it really hurts

[SexyLady39]

Hello, Well the doctors have told me that i ibs . so i changed my diet and now i dont have the stuff i was eating .
i work out and i do  yoga . all this is not helping . i drink juice and water still nothing .

I have done all the test and still nothing . i have a hernia and acid reflux .

I found mucus in the stool when i do go and it really hurts .

can you help figure out why i having all this ?

[FurballsMom]

I'm having the same problem.  Something that helped keep me out of the e.r. with such serious pain that I couldn't walk and felt like labor pains was to eliminate lactose and gluten out of my diet.  I still have some of the cramping and still have to deal with the insane amount of constipation, in spite of eating healthy foods.  But, lactose and gluten intolerances are quite common with IBS.  And, eliminating those things from my diet definitely improved the situation by a lot.  

My naturopath had me taking magnesium supplements.  It really helped, but unfortunately my nephrologist told me to stop taking the magnesium and potassium supplements because of the unexplained underlying kidney issue that showed up and hospitalized me.

My naturopath told me that the magnesium shouldn't have been the cause unless there had been an underlying issue to begin with.  Obviously, there was.

I found out that most people are actually magnesium deficient.  And, if you have a lot of calcium in your diet, you probably do need the magnesium.  It does work, if you can find the right amount to take for your body.  I did have trouble trying to figure out the exact amount that my body needs.  If you take too much, you will definitely get diarhea, which we don't need with the IBS.  If you don't take enough, you won't get any results.  I can't tell you how much to take or what the maximum amount is that the naturopath told me was safe.  I don't feel confident about telling anyone that much information.  And, you probably should get proper guidance with a doctor or naturopath for the right amount to use as a guideline.

Now, my naturopath has me using Oregon grape according to the instructions on the bottle, continuing with the probiotics that I was already taking, and I'm taking ONE cascara sagrada each night before I go to bed.

I still get the cramps, too, but like you, now I'm getting results and not getting so constipated like I was before.  It's scary when I have to go to the e.r. when the pain is so bad that I can't even walk, I'm throwing up, and can't even pass stool.

Now that I'm getting results, I don't get such serious cramps.  

My conventional doctor has me taking Bentyl, which is an anti-spasmodic.  It sort of helps, but it's so sedating.  I have allergies and have to take Benadryl at least once a day, too.  I don't dare take both together, unless it's night time and I'm going to bed.

Drinking a lot of water does help with the cramping to a degree.

Like ShannyDanny said, I already know I haven't gotten all the right foods figured out for me.  But, I'm already on such a limited diet that my naturopath doesn't feel comfortable changing the diet around much more.

[ShannyDanny]

Sorry it took so long to reply!

Wow thats really interesting about your diet, have you tried subway? I was actually VERY suprised when i had my favorite sandwhich, only 4.5 grams of fat, it filled me up a lot but didnt give me pain! (i used light mayo). At first i was eating real bland foods too but the more you explore and look online for recipes that dont have your ibs trigger in them its amazing what you find out you can eat.

As far as excercising thats really a shame to hear :( yours seems a bit worse because walking doesnt bother me too much, but have you tried taking yoga? It's really relaxing and good feeling for your body and it's also good to help regulate your internal organs. Look at your community rec center and see if classes are offered!

Its nice to talk to someone going through something like me, good luck with everything too! :)

[titantoo]

I don't know what triggers my problems either.  However, I seem to have better luck controlling most of the worst symptoms (chronic constipation being a problem that I've had) with liberal use of soluble fibre (benefibre).  Basically, here's the regimen I use on a daily basis:  morning, large glass of water with teaspoon of benefibre.  1 FibreSmart tablet (this is unsoluble fibre supplementation), 4 probiotic tablets, and a digestive enzyme.  Evening, repeat the same thing.  
I still get cramping, which is uncomfortable.  But I have good movements, which keeps the pain from getting to be too much.  
I know that I had all kinds of trouble until I discovered that soluble fibre seems key to me!

[tswebb2000]

I have heard that Mona Vie can help.
Check it out.

[crumy]

I was reading what you wrote to sexy lady and you sound so much like me, i still have not figured out exactly what it is that makes my ibs worse, but i have cut out so much food, i eat very bland, rice, pasta with butter and parm cheese, bananas, crackers, un-fortunately, all these things are easy on my stomach, but are all carbs and dont help with weight.  also it was nice to hear from someone else that excercise is difficult, i would love to be down on the floor doing sit ups, or joining a class of some sort but cannot, i can't even go for walks because the movement of walking that much hurts my stomach, sometimes it feels so tight and sometimes just hurts and could hurt for days afterwards.  Its a tough life to live.  Hope your doing okay.

crumy

[ShannyDanny]

It could just be that you haven't found the right factor yet that is triggering your ibs. You may think you are eating the right foods, but if the pain is still there you are probably not. It could be something that you are eating every day without realizing it, as for me i cannot eat fat, and almost EVERY food has fat in it so that is why it was sooo hard to figure out what it was. Try cutting out fat, or maybe wheat or sugar or anything that is in your every day diet that's not an obvious factor.

Stress is another thing that REALLY makes my ibs act up. If you are stressed at all it could cause pain for hours. Try very hard to get enough rest.

Jumping or any vigorous excersise makes mine act up too, so if you are doing some sort of work out that is harsh on your body that may be hurting it as well.

Try recording what you eat every day and your activities every day, and then your pain on a scale of 1-10 each time and notice what happens the most. It really helps.

Best of luck to you in finding your cure!!