My stash

Every good past/present IBS gal has her stash- here's mine:

I've rated them according to my experiences with its effectiveness (but of course, it'll vary with every different tummy).

0/5-> Makes you feel even worse

1/5-> Close to no effect whatsoever so don't bother

2/5-> A little effect but not for days when you want relief fast

3/5-> Effective and reliable

4/5-> Super effective

5/5-> Does this look like a cure, or what?

1) Duspatalin (Mebetin)- This is something new my doctor gave me; its for when I eat something bad and it causes pain and excessive bloating. Yup, unlike "normal" people, I don't go to the loo and diahorrea the thing out. My systems a little slow in a way- it stores the bacteria...

Duspatalin actually makes me feel normal again in about 1hr. Pretty good eh?

Prescription needed.

RATING: 4/5

2)Librax- This gets rid of gas, fast. Be prepared for some serious farting. Prescription needed.

RATING: 4.5/5

3) Motilium (Domperidone)- A little like librax but milder. It's pretty harmless so you can take 2 pills at once instead of the usual 1. You can get it from the Pharmacist in Guardian. $5 for 10 pills.

RATING: 3/5

4) Lacteolfort- This is Yakult but 1 million times stronger. I kid you not. It's great when you find yourself with digestion and a little bloatiness after eating. It works for those with weak tummies, with a lack of active & good bacteria in the stomach to aid proper digestion. The good thing is, you can buy it off the shelves in Guardian Pharmacy. Not cheap- around $20 a pack.

RATING: 4.5/5

5) Strocaine-This is for the rare time I have gastric. Yes, for some reason, even though I eat 5 times a day, my stomach isn't too happy yet. It eases the cramping that the over-acidity causes.

RATING: 3.5/5

If you notice, I don't have anything below the rating of 3.5 in my stash. Of course, an experienced IBS-er knows better than to lug around something useless! heh.

Here's where it all starts

Why this Blog?

I'm 26, but at 21 years of age I took a cough medication that completely screwed up my gastrointestinal system.
It was codeine- a drug in every common pharmacy available for anyone who has an irritating cough.
How was I to know?
How was I to know that 2 hours after my taking codeine, my intestines would spasm uncontrollably for 8 hours after that. I could not stand.
I was admitted into hospital, after which doctors agonised over the cause of my pain.
At midnight, I was about to be wheeled into the operating theatre because they thought the pain was coming from my appendix, but just then, a senior doctor stopped the procedure. He said the pain was due to my intestines- simply because there was too much shit in me.
I was having a severe form of chronic constipation- of which (as I found out in the weeks after) there was no cure.

What followed was 2 excruiating years of pills and anemas and doctors and X-rays- all just to find out that what I had was something that medical science could not cure.

I possibly had to live with it for the rest of my life. The pain, the flatulence, the constipation, the discomfort, the cramps. And I was all but 21 years old.

What happened to me in 2002 impacted me like no other experience could. Today I am free from chronic constipation and serious symptoms of IBS- but yes, I am extra careful of what I eat, and I still do have a sensitive disposition.

It's because of my period of pain in 2002, and finding out that there are so many other women out there like me- that this blog was created.

For IBS sufferers to speak- freely.