Ibs (pain, cramps, diet, symptoms)

[raubre]

I know there isn't really a cure all for IBS,how do some of you handle it? What do you take? Do you eat anything that seems to help?

I seem to not be able to live without my ginger ale and sometimes yogurt helps me.

[melaniej65]

I am not the poster child for IBS because I ended up eventually with a permanent ileostomey; but I find that keeping crystalized ginger about really helps with the nausea, and warm wraps help with the cramps. Good luck~ I know how much it hurts.

[imcurious]

It's not popular, but I believe IBS has a strong emotional component, specifically overwhelm.

I think the cure could be letting go of some responsibilities and making self-care a number one priority. I think massage is a great healer . . . along with an a mostly organic diet . . .during attacks greasy food is not a great choice . . .

Sleep, rest, rejuvenate . . .detox . . . let other people pick up the slack.

[Laura707]

Vitamin E helped mine a lot! Watch what you eat and get rid of stress.... Good stress as much as bad stress..

[Positiveone]

Hi everybody!

Does anyone here have IBS- Irritable Bowel Syndrome? If so, what medications, diet and natural approaches are you taking? Is your worse with certain foods/drinks?

I cant eat any nuts or seeds! Its horrible because I love them and the are super healthy.

Milk is a huge no,no for me as well.

I cant seem to find a medication that helps without side effects. Please share any helpful info.

Thank you!!!

[4rummer]

Funny, I was just reading about this article in Reader's Digest and it says that people with IBS should avoid a group of carbohydrates labelled FODMAPS (fermentable obligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols according to Australian dietician Dr. Sue Shephard. Her research found that IBS symptoms improved in 75% of patients who avoided foods high in these saccharides - apples, pears, stone fruit, fruit juice (I find this very true, especially mango juice), watermelon, cabbage (even my guinea pig has diarrhea after eating this), onions, garlic, mushrooms, celery and chickpeas.

An Italian study also found that two peppermint tables (each with 225 mg of peppermint oil) taken an hour before a meal improved IBS symptoms.

One thing is for sure, I have to take a dump pronto if I ate spicy food and drank a cup of coffee afterwards. A 'fatal' combo for a very explosive upload

[Positiveone]

Thanks! But Wow! What a list to avoid! What else is there to actually eat-lol.

Have you tried that diet?

Originally Posted by 4rummer

Funny, I was just reading about this article in Reader's Digest and it says that people with IBS should avoid a group of carbohydrates labelled FODMAPS (fermentable obligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols according to Australian dietician Dr. Sue Shephard. Her research found that IBS symptoms improved in 75% of patients who avoided foods high in these saccharides - apples, pears, stone fruit, fruit juice (I find this very true, especially mango juice), watermelon, cabbage (even my guinea pig has diarrhea after eating this), onions, garlic, mushrooms, celery and chickpeas.

An Italian study also found that two peppermint tables (each with 225 mg of peppermint oil) taken an hour before a meal improved IBS symptoms.

One thing is for sure, I have to take a dump pronto if I ate spicy food and drank a cup of coffee afterwards. A 'fatal' combo for a very explosive upload

[redjan1225]

I think you should do an elimination diet. Remove the foods you regularly eat for a period of time (say 2 weeks) and see if your symptoms improve.

I recommend this because I was diagnosed with IBS in 2002 and was put on Librax. I had gas pains after eating so bad that I actually would miss work. I'd go home and roll around crying and popping pain pills. The culprit....my daily apple. I learned this through an elimination diet.

I removed raw apples from my diet as a daily thing for many, many years. I am now able to eat them occasionally without any problems.

[Positiveone]

Did the librax help? What exactly does Librax do for IBS? And are you still on that medication?

Thanks

Originally Posted by redjan1225

I think you should do an elimination diet. Remove the foods you regularly eat for a period of time (say 2 weeks) and see if your symptoms improve.

I recommend this because I was diagnosed with IBS in 2002 and was put on Librax. I had gas pains after eating so bad that I actually would miss work. I'd go home and roll around crying and popping pain pills. The culprit....my daily apple. I learned this through an elimination diet.

I removed raw apples from my diet as a daily thing for many, many years. I am now able to eat them occasionally without any problems.

[artangel]

I was diagnosed about 25 or 30 yrs ago with what was called spastic colon then. Most recently the Drs call it IBS and it seems to be one of the health problems that accompanies the fibromyalgia. I hate it! But I did read on-line about this crazy food combining diet and was finally desperate enough to try it. it HAS helped me a great deal....along with eliminating all dairy products. I'll have to try to do without the apples, too, to see how that goes. Anyway, you can find extensive info on-line, but basic premis is that different foods are acidic or alkaline and require different amts of time/digestive juices to process thru system, and combining those can cause gas, bloating, and pain among other things. It is a real "pain" to stay on---but every time I've snuck in a little of this or that I've rapidly "paid for it" so try to be pretty good about it. the hardest thing for me is that you can't combine any form of protein with anything starchy, so there goes classic combinations like meat and potatoes, chicken and noodles, rice with your stir-fry, or even sweet potatoes with ham. No sandwiches, because the bread is a starch and won't go with the meat or eggs or cheese or peanut butter in the filling. Add to that difficulty the fact that cheese and dairy are a strict "no-no" for me, and it gets kinda hard. But I must stay, it is such a relief to be without symptoms!!!! Everytime I cheat on the diet, they come back, and I'm reminded again why I eat like this. Hope this helps you. Some recommend avoiding wheat products, too, but I haven't tried that yet. And I'm sure you can find a better explanation than I've attempted. Again, Good Luck!!!( Try avoiding dairy, first, I'd say....)