ibs getting in the way?!

mazza227

About 6 months ago, the doctor told me i have ibs, around the same time I noticed I had gained 6 kilos in about 6 months. I put it down to travelling and eating more.... but now im not convinced. Ive always been healthy, diet consists mainly of fish, veg, wholegrains and fruit. Now Ive been trying to lose it for about 12 weeks (i have dropped a couple of lbs.... but think it was mostly water)..... and my stomach constantly feels bloated, tender and hard, even first thing in the morning. I use to always have a flat stomach.... and it seems no matter how much I excercise, how well i eat, my stomach remains distended and bloated. Im not too bothered about the 6 kilos.... but I feel like im carrying all this excess weight it in my belly! Im also noticing alot of fluid retention... but Im still drinking lots and lots of water.

IBS is all new to me, ive read countless articles, but feel im going round in circles. Im definetely on the more constipated side, although have daily movements. HAs anyone else experienced this? Ive played around a little with my diet.... but nothing seems to make any difference. Ive reduced fruit to 2-3 a day, eat a lot of fish, salad, fresh veg, rye bread, soy products and some bran....very few processed foods. I just want my stomach to feel normal again!!

Id appreciate any advise!

whiskey9890

hello fellow ibs sufferer.
unfortunatley ibs is a rather individual condition, everyone will have their own symptoms and their own triggers, for me i'm not the constipated sort of ibs sufferer, which meant that when i was first diagnosed i lost a stone in a fortnight, through talks with my doctors we soon realised my main trigger was stress, with very few food triggers although if i'm going through a rough patch and have a cup of tea before 9am i'll be in and out the loo untill half 11. unfortunately my doctor when discussing the weight loss he gave me the wonderful advice of just eat what you want if it doesn't set you off and we'll worry about your cholestorol when you are 40, i took him at his work and am now overweight.

be wary cutting out whole groups of food as it is often unecessary and you may miss out on vital fibre and nutrients.

the best book read on the topic was actually the ibs for dummies one, as it talked through lots of different aspects and i learnt an awful lot from it, regarding how the digestion system worked and how it can be affected by hormones and stress.

use the notes section of your food diary to keep track of how you have been feeling that day, things you have done etc and you may find its not just food thats giving you problems

VelociMama

I had a lot of trouble with IBS when I was eating junk food and obese, but for me, what worked was getting the weight off and eating mostly higher-fiber diet, which it sounds like you're doing already with no relief.

I'd suggest going back to your doctor and getting tested for a gluten allergy. My mother has Celiac's disease (severe form of gluten intolerance), and a lot of your symptoms sound a lot more like what she has than what I was dealing with. She cannot have any wheat, barley, or rye products anymore. If you have IBS, you should already be getting screened for Celiac's. There are also other types of gluten intolerance that are less severe but may also require treatment. Many people with a gluten intolerance or Celiac's are misdiagnosed with IBS early on as the symptoms are similar, but they don't go away with standard treatment diet for IBS.

I hope you can feel better soon!

eylia

^^ I agree with PregosaurusRex; I am actually diagnosed both as Coeliac and Crohn's (In the same family as IBS). Gluten and wheat intolerances present very similar symptoms to IBS/IBD and are often misdiagnosed or (like me) both are found as factors. I'm not someone who suffers from constipation, and as someone else has said, every case responds differently and it's hard no name causes for someone else. For me, I have to avoid citric things, as they make my problems worse, vegetables and fruits with tough skin and seeds (i peel tomatoes and capsicums for instance) and spicy, greasy foods or things high in sugar. But, that's all personal experience, and constipation obviously reacts differently to my own symptoms-your worries are opposite to mine! Bananas are meant to be a good all-round bowel assistant though, I believe.

mazza227

Thank you all for your helpful replies.

Whiskey9890 - those are some great tips, thanks. I will definetely start using the notes section to see if I can pick up any triggers/ patterns. Ill look into the book too...

I did have various blood and hormone tests... but allergies and intolerances were never discussed. How do they test for this?

mazza227

I have also considered colonic irrigation.... wondering whether that might give me a proper cleanse and help?!!

I have read some confilicting information about it though, which concerns me slightly, and could potentially do more damage than good?!

Maybe thats something people with a suggish system consider more than the opposite... has anyone tried this?

VelociMama

Thank you all for your helpful replies.

Whiskey9890 - those are some great tips, thanks. I will definetely start using the notes section to see if I can pick up any triggers/ patterns. Ill look into the book too...

I did have various blood and hormone tests... but allergies and intolerances were never discussed. How do they test for this?

For Celiac's disease, the doctor should do a blood test to look at your IgA (Immunoglobulin A) levels. Celiac's is actually an autoimmune disease that predominantly affects the gastrointestinal tract.

If the blood test indicates an abnormality, then they should schedule a scope and biopsy to look at your intestinal wall tissue to diagnose you from there. It's not a painful procedure, but it does require some recovery. When my mom had her biopsy done, it only took a couple of hours and a little rest. No big deal. Wikipedia has a very good article on how Celiac's should be correctly diagnosed: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeliac_disease#Blood_tests

There are also genetic tests available, but those aren't usually used unless the scope/biopsy test results and blood test come back inconclusive.

You can also do a little self-diagnosing. Try cutting out wheat, barley, and rye consumption for two weeks and see how you feel. If you get better, then report that to your doctor. If not, then it's most likely not a gluten issue. Report the results to your doctor either way.

Also, I would warn you against doing a colon cleanse or anything like that until you know what is causing this problem. You could end up making things much worse or cause damage to your intestines or rectum. I would say it's not worth the risk unless your doctor recommends it.

sleepy184

I too have IBS and have done for a number of years. At first I kept a food diary to try to discover my trigers etc but in the end, they found out my trigger was stress. I have looked at my whole life now, not just my diet. Keep a diary as Whisky sugested but not only of how you were feeling but perhaps along with the foods you eat which can be done through MFP, think of situations you have been in? How did you feel? Have you had an argument? Did you have an interview or difficult meeting etc. Keep all your notes in your diary and keep a note on a scale of 1-10 how your IBS has been. By doing this you may discover more of your triggers and find ways to help you control your IBS. The reason I say about making notes is that perhaps say on Monday you have a meeting but you feel ok throughout the day then perhaps you have a bad night with pains in your stomach etc or when you get up the next morning. You can look back and see if it relates to anything. Perhaps once a month you have a meeting on a monday then every month the following night you have a bad night etc, you can then link it to that meeting. I hope that makes sense.

As Whiskey said, IBS is very much an individual illness and you have to work out what works for you. Its not always food triggered. Also various medication for IBS does not always work the same for different people so if you are on Meds for it, and you dont think your meds are working, ask your GP about alternatives. Peppermint tea and other peppermints items I have found useful. Plus originally I was taking colpermin which you can buy over the counter but you are not supposed to take that for too long.

Be careful increasing fruits etc as this can sometimes trigger an attack.

Hope this helps and that you get some relief from your IBS. It is a Horrible illness but one which many people do not understand.
I have also in the past been a member of IBS Network. http://www.theibsnetwork.org/ This may be of some use to you.

mazza227

Thanks Pregosaurus - I won't do anything without consulting with my doctor first, I think id be too worried to go for it anyways - I guess i was hoping for a miracle fix.... but i know it's not that simple!

Sleepy - Thats helpful..and does make sense! thanks. Whats confusing me is the sudden onset... my diet has never changed... and im less stressed now than I have been in years!! Likely its an accumulation of factors... so I will start to take note! If you have found stress to be your main trigger, I hope you have found a helpful way to manage this?!

kmcgaw

I was happy to find this thread, as I believe that I have begun to have symptoms of IBS in the past few months. I have had the same bloating, and severe stomach pain a few times now, and I have been slowly eliminating things from my diet to see what my triggers are. It is not consistent, but anything like cream cheese or hard cheese seem to reek havoc with my body, as well as carbonated beverages. I agree that stress triggers it for me too. Yesterday, I had a very small amount of ranch dressing, which I have had before, but then a stressful incident happened at work and the rest of the afternoon and evening, I was in agony. I was still queasy this morning, so did a modified workout at home instead of the gym, just in case it got worse.

I am going to make an appointment to see my doctor as soon as possible to find out what I should do. But, in the meantime, it is comforting to know that there are lots of others out there going through this too.

mazza227

I can understand your frustration!!

My best advice is talk it out with the doc.... if anything just to check its not anything more serious and give you reassurance.
Im still not convinced I have ibs.... or maybe Im still in denial!!!
BUT.... if its any comfort I was having severe pains, which terrified me,.... and they have stoppped. I only get pain now when I excercise.... still trying to work that one out!!
My bloating has gotten better though.
The only big changes in my diet are that I have introduced a daily probiotic every morning, cut out bran, and reduced processed, sugary foods and fruit. It has made a huge difference...

Good luck at the doctors... dont be embarassed to tell them everything, the more info the better for them to help.

Let us know how you get on.....

finding_sammi

bump to read properly later!!

ejdenton

Have you tried taking a daily probiotic? I have ibs with constipation and this helped me. My SIL has ibs with diarrhea and cutting out dairy worked for her. Good luck.
Eileen

rmkramer003

I have been reading a book called "Eating For IBS". It talks a lot about information that I've found a couple other places. There is also a website HelpForIBS.com that is connected with the book. It has helped me quite a lot.

*Edited to say, the website is a sales site for a supplement, but there is a lot of good information on there too about the condition. I generally ignore the sales pitches.