Irritable bowel syndrome support

[ryanmercer]

Guy at work drinks pepto like it's water because of his (which I try to tell him is worse for it), he started eating a lot of yogurt though and said that's helped some, he still leaves the bathroom at work unusable multiple times a day for a half hour stretch but he has chrons.

Also a lot of people report good results with tumeric for treatment of IBS (the curcumin in it is a wonderful compound).

[Duellist]

Also a lot of people report good results with tumeric for treatment of IBS (the curcumin in it is a wonderful compound).

That might explain why I never seem to et as ill from eating curry as I expect to. I actually seem to suffer more when I eat 'bland' foods like roast chicken than (soy-based) korma or stir-fry.

I still think that exercise might be a big help, but I have so far managed to put off starting C25K for a couple of months with all my excuses about the weather (it was snowing!) and the pain of my IBS. Actually, the IBS is one of the biggest problems, I think; it's hard to think about a half-hour run outside the house when you feel like you might need the toilet at any moment, when your gut is already aching or when you haven't been eating and sleeping much.
The worst bit for me is that exercising when I am hungry is one of the things that has always set me off, but running too soon after eating is obviously a bad idea. I need to find a good time when I can set aside 30-40 minutes that is not too close to meal...

[Blind Owl]

My wife suffered quite badly from Chron's - hospitalised and pump full of corticosteroids at least twice a year for weeks at a time.

By chance we were brought to a treatment called Neural therapy
http://www.neuraltherapybook.com/NTdefined.php

After the treatment she had a small healing crisis and then got much better
She is completely off of any form of medication and has not had a relapse now for 7 years.

Now I am not saying this is the solution for everybody but it is the treatment that has worked for us.
(If anybody has any questions I would be happy to answer an PMs, or rather ask my wife to.)

[Kima]

I've just had a really bad day:

1. I felt overwhelmingly tired and generally unwell when I was hoping to get substantial work done. I didn't work this morning and had to sleep for a couple of hours at the beginning of the afternoon though I managed to get something done later.

2. I needed some comfort and called my boyfriend but he wasn't very supportive today; he told me not to be so self-indulgent and get back to work ("When I'm sick I get to work and forget I'm sick"). Usually he's great but this time I really felt like he let me down.

3. I went to the kitchen to cook myself dinner but my lodger was already there and visibly angry. I still can't believe it but she told me off for using too much toilet paper. She says she has to change it all the time these days and hopes I will stop once the toilet gets clogged. She asked me whether I eat the rolls! I was not in the right mood to answer her so I just left and went back to my room. Should I tell her "hey, that's what happens when you sh*t five or six times a day don't you know?" What pisses me off is that she knows I'm sick. In any case it's embarrassing.

I also had an appointment with the doctor this morning, which is good because she saw me on a bad day. My blood pressure was way down and my abdomen very swollen. It may help her take me more seriously and stop refering to IBS as "tummy issues" which sounds ridiculous. This is what drags me down, suffering quite seriously at times from something that everyone else perceives as trivial. That's my day in a nutshell.

[Duellist]

I've been suffering badly, but I have lost enough weight that I finally got a dietician appointment (on Wednesday, in fact) - I now weigh the same as I did when I was 20 and working with my hands all day, except without the muscles or boyish good looks. A business client even commented that I looked ill; he's known me a while and he was shocked by the weight loss.

It's tough, dosing myself up with domperidone (on prescription) just so I can keep eating more than one meal a day and keep going. Giving up gluten helped keep me down to one toilet break a day, even if the cramps decided to stick around. I'm told the Coeliac test came back negative, but my GP seemed not have heard of IgA deficiency being linking with false negatives, so there's one test I suppose the dietician might try.

Mebeverine (like buscopan before it) no longer helps at all. Nausea has become a fact of life and I eat like a horse just to maintain my weight.

Sorry... Didn't mean to moan like this, but the last year has been really hard on me. I became lactose intolerant after a bad bug in October, spent Christmas too ill to eat and lost enough weight that even clients are worried for me.

[Kima]

I'm sorry to hear that you aren't faring any better, Duellist. I am also still trying out treatements (Buscopan and the like never did anything for me) but am more often "stable" than a few months ago, by which I mean functional even though I never feel great. I've had bouts of nausea but they don't last more than a few days. I hope the dietician will be able to help you... Keep us posted.

[Kima]

I've been ill for over a year. Happy anniversary, IBS!

[Aphritha]

I suppose its as good of a thing to celebrate as any...

[Kima]

Thanks Aphritha, your hamster cheers me up.

I suppose I'm dealing with it pretty well, considering

[Ravenari]

I've had a formal diagnosis of IBS (D-type) for over 10 years now. These days it's a bit better than it used to be, but it still plagues me at least four or five days a week and seriously impacted my ability to work when it was most active (I'm on a Disability Pension now, though not specifically for the IBS, that's a massive part of it).

Mine is both diet and stress triggered. If I'm not stressed, I can mostly manage it with my diet. If I am stressed, it doesn't matter what I eat, I'm going to be miserable and in a lot of pain. Unfortunately, things that stress me include seeing friends / going out to dinner / going to doctor's appointments etc. My way of dealing with socialising is just to not eat for about 12-8 hours beforehand, not very practical, but thankfully I'm not a socialite. However, this has done a number on my metabolism, since I've had to semi-starve myself on and off for ten years. Ah well!

I am still grateful that...with time, and as I improve my stress levels, it does seem to be improving. It's not something that will go away overnight, but any improvement is a good one!

[Kima]

From an article I am reading:

Among the Zulus someone destined to become a shaman suddenly becomes ill, behaves in a curious manner, and is unable to eat normal food. He will only eat certain things. He continually complains of pain in various parts of his body and has the most incredible dreams [...] He is quickly moved to tears [and] may be ill for several years [...]

http://www.theicarusproject.net/files/KalweitInsanityBlessing.PDF

I think I identify with this...

[Woodfox]

I also have IBS. I would like to think I have it mostly under control at the moment though it's taken a very long time. I have cut out dairy and corn already due to allergies but they also have a bad IBS impact, and I have also cut out wheat, red meat, anything with caffeine, sweeteners (sorbital especially), fizzy drinks, sesame, and seeds, greasy foods.

I have a limited tolerance to spelt so I often use it for cookies and pancakes, but I find the best pancakes for me are made with a mix of gluten free bread flour and gram flour.

Fish is usually ok. Chicken is sometimes ok. Pork is iffy at best.

But I tell you, the one thing I do that is the absolute best thing. I take St. John's Wort AND Evening Primrose Oil, and have done for the last four months and my attacks of IBS are now limited to my menstrual bleed time only. Which means I can eat fish, where as before I had to have a nearly vegan diet.

I know sleep and stress affects my IBS, but the St John's Wort and Evening Primrose Oil help with the stress part, and actually, since I've been taking them, I've not needed quite as much sleep. I've got a lot more energy. I'm not 100% recovered, I doubt I ever will be, but I do feel better now, which I was beginning to think wasn't going to happen.

I hope the things that help me are of use to you as well.

OH, just as a side note, a woman at my work also has IBS - she has the exact opposite kind to me (constipation rather than diarrhea) and she can eat opposite foods to me (rice is her evil, it's my "always" food), but she also takes St Johns Wort and Evening Primrose Oil I found out about a month ago and she's been taking this combination for years to help her IBS and it's the only that works for her as well.

[blogworthy]

Hello to everyone here. I've been living with IBS(D) pretty much all my life. I've changed/restricted my diet so many times and ways I've lost track. I've tried all kinds of medicine but now just try to watch what I eat, stay hydrated and exercise as much as possible. It's such a disruptive thing to deal with! But I know what it's like to schedule your trip anywhere not by the fastest route but by the one that has the most restrooms.
If anyone has any 'tactical advice' they want to share with keeping up with this crazy illness at work please do...

[BlazeLeeDragon]

I find deep breathing and silence helps when I'm having an anxiety attack. My IBS and Anxiety fit hand in hand, and they tend to cause each other it seems. I'll not eat when I'm going some where, I don't eat after 7pm either or I get sick.

[jgolledge]

Hi There,
I have just spent a long time going over what a lot of you have been saying, and have a couple suggestions you may try. It may not work for everyone as each person has individual pictures, but here are a couple things that may help.

First of all, Fennel tea, is really beneficial to deal with the inflammation of the intestinal tract. It is a tea of the fennel seeds, which are actually its fruit, using about a teaspoonful to every cup of boiling water.

Also a tincture of Hawthorn can help inflammation although it is known traditionally as a heart remedy. It has an overall cooling and healing effect. You can make one from the haws (or berries) by covering one ounce of them with 5 ounces of either brandy or apple cider vinegar depending on what you can handle. I personally prefer the vinegar. Then leave that in a dark place in a jar for 14 days, and shake it everyday. Strain it out, and there you have it. Three drops, three times a day should help indeed. Keep in mind that tinctures bought in the store are not always made with the best ingredients.

Thirdly, if you incorporate Walnuts into your diet, you may find it will right a lot of problems with the intestines, and improve their overall function. Not only do they kick out parasites, they will reduce inflammation and restore functionality. Always in moderation of course, and if you can get them organic and locally grown all the better.

I hope some of that helps you.

Warmly,
Jamie.