IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome, has many painful and potentially embarrassing symptoms. Gas, painful constipation, and more can all be difficult to deal with on a daily basis, but there is another commonly overlooked symptom that could possibly be more frustrating than any of the other symptoms commonly associated with IBS.
This symptom is nausea, and it affects quite a few sufferers of IBS with its unpredictable and rapid onset. A patient never knows when they will become nauseous or for how long they will feel that way, and it can lead to some awkward and embarrassing situations for the IBS patient. It can cause many to stay at home, becoming depressed, lonely, and despondent, and unable to participate in normal daily activities such as working and visiting friends.
IBS doesn’t affect every patient who has it in the same way, so careful monitoring of triggers for each individual, as well as careful monitoring and examinations by a doctor can help a patient decide the best course of treatments for the symptoms they experience.
Causes of Nausea
There are a few different reasons that a patient suffering with irritable bowel syndrome may experience nausea. Allergies and illnesses, for example, can trigger or worsen nausea in patients with IBS. Infections of the throat and ear can also give IBS patients nausea, as these can often affect the balance and steadiness of the patient, which can keep them feeling “sea sick”, or nauseous. Viruses, fungal infections, and even migraines can cause nausea as well, so keeping these disorders under control can help with the feelings of nausea too.
Carefully controlling the diet can also help to ease symptoms of nausea. By eliminating or adding foods that can help with the regulation of the processes involved in maintaining healthy bowel movements can greatly help IBS patients who frequently experience nausea by help to keep things moving normally through the intestines and stomach which can relieve many feelings of sickness and nausea.
What can be Done
Eating foods like yogurt, which are loaded with probiotics, or by adding probiotics into the diet in pill or powder form can also help keep everything in the stomach area working smoothly. Eating breakfast every day, controlling meal and portion sizes, and carefully eliminating food triggers will also do much to improve the symptoms of nausea for IBS patients.
Keeping accurate records of foods, and adding foods that alleviate symptoms while removing those that worsen them, can help with other symptoms related to IBS as well.
Any time a patient is considering changing or modifying how they deal with the symptoms of IBS should be sure to keep their doctor involved with the process. A doctor can monitor your progress, prescribe medications, if needed, and help you make the best decisions for relieving symptoms like nausea that result from IBS.
A Natural Solution
One other thing a patient can try to help relieve the symptoms of nausea is peppermint. Peppermint can help soothe the stomach and relax muscles in the abdominal area, which can help relieve nausea and other symptoms that make IBS a difficult and unpredictable illness.
Peppermint oils, and even peppermint teas, can be a simple and easy addition to the diet, and will not only be beneficial for the relief of symptoms, but has an added benefit of being a tasty treat. Be careful though, peppermint oils can cause heartburn in some people, which may not be the best thing for IBS sufferers who are dealing with nausea.
Through careful examination of potential triggers of nausea, and modifying of diets and behaviors, patients who suffer with IBS can effectively manage and control those unpredictable feelings of nausea and get back to enjoying life.