OMG!!!! Irritable Bowel Syndrome

i just went to the doctor last week regarding this. she suggested i try (metamucil) fiber for a month. i've also taken to acidophilus supplements. it's the stuff found in yogurt. i like yogurt, just get sick of eating it everyday. and diet plays a big role in it. hope you find some relief!

I was diagnosed with it 7 years ago. Just figured out his summer it's due to a gluten intolerance. Find ou if a food is causing this like wheat, dairy etc

Try being a man with IBS. It's so rare the doctors just think you're a crackpot! I'd off you some advice, but really I don't have any, I just have good days and bad days.

I think I might have it too. I'm actually seeing a new General Practictioner today who I hope will take it more seriously than the others I've seen. Eating yogurt every morning helps, but it doesn't totally prevent the flare ups and I'm very bloated maybe 80% of the time.

I've had it for 28 years. Of course when it first started with me I was pregnant with my son and told they weren't sure what it was but as the years progressed they had a name for it. It all depends on the person as to what foods can trigger it. My daughter also has it and different foods trigger hers that don't trigger mine and vice-versa. Process of elimination is what finally worked for me but there are times when I can't figure out what has triggered it. A healthy diet definitely will eliminate the majority of the problems. And as the years go by certain foods that used to cause it don't and food that never did cause it do. With many diary is a problem as well as fried or rich foods. Since living with it for so long I've learned a lot!! Talk with your doctor and see if there are suggestions for helping you. I take priobotics daily which help tremendously for me but everyone is different.

IBS is miserable. There are 3 types, IBS -D, IBS-C, and alternating. I've been diagnosed with it, but not before they ruled out allergies, food intolerance's, Crohn's and Colitis. If your doctor isn't testing for those first, something is wrong.

Nothing in particular seems to flare mine, but it definitely controls my life. Recommended to me were pro-biotics, fibre etc. Wish I could say they helped. If it's IBS - D like mine, never leave home without Imodium! I think I'm keeping them in business.

IBS is one of those illnesses which is diagnosed after everything else is ruled out. See a doctor ot start ruling out food intolerances. I thought I had IBS for 10 years, when I started this diet is cleared up accidentally one week! It was a week where I didn't drink much coffee but coffee wasn't the cause in this case, it was the three sugars I added to each cup. I've moved on to sweeteners and everything has settled down! I was elated when I found out it was fixable, before this I had to be careful of where I was and what I did for the first few hours of every morning! For 10 years! And it was just a simple fructose intolerance.

Other common intolerances to rule out:
Wheat/Gluten
Sugar (frucose)
Milk (Lactose)
Eggs
Soya
Peanuts

I have it, I've just about nailed it!

In my job I work shifts. These rotate from nights, days off, to lates, days off, to days, days off, then back to nights. It is also a job where you don't get to eat when you're hungry (or are very unlikely to have that privilege), will often go without food for the entire ten hour shift, and you can bet your bottom dollar you'll be dying to go to the toilet for a few hours at least twice a week.

I was getting HORRENDOUS cramps in my abdominal region. It felt like I was giving birth. It used to get so bad that I would pass out though the pain. I went to the doctor and she said straight away that she suspected it was IBS. She suggested I eat when I was meant to eat and go to the toilet as soon as my body signalled me to. I followed this theory as best I could and found that I was getting less and less pain. I also found that if I started getting hunger pains and didn't eat, that 3 hours later I'd be rolling around on the floor in agony despite having eaten in the interim. I also learnt that if those hunger pains weren't pandered to within 20 minutes or so, that there was no going back and I WOULD be paying later on.

Now when the radio beckons, I point blank refuse to respond and go eat and eat my lunch/dinner/snack! IBS solved and work a bit peed off with me, but knowing I can sue their backsides if they refuse to allow me to take my break (as dictated by law), and fail to work around a medical condition (one caused by THEM!)

I think the key is a balanced diet, eating at regular times and most imporantly of all, listening to your body. Undoubtedly some people have certain food intolerances or lack certain things in their diet that bring IBS on, but I was lucky enough to suffer it due to sheer animal basics; eating when hungry and going to the toilet when you need to, so these are a good place to start.

Good luck, it really is horrible, so I sympathise.

I have IBS as well. There are meds that can help but I preferred to change my diet. Find the foods that trigger it and stay away from them. I am now mostly symptom free. I stay away from breads and fatty foods. Those were my triggers.

However I would suggest going to a gastro Dr....a colonoscopy can rule out a more serious problem.

IBS can totally control your life. I have had so many tests to rule out certain things wrong, but in the end it all comes out to be IBS related. I do have major food intolerances, but the list is quite long and it takes alot of time and planning to make meal plans that work.

The FODMAPS diet as mentioned above is something to consider. It basically is a list of foods to eat and foods to avoid while having IBS symptoms.

Also if you go to community-groups-search IBS support group, you will find a group of us who talk openly about IBS!!