[20832]

Hello,I have had IBS for about 10 years and i have tryed all sorts of things including a change of diet to reduce the symptoms.i seem to have a confused bowel,sometimes i will have the D type then other times it the c,I know it sounds strange but thats how it is.i find the worst thing for me is bloated stomach and gas, it's so embarassing and as effected my life in by big way.Last year for the first time in ages i went on holiday and i was really dreading it but i thought if i didn't eat while i was travelling it might not be so bad.I couldn't of been so wrong, All through out the flight my stomach gave me hell and i could of died with the embarassment.I also had the same experience when i was travelling by home.Has anyone else had this problem or can anyone advise me on how i can reduce the smyptoms.It's bad enough when i get this when i'm at work but at least i work mainly alone on nights.The one thing i find about having IBS is you have to isolate youself from other people because they just don't understand,Thank goodness i found this site.Carole

 

[20834]

hello carole, i feel for you. Ok, if i have been constipated for a while then sometimes i will get diarea... this has been explaned to me 'Over-flow'. Is there a chance that you get nervous traveling... i used to be like that before going on a plane. Imodium works really well for diarea.Also, monitor what you are consuming when you are traveling... for example: i have coffee as a treat if im out and that for me running to the loo.bon Viage!

 

[20320]

If at all possible, I try to avoid flying, and take car trips. Its an control issue, and I can usually map out my route via the rest stops. Needless to say, most of my traveling stays within the states! And I always carry TP!

 

[thegirlleastlikely]

car trips kill me. for some reason, i can relax on a plane flight. i do take gas-x for the pressure. i never eat the day before i do any traveling further then an hour.

 

[Lee]

Hi Carole,I have also experienced this when I travelled from Australia to England. It was traumatic and I had no escape for hours and hours. I didn't get an aisle seat and had a stranger sitting next to me who had to move for me all the time. I had so much gas and the pain was unbearable. I was sure I was going to burst. I would go to the bathroom a million times but each time nothing happened! I couldn't believe that all these passengers sitting around me were able to fly without this problem. I will now only fly on very short trips. I once read that the pressurised cabin does contribute to bloating and gas, so I suppose it is out of our control. Frequent stopovers are the only answer. (I have IBS and also fructose intolerance which produces hydrogen in the bowel).

 

[15241]

I find that if I try to ignore my bloating and am in a really enclosed public space eg an airplane and I hold my farts in then I get really really painful sharp stabs in my stomach in the area of my colon. This is the worst. It is more unbearable than D cramps. I have heard that this can cause Diverticula, and so I worry about that when this happens, but my fear of what other people think tends to be stronger. I have also done what you did carolekay, where coz I have IBS-D, I tried to avoid eating too much or anything before an event, and then end up having the worst gas/stomach pains and bloating. Either way, I can't win. I don't have any suggestions for what to do in these situations, still trying to figure it out myself. To end it I usually try and pass some wind unnoticed, but then coz I've held it in so long I'll need to spend ages sitting on the loo relaxing later just to get it all out. Sometimes I even have to massage my stomach and move the gas around to get it to move. Sitting for long periods in general for me is not good, only OK when I am completely relaxed at home.