IBS Sufferer? Let's help each other.

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  • LixxiKitti
    LixxiKitti Posts: 116
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    hope everyone has a great, sore stomach free weekend!
  • magglett
    magglett Posts: 2,000
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  • Fayve
    Fayve Posts: 411 Member
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    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
    magglett Posts: 2,000
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    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
    magglett Posts: 2,000
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    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
    magglett Posts: 2,000
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    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
    LixxiKitti Posts: 116
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    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
    amysambora Posts: 219
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    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
    magglett Posts: 2,000
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    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
    whiskey9890 Posts: 652 Member
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    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
  • magglett
    magglett Posts: 2,000
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    Good Morning my friends ... It's the last work day of this week!!!! Woo Hoo ... I have a 4 day weekend coming on!!! Does anyone have plans for the weekend? I'm having dinner with the in-laws tomorrow for my mother-in-law's birthday (I'll have to be careful with my eating choices), then Saturday I'll be attending a community Zumba class to drums (never did that before), then Sunday is of course my mommy/daughter spa day (I'm just plain giddy about that), and then Monday I may have to take a down day ... unless of course it's sunny out then I'll be Geocaching and hiking. Can you tell I've been taking my supplements and vitamins? I feel good ... na na na na na ... I knew that I would ... na na na na na ... Now I'm being just plain silly. Hope you all have a terrific day and an awesome weekend.

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  • magglett
    magglett Posts: 2,000
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    Hi everyone. A brand new week begins. I have today off too, hoping to get out and get active. I hope everyone's tummy isn't feeling too rebellious against the holiday weekend's food fest. Mine is a little iffy but not too bad. I ate pretty well but things were cooked a little differently, with new spices and such. New food seems to make my gut rumble some. Hope you all have a great week.

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  • whiskey9890
    whiskey9890 Posts: 652 Member
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    hi magglett, hope you feel better soon, mine has been out of sorts today but its my TOM and i was getting myself wound up about cycling to work for the first time this year (i get stressed about the traffic and not making up the hill lol) but now i'm at work all has settled down again now thankfully, think i might go see if i get myself a bargain easter egg tomorrow in the sales lol, i've not had any this year i'm starting to feel like i'm missing out lol
  • magglett
    magglett Posts: 2,000
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    These cute little foxy guys were so cute playing in my back yard this morning ....

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  • HMHUBBS
    HMHUBBS Posts: 9
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    I have been an IBS sufferer for almost 10 years. Probiotics (specifially acidopholis) CHANGED MY LIFE! I used to not be able to go out to dinner with friends because I'd be in the bathroom 10 minutes after eating. Now I no longer look for a bathroom the second I walk into a place. I've also cut dairy out of my diet, I avoid fried foods, anything too spice, and go for white bread over wheat.
  • magglett
    magglett Posts: 2,000
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    I have been an IBS sufferer for almost 10 years. Probiotics (specifially acidopholis) CHANGED MY LIFE! I used to not be able to go out to dinner with friends because I'd be in the bathroom 10 minutes after eating. Now I no longer look for a bathroom the second I walk into a place. I've also cut dairy out of my diet, I avoid fried foods, anything too spice, and go for white bread over wheat.

    White bread is better ??????
  • jlbay
    jlbay Posts: 473 Member
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    Hi all!

    Faye - I hope you are feeling better.

    Easter was a little rough on me - yesterday was a recovery day!

    I've been on probiotics for the last month - think there have been some positive changes, but no end yet to this -going on 8 months- IBS "round." This is the longest I've had daily issues - but it has been a rough year, emotionally. Stress and grieving - so I'm sure that is contributing.

    Another person saying white bread instead of wheat - someone just posted a link to an article that said stay away from whole wheat. Hmmm...

    Also interesting about the fructose. oh man, how much will I have to give up? I guess I shouldn't complain, my mother has diabetes and celiac's... she has a strict diet plan (that she never follows).

    Well, we're on holiday in May, so perhaps I can get myself to do the elimination diet after that. I think it is more mental for me - that strict a diet (even if I know it is short term, for experiment) is a big challenge to get the head around. Reminds me too much of my eating disorder days and it is stressful for me. Plus, I'm training for my first Half Marathon and I'm worried about the lack of nutrition to fuel my runs. I guess I could also just cut out wheat and dairy until after the HM. I don't really eat a lot of either of those anyway.

    How did everyone come through the holidays?
  • HMHUBBS
    HMHUBBS Posts: 9
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    While whole grain bread is generally better for most people, it's not for IBS sufferers. It has to do with soluble and insoluble fiber. Our stomachs just can't digets the whole grains properly. This website helped me when I was first trying to figure it all out and I have noticed a difference.
    http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/fiber1.asp
  • HMHUBBS
    HMHUBBS Posts: 9
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    While whole grain bread is generally better for most people, it's not for IBS sufferers. It has to do with soluble and insoluble fiber. Our stomachs just can't digets the whole grains properly. This website helped me when I was first trying to figure it all out and I have noticed a difference.
    http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/fiber1.asp
  • dreamwellali
    dreamwellali Posts: 42
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    Hi gang,

    I'm not IBS, but Crohn's - very similar symptoms. I've had it since I was 11, I'm now almost 35. The biggest thing to remember with any digestive disorder is that everyone is different - what works for you may not work for someone else, etc. That being said, however, I've noticed a lot of commonalities in reading this thread so far, that are similar to my own:

    1. Caffeine doesn't help - some of us it makes our symptoms worse, but it doesn't make anyone better. I'm currently trying to cut it out of my life entirely, down to one diet soda a day.
    2. Spicy foods - I think this is one that most of us can eat when we're "normal" but not when we're flared.
    3. Greasy foods - this often causes the runs for even healthy people without IBS or IBD. and we really should avoid them anyway (not that I do)
    4. Dairy - I think I'm one of the lucky ones because dairy has never been a problem for me. In fact, I will often up my cheese intake in the hopes that it will help solidify things.
    5. Stress/anxiety - again, this will often cause non-normal bowel problems in normally healthy people, worse for us. anything we can do to reduce stress is a good idea. I try to exercise to keep my stress level down, but those anxious moments still get me every time.

    The area where I see a lot of differences is fiber intake. Personally, anything high fiber (whole grains, raw vegs, etc) will put me running to the bathroom the whole next day. Other people can't seem to get enough fiber. I think what the previous poster said has something to do with it - the difference between soluble and non-soluble fibers.

    Interesting thread, glad I found it. It's always nice to know I'm not alone in my embarrassing digestive issues!

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