IBS

IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning every test is negative so they tell you "you have IBS". It is poorly understood but eating plenty of fiber and drinking water and getting moderate exercise seem to help. Some individuals have improvement of their symptoms with some antidepressants but you should see a gastroenterologist to be absolutely sure nothing has been missed (I had every test CT, MRI, abdominal sonograms, hida scans, plane x-rays, upper endoscopy and a colonoscopy, plus swallowing studies, barium enema ect...) the final diagnosis is IBS,I feel alot better that I have lost weight and that I exercise as much as I do, but the fiber and water help too! I had a good friend who was put on a trial of different antianxiety and antidepression meds and had help with those, but work with your health care provider to find what works the best for you! Good luck!

I can relate. I once had symptoms so severe, that the first-aiders on my work site rushed me to the hospital thinking that my appendix was bursting. It was that painful! Tests that were run from that particular experience revealed absolutely nothing wrong me. Thankfully, my symptoms are not usually that severe.

There are a few foods that I know for certain aggravate my IBS, such as apples (boo ) and really high fat foods. However, the closest I've ever come to eliminating it altogether was when I was experimenting with a Vegan diet for 4 months (perhaps because it's generally a high fiber diet?).

I know it can be pretty frustrating. Perhaps eliminating and re-introducing foods in your diet to see what the worst offenders are could be helpful (assuming you haven't done this already).

I also have IBS, and was very frustrated with it for months before I started playing with my diet. I now eat gluten free and it made a WORLD of difference. It took some time to adjust and get used to (plus learning what brands taste good, etc.) but it was so worth it. Feel free to message me or add me if you'd like! Good luck and hang in there!

As a guy who suffers from it, I understand the stigma associated with it. I haven't really been able to find a cure diet wise, but one thing I take medically is I take two Immodium a day when I'm about to go out, and it helps a lot with keeping symptoms under control. My gastro said it was safe for me to take every day, so I use it on days that I am going somewhere where I won't have great bathroom access or where I'll be embarrassed by frequent visits.

I have had IBS for 26 years and have had every test imaginable only to find nothing. I cannot leave the house (I work from home) and when I do leave the house, I have to know that I'll be within seconds of a bathroom wherever I go. My family thinks I'm crazy. My kids get mad at me because we can't go on any road trips or any thruway driving. This disease has pretty much ruined my life. I just saw my doctor last month and asked her about putting me on an antibiotic as I've heard that this has helped lower the amount of bacteria in the intestines. She had said that there were no antibiotics that were FDA approved for IBS and there was not enough testing done on any of them to guarantee any kind of relief. My gastroenterologist was no help either as I was just told to try to change my diet.. which I've already done over and over with no positive results.

I saw a commercial on Culturelle and decided to give it a shot... what the heck... I couldn't be any worse off than I am now. It has been amazing. It's just a pill that you take once a day and being a probiotic, it is supposed to balance out your digestive tract. I could feel the difference within the first week. I have been taking one of these pills every day for almost 5 months now and my IBS symptoms are almost gone. I still have the occassional bout here and there but not every day like before. I am so happy I found this--I'm just upset that my primary doc and gastro doc didn't even mention it to me.