I have just been diagnosed with IBS. I have been having lots of extreme pain off and on for about a year and a half. The pain has been really bad for the past two weeks and I have been to the doctor twice in the past 2 weeks for the same thing. My doctor told me Friday that he believes it is IBS. He gave me some medicine called Symax to take daily. He said it wouldn't take away the IBS, but would help manage it. I am sure it will take awhile for this medicine to get going in my system. He also wants me to send in stool samples (not too excited about that!). Here lately, I have been in so much pain that I am almost afraid to eat anything but most soup, crackers and sandwiches. My pain is inconsistent...sometimes I feel okay for several hours and then out of the blue I feel awlful! These pain phases come and go before I eat, while I'm eating or after I've eaten. I haven't really figured out what all triggers it, especially when it starts before I even eat something! My bowel movements are not consistent either...sometimes I am constipated for days and others I have bowel movements that resemble diarrhea. My abdomen and ribs are also sore pretty much all the time, which my doctor said is to be expected because of all the pains and cramps that I have been having lately.
I have been trying to look up some food lists and information on the internet.I was just wondering if any of you have IBS or if you know someone who does and might have some advice for me. I am misserable! Thanks in advance for all of your help! Yall always give such great advice! :)
Hi S.. I have ibs & have for a long time. i had tried everything. Until my Dr. told me to get a vegetable laxative. Oh boy. such relief. I can't believe it. It works great. I buy the walmart brand, cvs, walgreens etc.. Try this & it will work. You dont have to worry about going places & being so bloated either. I hope this works. It is inexpensive too. Good Luck. K.
I was diagnosed with IBS and I took the medicine, which seemed to help for a while and then seemed to quit working. I tried elimiating different foods and I was never able to determine what was causing the problems. Turned out to be stress. I didn't even know I was stressed. Now I don't have any symptoms anymore.
Hi S.!
I was diagnosed with IBS about 10 years ago. My doc put me on all kinds of meds, but the one thing that helped the most was increasing my fiber intake. I had to get up to 25-30g per day!! It's not easy, but you can do it. I couldn't handle eating raw veggies so I ate a LOT of beans. Refried beans will get you to that number faster than anything else. That is, if you can stomache them. I ate a lot of bean burritos, and learned to eat all kinds of beans. They are actually really good on baked potatoes! LOL I had all kinds of problems with my pregnancies, and up to 3 months after my last. I started taking Juice Plus (raw fruits and veggies in a capsule) and don't have any probs now. There are other benefits to it, but I'll be honest, the natural fiber in it is amazing! I was regular with in 2 days!! If you want some more info, email me at ____@____.com. I don't know anything about the meds your doc put you on. I don't like to take them. LOL Try changing your nutrition. you'll be surprised at how much better you feel!
S.,
I was diagnosed with IBS back in March. My doctor gave me Symax if the cramping got really bad but not something to take on a daily basis. His advice was to increase my fiber intake to 25 grams per day. You can do that with diet alone, but it can be difficult. He recommended a high fiber cereal in the morning (Fiber One is the highest in fiber) and using a Fiber supplement a couple of times a day (Benefiber or FiberSure). The supplements dissolve completely in water and have no taste. If you are getting nowhere near 25 grams of fiber per day right now, be sure to gradually increase the amount of fiber over a two or three week period. Otherwise, you may feel even worse. Anyway, I am doing so much better now. I had a lapse when I got pregnant because I had no appetite whatsoever in the first trimester. I had a tough time getting the fiber I needed. I am now 23 weeks along in my pregnancy, and I recently went back to my GI doctor. Again, he hammered into me the importance of consistently getting the fiber. I have started back up with the fiber regimen, and it has made a huge difference. Another thing that may help is to take a probiotic supplement for a couple of weeks or eat Activia yogurt on a daily basis.
Did your doctor mention anything about having a colonoscopy to rule out anything more serious?
Good luck. I know how miserable it can me.
Try removing gluten from your diet to see if that is the trigger. There is an expensive test, but removing gluten from your diet is an easy way to tell. I recommend removing from your diet for at least a week. Be careful - gluten can be in many things.
Gluten: A protein found in wheat or related grains and many foods that we eat. Gluten can be found in a large variety of foods including soups, salad dressings, processed foods and natural flavorings.
You need to read a book written by Jordan Rubin. Look it up on Amazon and it will give you a description. IBS is supposedly incurable, but this man tried every doctor, treatment,etc here in the United States and abroad but to no avail. He kept getting sicker and sicker. Finally, he found the answer....going back to eating the way God made us to. His book is fantastic. He has cured himself of IBS and many others of different things. Worth a shot!
