IBS Relief?

[severepain]

I have had stomach trouble off and on since the birth of my second child over 20 yrs ago, and now I am 44 and have spent the last 6 months in complete agony!  I can say the last 5 years have been more prominent with the off and on pain and especially the last three years.  Can IBS actually be that severe or do you think I should be looking for another diagnosis?  I have seen GI specialists, surgeons, and have had every test I know of to find a source of pain without any success.  I am hoping someone has some encouragement for me.

I have kept journals and tried to avoid this food or that, and I have tried supplements this and that, I have tried all IBS medications that I know of, and I still get spells where I have to take pain medicine and go to bed and cry for a day and half.  The pain gets so bad it spasms up my mid left side of my back and down to my left hip as well.

[Matthew007]

yeah for some reason your colon is totally ..like a muslcle just clenched down it sounds like either from stress or food allergy or lack of fiber (which i'm sure you've heard a billion times)

When I was trying to figure things out I noticed a bunch of people online had success mixing one serving of miralax and citrucel together..citrucel causes the least amount of gas and miralax softens it and isn't absorbed (plus it's safe long term anyway).

That and lots and lots of water.. whatever you can to take the pressure off those muscles and avoid ...not eliminate but avoid cabbage and beans and such since they give off lots of gas.  But yeah SIBO is small intestinal bacterial overgrowth that can cause digestive issues.. also something like fructose malabsorbtion you could try with a breath test but something is causing your gut to totally lock up.  You could try just hitting it from all angles including a food intolerance diet of elimination over time..lactose..fructose..gluten..ect ect.

Glad you had a good day :) I certainly need one.. :S

[severepain]

Thanks for the suggestions, I will certainly try anything.  I have tried miralax lately but I may try the mixture with the citrucel.. I probably do need the allergy test for sure.  I've been tested for celiac, and I tried eating a small salad last Thursday, and by Friday I thought literally I was passing a knife in my stomach and back.  I was in so much pain, I took pain medicine, and I was mostly in the bed crying!  It did not ever let up until the next day!  Boy, I was glad that day was over.

I just can't imagine IBS being that painful, because I thought if I had to live in that kind of pain they can just go ahead and shoot me!  I haven't heard of the SIBO ir IBS-D, so I will look into that, and thanks so much for responding!  Have an awesome day, because yesterday was a much better day, and I am feeling pretty good today.  There is one old medicine that was just prescribed for me that is very inexpensive that seems to be helping now, it is called Donnetal just in case anyone might benfefit from trying it!

[Matthew007]

more thinking..

probioitics..get some good ones... maaaybe test for SIBO if you're having IBS-D..that's one test that is new these days.

[Matthew007]

oh yeah and fruits of course, I don't want you to get like anemia..just low on fructose fruits.. and then after a good 2 weeks note any improvement and slowly add something and watch the reaction.  

[Matthew007]

mmm sorry nobody has responded to you :S

you're at the end of the road and doctors haven't helped you one bit (but lowered your $$$ in your account..I know the feeling..)

well you could try what i'm doing through elimination.  I know with IBS issues that helped me was mixing miralax with citrucel.. that would cause a bowel movement.  Also medication like librax helped my spasms...

but those are all treatments.. I've noticed a lot of people with severe IBS issues usually have some sort of allergy/infection of the gut.  The colon is spasming for a reason - either stress or something it's in contact with is causing it to freak out.  I'm sure you've heard this before, but you could try an elimination diet of going off all lactose for 2 weeks.. then maybe low or no fructose...then no gluten and see if that's the cause of your problems.  Or you could go see an allergist and get tested for food allergies.  I didn't know until months ago that I was slightly allergic to oats (one less thing to tick the colon off)

so those are just some ideas.. Also magnesium I hear helps..potassium helps too if your system is low (that's the food for muscles)

Just some ideas, there are really no tests to do other than maybe the ***** test for allergies or blood test for celiac.  Try a diet of maybe a vitamin pill, citrucel with miralax (citrucel is a non-allergenic fiber) eggs for breakfast..bannanas...salads for lunch with a safe dressing/maybe avecadoes and then for dinner something safe on the guidlines..maybe chicken or pork or some white meat.  Do that for 2 weeks and see how you feel.

good luck.. :S