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Your experiences with IBS
It would really be helpful for me to hear from others about what they're going through and how they cope with their IBS issues. I've never had this problem and could always pretty much eat what I wanted without any ill effect. Now if I accidentally eat even the smallest amount of gluten or anything with dairy I am sick for 2 to 5 days and I feel totally exhausted the entire time. First starts belching, then painful bloating and cramping and I become constipated. My upper abdomen hurts as if I had been hit with something hard, my gut feels raw inside and often unremitting nausea also sometimes happens. Once the bloating calms back down, out of the blue I experience urgent diarrhea that can come even if I eat even a few bites of "approved" food. (I've been on FODMAP since Feb). My appetite has gone away and I've lost 19 lbs since I started eliminating foods on the list. The diarrhea can last the entire day and by the time it stops my body is weak, i'm very tired and my abdomen feels tender for the next few days. I've become hesitant to eat, although I'm falling woefully short of calories nearly every single day. Food has lost it's appeal to me and feels more trouble than it's worth. My social life has been totally impacted by these problems and I pass up on fun activities that have been a part of my life forever. Going out to a restaurant is mostly a nightmare now. My GI dr prescribed Bentyl and Omeprozole, which didn't help much, and basically sent me on my way telling me that I need to work on reducing my stress levels. I have dealt with major depression and an anxiety disorder for going on 25 years, which is currently well managed with the exception of the anxiety that being this ill can trigger. I'm getting acupuncture twice a week and that does seem to help. The D.O. that is doing this for me also has me on a regime of Digestive Enzymes. He's also given me a recipe for a "gut healing smoothie" that contains several holistic ingredients, including probiotics with acidophilus/bifidus. I'm currently waiting for these things to come in the mail so I can't speak to its effectiveness yet. At this point I'm willing to try just about anything to get my life back. I feel that I am constantly complaining to my friends and family when they ask how things are going, The only thing that I can point to as what brought this all on, although my GI dr wouldn't agree, is that I had two colonoscopies within 6 months (March and August of last year) as a result of numerous polyps, one of which was difficult to fully remove in one session. None were cancerous but all were of the type that will eventually turn into cancer. Because of this she now wants to start doing colonoscopies every 3 years, which I totally dread just it case it triggers my IBS to become worse. If its not related to those procedures and their prep, can and did your IBS just come on suddenly with no warning and nothing particularly prompting it? Do you feel, or have you been told that this illness will be something that you have to live around forever? Have you ever heard of it going into remission and/or going away entirely? I've done a lot of reading on this subject but really need to hear from those of you who understand and can relate to what I am talking about. I feel alone in this and am afraid that this is my new normal. Thank you for reading this and for hopefully sharing a bit about your experience with IBS.
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I signed up today because two nights ago I thought I had a severe iBS attack, fifty minutes later I was emptied and bleeding and the bleeding didn’t stop. Went to the ER and cat scan said I had an inflamed large intestine (the whole intestine) and I’m in a lot of discomfort. He said I have colitis. Two antibiotics and waiting to see my doctor to find out what to expect and what I can do to not ever have an attack again.
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I second the idea of a low FODMAP diet. The two biggest FODMAPs are apples and garlic. You can still have garlic by making a garlic oil, something you can learn to do by looking online. This is a medical diet so you have to see a nutritionist twice, once to learn about how to research if you have it and then to meet with the nutritionist to talk about it. Your research is to systematically change your diet, one piece at a time, according to the schedule given to you by the nutritionist. I recently went on a camping trip and had a huge amount of garlic in the meal cooked by another person. Didn’t know it until I ran to the bathroom. I now have an appointment with a Gastroenterologist at Mayo. You may be okay with garlic, something else may be your problem. If you are interested in looking into this diet, get an appointment with a nutritionist and Do Not Change Your Diet until you see the nutritionist. I hope you find the thing that helps you. Sometimes it is several things that help you.
My gastroenterologist recommended the low fodmap diet two years ago and of course I didn’t follow it very well. It keeps coming up so I better heed the advice. Thank you.
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I thought I had IBS for 64years because all the G.I. Drs. said so . I saw one that tested me for sucrose intolerance (table sugar ) . Now I know I have sugar and starch intolerance. Worth doing a simple breath test for this. Good luck.
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1 ReactionThis doesn’t help you immediately, but in the UK you can use an app to scan foods at the grocery store to help you find low FODMAP foods. Maybe if enough of us organize we can get that to happen here.
I have a disease called Adrenaleukodystrophy and was also diagnosed with IBS.I feel like a prisoner in my home,never knowing when I will have a accident. I am embarresed when I have no control. I live on Bentyl and Imodium. And stress compounds everything. If anyone has a solution. I hope you get well.
I'm 69 years old and have had IBS with panic attacks my whole adult life. It has stopped me from doing so many things. When I've had to go places; it would make me so anxious. I've been check by quite a few doctors over the years and none of the medicines or suggestions have been full proof.
Twelve years ago I divorced my husband of 35 years and have done very little dating because of the IBS with panic attacks. I've wasted my life because of this awful condition and have been a prisoner. Well...that's my story. Is there any words of advise out there for me? I don't have that many years left and I sure would like to get out there and live.
Thank you! I’ve thought about gluten free but it seems complicated and I do like my regular carbs. I will research gluten free now. Thanks!!!!
I’m going to start that Fomap diet really soon. 🥴
I recommend that before you begin, you work with a registered nutritionist/dietitician. This is a really restrictive and complex program.