Anyone else with IBS?

purplishblue
purplishblue Posts: 135 Member
edited November 25 in Health and Weight Loss
I've been doing really well with my diet! The problem- dieting exacerbates my IBS symptoms. Not to an unmanageable level, but I figured maybe you guys could discuss what's been working well for you. I have IBS-C, previously I was just taking Colace everyday, but now I've been trying both Colace AND Miralax. I find the Miralax is worsening my symptoms a little, but I'm thinking maybe I just have to keep taking it for awhile for it to work. So far not all that happy with the results, and my stomach is bloated everyday :(

Replies

  • biancagoodwin7797
    biancagoodwin7797 Posts: 1 Member
    I have IBS myself. I learned from trial and error foods that would make it worse. I ended up going vegan around 5 months ago and it was definitely life changing. I tried miralax, fiber supplements, and probiotics per my gastrologist advice. They made things much worse on me so I quit taking them. You need to find the foods that trigger it and completely stay away from them. Good luck keep us posted. I know how painful this disease is.
  • BekahC1980
    BekahC1980 Posts: 474 Member
    I suffer from severe ibs . I take several medications for it . they all help, but ultimately its daily warm tap water enemas :neutral:
  • kittykarin
    kittykarin Posts: 104 Member
    My husband has IBS and a great book is IBS for dummies. It tells u a lot about the syndrome and gives you foods that are great to eat and others that won't work for you. U can also do a search on the net for IBS diet and find foods that are best for u to eat. Good luck!
  • mandarkio
    mandarkio Posts: 62 Member
    My sister has IBS, and she recently started using MFP to track calories and lose weight. So far she seems to be doing fine with no major flare ups, but she knows to avoid her triggers, which are gluten and lactose. She was already eating gluten and lactose-free, so now she just eats less of it.
  • purplishblue
    purplishblue Posts: 135 Member
    Thanks guys! I've gotten to know over the years which foods give me stomach pain and which don't. However I haven't been able to figure out what foods/things make me "go" and which reduce my ability to. The typical things that seem to work for others don't seem to work.... for example coffee constipates and makes me feel sick! Higher fiber doesn't change things.
  • Pawsforme
    Pawsforme Posts: 645 Member
    Have you ever tried a magnesium supplement? It's something our bodies need, but at the same time it can act as a laxative. The trick is figuring out how much you need to get the desired effect without causing diarrhea. Many people take magnesium citrate or Natural Calm, but I've found that the less expensive magnesium oxide works just fine for me. Watching my carb intake and taking magnesium every night has helped my IBS-C more than anything else.
  • entwife
    entwife Posts: 134 Member
    My daughter and I both have IBS, she has it worse than I do. I'm lactose intolerant and she's fructose intolerant. Look up Sue Shepherd/FODMAPs and FedUp.com.au, both very helpful and you will find information on what types of food bind you up. Good luck, it adds a level of challenge to dieting doesn't it!
  • MarcyKirkton
    MarcyKirkton Posts: 507 Member
    I thought I did. But when I started diet, the problem totally went away. I think it was really over-eating.
  • Unknown
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  • coolfry
    coolfry Posts: 48 Member
    I find slipping extra flax into cookies or oatmeal is helpful with my fiber intake. I also take a mineral supplement with magnesium which is great.
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    I have ibs-(d) too. Have you tried an elimination diet? If I keep soy, dairy, wheat, sugar to a minimum I'm good. Recently I found probiotic supplements are great (awesome poops), and if I take 400+% rda vitiman C, I have issues. It's has a laxative effect. For ibs-c, that may be helpful. ( of course, check with your doc).

    Maybe a nutritionist could help. Good luck
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    biancagoodwin7797 wrote: »
    I have IBS myself. I learned from trial and error foods that would make it worse. I ended up going vegan around 5 months ago and it was definitely life changing. I tried miralax, fiber supplements, and probiotics per my gastrologist advice. They made things much worse on me so I quit taking them. You need to find the foods that trigger it and completely stay away from them. Good luck keep us posted. I know how painful this disease is.

    Probiotics can/will increase symptoms temporarily. I switched to a lower dose, 17billion, maybe even every other or every 2 days. There's a war going on in your gut. They gave me severe diarrhea at first. Now I have happier poop... Everyone's needs are different, but I found the lacto bacillus to be the best one to start with... Capsule supplements are better than say yogurt, since the dairy can be evil with gut unrest.
  • LisaTcan
    LisaTcan Posts: 410 Member
    I second the FODMAPS diet, it is difficult to follow but it works really well for me. I eat no gluten and limit fructose and lactose.
  • angelexperiment
    angelexperiment Posts: 1,917 Member
    biancagoodwin7797 wrote: »
    I have IBS myself. I learned from trial and error foods that would make it worse. I ended up going vegan around 5 months ago and it was definitely life changing. I tried miralax, fiber supplements, and probiotics per my gastrologist advice. They made things much worse on me so I quit taking them. You need to find the foods that trigger it and completely stay away from them. Good luck keep us posted. I know how painful this disease is.

    @biancagoodwin7797 do you find this is helping your ibs the vegan diet? Do you have ibs c? I have been thinking meat is exacerbating my ibs c.
  • angelexperiment
    angelexperiment Posts: 1,917 Member
    Hi I don't know what your diet is so maybe you are eating something to make it trigger? I know mine will with too much meat or large salads. I found a book im hoping will help. Its called gut balance revolution and its a triphasic diet I think I will try to see if I cant get my ibs c under control. I have been carb cycling since march and really love it but I sometimes get really backed up with it I just have to figure what it is.
  • angelexperiment
    angelexperiment Posts: 1,917 Member
    Elise4270 wrote: »
    I have ibs-(d) too. Have you tried an elimination diet? If I keep soy, dairy, wheat, sugar to a minimum I'm good. Recently I found probiotic supplements are great (awesome poops), and if I take 400+% rda vitiman C, I have issues. It's has a laxative effect. For ibs-c, that may be helpful. ( of course, check with your doc).

    Maybe a nutritionist could help. Good luck

    What type probiotic do you take? I don't know which to get.
  • DuckDynastyMakesMeLaugh
    DuckDynastyMakesMeLaugh Posts: 363 Member
    I have been having similar issues lately and have been feeling much better testing the low FODMAP diet. I'm on week 3 and have not had as much abdominal pain. I take one Align capsule each morning. Check with your doctor but my bottle of Miralax (pitched it...seemed to be worse when I was using it) says not to take if you have IBS. Another odd help are Altoids. They are FODMAP friendly. A helpful website is livinghappywithibs.com. The blogger has recipes and grocery lists. I am planning on purchasing Konsyl Natural Fiber. Also, I have found that yoga (youtube has videos directly related to IBS sufferers), walking and making sure that I drink at least 8 cups of water helps! There are also several apps that you can download for free or purchase that help with food choices. I bought The Monash University Low Fodmap Diet and am finding it super helpful! Best of luck!
  • purplishblue
    purplishblue Posts: 135 Member
    Wow I looked up the FODMAP diet, and I don't think I'd survive! I'm vegetarian and it says no beans or hummus :o No apples?? And I'd have to eat gluten-free.... well, maybe at some point I'll be brave enough to try it, but I dunno.

    Thanks for all the ideas though, I will look into these things. Curious about the probiotics, as I've heard when tested, some pills have more than others. Do you think it makes a difference if you go with specific brands or just any old kind will do?
  • entwife
    entwife Posts: 134 Member
    edited October 2015
    purplishblue wrote: »
    Wow I looked up the FODMAP diet, and I don't think I'd survive! I'm vegetarian and it says no beans or hummus :o No apples?? And I'd have to eat gluten-free.... well, maybe at some point I'll be brave enough to try it, but I dunno.

    Thanks for all the ideas though, I will look into these things. Curious about the probiotics, as I've heard when tested, some pills have more than others. Do you think it makes a difference if you go with specific brands or just any old kind will do?

    Everyone's different, there are many FODMAP trigger foods but not everyone will react to everything. My daughter for example, can't eat chickpeas but other legumes are fine. She can eat apples and watermelon til it comes out her ears, but other FODMAPers would be in agony because watermelon is BAAAAD across several categories. Its also a dose-dependent thing, so she can have one orange a day but any more than that she starts getting symptoms.
    Also FODMAP is not gluten free, its just that gluten-free products are suitable. So you could have a lot of foods that do contain gluten, oats for example, and my daughter eats spelt bread which has gluten.

    The best way is to go full elimination but I know how tough that is. If you wanted to experiment though, you could always cut out one thing for 3-4 days and see if it makes a difference, using the FODMAP diet as a guide. I just love not having to deal with toileting issues and not having to take medications. But its whatever works for you :)
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
    My biggest trigger is stress. If I'm stressed, I won't poop for days sometimes. A change in schedule will also affect me the same way. Miralax usually helps me.

    And sugar alcohols are an issue in the opposite way. Apples too, but those also have caused hives, so I avoid them entirely. I've thought of trying something with sugar alcohols in it when I'm stopped up, but I'm worried what might happen. Oh yeah, papaya enzymes make me poop too, but cause horrible cramping too.
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