IBS Sufferer? Let's help each other.

magglett

Hi all ... I hope everyone is having a pain free weekend.

I just got back from walking for one and a half hours with a little spitfire friend of mine who goes a titch too fast for my short legs. It was a bit of a challenge but I had fun. Burned a ton of calories and worked up quite an appetite. Just had a bigger then normal snack and now I may nap for an hour :yawn: But then I want to head outside again ... it's such a beautiful sunny day.

magglett

Earned a ton of extra calories yesterday so decided it was a good night to go out for dinner. I had spinach dip with a few corn chips to start then liver and onions with mixed vegetables and I drank water. Then we rented "the Black Swan" to watch at home. It was a great night except we were serenaded by my stomach all through the movie. I wasn't in pain or anything but the gurgling was so loud ... my husband started giggling once he knew I wasn't hurting ... the brat. I'm not sure what in that meal made for some difficult and noisy digestion. Someday I might figure this out :ohwell:

jlbay

Earned a ton of extra calories yesterday so decided it was a good night to go out for dinner. I had spinach dip with a few corn chips to start then liver and onions with mixed vegetables and I drank water. Then we rented "the Black Swan" to watch at home. It was a great night except we were serenaded by my stomach all through the movie. I wasn't in pain or anything but the gurgling was so loud ... my husband started giggling once he knew I wasn't hurting ... the brat. I'm not sure what in that meal made for some difficult and noisy digestion. Someday I might figure this out :ohwell:

Yeah - my stomach is very loud, too. I don't know what it means, but it is embarrassing at times.

magglett

I don’t' find the gurgle so embarrassing, I guess I'm becoming more juvenile as I get older, I find it amusing, it makes me giggle. Guess I'll never really grow up.

Well, today is Monday and I have a day off. So of course that means I have a ton of stuff to do. Gotta get my computer fixed, gotta get some running around done for the hubby's company, gotta get some housework and laundry done, gotta take down the darn Christmas lights around my porch now that the weather is better, and my most favourite ... I gotta go to the dentist at 3 pm ... ugh, hate the dentist appointments, I'll never outgrow that.

Okay, on a side note. I’m sitting here on my computer and at the sliding door window beside me there’s this bird. It’s usually out at the front of my house but this morning it’s here beside me. For a few weeks now it has been fluttering against my window like it’s trying to get into my house. What’s with that?????? It’s too cute but I don’t get it.

Housetroll

Great topic! I hope some of my experiences will help some of you. I have had issues with IBS for almost 20 years now. These are the things that I find help me most:

1. Probiotic of some sort daily (very helpful!) There are several out there (Philips Colon, Digestive Advantage IBS, Align)
2. Lots of fiber. I try to get around 30 grams of fiber a day. (slowly build up to this amount of fiber)
3. LOTS of water. (you need this to help process all the fiber)
4. Exercise
5. Smaller meals. I have a mid morning snack and a mid afternoon snack. I have to watch the snacking though...try to keep only good/healthy snacks in the house or I go a little overboard!

The things that cause me problems are:
1. Too much caffeine (I started brewing my coffee with 1/3 decaf and that has helped a LOT)
2. Spicy foods (if I am already having problems spicy foods will exacerbate things greatly, otherwise I can normally handle them)
3. Greesy foods (just don't set well with me at all anymore) :sick:
4. Stress. This seems to be a pretty common trigger for all of us

If I do have a painful attack I will go on a bland diet for 2-3 days. I had a doctor diagnose me with "colitis" which is basically inflamation of the bowel after being "stopped up" for too long due to the IBS. This generally consists of baked potatoes (sweet potatoes are great!), dry toast and basically anything that is bland. I will also drink Slim Fast type drinks (I add an extra cup of milk to these and have it very cold otherwise I don't like how think they are.)

also....I have recently started taking a magnesium tablet at night on occasion. I started that after I read it would help with sore muscles, but it had the added benefit similar to "Milk of Magnesia".

LixxiKitti

Interesting points everyone.
I felt completely rubbish after Friday nights drinks (I ended up having wine, potato wedges, and later a pad thai), my stomach HATED me for the whole weekend for it.
(not to mention the total cal overload)

this week am back on the fresh veges/small portions wholemeal breads/tofu etc and lots of water.
have considerably cut back on my sodas although i had coffee this morning with about 100ml milk and im so bloated, its hideous....good job im not working out today as i dont think i could in this state

helsebels

I totally agree on the coffee - can't drink it so just gave it up - it wasn't worth the pain
That said its hard to cut out the red bull - LixxiKitti I totally agree with your post
I have also been having an activa yogurt every morning with brekafast which has probiotic in it and this seems to help - have had the tablets before but tend to forget about them. Just ber careful which ones you get as the fat free ones have aspartime in which is the big killer for me

The gurgle posts made me laugh
When I have an attack I know there is light at the end of the tunnel ( so to speak ) when the gurgling starts - seems to be my bodies way of saying things are moving along !!!

magglett

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!!! Okay, so this is probably the only thread that I can say this where you'll understand my bliss. I just had the biggest bestest most normal BM in months ... I FEEL LIKE DANCING!!! I hope that wasn't too much information :blushing:

Have a great day everyone.

helsebels

Morning ( well afternoon here ) to everyone

Just been reading the newspaper online during my lunch break and found this article

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1375936/A-digested-guide-perfect-digestion-Experts-reveal-relieve-common-symptoms.html

I agree with some of it but hite instead of brown bread???

Let me know what you think

Housetroll

I agree with some of what he says. I personally need lots of water and fiber. You can get too much fiber too though....hard to find the right balance sometimes! I DEFINETELY agree with not taking ibuprofen! I had forgotten that one. That is a big no-no for me. :sick:

Housetroll

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!!! Okay, so this is probably the only thread that I can say this where you'll understand my bliss. I just had the biggest bestest most normal BM in months ... I FEEL LIKE DANCING!!! I hope that wasn't too much information :blushing:

Have a great day everyone.

I think we all completely understand.

Glad things are getting better for you!

jlbay

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!!! Okay, so this is probably the only thread that I can say this where you'll understand my bliss. I just had the biggest bestest most normal BM in months ... I FEEL LIKE DANCING!!! I hope that wasn't too much information :blushing:

Have a great day everyone.

I think we all completely understand.

Glad things are getting better for you!

Totally understand!!

That DM article was interesting. My doctor told me to get therapy but didn't say anything about antidepressants. Hmm. I eat tons of fiber and mostly brown bread/pasta/rice. I'll have to give these suggestions a try - can't hurt (I'm two weeks on a probiotic).

libbyadams2010

I'm with you all but I don't have IBS. They first diagnosed me as that but the meds they put me on did nothing for me so I changed over to a gastrologist and found out I have 2 problems. 1st I had Lymphocytic (SP?) Colitis that they treated with two different rounds of medicine was still having the same problems just not as bad so the 2nd was post gall bladder syndrome which I can treat with drinking Questran (a powder I mix with Sunny D) everyday for the rest of my life. My doctor told me alot of people are misdignosed with IBS all the time so if you don't have a Gall Bladder you might want to find a doctor to look at this as well. He saved my life I was miserable but thanks to him I do have some relief because mine was a daily problem I couldn't eat or drink anything without having an attack.

magglett

I'm with you all but I don't have IBS. They first diagnosed me as that but the meds they put me on did nothing for me so I changed over to a gastrologist and found out I have 2 problems. 1st I had Lymphocytic (SP?) Colitis that they treated with two different rounds of medicine was still having the same problems just not as bad so the 2nd was post gall bladder syndrome which I can treat with drinking Questran (a powder I mix with Sunny D) everyday for the rest of my life. My doctor told me alot of people are misdignosed with IBS all the time so if you don't have a Gall Bladder you might want to find a doctor to look at this as well. He saved my life I was miserable but thanks to him I do have some relief because mine was a daily problem I couldn't eat or drink anything without having an attack.

I often wonder how many people are misdiagnosed with IBS. I don't have a gall bladder any more but it's been many years and I've really only had problems the past couple of years. I've never heard of Post Gall Bladder syndrome, I'll have to look into that one. Thanks for the information.

magglett

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!!! Okay, so this is probably the only thread that I can say this where you'll understand my bliss. I just had the biggest bestest most normal BM in months ... I FEEL LIKE DANCING!!! I hope that wasn't too much information :blushing:

Have a great day everyone.

I think we all completely understand.

Glad things are getting better for you!

Totally understand!!

That DM article was interesting. My doctor told me to get therapy but didn't say anything about antidepressants. Hmm. I eat tons of fiber and mostly brown bread/pasta/rice. I'll have to give these suggestions a try - can't hurt (I'm two weeks on a probiotic).

Good luck ... let us know how it works out.

magglett

Morning ( well afternoon here ) to everyone

Just been reading the newspaper online during my lunch break and found this article

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1375936/A-digested-guide-perfect-digestion-Experts-reveal-relieve-common-symptoms.html

I agree with some of it but hite instead of brown bread???

Let me know what you think

Thanks so much for sharing this. I find all points of view interesting ... but like you, I can't go for the white bread/pasta/rice part at all. I touch that stuff and I have an attack or at least the really uncomfortable bloating for days. I'm just not sure ... there are too many different things for all of us. This article said IBS was Diarrhea ... mine isn't. I find the suggestions in this article might control Diarrhea but I highly doubt it would help IBS-C. But we all have to find what works for us right? I'm grateful that this was shared with us and I hope to read more articles from others too.

TCrawford70

I use to have IBS until I was diagnosed wit an intolerence to wheat. My daughter same thing, now we eat mostly glten free as much as possible. We do on occasion have wheat but if we have more than one or two servings every couple of days we will suffer. Wheat also causes her to be a little hyperactive. You can get tested at any allergy clinic or ask your regular doctor for a good allergist. We eatalot of quinoa and rice products, although too much makes it harder to lose.

libbyadams2010

I'm with you all but I don't have IBS. They first diagnosed me as that but the meds they put me on did nothing for me so I changed over to a gastrologist and found out I have 2 problems. 1st I had Lymphocytic (SP?) Colitis that they treated with two different rounds of medicine was still having the same problems just not as bad so the 2nd was post gall bladder syndrome which I can treat with drinking Questran (a powder I mix with Sunny D) everyday for the rest of my life. My doctor told me alot of people are misdignosed with IBS all the time so if you don't have a Gall Bladder you might want to find a doctor to look at this as well. He saved my life I was miserable but thanks to him I do have some relief because mine was a daily problem I couldn't eat or drink anything without having an attack.

I often wonder how many people are misdiagnosed with IBS. I don't have a gall bladder any more but it's been many years and I've really only had problems the past couple of years. I've never heard of Post Gall Bladder syndrome, I'll have to look into that one. Thanks for the information.
[/quote


I had my Gall Bladder out several years before I started having problems.

magglett

I'm with you all but I don't have IBS. They first diagnosed me as that but the meds they put me on did nothing for me so I changed over to a gastrologist and found out I have 2 problems. 1st I had Lymphocytic (SP?) Colitis that they treated with two different rounds of medicine was still having the same problems just not as bad so the 2nd was post gall bladder syndrome which I can treat with drinking Questran (a powder I mix with Sunny D) everyday for the rest of my life. My doctor told me alot of people are misdignosed with IBS all the time so if you don't have a Gall Bladder you might want to find a doctor to look at this as well. He saved my life I was miserable but thanks to him I do have some relief because mine was a daily problem I couldn't eat or drink anything without having an attack.

I often wonder how many people are misdiagnosed with IBS. I don't have a gall bladder any more but it's been many years and I've really only had problems the past couple of years. I've never heard of Post Gall Bladder syndrome, I'll have to look into that one. Thanks for the information.
[/quote


I had my Gall Bladder out several years before I started having problems.

I will for sure be checking into this :flowerforyou:

jlbay

Good points - Libbyadams2010 and TCrawford70. I, too, have wondered about misdiagnosis of IBS. Diabetes and Celiacs both run in my family - which I've read some researches believe there is a connection. Gallbladder issues also run in my family - I've actually been posting about my gallstones and sludge on another thread. I'm wondeing if any of these could also cause my symptoms (not diabetic, but I am hypoglycemic).

When I first had a gallbladder attack, they tested me for EVERYTHING - not thinking I could have GB problems. CAT scans, endoscopy, ultrasounds, tons of blood and urine tests... only found that I was pretty healthy (other than severe abdom. pain and gallstones). I've tested for Celiac's several times (blood test) and they looked for signs of Celiac's with the scope - all negative. However, my sister is working with a Celiac's clinic and they told her there are many false negatives with Celiac's testing.

I asked my doctor recently about allergies, intolerances, etc., wondering if we could do some testing. He said, "Try the peppermint oil, get more exercise and see a therapist. If that doesn't resovle it, we'll consider other options." I've thought about doing an elimination diet on my own to test for food allergies, but they are pretty restrictive!

LixxiKitti

hope everyone has a great, sore stomach free weekend!

magglett

Fayve

Hope everyone's doing well today - yay for the weekend!

I've been doing well with my eating and exercise, but I've had a little scare today as far as my colitis goes. I seem to be losing a little bit of blood again, and I was having lots of pain all day. I kind of want to cry I'm so scared. My doctor talked about removing my colon if I have another flare-up (the whole colon, not just part), and he said that this can put things like my fertility at risk. I might be jumping to conclusions, and we all know that extra stress doesn't help symptoms, but I'm petrified that I may be getting repeat symptoms regardless of my lifestyle changes.

On a lighter note, I laughed at the stomach grumbles during the movie. I find that sometimes after I eat (not even certain foods), my stomach/colon rumbles soooo loud, it's crazy! Not painful though, which is good.

magglett

Hope everyone's doing well today - yay for the weekend!

I've been doing well with my eating and exercise, but I've had a little scare today as far as my colitis goes. I seem to be losing a little bit of blood again, and I was having lots of pain all day. I kind of want to cry I'm so scared. My doctor talked about removing my colon if I have another flare-up (the whole colon, not just part), and he said that this can put things like my fertility at risk. I might be jumping to conclusions, and we all know that extra stress doesn't help symptoms, but I'm petrified that I may be getting repeat symptoms regardless of my lifestyle changes.

On a lighter note, I laughed at the stomach grumbles during the movie. I find that sometimes after I eat (not even certain foods), my stomach/colon rumbles soooo loud, it's crazy! Not painful though, which is good.

Awe Fayve, I'm so sorry you've had such a scare. Far too young to be going through this crap. I hope it’s nothing and passes soon. But I hope your fear doesn't stop you from getting it checked out if the bleeding doesn't stop. And a second and third opinion should be in order before the removal of a colon ... seems that would have to be a last resort kind of choice.

And as far as the loud gurgling goes ... I can so relate ... it makes me giggle too. Take care of you my MFP friend. :flowerforyou:

magglett

As expected ... I'm feeling pretty rough this morning after last night's binge-fest. :sick: Serves me right!!! I'll be good today, I promise. Happy Weekend everyone!

magglett

It's been a dreary rainy grey doll drum kind of weekend ... definitely not hiking weather. I didn't get much exercise at all. I'm giving a ghost tour tonight which will give me a nice walk ... if the weather allows it to happen. It's an outdoor tour and earlier today we actually had some pretty heavy winds and snow flurries ... YUCK!!! If it gets cancelled for some reason I’ll have to grab one of my exercise DVDs and get my bootie shaking. Hope everything is going well for you all. Talk to you again soon.

LixxiKitti

hope everyone had a good weekend. Fayve I'm sorry to hear your colitis is bad again. That really sux

my IBS is ok for the moment, had a really full on weekend with exercise, only had wines on one night (Fri) so was feeling pretty ok for most of the weekened.
talked to my mum about doing an elimination diet, she doesnt think its a good idea, also my colonoscopy and gastroscopy had showed im missing an enzyme or something for breaking down certain foods so she doesnt think eliminating allergens/irritants will make a difference.

has anyone had success with an elimination diet? and has anyone else got this enzyme thing going on? cheers

amysambora

I did the elimination diet! I did no wheat, no dairy, no food chemical. My diet beforehand was definitely not the best, so my withdrawals were terrible. Two solid weeks of headaches and dizziness. Afterwards, I thought I got on top of it & found my triggers but now I seem to be back at square one These last couple of weeks have been particularly bad and I'm wondering if maybe I have fructose malabsorption? Apparently it's becoming increasingly common & lots of people who have been diagnosed with IBS actually have this. A lot of my triggers seem to be in line with high-fructose foods - onions, apples, pears, dried fruit, broccoli, carrots, asparagus, tomatoes, tea...I think I'm going to try a low fructose diet & see how I feel. If I start to feel better I might go & see my doctor for an official diagnosis. What do you guys think? I'll keep you updated!

magglett

I haven't really thought about it but I have eliminated diet coke (which I drank more then water at one time) and more recently I've eliminated milk products and I avoid white flour products too. Since I've been doing this I seem to have less pain. I'm looking into maybe giving up coffee too but man oh man that would really be a tough one. I know this isn't really an official elimination diet but as I find things that don't sit right I just try to avoid them. Sometimes it doesn't work out and the pain just comes. Good luck with the trials ... keep us posted as you go.

whiskey9890

i don't feel to good today, not sure if its my ibs or just something i ate in general. its a good job i work alone or my collegues would not be happy sharing an office with me, wish i'd brought the dog to work with me though so i could still blame him lol