anyone out there with IBS?

I was wondering if anyone else here has IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)? I've got symptoms that are very similar, although the tests I had done all came back "normal". The only thing that was wrong was that I have low electrolyte levels. I've had this for over a year, and I'm not taking any medications (none were prescribed. My gastroenterologist made an educated guess that it was IBS). How do you deal with it? Is there a special diet that helps? I'm lactose intolerant, too.

Sorry for the odd subject, but my having these symptoms for so long without improvement ain't normal! Looking for advice/help...

I have it and have had it for years. It responds negatively when I am in high stress situations. I treat it holistically as the medications given to me in the past come with side efects that are quite unpleasant. I haven't had a flare-up for about a year now- I use Grapefruit Seed Extract to keep it at bay.

I have it also. And I agree with MA~medication doesn't help me either. I use meditation for my stomach issues when I am under a lot of stress--that's when it pops up the most and gives me all the trouble. Also, I changed my diet, I rarely eat fried foods.

I have it, too. I take Levbid once daily for the cramps. Increasing my fiber intake has really helped and I've been able to reduce the amount of medicine I take. Also, I avoid fatty or fried foods and dairy (I'm lactose intolerant on top of everything).

I've had it for about 15 years, and have gone through so many unpleasant tests that I just decided to ignore it. The advice I've gotten has been to avoid stress! As a teacher dealing with c. 80+ teens at any given time, that's impossible. I have found that reducing my coffee intake to two cups a day (I drink tea after 8 a.m., and drink half hot milk, half coffee at breakfast) and avoiding orange juice has helped.

Also snacking on Cracklin Oat Bran dry helps a great deal (for me anyway)

M.A. is right - I forgot to mention that I eat bran for breakfast, and try to give myself the time to eat it slowly.

Every doctor I went to said I had it (I don't trust doctors anymore). My stomach would hurt after eating, It would hurt so bad, I have lost count on how many times I had to be checked into the emergency room because of it. I would be hunched over in so much pain, but since emergency rooms are just a laugh (would take over 2 hours just to be seen) by the time the doctor would come in it would have stopped hurting. So after that I just wouldn't go in there cause it was a waste of money and time. Well last September I started getting them again, I went to the doctor and she said it was because I was overweight, that was bs because I had had them since I was a little child, and when I was in shape. Anyways it led up to be going back to the emergency room, with heart palpitations and a horrible stomach pain, I was brought in right away (only cause of my heart) and the doctor was wonderful, he actually did tests to find out, what a concept!!!lol, he did an ultrasound and he said it was my gall bladder, he gave me some pills and it is all good now.

Ok I have no clue if that helps at all, actually I think I was just rambling, sorry! I hope everything turns out right for you.

I've had IBS for years and refuse to take medication for it. I'm already on a drawer full of meds and I've had sucess dealing with the IBS myself. I take a fiber tab or two daily. Like Fiber Con or a generic brand. It works and I never have problems unless I forget to take it for a week or so. You can also use metamucil or citracel but they get thick and I have esophageal problems so that's out of the question. But the trick is to get yourself a high dose of fiber daily!

I was diagnosed with it when i was 16 years old...some foods triger a spasm like peanuts and popcorn,but usually stress with bring on an attack and it stinks having this

Oh, phew! I'm glad I'm not the only who has this problem (well, not glad... just...um... never mind )

I tried taking Metamucil for a while, but didn't see any improvement. I have to mention that I have a daily "dose" of the opposite of constipation... 'nuff said. It depends on what I have for dinner the night before. Sometimes I have to visit the bathroom more than once in the morning. Being a vegetarian most of the time, if I have meat the night before, it's a near guarantee it's going to catch up to me the next day! My boss suggested taking homeopathic pills (I forget which ones), and that didn't help either.

But I'll certainly try the fiber increase and the grapefruit seed thing!

Keep the suggestions coming! This is very interesting!

I have IBS too. I've had it my entire life almost. I'm 35 now and seem to have episodes more often now that I'm older. I don't get horrible pain but it's awful when it happens when I'm out in public. It's then like an emergency situation to get home!! I also don't take any medication, my episodes come and go though. Lisa & Sash

http://pages.ivillage.com/lisalee992 (Sash's website)

Another thing that has helped me was rearranging my daily eating habits. Instead of making dinner my main meal, I eat my biggest meal at lunchtime. After that, I have a snack in the afternoon and have a small meal (soup and salad, yogurt and fruit, etc.) in the evening. It has really helped reduce my symptoms (similar to yours) in the morning. You may need to experiment to find what works the best for you.

Originally posted by thh20
I tried taking Metamucil for a while, but didn't see any improvement. I have to mention that I have a daily "dose" of the opposite of constipation... 'nuff said.

Click to expand...

Oddly enough both diarhea and constipation can be symptoms of not enough fiber in one's diet. Metamucil didn't work as well with me either (before I had to stop taking it) and that's one of the reasons I went to fiber tabs. But you can also increase your fiber by eating things like 8 grain breads, brown rice, lots of veggies and fruits etc. Good luck!

Don't do what I did last night, that's for sure...I had a bad stomach this morning...I had Marble slab ice cream, tequila sunrise and then had chicken nuggets and fries for dinner after that. Whoa! Bad morning...