Anyone here have IBS?

libby74

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 21, 2006
Messages
6,217
Purraise
18
Location
Illinois
If so, what do you do when you have a flair-up?
 

persi & alley

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 27, 2006
Messages
6,313
Purraise
15
Location
Farmers Branch, Texas
Originally Posted by libby74

If so, what do you do when you have a flair-up?
I take prescription drugs (chloride). However, it has been suggested that if you try this new ACTIVIA for two weeks things might just work out. I have been doing this for four days days now so the jury is still out on this one. ACTIVIA is widely advertised on TV as fixing things up in two weeks. They do not specifically say IBS, but my doc told me to give it a try and you can find it anwhere in the yogurt section.
 

ellen13

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Mar 21, 2006
Messages
127
Purraise
1
Location
Southern Maryland
Originally Posted by libby74

If so, what do you do when you have a flair-up?
I've had IBS since 1986 and I don't have flair-up's, it's an everyday thing.
I've taken different things for it throughout the years but right now I'm just taken Imodium and it seems to help most of the time.
 

ellen13

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Mar 21, 2006
Messages
127
Purraise
1
Location
Southern Maryland
Originally Posted by Persi

I take prescription drugs (chloride). However, it has been suggested that if you try this new ACTIVIA for two weeks things might just work out. I have been doing this for four days days now so the jury is still out on this one. ACTIVIA is widely advertised on TV as fixing things up in two weeks. They do not specifically say IBS, but my doc told me to give it a try and you can find it anwhere in the yogurt section.
Do you have IBS/C or IBS/D? I have IBS/D. Does the Chloride help you?
 

jenny82

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 19, 2006
Messages
5,773
Purraise
114
Location
Maryland
I do and I take immodium when I need to. There was a thread about this pretty recently. If you search for it, you'll find a ton of information.
 

persi & alley

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 27, 2006
Messages
6,313
Purraise
15
Location
Farmers Branch, Texas
Originally Posted by Ellen13

Do you have IBS/C or IBS/D? I have IBS/D. Does the Chloride help you?
I do not know about the C or D but the chloride helps but you are supposed to take it four time a day, with meals and at bedtime. The down side is the extreme thirst it gives you but I chose the thirst over the pain...
 

ellen13

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Mar 21, 2006
Messages
127
Purraise
1
Location
Southern Maryland
Originally Posted by Persi

I do not know about the C or D but the chloride helps but you are supposed to take it four time a day, with meals and at bedtime. The down side is the extreme thirst it gives you but I chose the thirst over the pain...
C means Constipation and D means diarrhea. My doctor gave me some Cantil, but I haven't taken enough of it to know if it helps. It also makes makes me very thirsty.
 

ldg

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Messages
41,310
Purraise
842
Location
Fighting for ferals in NW NJ!
This is the thread I'd started about IBS - it may have some more suggestions for you: Anyone out there with IBS?

I also found a great link about how to "reset" your system: "How to Break the Cycle of Attacks": http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/faq.asp#break_cycle

Home for that site: http://www.helpforibs.com/

Also found this - taking Melatonin helps relieve the pain associated with IBS: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/514515

I received a PM from someone suggesting eating 2 cups of Cracklin Oat Bran (dry) and drink 3 cups of water immediately. Gary hasn't tried it yet - but the logic behind it is in line with everything I've been reading about IBS.

The "Heather's Help for IBS" site (links above) points out over and over again that soluble fibre is the most important thing to help IBS, and the gastro specialist agrees. That Heather's site sells organic acacia fibre - which is 100% soluble fibre. Of course, fibre helps whether the problem is IBS/D or IBS/C, because fibre helps regulate the amount of water in the colon, period. I love that it can be added to anything - hot or cold - and it really does have NO taste.

The "Heather's" site recommends stopping to take ALL vitamin supplements - but I don't know about that. Calcium is essential in muscle contraction, together, calcium and magnesium manage work together to manage fluid balance within cells. Magnesium by itself creates diarrhea - calcium can create constipation. The two together help regulate a proper balance. So it seems to me that in addition to soluble fibre, a calcium/magnesium supplement may also help reset the bowel dysfunction of IBS.

With Gary's cluster headaches, we've discovered that you really have to experiment - kind of treat yourself as a guinea pig - using info from others, but finding what works for you personally.

Sorry you have to experience this. I know from Gary's experience it can be incredible painful and debilitating, and my heart goes out to you.



Laurie
 

okeefecl

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Apr 22, 2002
Messages
4,926
Purraise
2
Location
Sparkleball ranch
Increasing my fiber intake helps reduce my IBS symptoms. I used to use Metamucil sugar free, but found it rather hard to swallow. Now, I keep a sharp eye on the fiber content of my foods (for instance breads, many 100% grain breads actually have no soluble fiber) and try to keep the amount of fat I consume down. Lots of veggies and fruits also seems to help.
 

lilo

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Jun 18, 2006
Messages
225
Purraise
1
Location
Quebec, Canada
I was misdiagnose with IBS more then 15 years ago. The doctor told me to live with it, cut down on spicy food, coffee and other irritants.

I was taking Imodium like candies, it didn't work much.

Well it turns out I have Celiac Desease (allergic to gluten), and almost all of my stomach problems have gone away since I've started my new diet, only have problems when my food get contaminated with food that contains gluten.
 

starryeyedtiger

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 5, 2005
Messages
22,317
Purraise
20
Location
USA
I have severe IBS (D), severe GERD to the point that i now have hiatial hernias, gastroparesis, i'm insulin resistant, lactose intolerant, and i have polycystic ovarian syndrome. ALL of bother my IBS.
MY life is a living nightmare as far as IBS is concerned. There's not a day that goes by that i don't have symptoms. When they get REALLY bad- i have to call in to work sick and pretty much spend the entire day in the ladies room sick as a dog.At this point there is nothing that they can give me for it since i have to take a double dose of zegarid every day to help the GERD (if i don't have it i can't stop vomiting no matter what i eat). Since I have gastroparesis (delayed emptying of the stomach) they can't give me anything for the IBS with diarreah because it will make that worse. Mine is like a "dumping syndrome" it takes a while for my food to digest and then once it was i get sick as a dog. I'm also really insulin resistant so a lot of foods bother me. I can't have dairy, splenda, lots of wheats and whole wheats, and they also think i have other food allergies (i'm getting tested in march- they think i'm allergic to yeast (which is in a lot of foods). ) I have tried just about every digestive diet out there- Celiac (when they thought i had celiac disease (gluetin allergy) - i don't i just have a sensitivity to it), low fat, low residue, low acid, and the IBS (d) ones. What i could have for one diet i couldn't for another so i finally just said forget it and didn't make any more appointments with my dietician- i saw her once- and she made my symptoms worse!
So what i did is started keeping a food journal- i record what i eat and any symptoms i get from it. If it bothers me- i eliminate it from my diet. If it doesn't i eat it (there isn't much that i can eat that doesn't upset me so i've just had to try and deal with it as best as i can.) At this point they can't do GERD surgery because it will make the gastroparesis worse....which would make the IBS worse- there is nothing medically they can do for me at this point
It's really frusterating and painful to live with. People that don't have IBS just don't seem to understand how painful it can be and how hard it is to live with. I know the location of every bathroom within a large radius of my work/home- because i can't help it i have to stop all the time when my symptoms make up. Imodium doesn't do a thing for me....none of the medicine's i've tried have. So at this point i only take medicine for my GERD symptoms (and the double dose of Zegrid helps soooooo much!!! I don't have many symptoms at all with it- but if i miss a dose i get sick as a dog because my GERD is bad.) Since there is nothing they can really do for me...I just try to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I eat right (and avoid things that trigger my symptoms.), I keep a food journal, I work out regurally, and the biggie for me is- I cook just about everything i eat at home. That way i know exactly what's going in my food and i don't cook anything in there that triggers my symptoms. It's also a lot healthier than eating out all the time and my food always turns out yummy
/ Also- keep a food journal- i can't stress that enough- some stuff that has dairy in it for instance doesn't bother me as much in moderation- i can cook with some cheeses- but others i can't...i just had to pick and choose what i can have. / Also when you have a food journal- it's good to take it in to your doctor appointments so they're on the same page as you are. / You can try adding a little fiber to your food too. Get a bottle of Fibresure (in the green bottle) and sprinkle it into your food when you cook. It's tasteless, flavorless, and odorless. If you have IBS with constipation it will help you by loosening your stools a bit and if you have IBS with diarreah it will harden them a bit so you don't have them as often. It's like a middle ground. So that might help you a little. Good luck sweetie.
 

nellers

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Jan 4, 2007
Messages
516
Purraise
3
Location
At Penelope and Maverick's Every Whim
Originally Posted by Persi

I take prescription drugs (chloride). However, it has been suggested that if you try this new ACTIVIA for two weeks things might just work out. I have been doing this for four days days now so the jury is still out on this one. ACTIVIA is widely advertised on TV as fixing things up in two weeks. They do not specifically say IBS, but my doc told me to give it a try and you can find it anwhere in the yogurt section.
How is the Activa working for you now? I have IBS/C most often but I am one of those people that flucuates between the IBS/C and IBS/D-- and taking the Activa turned me into IBS/D for a week so I have to stay away from it. It seems that stress induces mine. I still cannot figure out, after 3 years, what foods beyond lettuce trigger my problems. It is so frustrating so I feel for everyone of you in this thread!!


One thing I have found though is fiber products such as metamucil or citricel (sp?) do NOT help me at all - they compound the problem by making me feel more bloated and uncomfortable. I get my fiber through whole grain breads, cereals, granola bars and juice and that is more comfortable for me.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #13

libby74

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 21, 2006
Messages
6,217
Purraise
18
Location
Illinois
Thanks, everyone, for the input & the links; it helps to know I'm not the only one. I think stress is a big factor for me; I also flip/flop between the IBS/C & IBS/D (mostly the D). I do take a prescription drug for it, but the thirst & all over dryness are awful. Of course, the stomach pain is just unbelievable sometimes, so being thirsty doesn't seem quite so bad.
When I was a kid and my Dad would get really stressed over something, he always said, "My bowels are in an uproar." Now I know just what he meant!
 

chelle

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 21, 2003
Messages
4,110
Purraise
1
Location
Brainerd Mn
Well Zelnorm was working for me but now it's been taken off the market

I'm now on Amitriptyline for Anxiety and it does help because stress can
bring on an attack and she also put my on Tylonol # 3 with Codein to help
with my flare-ups.
 

sharky

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
27,231
Purraise
38
DIET ... but you need to find out what diet will work for you ... I highly recommend HIGH SOUBLE fiber , this is the one that is DIGESTABLE ... I was diagnoised at age 11 my last severe attack due to not working WITH MY BODY was about 6 yrs ago ... DRINK lots of fluids ... Oh and it help s hital hernias too
... I have had one of those for about 10 yr s and only have to worry when I get the stomach flu
smart start prune juice is helping my mom who was on zelnorm.. it tastes good
... I am trying Activia with mom now so far it is seeming to help...
 

maddensmom

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 15, 2005
Messages
2,145
Purraise
1
Location
NE Arkansas
I have IBS/C, horrendously. When I was diagnosed they put me on Zelnorm which did absolutely nothing but keep me in the bathroom constantly. If I had continued to take that daily, I would've had to live in there. I tried it for a week and quit.

As Nikki mentioned, keeping track of your diet makes a HUGE difference!! I stay away from heavy starches (white bread, flour noodles etc.) and make sure that my fiber levels stay above at least 45 grams daily. Easier said than done. Drinking lots of water is a must, especially with high fiber content. Staying active also seems to help, but even with all of this I still can't stay regular. It helps a lot though.

Experiment with different foods, and keep track. Find something that works for you. Good luck, I know how difficult it can be!
 
Top