IBS

I was recently diagnosed with IBS, and have controlled it with diet. I couldn't believe how terrible the bouts were! I asked my dietitian what to do and this is what she told me:
- Eat fiber rich cereal for breakfast
- No coffee ( went down to 1 coffee a day)
- Nothing with skin, i.e. grapes, apples, the white pith on citrus fruits, etc.
- No ruffage, only iceberg or butter lettuce
- Spicy is ok, cream or dairy is not
- No greasy/junk food (I was already dieting, so if I had a "cheat" I would do sweet instead of salty/greasy)
- I also stay away from fizzy drinks and liqour

Lots and LOTS of water, and be kind to yourself! I realized when I was a nicer person to myself during times of stress then I felt better. I was diagnosed shortly after my sister found out she had cancer and I realized I wasn't dealing with it very well. I'm happy to say that I am doing better and her treatment is going very well!
Good luck, I'm here if you need me

I was diagnosed with IBS several years ago. As you start to eat healthy, go get some fiber. Benefiber or anything works. I was given a prescription Miralax, but I think its over the counter now. It made my weight jump several pounds from day to day. I would get very discouraged. It takes a little longer to show the results with IBS but dont give up ) -- also, one thing that me and my dad did was cut out ANY type of sausage per my doctors advice. I never had the bloating, etc after that.

I've been dealing with IBS for around 20 years. I eat healthy now. But I eat apples and citrus fruits and all kinds of fruits. The fiber in fruits does wonders for it. I also eat plenty of roughage: greens, spinach, (I hate iceberg lettuce), baby greens, etc.

Bad carbs give me issues. Too much sugar gives me issues. Sodas give me issues. High sodium meats will cause issues. I get my fiber through whole grains and fruits/veggies. I'm careful with beans. If you are going to take fiber take Metamucil. The psyillium fiber in it causes less gas and bloating than others (recommended by doctors).

And stress is very bad for it. I never dealt with stress well. But as long as you eat as healthy as you can it is controllable.

One thing I did notice is that when I cut out breads (basically flours - including whole wheat) I "emptied" out and all the bloating went away

I know how you feel I'm 45 and have had IBS since I was a lil girl and some of the flares I have had is worse than having a baby. I take Bentyl when an episode starts and it helps a lot. Everyone has given you great advice but what works for me may not work for you so you really have to find your own triggers and it is a long process. Also, depending on the type you have (most have either the constipation or the diarrhea or some with both) that will help with finding remedies to get it under control. I was sorry to find out my son has it also it really can take over your whole life. Good luck and I hope you find what works for you. Feel free to add me as a friend if you would like more support.

Hi,

I know how you feel!!

!have IBS, was diagnosed a couple of months ago (although suspected for long time due to family members having the same) after things got so severe i was hospitalised whilst they tried to get things going again.

I was told that although people are told to eat more fiber, it is not always necessarily the case or best way forward. I was eating a hell of a lot of it and was still having quite severe problems (5weeks without BM), with several different remedies not working, and the doctor said that sometimes too much fiber can do as much damage as too little fibre.

once my initial problem was resolved, to stop it from getting bad again, I was told to try and cut out/avoid all wheat from my diet and ensure i was drinking 2 litres of just water a day (ie not including teas, squashes etc in my 2 litres). I was also told to cut back on dairy, but not have to cut it all out, and eat more fruit and vegetables.

Touch wood before i finally had it diagnosed my BM would vary between 6 days to 8days and in that instance it was 5 weeks, and since i have come out of hospital and followed the advice given to me my BM are normally daily, sometimes every other day, and i have found that my weight is a lot more even (not up and down so much).

IBS is a general term used by doctors when the bowel doesnt work the way that it should, but there can be many variations in the way this happens.

Everyone who suffers with it will have triggers and you need to find out what yours are and try to avoid. The most common ones are:

Wheat intolerance
Dairy Intolerance
Stress/Anxiety
Caffeine intolerance
Chocolate Intolerance

You probably wont even know you have one or more of these intolerances - i certainly didnt, and i never used to have an intolerance either, but something my consultant said was that sometimes if someone eats too much / a lot of a type of food, ie wheat, dairy etc, even though they are not born with an intolerance their bodies can develop one through too much of the foods.

i guess the best thing to do is look at your diet, see what you eat and what could be triggering it, and try avoiding/substituing them. it may take a bit of time to get it right but you'll find once you have cracked it youll feel lots better in yourself and your weight wont go up and down so much.

hope this is of some help to you!

Oh I also wanted to mention that I have started taking digestive enzymes with each meal and I have noticed those help as well. I am taking all natural ones, 2 with each meal, and it just helps you digest your food better which can be a problem for many IBS sufferers, you can get them at any drug store