I was "diagnosed" with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) 3 years ago, and it's down right frustrating!!
I feel like no matter what I eat, by the end of the night I have horrible gas that also makes my stomach sound like it's growling nonstop. It'll go through until the morning with no trips to the bathroom, but it definitely puts a hinder on my workout routine (I'm an early morning person). It doesn't matter if I add or eliminate anything from my stomach, it's never happy.
Is anyone else blessed with this wonderful condition? Have you found anything that works for you?
Yes, and I can attest to how absolutely frustrating IBS is. I was diagnosed about 7 years ago, and after a series of tests eliminating other possible ailments,and I was given almost no other information on how to handle it other than "take probiotics". I've tried everything from going gluten free, to dairy free.
IBS is difficult because different things work for different people, and doing just one wrong thing can trigger a flare. I know all too well about the dreaded bloat and how embarassing and uncomfortable it can be.
However here are some things that have really helped me:
1. Eliminating coffee (so hard!), soda and alcohol.
2. Never eating raw vegetables, especially on an empty stomach (big time bloat). I eat all vegetables slightly cooked or steamed.
3. Eating small meals several times a days instead of big meals. Big meals will contribute to bloating.
4. Trying to avoid fast food. Fat and grease are big triggers.
5. Drinking alot, maybe five or more cups, of chamomille tea a day.
This has been a huge help to me. IBS is very psychological, and anxiety definitely causes a reaction from the gut. Chamomille really helps to calm things down. Other people say that peppermint tea is good too, but if you have acid reflux it might aggravate that too.
Good luck in finding what works for you.
It can be very disheartening, but once you find what works there is tremendous relief in having some control back.
and there's the difference: I drink a cup of coffee every day to get things going, other wise I can't go even though it feels and sounds like I have to.
My doctor never told me to take probiotics, though I should try them again. All my doctor said was "just don't eat what bothers you"...okay...so what CAN I eat then??
Thanks for the tips, I'll definitely try the tea!!
Please google "Fructose Malabsorption" and the research being done at Monash University in Australia (Drs. Sue Shepard; Robert Gibson etc). I have multiple digestive issues, including celiac, lactose intolerance and IBS-like symptoms (not yet diagnosed) with all the "lovely" symptoms that result. When I started eating non-fructmal foods, all those problems went away (except when I mistakenly consume). It's been three months now so I have high hopes....
They're still trying to diagnose me, but IBS is in the realm of possibilities (once they rule out all the other things that can make your gut unhappy). I'm having some success with prescription bentyl (although the side effects are beastly) and coconut milk or coconut oil every time I eat.
If you live in a state that allows it, some people have success with smoking your medication.
Unfortunately, it's such a personal thing that what works for one may or may not work for anyone else.
I keep a medication called Librex on hand. I only take it a few times a month at the most now. It stops the spasm and also helps with the anxiety.
For me I have found:
never skip a meal...never eat a large meal on an empty stomach.. avoid all soft drinks even though I found colas are the worse on me.
I also found taking fiberchoice tablets daily really help me.
I was hospitalized 3 times in 18 months years ago for severe IBS spasm attacks, so I can definitely relate.
The 2 things that made the most difference for me were:
1. Reducing my stress - I actually changed jobs because of it, and took a lower level position.
2. Fiber and more fiber - it helps prevent both constipation and diarrhea. My fiber of choice is ground chia seed...I add it to everything I can! I put it in protein shakes, sprinkle it on salads, etc. It is high in omega 3's, high in protein, and high in fiber. But low in carbs, calories and fat.
BTW, I actually outgrew the IBS symptoms to some degree, and the stress then manifested itself in hairloss instead. So be sure to treat the cause and not just the symptoms!
I was also 'diagnosed' with IBS about 10 years ago. Since then I have had to push doctors to test and see if it could be anything else. Have also tried many drugs, parasitic meds, probiotics, digestive enzymes, eliminating milk, grains, almonds, caffiene, stress, eggs, sugars, fruits, raw veggies, etc, etc. I am down to my last straw! Seriously, this is my last idea, and the doctors too. My ND suggested I look into Breaking the Vicious Cycle. I am willing to try anything at all, so to see all the positive reviews on different websites, esp amazon, I am trying it. You can find most of the info on it without buying the book. It is a very hard process to go thru, but diarrhea has cost me my job and my social life, so, needless to say, I would eat dirt if it helped I am just over a week in, and my symptoms (BM's) have already gone from 7 to 10 a day to 2 to 3. Hopefully it is due to this diet, and not just a fluctuation in my symptoms. Just thought you might want to check it out!
I think I'm just now developing IBS. It's awful... more in the constipation / bloating / gas spectrum of things, but it runs in my family; my father get diarrhea from everything.
I'm certainly an offender with many foods -- tonic water, coffee, tea, occasional alcohol, spicy foods, nuts, fruit, and so many raw vegetables. To me, those are the most delicious things in life, and I'm just starting to become more conscious of which correspond to more "triggering" and which are okay. I am already vegan (dairy-free) and fairly low-gluten in my diet, so I'm pretty concerned about having to give up so much more... help!
Yes, and I can attest to how absolutely frustrating IBS is. I was diagnosed about 7 years ago, and after a series of tests eliminating other possible ailments,and I was given almost no other information on how to handle it other than "take probiotics". I've tried everything from going gluten free, to dairy free.
IBS is difficult because different things work for different people, and doing just one wrong thing can trigger a flare. I know all too well about the dreaded bloat and how embarassing and uncomfortable it can be.
However here are some things that have really helped me:
1. Eliminating coffee (so hard!), soda and alcohol.
2. Never eating raw vegetables, especially on an empty stomach (big time bloat). I eat all vegetables slightly cooked or steamed.
3. Eating small meals several times a days instead of big meals. Big meals will contribute to bloating.
4. Trying to avoid fast food. Fat and grease are big triggers.
5. Drinking alot, maybe five or more cups, of chamomille tea a day.
This has been a huge help to me. IBS is very psychological, and anxiety definitely causes a reaction from the gut. Chamomille really helps to calm things down. Other people say that peppermint tea is good too, but if you have acid reflux it might aggravate that too.
Good luck in finding what works for you.
It can be very disheartening, but once you find what works there is tremendous relief in having some control back.
All of this, plus, try to eliminate/cut down on red meats.
Besides IBS, I'm also lactose intolerant, and gluten sensitive... this eliminates a lot of food options! But I find the biggest trick is to have EVERYTHING IN MODERATION!!! And by moderation I mean, really, really, really little bits! If you want a steak have a couple ounces with a big salad as opposed to an 8 ounce steak with a side salad (raw veggies have never been a problem for me, but they might be for you). If you want coffee, have a shot of espresso. I guess this just emphasizes the small meals point... I don't know if you've tried to keep a food diary or something, but that might help you identify trigger foods. I don't know that you'll ever find what works perfectly for you, and what works for one person won't work for everyone, but it does get easier with time!
Officially "diagnosed" yesterday, although I had been told by my doctor that I could probably have it. Mine is more of the kind bloating+ gas+ dhiarrea. Last year I ended up in the ER several times because of painful colics in the middle of the night, and also other episodes which got diagnosed as gastroenterocolitis, but coincided with moments of high stress (beng a teacher, several of those). Last week I also have a bad episode of pain + dhiarrea, which happened on a day of high stress (also taking an antibiotic didn't help either).
Diet helped me to reduce the episodes. I reduced the amount of coffee and fats (there were a few weeks after one particularly bad episode in which I wouldn't even look at a steak because it was too greasy). Also, I went wheat free and mainly gluten free (although I am going absolutely gluten free now, since I have proved rye and oatmeal make me feel horrible). In general, I have found that the basic diet principle for gastric reflux work well for IBS (no coffee, no chocolate, no fats, no fried foods, bo citrics, no onion, garlic, peppers or onions, etc). Soda is pretty bad for me to, so I leave it only as a very last resource or I drink very low gas versions (we have some diet sodas very reduced in gas which arenīt that bad).
I also take meveberine every day to help avoid the episodes.
Hi! I need to update this, I said earlier that I was going to try Breaking the Vicious Cycle to control my chronic D, so far I have been on this for 21 days, and I am doing good! By no means miraculous, but, like I said earlier, I was having 6-10 urgent D a day, now I am at 1 or 2 almost not D a day! I don't trust my body yet, but today I went to a friends house that is 30 minutes away, stayed for a couple of hours and drove home with no problem, so I am getting more confident. It had been about 6 weeks since I left the house, so this is huge!!! Just wanted to let people know how it is going so far so that you can have another option to help. Oh, and I have lost 5 lbs
bonbonj24 Congrats on being better and having lost weight
On my front, I don't have very good progress with my IBS. As classes started, I started getting a lot of stress (being a teacher is not good for IBS!). I don't usually have symtpoms too frequently, especially in the last times, since I am on a pretty strict diet and I am medicated for it. But about 2 weeks ago I had an "attack" of IBS (btw, how would you say that in English? Bout? I only know how to say it in Spanish). I felt horrible before class, with bad cramps and all the nice things. Went to class feeling awful, but I could only last 20 minutes and had to leave for the rest of the night. Did an even stricter diet for a couple days and got better.
Yesterday I got suddenly sick, but I don't know if it's all due to IBS or some other things. When I was on the bus to school, I started having spasms on my abdomen and back. They were only two or three at first, but then they became more frequently. My 45 minutes class was pretty much a torture and I end up having to ask for the ambulance service to be called (we don't have anything like school nurses, but each school has an ambulance service that can be called for free). I was given an injection, but the medicine didn't calm me. Back at home, I had nausea and lots of stomach pain. Well, to make it short, it didn't take too long for me to be losing my breakfast and lunch in both ways I have been better since that and I have been taking medicines. Thing is, I don't know whether it was IBS (could be, I was very stressed), a gastroenterocolitis, food poisoning or other things like withdrawal symptoms from my anxiety medicine. Anyway, and seeing as I have already have trouble, I am going to be taking the normal dose of my medicine, instead of the maintenance dose I had been taking.
Teacher2B, attack is exactly the correct word, and it sounds appropriate for what you went through I hope that you find some relief from your symptoms soon! The cramping and such definitely seems more like IBS than food poisoning to my, but hopefully it is over by now! I would agree abou the stress, it seems like now the only time I have an attack is when I get nervous about not being somewhere near a bathroom, so you can imagine what happens from there :/ So hoping for quick healing for you!
Eating lower carb and paleo both seem to help my IBS. My doctor believes that it's because of the fiber increase (often adding fiber helps with IBS - but the trick is to add it very, very gradually or you'll have such a severe flare that you'll never want to eat a single vegetable ever again).
I still have a very sensitive stomach and flares of the IBS, but they're much, much less frequent. However, I do need to eat a relatively consistent diet (and without a plan I tend to go on food jags which aggravate the IBS). As a result, exchange plans work best for me, because they insure my diet is consistent. If I want to change my way of eating, I have to do it gradually. So when I first decided to add more vegetables I went from 3 servings to 4 on alternate days. The next week I ate 4 servings daily. After a month, I might add another - but once I add it, I have to stick with it. If I have more than a couple servings discrepancy from my "norm" I end up triggering an IBS flare.
The same was true when I decided to cut carbs - I had to cut them slowly - so I traded one bread exchange for another protein exchange. Then when I'd gone with that change for a while, I switched another.
I feel like I have to "outsmart" my IBS. Any "off plan" day tends to wreak havoc with my digestive system.
IBS anyone?
So be sure to treat the cause and not just the symptoms!
I am just over a week in, and my symptoms (BM's) have already gone from 7 to 10 a day to 2 to 3. Hopefully it is due to this diet, and not just a fluctuation in my symptoms. Just thought you might want to check it out!
