I’ve lived with IBS for about 15 years and am mostly used to the daily pain. I’m even used to the occasional crippling pain and being virtually unable to move for hours or days at a time. I’m used to days on end of constipation, regular laxatives and the rare hospital visit. (although I must say, the pain killers and muscle relaxers were awesome)
But my body decided that wasn’t enough and turned the dial the other direction this week. I’ve been in the bathroom 6-8 times every day. Even that I could resign myself to. But the real bitch of it, which I still don’t know how it works, is that I STILL have that painful bloating feeling and constipated feeling that I live with all the time.
Come on now, enough is enough. I can handle all the time or never, but not the constant pain on top of it. ARGH!
I suffered severe IBS for over a decade. I know your pain (though mine was the other variety–the kind where I couldn’t leave the house without charting out a direct route to the nearest bathroom.) It ran my life… I can’t even count the number of plans I had to cancel. After I ended up in the ER, I finally got desperate enough to see a nutritionist, and she changed my life forever.
For me, the keys are 25g of soluble fiber daily and avoiding all processed and sugary foods. I had to radically alter my diet, but I’ve been IBS free for about a year and a half now. Every body’s different, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s something you’re eating.
I’m new to a diagnosis of IBS; my doctor thinks my constant stomach pain and nausea is actually IBS manifesting in my upper GI tract instead of lower (the diagnosis was significantly hampered by my lack of diarrhea and constipation).
I’m currently doing a dairy challenge - no dairy, then a day full of dairy. So far, it’s looking like dairy is indeed the culprit for me - I’ve gone from pain all day, every day, plus semi-daily nausea, to almost no pain and nausea. I’ll be happy to know what is causing my problems, but I love dairy so very, very much.
Yeah, dairy’s a tough one for me too. The weird thing is, I can’t drink milk or eat yogurt, but I can eat cheese and cottage cheese. Rather than cutting out everything, maybe you’ll find that certain kinds of dairy are worse than others.
How are you at handling legumes - a friend of mine was at the end of her rope as her doctor [military medical system FTL again here] was totally useless. She noticed that she had the most amazing sulfur demon farts, and noticed her wost flares occurred in proximity to eating legumes with or without dairy. She cut anything with soy and all legumes out along with the dairy and her flares decreased amazingly fast. She is able to do yogurt as the only dairy form [she believes it is something about the way the little buggers preferment stuff] and she also makes an attempt to not eat anything that is highly sulferous like eggs, broccoli, cabbage …
Try different dairy in your challenge days - you might be able to eat yogurt [well, it is better than nothing … ]
I have IBS, and extra fiber in my diet affects me in the way you describe in your OP. With extreme prejudice. Maybe that’s what’s caused it?
Maybe try removing the fiber supplement for a few days - or changing to a different type. I can handle psyllium husk, but not the regular Fibogel or whatever.
The week is finally going a little better. I still can’t eat without multiple runs to the restroom but at least it’s not as bad.
I think I’ll try cutting out dairy for a week and then legumes. (hadn’t thought of that one before, thanks for the tip). I’m looking into new ways of gettng my fiber intake as well.
I don’t think legumes are the problem (said with extreme uncertainty); it’s a good thought, though, to challenge them, too, to see if they are also causing problems.
That’s a good thought about different types of dairy, Olives. I’ll try some different things and see how it goes.
My thought with any GI issues like IBS is to challenge every single food - food sensitivities are a bugger to diagnose and it might just be that soy product, or those legumes, or that corn … in combination with your intestinal flora and metabolic products [look what yanking a gallbladder can do] and diary everything until you can get it figured out. Chatting with others with the same or similar issues is a great feature of the internet - like my buddy with the sulfur and legume issues. You might also try adding epazote [a mexican culinary herb reputed to decrease flatulence from beans] or probiotics.
I was diagnosed last year. I’d been having frequent discomfort in my abdomen, as though a basketball was in there being inflated. I also had a frequent burning feeling. At first I worried it was my liver from years of heavy drinking, but all tests came back ok.
The burning is mostly gone, but that full feeling and discomfort comes and goes (had it all today).
I’ve been going to the gym almost daily for 4 months now and my symptoms seem to be improving.
IBS sucks. Sorry to hear so many of you are suffering.
I cured mine by eliminating most of the foods normal people eat: all grains (they are the biggest culprit), beans including soy, sugar and other sweeteners, and processed vegetable oils (just because they are bad for you, not because they upset my stomach noticeably). I will eat very small amounts of fruit and nuts/seeds, but most of my diet is animal products (including dairy, I don’t have issues with it) and I also eat vegetables, including root vegetables, so I still get some starch. No more bloating, painful burping, farting, stomach pains/cramps, constant pooping, or diarrhea!!! Unless I eat something I know I shouldn’t - I bloat up instantly.
FWIW I eat very little fiber now, don’t take a supplement, and have excellent digestion… and poop. Soluble fiber just makes me bloated and gassy.
Another thing I have found helpful is never drinking liquids with meals, and drinking my water quickly at intervals rather than sipping all day. My gastroenterologist recommended limiting liquids, and I was dubious, but it makes a big difference for me.
ETA: As a bonus my severe acne has cleared up, I no longer get migraines, and my period is improved x10 (no awful cramps for the first time in a decade!) by eating this way, among other great things.
It sounds like your IBS is very severe Antinor01, I sympathize. Mine is not quite so bad but I can really relate to the crippling pain and being unable to move. I have suffered more intense pain, but there is something about the relentless oppression of a full on IBS spasm. I now keep a supply of codeine and take a strong dose at the first sign of a spasm attack, which I find usually quickly abates the attack by relaxing the bowel.
I don’t get the constipation, but I have had to accept the indignity of carrying fresh underwear in case of emergencies which I really resent.
It is very interesting how different foods are problems for different people. I find beans really help though the gas is ridiculous. Lots of fruit and vegetables, nuts, meat doesn’t seem to hurt as long as it isn’t too greasy. Fried stuff is definitely trouble and I really should experiment with isolating dairy and sugars. I really love cheese so giving up dairy would suck.
It is supposed to be accumulative; so the longer you let it continue the worse it will tend to get. Which is a real incentive to get it under control in some way.
Tell me about it! Giving up cheese would be the hardest. I’ve almost completely given up fried stuff. (Unless something just sounds really good and I convince myself that a few days of horrible pain is worth it)
I know. I try to keep control of it, it just seems sometimes that what brings it on changes. Which is the most irritating part of this whole thing. This week I just gave up because everything was making it worse, so I’ve just eaten as little as possible while my body rebalances.
It’s hard to accept the idea that the foods you’ve eaten all your life are now off the table. I’ve never had food allergies or been a picky eater - I ate everything, whenever the opportunity arose. Getting used to the idea of not eating some foods is hard, but the pain I’ve had almost daily since last September is a very good motivator.
I got rid of my IBS by giving up sugar, eggs and all dairy products. It’s really helped, and vegan baking recipes are the bomb if you find the right cookbooks.
