Living with IBS? Success with IBS?

4987hamm

For the last 3ish years I've had stomach problems... chalked it up to my body changing after my daughter was born, thought I had developed a lactose intolerance.
Last year my stomach started hurting daily, non-stop, so bad I would cry at my desk at work and come home, lay on the couch and cry. My dr sent me to a nutritionist, that didn't help at all.
The pain lessened to a level I could tolerate so I let it go for a while... it came back even worse, went to the hospital, the meds they gave didn't work...
I went to a GI specialist, she thought it was chrons bc the meds hadn't helped, the level of pain, how long it lasts, etc (way to scare a girl!). Had a colonoscopy done which resulted in the dr determining it was IBS-D.
She tells me to up my fiber...
I'll go days eating one small meal bc of the pain and when the pain lessens, I'll eat more bc 1-im hungry and 2-i know the pains going to come back in a few days. Never ending cycle.

So these doctors aren't really helping me at all. I'm gearing up to try the FODMAP diet to determine my triggers. I've sorted out a few already but clearly there's more if I'm still having pains. im ligitimately afraid to go to the gym if my stomach doesnt feel 100% and thats really only a day or two a month...but I'm really hoping I can hear some success stories of people with IBS. I knew of IBS before but I didn't realize how BAD it could be or how much it could effect your life.
What has worked for you? Do you take daily medication or meds when you have a flare up? What foods do you have to avoid? What are your "safe" foods?
Thank you!

sakurablush

First off, I really do sympathise with you. I was diagnosed with IBS right in the middle of my A-Levels. It made studying pretty tough going, and having suffered from it for 14 years I know how horrible and uncomfortable it can be.

I won't go into too much detail over the things I've tried. But I don't take medication (I tried a few, and they all made me feel worse). I had my doctor recommend switching to de-caf. coffee and avoiding spicy food, and I enjoy both too much to give them up (even if I'm drinking more green tea now), as well as wear loose clothing. I also walked a lot when I felt bad, as exercise does help even if it might seem hard to do at the beginning. It's the same with that time of the month - even if moving about might seem the worse thing you could do, it actually helps a lot.

Past that...I'll share with you the one thing that's helped me. The one thing my doctor bless her never recommended, and the one thing that has taken me 14 years to work out.

That thing is fasting.

Seriously - I wish I had thought of this before. I began fasting in May this year, and it was to lose weight rather than because I thought it would help my IBS. In fact, after over ten years I had pretty much resolved myself to feeling bad whenever a flare up happened. This year however (and I usually get really bad in the summer), I had no IBS related flare-ups at all. As fasting gives your digestive system "a rest", your bowels aren't constantly struggling. Like you, I had days I simply couldn't eat. In retrospect it seems pretty obvious that my body was telling me I didn't have to. I don't know if this will be useful to you, but after 14 years of this condition, fasting every other day actually has me feeling like I did back when I was 17.

RobynLB83

I have IBS. It's the worst! I did a full elimination diet to determine my triggers (eat nothing but plain rice and plain chicken for 2 days or so until all symptoms go away then reintroduce fodmaps foods one per day to determine tolerance). Once you determine what you can eat without symptoms you will gain a lot of peace of mind. It's tedious and disappointing, but it's worth it not to live in constant pain and fear of eating.

Stacescotty

I feel your pain! I used to be sick to my stomach constantly and stuck in a neverending cycle of alternating constipation and diarrhea. Did elimination diet and ultimately cut out meat. Between 2001-2008 the only meat I ate was chicken and had occasional issues, since 2008 been completely vegetarian and have had zero problems..... I know this doesn't help all IBS sufferers but you might try it.

angelexperiment

Some things I know help as I have ibs c. If bad enough a stool softener, or enema but do not use alot bc it makes bowel lazy. I use sometime the glycerin suppositories for immediate relief.

make sure to take a daily probiotic, fish oil supplement, and a enzyme like betaine hcl you may lack enzyme to break down foods so papaya enzyme is good for this.

learn your trigger foods. Red meat is big trigger for ibs as it takes 2 weeks to digest. and some it is fresh vegetables so cooking them helps til soft. I found yogurt and flaxmeal with fruit helped me regulate. Whey is very hard to digest and you can become loactose intolerant as well. So no whey protein for you. Pea protein is easier to digest.

no wild rice, very hard todigest, brown rice hard to digest, white rice is easiest. People with ibs may tend to have celiacs or gluten issues. So bread that is whole meal like ezekial bread is easier to digest or sprouted grain. Some people can only eat white tho but I find avoiding breads and pastas and cofections of cookies and cakes I have less issues

these are all I know! Well there is more but pm me if you need some bathroom ideas cause I have tried tried everything:) oh and yes a 1 day fast a week is helpful to bowel.

pinkiemarie252

Agree about probiotics, although it doesn't have to be a probiotic pill. You can very easily eat yogurt and ferment your own pickles, kimchi, etc. It will help balance your gut microbes and the beneficial bacteria help you digest food. http://www.aboutibs.org/site/treatment/medications/probiotics-antibiotics Hope you feel better soon

4987hamm

Thank you all for your input!
Dairy, in some forms, is a problem (icecream, cows milk, soft cheese)
I have noticed wheat is a problem for me. I can eat white bread with no problem as long as I don't have too much.
I cannot eat corn, that's immediate pain for me after the first bite.
Chocolate... oh, my dear chocolate... I've realized recently, at least milk chocolate, is an absolute no go.

I definitely need to add probiotics! I've looked a bit into different brands and things but haven't quite settled on one. I used to take fish oil... I'll add that back into my daily.
Again, THANK YOU! I'm just st the start of healing myself to have more good days than bad so any advise helps!

vlovell24

Interesting. I was told that I have ibs. My stomach hurt so bad that it went through my back. I couldn't eat without vomiting, was in er twice....guess what. It wasn't ibs, it was pancreatitis due to Flagyl (which they gave me at the hospital). Thankfully, no long term damage done. I take 2 probiotics to counter effect the loads of poison that the hospital gave me. My intestines are much happier now.

goldthistime

sakurablush wrote: »

First off, I really do sympathise with you. I was diagnosed with IBS right in the middle of my A-Levels. It made studying pretty tough going, and having suffered from it for 14 years I know how horrible and uncomfortable it can be.

I won't go into too much detail over the things I've tried. But I don't take medication (I tried a few, and they all made me feel worse). I had my doctor recommend switching to de-caf. coffee and avoiding spicy food, and I enjoy both too much to give them up (even if I'm drinking more green tea now), as well as wear loose clothing. I also walked a lot when I felt bad, as exercise does help even if it might seem hard to do at the beginning. It's the same with that time of the month - even if moving about might seem the worse thing you could do, it actually helps a lot.

Past that...I'll share with you the one thing that's helped me. The one thing my doctor bless her never recommended, and the one thing that has taken me 14 years to work out.

That thing is fasting.

Seriously - I wish I had thought of this before. I began fasting in May this year, and it was to lose weight rather than because I thought it would help my IBS. In fact, after over ten years I had pretty much resolved myself to feeling bad whenever a flare up happened. This year however (and I usually get really bad in the summer), I had no IBS related flare-ups at all. As fasting gives your digestive system "a rest", your bowels aren't constantly struggling. Like you, I had days I simply couldn't eat. In retrospect it seems pretty obvious that my body was telling me I didn't have to. I don't know if this will be useful to you, but after 14 years of this condition, fasting every other day actually has me feeling like I did back when I was 17.

Interested in fasting. Going to try that. I have been having a small flare up today, and like most of the times this happens, I go to comfort foods. Many poor-me cookies consumed today. Homemade pumpkin oatmeal cookies, but still cookies.

OP I also had this all start after my first daughter was born, and a good friend of mine had the identical problem.

Lately I have been trying to battle any problems with kefir. Just forgot today for some reason. I think it helps.

goldthistime

sakurablush wrote: »

First off, I really do sympathise with you. I was diagnosed with IBS right in the middle of my A-Levels. It made studying pretty tough going, and having suffered from it for 14 years I know how horrible and uncomfortable it can be.

I won't go into too much detail over the things I've tried. But I don't take medication (I tried a few, and they all made me feel worse). I had my doctor recommend switching to de-caf. coffee and avoiding spicy food, and I enjoy both too much to give them up (even if I'm drinking more green tea now), as well as wear loose clothing. I also walked a lot when I felt bad, as exercise does help even if it might seem hard to do at the beginning. It's the same with that time of the month - even if moving about might seem the worse thing you could do, it actually helps a lot.

Past that...I'll share with you the one thing that's helped me. The one thing my doctor bless her never recommended, and the one thing that has taken me 14 years to work out.

That thing is fasting.

Seriously - I wish I had thought of this before. I began fasting in May this year, and it was to lose weight rather than because I thought it would help my IBS. In fact, after over ten years I had pretty much resolved myself to feeling bad whenever a flare up happened. This year however (and I usually get really bad in the summer), I had no IBS related flare-ups at all. As fasting gives your digestive system "a rest", your bowels aren't constantly struggling. Like you, I had days I simply couldn't eat. In retrospect it seems pretty obvious that my body was telling me I didn't have to. I don't know if this will be useful to you, but after 14 years of this condition, fasting every other day actually has me feeling like I did back when I was 17.

Ooops, just reread your post. I don't have the desire and perhaps not the willpower to fast every other day. I tip my hat to you.

goldthistime

runnerfitness wrote: »

Thank you all for your input!
Dairy, in some forms, is a problem (icecream, cows milk, soft cheese)
I have noticed wheat is a problem for me. I can eat white bread with no problem as long as I don't have too much.
I cannot eat corn, that's immediate pain for me after the first bite.
Chocolate... oh, my dear chocolate... I've realized recently, at least milk chocolate, is an absolute no go.

I definitely need to add probiotics! I've looked a bit into different brands and things but haven't quite settled on one. I used to take fish oil... I'll add that back into my daily.
Again, THANK YOU! I'm just st the start of healing myself to have more good days than bad so any advise helps!

Perhaps you have something more specific than IBS. My husband is lactose intolerant and gets stomach pains when he eats ice cream, cows milk and soft cheese. He can eat aged cheese (parmesan and asiago for instance) and cultured butter with no problems.

goldthistime

goldthistime wrote: »

runnerfitness wrote: »

Thank you all for your input!
Dairy, in some forms, is a problem (icecream, cows milk, soft cheese)
I have noticed wheat is a problem for me. I can eat white bread with no problem as long as I don't have too much.
I cannot eat corn, that's immediate pain for me after the first bite.
Chocolate... oh, my dear chocolate... I've realized recently, at least milk chocolate, is an absolute no go.

I definitely need to add probiotics! I've looked a bit into different brands and things but haven't quite settled on one. I used to take fish oil... I'll add that back into my daily.
Again, THANK YOU! I'm just st the start of healing myself to have more good days than bad so any advise helps!

Perhaps you have something more specific than IBS. My husband is lactose intolerant and gets stomach pains when he eats ice cream, cows milk and soft cheese. He can eat aged cheese (parmesan and asiago for instance) and cultured butter with no problems.

Doing too much scanning today. I see that you have ruled out lactose intolerance already. I'll shut up now.

4987hamm

goldthistime wrote: »

sakurablush wrote: »

First off, I really do sympathise with you. I was diagnosed with IBS right in the middle of my A-Levels. It made studying pretty tough going, and having suffered from it for 14 years I know how horrible and uncomfortable it can be.

I won't go into too much detail over the things I've tried. But I don't take medication (I tried a few, and they all made me feel worse). I had my doctor recommend switching to de-caf. coffee and avoiding spicy food, and I enjoy both too much to give them up (even if I'm drinking more green tea now), as well as wear loose clothing. I also walked a lot when I felt bad, as exercise does help even if it might seem hard to do at the beginning. It's the same with that time of the month - even if moving about might seem the worse thing you could do, it actually helps a lot.

Past that...I'll share with you the one thing that's helped me. The one thing my doctor bless her never recommended, and the one thing that has taken me 14 years to work out.

That thing is fasting.

Seriously - I wish I had thought of this before. I began fasting in May this year, and it was to lose weight rather than because I thought it would help my IBS. In fact, after over ten years I had pretty much resolved myself to feeling bad whenever a flare up happened. This year however (and I usually get really bad in the summer), I had no IBS related flare-ups at all. As fasting gives your digestive system "a rest", your bowels aren't constantly struggling. Like you, I had days I simply couldn't eat. In retrospect it seems pretty obvious that my body was telling me I didn't have to. I don't know if this will be useful to you, but after 14 years of this condition, fasting every other day actually has me feeling like I did back when I was 17.

Interested in fasting. Going to try that. I have been having a small flare up today, and like most of the times this happens, I go to comfort foods. Many poor-me cookies consumed today. Homemade pumpkin oatmeal cookies, but still cookies.

OP I also had this all start after my first daughter was born, and a good friend of mine had the identical problem.

Lately I have been trying to battle any problems with kefir. Just forgot today for some reason. I think it helps.

Isn't it crazy how much your body can change after pregnancy?? I never had problems like this before. My family actually didn't believe me that I had problems with dairy (before I realize it was much more than just a lactose intolerance). They believed it was some silly attempt at weightloss like everyone going gluten free in recent years when they don't actually have a problem with gluten.
I hear you on the comfort foods and cookies! When I have a flare up I tend to snack (and not on the best things) just to get something in my body when I know I can't make it through a meal.

goldthistime

runnerfitness wrote: »

goldthistime wrote: »

sakurablush wrote: »

First off, I really do sympathise with you. I was diagnosed with IBS right in the middle of my A-Levels. It made studying pretty tough going, and having suffered from it for 14 years I know how horrible and uncomfortable it can be.

I won't go into too much detail over the things I've tried. But I don't take medication (I tried a few, and they all made me feel worse). I had my doctor recommend switching to de-caf. coffee and avoiding spicy food, and I enjoy both too much to give them up (even if I'm drinking more green tea now), as well as wear loose clothing. I also walked a lot when I felt bad, as exercise does help even if it might seem hard to do at the beginning. It's the same with that time of the month - even if moving about might seem the worse thing you could do, it actually helps a lot.

Past that...I'll share with you the one thing that's helped me. The one thing my doctor bless her never recommended, and the one thing that has taken me 14 years to work out.

That thing is fasting.

Seriously - I wish I had thought of this before. I began fasting in May this year, and it was to lose weight rather than because I thought it would help my IBS. In fact, after over ten years I had pretty much resolved myself to feeling bad whenever a flare up happened. This year however (and I usually get really bad in the summer), I had no IBS related flare-ups at all. As fasting gives your digestive system "a rest", your bowels aren't constantly struggling. Like you, I had days I simply couldn't eat. In retrospect it seems pretty obvious that my body was telling me I didn't have to. I don't know if this will be useful to you, but after 14 years of this condition, fasting every other day actually has me feeling like I did back when I was 17.

Interested in fasting. Going to try that. I have been having a small flare up today, and like most of the times this happens, I go to comfort foods. Many poor-me cookies consumed today. Homemade pumpkin oatmeal cookies, but still cookies.

OP I also had this all start after my first daughter was born, and a good friend of mine had the identical problem.

Lately I have been trying to battle any problems with kefir. Just forgot today for some reason. I think it helps.

Isn't it crazy how much your body can change after pregnancy?? I never had problems like this before. My family actually didn't believe me that I had problems with dairy (before I realize it was much more than just a lactose intolerance). They believed it was some silly attempt at weightloss like everyone going gluten free in recent years when they don't actually have a problem with gluten.
I hear you on the comfort foods and cookies! When I have a flare up I tend to snack (and not on the best things) just to get something in my body when I know I can't make it through a meal.

I had an aunt who died of MS. It started after the birth of her daughter. Apparently it is very common for autoimmune diseases (like IBS) to begin after childbirth. Btw, I had what used to be called to toxemia (I think preeclampsia is the term they use now) during pregnancy. Another clue perhaps.

AspenDan

When I started eating "clean-ish", and really watching my sugar intake, my ibs type symptoms really just stopped..also when I make poor food choices, they come back..just my 2 cents.

kcampbell1969

I too, feel your pain! A few times I've vomited from the pain, and I've come very close to passing out. It's a nightmare, and very stressful when it happens and you're not at home. For me, it can come on very quickly and with no warning, so that doesn't help the panic attacks I also suffer from (and seems to go hand in hand with IBS).

I can almost guarantee I'm going to have issues if I haven't been drinking enough water. That's the only common denominator for me.

redraidergirl2009

runnerfitness wrote: »

For the last 3ish years I've had stomach problems... chalked it up to my body changing after my daughter was born, thought I had developed a lactose intolerance.
Last year my stomach started hurting daily, non-stop, so bad I would cry at my desk at work and come home, lay on the couch and cry. My dr sent me to a nutritionist, that didn't help at all.
The pain lessened to a level I could tolerate so I let it go for a while... it came back even worse, went to the hospital, the meds they gave didn't work...
I went to a GI specialist, she thought it was chrons bc the meds hadn't helped, the level of pain, how long it lasts, etc (way to scare a girl!). Had a colonoscopy done which resulted in the dr determining it was IBS-D.
She tells me to up my fiber...
I'll go days eating one small meal bc of the pain and when the pain lessens, I'll eat more bc 1-im hungry and 2-i know the pains going to come back in a few days. Never ending cycle.

So these doctors aren't really helping me at all. I'm gearing up to try the FODMAP diet to determine my triggers. I've sorted out a few already but clearly there's more if I'm still having pains. im ligitimately afraid to go to the gym if my stomach doesnt feel 100% and thats really only a day or two a month...but I'm really hoping I can hear some success stories of people with IBS. I knew of IBS before but I didn't realize how BAD it could be or how much it could effect your life.
What has worked for you? Do you take daily medication or meds when you have a flare up? What foods do you have to avoid? What are your "safe" foods?
Thank you!

I did the lowfodmap diet. Wheat, beans and onions are my biggest triggers so I avoid them or I can eat a very small amount so I stick to gluten free breads and grains. I do not need to take medicine often as long as I stick to my eating correctly. I have not had a major attack in 2-3 months.

rlr5072

If it helps any, please know that you are definitely not alone! Sometimes I would feel so miserable and cursed, but in the ten years I've had IBS, my symptoms have greatly improved. Part of this is learning how to deal with my symptoms, but I really feel like it's gotten better with age, oddly. When I was younger, my biggest curse was frequent bathroom "episodes" (as I fondly call them), but now my main issue is bloating after meals (which is annoying, but so much preferable). I have an episode maybe once or twice a month now, which is much better.

I agree with others who have given the advice to determine your triggers. For me, it's fast food, rich/creamy types of food or eating a lot, which has made it so much easier to eliminate more unhealthy foods from my diet. However, if I want to have these foods and know it will trigger me with certainty, I take prescription Dicyclomine prior to eating. If I don't feel like it will be that large of an issue, taking papaya enzyme by GNC (also before meals) is something I'll do. The papaya was recommended to me by a friend whose symptoms stopped after being pregnant (funny how things work, huh?) and it has been a LIFE SAVER. I used to be so ill after meals and would take it with everything I ate, but things are much better and now I rarely take it (though always have it with me!). I also used to take a chewable fiber supplement, which helped, but I don't feel I need it anymore.

If I'm having issues, I like to eat graham crackers or pretzels - just to get something in my stomach to settle it. I haven't tried a lowfodmap diet yet, as I don't eat a lot of meat and the foods I love and eat frequently seem to be offenders. If I were more ill, I likely would, but bloating isn't enough of a reason for me to change my diet at the moment. Not sure if you're like me, but wearing loose clothes around the stomach to eat, along with making sure you eat slowly is a must. I can't get right up and get moving right after eating either, and need to give myself time to digest, or risk an episode.

Apologies for the book, but I hope even some of this helps. My sister was also diagnosed 3 years ago and it helps so much more to know someone else going through it. The shame and embarrassment can be just as painful as the symptoms. I hate to wish IBS on her, but having someone who gets it and is close to me has made a huge difference in my outlook. If you'd ever like to reach out, please feel free to add me! Sending good vibes your way.

vespiquenn

As someone that suffers from it, it sucks. I was just having a discussion last night about how the symptoms have been subsiding while keeping up my walking regime (8-10 miles a day). I used to have issues daily or every other day. Now I'm down to once a week or two.

I second the probiotic though. I'm also sensitive to lactose, so I grab light yogurt instead of regular. It doesn't upset my stomach but still gets me the probiotics I need. I would recommend sticking to some light exercise and probiotics, and see if it helps ease the pain. It has taken about 6 months for mine to start letting up.

This also comes from a person that loves food too much to eliminate. The only thing I was forced to was hamburger and red meat, replaced it with turkey. Otherwise I try to keep a normal diet.

BethAnnieT

Does anyone have a recommendation for probiotic? Having stomach/digestive problems makes me so nervous to try anything new... afraid I'll make it worse.

goldthistime

BethAnnieT wrote: »

Does anyone have a recommendation for probiotic? Having stomach/digestive problems makes me so nervous to try anything new... afraid I'll make it worse.

I'm also fearful of them. I tried Align and, well, it didn't go well. Spent the day in the bathroom. I drink kefir.

tlscroggins77

RobynLB83 wrote: »

I have IBS. It's the worst! I did a full elimination diet to determine my triggers (eat nothing but plain rice and plain chicken for 2 days or so until all symptoms go away then reintroduce fodmaps foods one per day to determine tolerance). Once you determine what you can eat without symptoms you will gain a lot of peace of mind. It's tedious and disappointing, but it's worth it not to live in constant pain and fear of eating.

I did the same thing! NOTHING but rice and chicken for a few days. It was the best thing I have ever done for my IBS. Introducing fodmapss to my diet slowly helped me realize some of my favorite foods were triggering my IBS. Bye bye popcorn and peaches.

HippySkoppy

A long time ago I was diagnosed with Ulcerative colitis and IBS.....I feel for everyone on here as this condition has such a awfully profound effect upon you even being able to function.

For me going gluten free helped, my Doctor recommended this and while there isn't any consensus amongst Professionals about whether it can help or not it certainly did for me.

This all happened years prior to the FODMAP idea - An elimination diet can certainly give you grounding in what your triggers are. Like others have said I tried Probiotics but found them to be of little help and the research behind their actual effectiveness due to the action of stomach acids upon them makes taking them to be highly questionable but....different strokes for different folks.

Since then I have discovered my triggers (and yes I still suffer with the odd attack if I am not careful with monitoring my foods - all the time) normal cows milk (have lactose free in the few coffees I have and it's a very small amount at that, Coffee - too many cups of my once fav. brew are deadly. Oranges, some nightshade veg. particularly potato. I avoid corn and rice like the plague as these too cause issues.

One thing I do notice is that aged cheeses as someone else mentioned are fine as is Yoghurt....although store bought is NOT good for me and we have resorted to making our own Greek Yoghurt which is very easy to do and tastes wonderful.

All the best.

kshama2001

My mom's IBS is under control these days. Stress was a big contributor, and a chronic issue that was causing stress has since been resolved. She does yoga and gets lots and lots of exercise.

I don't remember all the foods things she did, but she did avoid a lot of foods at one point and slowly brought them back in. Softer bread was easier for her than less processed bread.

One thing that was key for her was eating her insoluble fiber foods like salad at the end of the meal, after she'd consumed some soluble fiber. See http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/fiber2.asp

Heather's Tummy Fiber (acacia senegal powder) helped her as well. I think that's the only part of her IBS regimen that she still does.

lyndahh75

I have had IBS since I was13. It took me several years to figure out most triggers. As I get older, I noticed that my triggers have changed. I can no longer tolerate heavy cream. Thus is a new trigger. Fat free milk is fine- I can't tolerate yogurt, not even greek. Fried foods and greasy meats are also a trigger. Anxiety is a trigger. I always get travel anxiety. I don't know about you but I hate using public restrooms. There is also nothing worse than being in a car on a long trip on a highway with no near rest stops during an attack. I always have toilet paper in the car- before ant long trips I avoid trigger foods most certainly as well as take Imodium that was made to assist with ibs symptoms.

Good luck.

HippySkoppy

^^^^^

YES and YES!!!

To the above 2 posters I totally forgot about stress making IBS so much worse......I have found along with food changes meditation and mindfulness to be very helpful in calming my tummy and gut down. Try to lowel your overall daily stress as well....easier said than done I know.

Changing food issues have been a highlight of my journey too.....you "think" you have it licked and then Bam!!! out of the blue another food will start to cause you problems where there had been no issue before.

Have often wondered whether that might be due to diet limitations putting you body under pressure from eating a diet that has less variety.

4987hamm

Oh I totally believe stress to be a trigger. I've been working to get yoga back into my life. Just need to find a class my (4yr old) daughter can participate in, too. She's been bugging me since she had a few classes at school early this year. It would he good for her, too (I believe I've passed on my anxiety to her-yikes!).
Thank you all so much for your input. I'm getting my shopping list and recipes together for beginning the FODMAP this weekend. Hopefully I can get this all sorted out and get bsck to living!

Lady_Lyrico

I'm currently in the elimination phase of the low FODMAP plan. I've been following it for 6 weeks and have another 2 to go before I reintroduce the food groups to find out what my triggers are. For five weeks I was pain free but for the last week I have been suffering pain and constipation, which I am really annoyed about because I haven't been eating anything outside the plan. Anyway, it is possible mine is stress related. I will continue with the next two weeks and start to reintroduce the various food groups. What I have learned is that IBS covers a whole range of symptoms, and what might be right for one person may not work for another.
I wish you luck with finding out what your triggers are. [edited by mfp moderator]

EmmaCaz4

I've suffered with IBS for 4 yrs now. I ended up in chronic pain where I couldn't do anything. I was off sick from work, in and out of hospital to have scans, colonoscopies which put me in even more pain. Eventually after 6 months of tests and being on tramadol it came down to IBS. I've had to change career as the flare ups were so bad I couldn't nurse anymore, so had to move to a desk job where I can attempt to cope with the pain whilst working.

I got an intolerance test done after I was diagnosed, it revealed I was lactose intolerant, wheat intolerant and gluten intolerant and also little other things that triggered. I cut all of this out and ate what I could that was left and then re-introduced things back in slowly to find out what was a trigger and what I could cope with and what didn't harm me at all.

I can have greek yoghurt but I can't have any other lactose sources - lactofree milk is great!! Bread is a trigger for me (White or brown) so I tend to keep away from that, and there were a few others too.

I was recommended fybogel which is an orange flavour powder you mix with water. I have this on a night and it seems to releave the pain and any constipation. I also got diagnosed with having haemorrhoids at the same time which this also helps.

The intolerance test was the best thing for me as I realised what was really triggering my pain and now I live a pretty normal life, I still get triggers now and again but it is down to a couple of times a year. I manage to run twice a week, go to the gym and weight lift 3 times a week and do yoga on my days off.

Hope you find what works for you and manage to stabilise it

spilledmilk

Didn't read any of the above comments, so what I do may have already been discussed.
I've had IBS-D for 11 years now. It's fairly manageable once I figured out what triggers it and got into a good system.

I don't take any medication, other than 2 OTC Loperamide tablets every morning when I wake up, before I eat anything. I generally wait up to an hour after taking them to begin eating/drinking. Things I absolutely avoid are spicy foods (sadly, I love them), foods with high fat content, coffee, dairy products (especially creamy sauce), and excess carbs like bread. Also eating at the same times every day seems to help my system expect whats coming.

I also take pepto as needed as I'm also prone to bloating/cramps. I always have the little pink tablets with me for when I'm out and about, just in case. I've also found that overeating or eating until I'm really full seems to trigger my symptoms, so in a way it helps control how much I eat.

I've tried various pre and pro-biotics with no luck, other diet regimens, the only thing that works for me is above system.

Good luck!!