Moms with Ibs How Do You Cope?

I've had a sensitive stomach my whole life but I was formally diagnosed with IBS when I was 21. Diet sodas or diet anything kills my stomach, so does top ramen (which sucks because they are so yummy), alcohol, and basically anything else processed will send me running to the bathroom. When I get stressed out, my IBS gets worse and if I don't get enough sleep then it acts up too. I really like the prescription Donnatal. I've tried a few other prescriptions, but that one seems to help the most. My friend at work also takes donnatal and it helps her too. Good Luck!

Probiotics. Lots of them.

There is one Specifically formulated for IBS. It works really well.

I also take a Multivitamin, Vitamin D3 and Iron.

That combo together makes mine tolerable.

I also learned to LOVE Ginger Ale. That seemed to help take that Gross feeling out of my tummy.

I had to give up Caffeine.

I found out that I had Celiac.

And I was Allergic to Soy anything and White sugar.

So once I changed my eating habits things turned around really nicely.

You may find it is going to take alot of change on your part to help relieve the symptoms. It can be down though:)

I hope you find comfort soon:)

I dealt with IBS for nearly 40 years, could tell you where the best bathrooms are.........constipation vs diarrhea, cramping, all the things that went with it. Could never identify specific foods, but many times would have to excuse myself from a meal, to go to bathroom. It was terrible and sometimes embarrassing, not to mention inconvenient. Stress made it worse.
The biggest change that helped almost immediately was to use "natural fiber laxative", form of METAMUCIL, several types like Citrucel, Benefiber, etc are available over counter. For diarrhea, it 'bulks' the stool, for constipation, it 'lubricates'. It can be taken as directed on package, mix in juice or water. If taste is an issue, mix in small amt of liquid, then drink water afterwards.
This was absolutely life changing.
Even after all that, I found something that went beyond, and even better through nutritional suppementation, for details, personal message.

I was diagnosed with IBS for 10 years when a friend of mine suggested I may have gluten sensitivity. I went on a trial gluten free diet for a week and my symptoms improved 100%. I went from having diarrhea every single day to having a normal movements again. I would suggest going on a trial gluten free diet and see if your symptoms improve.

I have IBS predominating constipation alternating Diarrhea...stress is a huge trigger for me I also have bouts of insomnia my doctor put me on nortriptyline which has helped w/the insomnia and some anxiety. My gastro dr referred me to a nutritionist who specializes in IBS this is what we have discussed regarding foods it's easier to read than to explain...but based on the foods that are highs/lows in the FODMAP I have figured out my triggers especially when I max out for the day (salad for lunch then veggies w/dinner as an example) will send me into HORRIBLE doubled over cannot move pain, cramps....http://ibs.about.com/od/ibsfood/a/The-FODMAP-Diet.htm
the link above provides a good explaination of the FODMAPs as well as a list of high/low foods. Fiber is also great & probiotics as someone else suggested...I've heard Align is good. I've been suffering w/IBS for over 6 yrs. Hope you can find something that helps you.

My son has a mild case and his attacks seem to be getting fewer and farther between times.
Fiber helps a lot.
If you can identify food triggers, do what you can to cut them out,
Raw cabbage seems to help my son.
There's something about cabbage (or cabbage juice) which has been used to heal up certain types of ulcers.
We get the pre cut coleslaw and he likes picking different dressings to put on it.
If he gets tired of it, I'll puree some in water, strain it and have him drink the juice.

I have IBS with chronic Diarrhea. I cannot drink anything or I end up daily in the bathroom reading and....well, you know. It doesn't matter if it's dairy, water, pop, or anything else. I cannot drink anything first thing of a morning, I have to have a least one good meal inside me before I drink anything. I had 2 small bagels with cream cheese for breakfast Friday morning at a conference. I drank about 4 oz. of OJ afterwards, thinking the whole wheat bagels would be enough to counter the fluids effect. I spent a LOT of the day in the bathroom, I missed both a morning speaker and an afternoon one. Even eating lunch didn't do anything to counter the little bit of OJ.

I talked to an Internal doc about the issue once and he told me the BEST thing I could do, for the rest of my life, was to eat 1/4-1/2 cup of whole bran cereal for breakfast every morning. He said it would absorb the extra fluids or bring extra fluid to the bowels if I was constipated. It would be the entire fix-all. I couldn't eat it due to bad teeth, the cereal got in the holes and cracks and I was miserable. He said the medication for the chronic Diarrhea would make me so constipated I would have to take something to make me go...who needs a pill to stop Diarrhea and then a pill to make you go!

I can't drink anything when traveling either. If I get thirsty I just make do with whatever minimal fluids I can until we are at a location for a couple of days, then I drink lots of water and plan on being close to a bathroom that day.

I have IBS-diarrhea. What has finally gotten it mostly under control is having an Activia probiotic yogurt in the morning, cutting out all caffeine (not easy for this former coffee addict!), cutting out acidic foods as much as possible and adding more fiber. The fiber part seemed counterintuitive to me, but my doctor assured me it would help and sure enough, it did.

What I've also found is that when I was put on an anti-depressant in the spring, my IBS really got a lot better. It may just be coincidence in the timing because I don't know of any correlation, but for me it seems to help.

My go-to pill when I do make dietary mistakes (chocolate, for example, is a big weakness but one of my bad foods) is Immodium. Couldn't get by without it. I always have it with me just in case.

A colon cleanse just scares me, frankly. Sounds to me just like having IBS and why put myself through that purposely, KWIM?

Consider looking at stress in your life. It is a big contributor to the issue.

Hi J.,

I suffered from Ulcerative Colitis from the time I was 11 until about 10 years back. The doctors did everything exactly opposite of what is needed. They recommended gentle foods and no fiber. They had me on prescriptions that somewhat helped symptoms but made me sicker. When I took control of my health as an adult I figured all this out.

Good nutrition, no preservatives or other synthetic chemicals, FIBER, good fiber, not a pill, and chiropractic care got rid of my UC completely. I have no signs of ever having it. If you really want to do it naturally please private message me. I'll walk you through what I did specifically. It's gone. Thirty five years of pain and it could have been gone looooong before. I'm not bitter but I really don't want you to suffer if you don't have to. I'd love to help!

God bless!
M.

PS This is NOT genetic!

So sorry you have to deal with this. I've had it for 20 years now. Make sure you do get officially diagnosed with IBS. These symptoms can be all kinds of ugly things that need to be ruled out first. That said the most helpful information I have found is here: http://www.helpforibs.com/ This site has been invaluable to me and has become my IBS bible. The things that help me the most are probiotics, soluble fiber, exercise, eating healthy, and reducing stress (easy breezy, right?!). It does make sense, though. We need to take care of our body in order for it to work properly. I'm not saying I do this all the time, but if I don't, I suffer the consequences. I would not do a cleanse. Cleanses frequently get rid of all the good stuff in your system in addition to the bad and can be very h*** o* your system. Best of luck. I hope you can achieve some normalcy.

I have IBS diarrhea for about 10 years. I watch what I eat. I try to stay away from fried or fatty foods. Salads can been an iissue as can dairy. I love sour cream but I pay! I keep Immodium in my purse! I don't eat before getting on a plane or a long car ride.

Try Ultimate Aloe Juice. We all know what aloe does to the skin when we get a burn. Well the aloe juice heals your difestive track the same way. It is an awesome product. Just a couple ounces a day and you will see HUGE results. Here's a link so you can read up on it. Most aloe juices have lanoline in them which will give you diareah. This one does not have lanoline but beware that not aloe juices are equal.
:)

http://bit.ly/vIyTM0

Hope it helps