Need Help

[bluerosejaci]

I've had IBS symptoms for yrs now and I've just been suffering with it. My husband noted that I need to get it under control, since its interfering with our work and social life. I seen a doctor who basically prescribed that I work on my digestive health, which I'm not very good at, I could use any advice that anyone has to give on this matter. Thankyou

[taizy35]

my IBS Pain killing me, i feel it just below my belly button and it goed to the back side as well.
i feel it like a ballon sparking in my belly.
doctors trying different pain killer, but it doesnt work.
pls. help me some one to kill/reduce IBS pain.

[joycekatherine]

Have you seen a gastroenterologist?  That would be the doctor to see.  I have suffered from IBS for 34 yrs.  I take Bentyl when it is bad, Bentyl is an antispamodic and helps with the cramping, and of course, my best friend, immodium.  You can lead a fairly normal life, you just need to learn what works best for you.  You do not list any meds or the type of doc you've seen, so that's all I can really comment on at this time...good luck
;)

[taizy35]

for 7 years, doctors used to treat me as ulcer patient, but few months ago one of doctor ask me for detailed meal x-ray and he found the food momentem between stomach and intestine is very fast.
from last 8 years i tried different pain killers, but nothing help me
my ultrasound, indoscopy, blood & urine test all are fine.

bucopan, diclophanic, spasmodine etc, not working for me..............even i dont remember all the name coz i have tried more then 100 different medinces.

now i just need to get relief from abdominal pain

[Tammyms76]

Hello, have you made a list of what your triggers are?  It's usually different for everyone, but I find certain foods make things a lot worse for me so I have learned to stay away from them.  I also find my IBS is much worse when I'm stressed.  I'm not on any meds for my IBS, except for when I take over the counter stuff such as Pepto or Immodium.

[margypops]

Could you give me a list of the symptoms you experience and the frequency,I seem to have had some of this ......also could you tell me what foods should be avoided, I take a liquid, Magnesium/calcium/zinc supplememnt would that make it worse I have recently taken Vit C and B Complex but stopped a couple of days ago to see if they wre causing it.

[FurballsMom]

I have IBS-C, so my symptoms are different than everyone who has commented so far, but I do know that figuring out which foods aggravate symptoms can really help.  A naturopath is a good avenue, because a naturopath can guide one through an Elimination Diet.  Naturally, one keeps a food diary along with this diet, because that gives the doctor an idea of what a common trigger might be.  Usually, one is handed a paper that lists the most common food allergens and is told not to eat any of the items on the list for a minimum of two weeks before actually challenging the various food items on the list to see if these foods trigger symptoms.  My doctor had me do this for a much longer time before doing the food challenges, because I was pretty sick.  The idea of removing these common allergens from the diet before starting the challenge is to get your body into a state of "neutral" so you'll know what is actually causing the symptoms.
If you still can't get your body into "neutral" the naturopath will offer suggestions on what other foods and other reasons for the symptoms.  Usually, though, it's a common food allergen, or a food sensitivity.

The food tests that an allergist can test for generally aren't accurate enough to test for sensitivities.  I tested negative for every last item that I know I'll react to.  The allergist told me that the igE tests are usually only accurate for something that can potentially kill you, or what is referred to as a "true" allergy.  While this is well and good to not test positive for something that is that big of an allergy, it doesn't provide information about what is sometimes referred to as "hidden" food allergies, or food "sensitivities, which are still allergies.  They just won't kill you with anaphylactic shock, like a food allergy you test positive for might.  Food sensitivities will still make you sick, though.  I tested negative for lettuce, for example, yet, if I eat a tossed green salad I will get nauseous at the very least and possibly vomit, like I have in the past.  Figuring out what my food sensitivities are has greatly reduced the symptoms I have to deal with.

The comment about Bentyl is worth noting.  Bentyl is a very helpful antispasmodic medication that works well for both kinds of IBS.  That's the one I use myself.  The patient information leaflet does say that caution needs to be taken about long-term usage of the medication.  I tried the sublingual Levsin (Hyocyamine), but that one was ineffective for me.  Bentyl does have one annoying side effect, though--it's very sedating.  You must learn how it affects you before operating heavy machinery or before driving.

[joycekatherine]

I have found that I cannot take B complexes by mouth as they tear my stomach up!!  Just a little FYI... :)

[crumy]

Do not take anything with magnesium in it if you suffer from ibs-d, it will make you go more, try to find a calcium pill with little or no magnesium.

crumy

[turbo502]

Diet and nutrition is key, when I say diet I mean the type of food, lifestyle, and habitts you have formed over a period of years.

I am 42, I have been employed in industrial construction for the last 8 years (living in a small travel trailer, bouncing from one job site to the next).

When I was in my 30's I was very healthy, being on the road alot I started eating out all the time. I would eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at one fast food place or another. Also I became a regular user of advil for muscle pain (Advil slows the digestive system in most people). I have not been diagnosed with IBS, but I have alot of the symptoms. The last two years, it has been most unbearable, like most people I ignored the warning signs and kept on with my bad habits. About 6 months ago a good friend of mine sat me down and explained a few simple but real facts.

I was eating processed food, alot of it! I just couldnt get enough. It tastes good but has little to no nutritional value.

Lettuce may be good for you, but lettuce sprayed with chemical preservatives is not. Washing it may reduce the amount of chemicals but doesnt get rid of it. You may not be allergic to lettuce, it may be something that is sprayed on it. If we truly knew all the things that are in processed food!

Another thing to look at is soy, read the labels.... almost everything has soy of some sort or another in it. Even canned tuna, how can they put soy in tuna or better yet, why?
Soy has been linked to trigger some types of cancer in females. I have spent the last 6 months doing research on processed food. What I have found would shock you. The first thing I discovered was the FDA is in business to make money, not to protect us. The second thing I learned was that unless you get your food fresh from local markets your eating processed food. This is just the tip of the iceburg!

Like alot of you I went to the doctor with abdominal pain, and like alot of doctors,they tried one thing after another (mostly drugs that I cant even pronounce), all of which are chemicals produced by drug companies. Doctors receive kickbacks from the drug companies for prescribing these chemicals. Some of the chemicals do work, but nobody knows what the long term affects are. This experience has lead me away from "Western" medicine. Dont take my  word for it, do the reaserch. You are always entitled to a second opinion. I now look for natural organic food and nutrition, and I quit taking Advil!  If you want to get better you have to start with what your putting in your body, get a nutritional evaluation. If you take supplements make sure they are natural, and absorbable. Multi vitamins like Centrum end up in the toilet because your body doesn't absorb them. Minnerals also play a major roll, but they have to be natural for your body to use them. Calcium, I had no Idea how many types of Calcium there are, do the reserch.

This is what is working for me.
Get a nutritional evaluation, and get a doctor that you feel is listening to you, not looking at the money your lining his poket with.
I made a lifestyle change...the hardest part for me.
I take the vitamins and minerals that are natural and my body can absorb.
I also take a supplement called Chlorella, It is a blue green alge that is grown in the coral reef island of Ishigaki, Japan. It enhanceses health naturaly by supporting the immune system and promoting energy, vitality, and natural cleansing, the fiber content also helps reduce cholesteral.
It is rich in vitamins, minerals, chlorophyll, beta-carotene and other phytonutrients. Its all natural there are no fillers, binders, or flow agents. It is suitable for vegetarians and hypoallergenics. there is no yeast, dairy, egg, gluten, corn, soy, wheat, sugar, starch, salt, preservatives, artificial color, flavor or fragrance. It also contains all 18 amino acids(good for healthy brian function). It will make your boules move, it will turn your stool a slight shade of green,  but it wont give you diarea (diarrhea).  You can find it at most health food stores, you can also reserch it on line.
The best advice I can give anyone,(befor you take anything), do the research!
  Most importantly its working for me.

[margypops]

Mine all cleared up had some food poisoning ,from melon, took about 3 weeks in all, I stopped taking any supplements, and will add them slowly back, I have also researched and I think I have some fructose malabsorbtion, hey I feel fine so cut out the sugars and see if that helps at all,Good Luck

[FurballsMom]

It sounds like you've been through much of the same experiences I've been through.  The one thing about lettuce, spinach and me is that I did investigate the food sensitivity issues with these greens.  I ate them often for many years and always bought the organic varieties.  The only dandelion greens I have ever eaten were also organic.  I believe those are the only dandelion greens that are even sold.  I totally agree with you about being careful to get organic produce, greens and soft produce varieties in particular.  After the negative experience I had with vomiting and eating these greens, I am simply too afraid to try eating them again any time soon.  I tried taking a break and tried eating them organically and tried to see if there was a difference between raw (as with lettuce) and cooked (spinach).  I had the same nauseating results.  I ate very little and very slowly to make sure I didn't vomit.  I had to stop eating it then, too, or I would've vomited.  And, I was being careful, since I have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS).  I think that other people should still be eating these greens, and only organically grown ones, though, because they have vital nutrients and natural fibers in them.

I totally agree about the soy, too.  Mercola.com has useful information about soy that everyone will want to take a look at.  There is a good reason why people should avoid excessive amounts of soy products.  We're already surrounded by phytoestrogens and many chemicals that act like phytoestrogens.  The articles on mercola.com do explain this much, too.  He says that there are only two or three soy based products that he would ever recommend people including in their regular diets and all are traditionally fermented soy products.  That said, I don't include soy at all, because I believe soy doesn't agree with me since even edamame soybeans irritate my GERD.  What most people also don't realize is that 99.99% of all modern soy products, including tofu, are full of sulfites and other preservatives.  A lot of us are also sensitive to these sulfites and may not even realize that this is the problem.  There are a lot of loopholes that allow manufacturers to not have to include information about sulfites in the end products.  For example, if the manufacturer himself didn't include the sulfites, he doesn't have to include such information.  Also, if the amount of sulfites is under a certain percentage, the manufacturer doesn't have to include this in the end product's label.  Some information I read online says that sugar that isn't labeled as cane sugar comes from beets and is sulfited in the manufacturing process.  When another manufacturer uses the cheap stuff (made from beets of course), then that manufacturer isn't required by law to mention the sulfites that are actually in the product that comes from the sulfites that are in the sugar.  Many people are affected by these sulfites and don't even realize that this is the actual problem.

I do use chlorella, though, myself--for all of the reasons you stated.  I figure that with all my sensitivities that the chlorella can certainly only help me out.  It does seem to help with the IBS, too.