Anyone with IBS?

Stay in contact and continue to follow up with your doctor.

I have celiac disease, which causes IBS like symptoms if I eat certain foods. Good luck!

I have IBS. I tend to forget about it. Then it flares up, I start thinking I have cancer, go thru all the tests, and get re-diagnosed with IBS. lol

Anyhoo.. I do have a terrible time losing weight. I eat an average of 800-1000 calories per day LESS than what I burn. Am I losing 2 pounds a week? Nope! Maybe 2 pounds a month.

They tell you to eat more fiber. My body doesn't like fiber. I do eat it, but I don't go out of my way to include it since it plugs me up really bad. But I think IBS is such a thing that varies with everybody. Maybe your body will respond well to fiber? You will know better than any doctor. That's probably the important thing is to just listen to your body and see what it tells you.

It might be helpful to do exclusionary diets and see how certain things (carbs, gluten, fiber, caffeine, nitrates, added sugars, processed foods) affect you. I have far less gastro problems when I eat clean. I've recently stopped (for the most part) with the added sugars - no more coffee, no more mounds of brown sugar in my oatmeal. I'm also eating/drinking chia seeds all day long. Those two things have done A LOT to help my gut, and my belly is even flatter.

Good luck!

I was also diagnosed with IBS a couple of years ago. It started out really bad having terrible intestinal cramps and bloating causing 12 hours of continuous and quite severe pain every other day. The doctors put a camera down my throat to look in my stomach, there was a little soreness in one area but they said there was no other issues there. They then gave me a barium enema and xray'd my intestines, again nothing unusual there either. But after I had that enema i had very few attacks after, maybe 1 or 2 a month and now maybe 1 or 2 a year. I do get bloating now and then but I think thats where i used to each too much too fast.

I did also change my diet and ate smaller portions of food and a little more healthier, cut out a lot of coffee also as apparently there is a chemical in coffee that can trigger stomach issues. I used to take tablets for a few months called omprezole to regulate the acid generation in the stomach to stop bloating, i don't need these anymore.

I now eat a lot more healthier and exercise a lot more. I would start looking at what your eating and start trying to cut things out you think maybe triggering it.

I don't have it so much anymore, but I used to have it really horribly. I 100% believe that issues like that can be largely mitigated through diet. Cut out the processed foods, sugar, etc., and I'd be willing to bet things get better.

I have suffered (truly suffered!) with the awful IBS symptoms for 8 years. Although, it hasn't even been a year since I finally figured out what was causing it. I kept internet and library searching and trying to diagnose myself. I finally sought a doctor 10 months ago and was given the answer. IBS with constipation. (Terrible constipation)
I was just starting on medication and diet changes when I got pregnant. Both medications were not safe during pregnancy, so I stopped taking those.
Pregnancy has really really complicated the problem. Mostly because constipation is a problem during pregnancy anyways all on its own, partially because while I am pregnant a lot of the treatment options are out.
Currently all I can do is to avoid my trigger foods and to walk as much as possible.

Snuffs,

Sorry to hear you're struggling with IBS. I was diagnosed in 2009 with IBS. My advice is to start keeping a journal and track what bothers you and what doesn't bother you. Myfitnesspal.com is a great start. Try to keep notes on your daily intake and you will eventually find out that some foods just don't agree with you and those are the ones you probably need to avoid. Changing your diet can be difficult and IBS will undoubtedly make it more so. Look at it as an opportunity to learn more about what your body wants and needs to be receiving. We all are diffferent and specific diet advice from others may not work for you individually. Good luck!

Jimmy

I've had IBS for about 25 years, and this is the first time in my life I've felt good and been able to lose some weight. I'm exercising more and trying to stretch, especially my core muscles. I also take Florastor, a probiotic. This has been amazing for me. I also take Lexapro routinely which helps with the anxiety triggers. My doctor has prescribed me Librax and Xanax to take when I know I'm going to be in a trigger-happy situation, but I find I don't take either one too often. If you can find a way to keep IBS at bay without meds, please try.

As far as limiting foods, I know I can't handle a lot of dairy like straight milk, cream, or ice cream, however cheese and yogurt seem to be fine. The richer the foods, the more symptoms I have. Since I've been working to lose weight and get healthy, I've limited my processed foods and increased my fiber. It is working and my IBS symptoms seem to be in check. I also eat throughout the day which prevents me from gorging myself at one sitting. I have always found that if I don't fill up my stomach, my IBS symptoms are better.

Good luck!