They look so annoyed. What are they supposed to do with that information? It's very inconvenient to not know what food to put out. They just want an answer.

Well so do I.

But there isn't one.

At least not yet.

But this episode has been awful, just so awful. I know one thing NO MORE COFFEE EVER!

So one thing off the list of millions, but so many more to check.

So I'm going to try and list out everything I eat and drink and any symptoms I have and try to use my analytical mind to decipher somehow what I can safely eat and drink. It won't be perfect, like I said, it will change. What is fine one day might not be safe the next, but maybe I'll get some clues. Maybe there'll be a rating system and I can see what has different levels of risk.

Hopefully there'll be something I can always have.

But I know it's not coffee, coffee is evil! Evil I tell you. I had 2 cups of instant coffee 3 hours apart on Friday and from 4pm on it felt like I was being repeatedly stabbed by person or persons unknown.

So no coffee, no Tiramasu; no risks taken with this one.

I just hope I can still have tea. I love tea :(