Mind if I join in? My drs think I have IBS I waffle between diarhea and constipation and benefiber is my friend (metamucil and citrucel make me so sick i have nausea and heartburn) my triggers seem to be coffee and fat but if i have none of either i can't seem to go at all grrrr any who I'll be popping back in
Have a great day

Sad but true we have to learn to live with this dx. I have had the problem for many years. If I eat something to set it off ,I have only myself to blame. Going to the B/R more than 3 times a day is a bad day... Mucous,pain,constipatipn. diarrhea and even bleeding are systems to watch for. A good Dr. should have no problems with a diagnosis.Hope you find a way to deal with this....Joanne

Thanks for the input Joanne!

Wow, I can't believe I haven't wandered over here before.

I've had IBS-D for 10 years now. If you haven't been to http://www.ibsgroup.org , I suggest you go...now. It's run by a very good friend of mine, and is a patient-information board rather than one run by a medical interest. The exchange of information on what people have tried, heard about, hated, etc., is incomparable to any other site out there. There are forums for general IBS, D, C, Anxiety, Women's Issues, Fibro, OTC and Supplements, etc., as well as drug information and book reviews....you just have to see it for yourself.

IBS is such an individual thing. What works for me might not work for you, and vice-versa. It's a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning there is nothing organically wrong, it just works strangely. The brain-gut connection has been studied quite a lot in recent years and finally research seems to be getting somewhere.

Many of you will disagree, but it is not a food-related illness. Of course foods like coffee, carbonated drinks, vegetables especially ones like broccoli and cabbage, and some kinds of fruit, fried foods, etc., are common triggers in most IBS'ers, but they also have unfavorable effects on those without IBS. If it were all about the kind of food we ate, why would something bother us one day and not the next? Every time you eat or drink something you activate the gut, and for us with IBS who have guts that don't work properly, that means IBS symptoms. When you start eliminating foods from your diet, before you know it all you're left with is chicken and steamed rice. It is still important to eat a balanced diet.

I've done the hypno program for IBS, and although it didn't help my IBS symptoms, it did greatly improve the related anxiety and fear of going out because and IBS attack could be waiting to strike. And it was thoroughly enjoyable.

Bleeding is not a normal symptom of IBS. Any bleeding should be reported ASAP to your doctor. Most likely if you have been diagnosed with IBS (especially with IBS-C), it may be from a hemmie, and that would typically be a bright red. Darker red means it's come from higher up. Get it checked regardless.

If you are going to try fibre therapy, start SLOWLY. Start with a fraction of the recommended dose on the package, and build up gradually over a few weeks. Anyone taking fibre needs to drink the recommended 6-8 glasses of water per day. With fibre, if it's going to work for you, you should know in a few weeks. It can sucessfully work for both IBS-D and IBS-C.

Try the BRAT (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) diet if you're in a bad flare up. I find peppermint tea to be very soothing. Peppermint is a smooth muscle relaxant, and can help with the cramps and pain.

Antidepressants can actually help people with IBS. They are not taken for their antidepressant qualities, but for the side effects that many of them produce. If you are IBS-D, an A/D with a constipating side effect may help, and vice-versa. They are taken at a much lower dose than would be given for someone with depression.

The most important thing for me in dealing with my IBS was accepting it. It isn't going to be cured. There will be bad spells and good spells, and you just have to go with it and know that tomorrow might be better.

2stepgal, I hope you've visited the ibsgroup.org, because there are people like you out there. IBS can be a very isolating thing, but the community at that website can be a lifeline for some.

I used to get diarrhea real bad with headaches. I don't have Ibs or celiac disease or whatever.

when I was getting sinus infections alot, i was taking antibiotics alot. for over two years on and off.

this caused a build up of candida systemic. it spread throughout my stomach and intestines. so they gave me nystatin. well that didn't help much as teh yeast built up a tolerance to it real fast.

so I decided to do it my way after reasearching other ways and trying them and it not doing it for me.

I decided to eat tons and tons of yogurt, and tons and tons of raw garlic. it took almost two years of this before I some relief from the symptoms. and I still have problems with it if I eat too much sugar over several days and little vegies or fibre foods.

it took another 2 years of eating garlic, watching that I don't eat alot of sugar with fat and protein, almost like an insulin resistance diet, almost. before the flares up haven't happened anymore even if I do eat sugar, tho latly I have lost alot of interest in sugar.

It is quite possible your body is reacting to some substance, maybe your food is not digesting completely (enzymes please?) and the bacteria feed on the undigested portions causing gas, bacteria overload and an immune response to the particles of food that are fermenting in the stomach.

systemic toxic overload could be the culprit. you know allergy overload. my doctor told me that sometimes you have allergies but they are subtle until there is an overload then they all come out at once. thus the straw that broke the camels back thing.

the immune system's job is not only to protect you from infections they also have to detoxify substances and rid the body of metals and poisons that we get from the food air and water.

this in itself can cause theis allegy overload and subsequent symptoms.

I know that garlic raw and onions and green leafy vegies are very good body detoxifiers, ther are herbs that do that but be very careful talk to your doctor first some herbs can cause problems with other medications.

what makes green leafy vegies so good? chlorophyll is a strong cleanser, the sulfer in garlic and onions are great for teh immune systme and killing pathogens.

berries raw are very good for the immune systme. as for the glutton thing, it couldn't hurt to try a glutton free diet and see if the explosions cease or not.

I hope some of this helps.

2step - I am in the same boat you are. I am afraid to leave the house for fear of accidents. And when I do, I usually wear two diapers (depends whatever you call them), because of soak thru. You are right, it is humiliating and degrading to be stuck with this. I have had every GI test known to man done on me, and everyone says "it's normal". At least they don't tell you it's all in your head anymore. I find stress and certain foods do aggravate it sometimes. But, I am a person who if I go one day without diarrhea on what I eat, will eat the same thing every day. And after 1 or 2 days it will start again. My doc has me on Clindex and Lomotil, which does allow me to get out of the house occasionally. But usually I don't eat for the whole day before I know I have go to somewhere. You'd think this would cause weight loss, wouldn't you? But it doesn't. I am also diabetic on insulin. I know if I eat too much fat, I'm going to have probs, or overeat any at all. Good luck with your quest. I do know how you feel.

Dear Soiley..Have you been checked for Celiac's Disease?