ibs sufferers.....

mom23gsfg

New Member
does anyone else have this problem? ugh any ideas on how to deal with it? the doctor has tried elavil among other pres. and all that does is make me feel dopey :coffee2:
and whats that supposed to help? nada! keep me from racing like a mad driver to get home ? :crazydriver: not! i even had one doctor recommend medimucil ....WHAT?? ??? not to be gross but i do believe that would make matters worse. and my stomache will blow right up at night .... sometimes it looks like ive got a ball under there... once after i had just went out to eat my neice came over and asked me when i was due ! my daughter fell over :rofl: because she is 5 mo. along and i was swollen bigger than she was. . the doctor says its stress related ... and theres nothing that cures it ... so now what?
or is it just another symptom of having a difficult child?
 

tiredmommy

Well-Known Member
My doctor told me I simply cannot eat too much fiber. I'm to cram as much of it into my diet as possible. I find fiber supplements work nowhere as well as fiber in foods. More fruits and vegetables! Beans! As for stress, it's important for me to get regular exercise and plenty of rest. My IBS acts up horribly if I let my diet, activity level or rest slip up even a bit.
 
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Kjs

Guest
Citricel (sp?) Every single day. What ever the directions say. It is not a laxative, and it really settles things down. But you must drink it daily.
 
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flutterbee

Guest
Keep a food diary, too. Chances are you'll find something that triggers it more than others. If you're a smoker, smoking will trigger it, too.

And, yes, to the fiber. I thought the same thing as you...but it helps to regulate things. I would try the probiotics, too, like gcvmom suggested.
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
I agree with-all the others: Citrocel, Metamucil, fiber, no grease or fried foods, and lactose free foods. Also, I cheat when I want to look good at night, and take an otc anti-diarrheal pill.
The other thing is to stay calm. There is a psychological component.
 

Josie

Active Member
I don't have IBS but I participate in a celiac online support group. Many of the people there were diagnosed with IBS before they figured out gluten intolerance/celiac disease was their problem.
 

sandman3

New Member
I've had IBS for years, and my difficult child 1 has it also! So far, I just watch what we eat, there are certian foods that literally do me in!!
 

mstang67chic

Going Green
I don't know that I "officially" have IBS but the doctor agrees with me that there is an...um....intestinal issue. She prescribed a medication called Bentyl that limits my output so to speak without binding me up. It says to take 2 a day but most times I get by fine with only 1. I will take a second one though if I know I'll be eating out (always a trigger) or eating something that I know will be a factor.

I don't really get the bloating like you described. My symptoms seem to be mainly immediate intestinal reaction to food.
 
I have Crohn's disease with IBS, a WONDERFUL combination!! I have severe pain due to bowel damage from the Crohn's and am on very strong narcotics, which for most people would be constipating, but not me. Along with the pain, I have severe, severe abdominal cramps (IBS). I use Librax, which calms the cramping down and has Librium in it, which helps with anxiety, etc. It helps diarrhea, but I walk a very fine line with it because I go easily to constipation. I find it a lifesaver because my cramping, which is very bad first thing in the a.m., is also affected by my stress level. When my clock goes off at 4:20 a.m., I take 2 Librax and extended release morphine. This doesn't stop the cramping, but it does make it so that I can get out of bed and not spend 2 hours in the fetal position!! Without narcotics for pain control of my Crohn's, and Librax for IBS, I couldn't work or have a life. They truly have been a lifesaver for me, and I have been on the same dosage for more than 7 years with only a tweak during flares (when the pain is so bad that morphine only takes the edge off!!). If you haven't tried it, ask about Librax; it's a generic, so you can get it cheaply, too, which is always a plus!! Good luck!!
 

Nancy

Well-Known Member
I know it doesn't seem like it makes sense but fiber is actually very good for IBS. I thought it would make matters worse too but it really does help. I blow up like a balloon if I eat anything with lactose in it so I am very careful what I eat. I am also affected by a lot of other foods so I don't try anything new if I'm not close to home. There are over the counter medications now for IBS. I've tried the lactose enzyme pills but they don't really work that well for me.

Nancy
 

Marcie Mac

Just Plain Ole Tired
My IBS is definately stress related - I can only go so long before my body says enuff and gives me a healthy dose of it. I always know when I am on overload by the size of my stomach and bad stomach pains.

I found that Paxil works well for me = in a few days I am back to normal again.

Marcie
 

Shari

IsItFridayYet?
After difficult child was born, well, actually, before he was born, I thougth I may have ibs. I was miserable. After difficult child was born, my ob diagnosis'ed endometriosis. Put me on a birth control pill with ONE hormone, I take it continuously (no periods) and guess what - no more ibs symptoms, either.

Not saying that's the problem, but might pay attention to how your cycle affects your symptoms. You couldn't pay me enuf to go back to that!
 

witzend

Well-Known Member
For about 7 months I have been taking an over the counter remedy that has worked wonders. I can go out when I want without worrying that I might have an accident. Which didn't happen often, but it happened. But I was hardly going out at all anymore because of it!

Anyway, the stuff. Digestive Advantage Crohns and Colitis formula. It had been recommended by a friend who had the same sort of problems. I read the information on both the IBS formula and the Crohn's formula, and found that the symptoms for Crohn's matched what was happening with me. I took two a day for the first week, and now I take one a day. I also take two fiber caplets every night.

These things are a little expensive, about $16 for a month's supply, but well worth it. I could not go without them, for sure.
 
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flutterbee

Guest
This is a timely post. My IBS stopped overnight after my heart attack, but has slowly been coming back. No where near where it was, thankfully, but I don't want it to get there. But, it's been very noticeable today.

Witz - I'm going to try that product. Thanks for the link.

And to the OP - I don't want you to think my IBS had anything to do with my heart issues. (I don't want to scare anyone.) Everything stopped after the heart attack. I think my body just breathed a huge sigh of relief and everything went into a kind of remission.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
I abso lutely love benefiber. You can put it in anything and ntot taste it. We recently got a bunch of cereal on sale, that helps. My daughter has some medication that helps the cramping, same thing they gave her for colic, but in a tablet. Hyoscamine or something similar.

Acidophilus that you store in the refridgerator is excellent. Much cheaper than the danactive type yogurts, and very effective.

Sorry you are suffering from this.

Susie
 
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