IBS challenges

Posted by Barb @amberpep, Aug 8, 2017

Hi .... I don't think there's a group for this, so I thought I'd try you all. I have been prone to IBS with constipation since my divorce 12 years ago - we were married for 40 years and I felt as though I'd been thrown away. My gastro-intestinal doctor suggested Metamucil, which seemed to work. Between then and now I've had 3 moves, one about 4 hours from where I'd lived for 30 years, a TKR and also a revision, am on several psychotropic medications for cyclothymia, and just feel awful. Well, I'm 73 and have had my teeth removed in order to get dentures .... there's been quite a harang with this and it's been over a year since I've been eating soft and pureed foods .... cream of wheat, soups (pureed), pureed spaghetti, if I do eat a piece of fruit it has to be pureed, but I try not to. It's been a long haul. Well, now I'm packing to move to a low-income apartment closer to my girls, and the IBS has become the diahrrhea form ..... OMG, it's awful. I'm afraid to go out. I don't know what to do anymore. I'm new down here and only have an Internist, but with moving that will have to change. I need the name of a good gastro-enterologist at the hospital I will be using. In the meantime, does anyone have any suggestions for me? I'm forced to use pads right now "just in case" ..... I know this is anxiety and tension, but it's got to stop.
Thanks much,
abby

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Profile picture for jackiem95 @jackiem95

I have IBS and found probiotics were useless. Tried several kinds recommended by GI and integrative medicine MD. All probiotics did for me was to produce more gas—just what I don’t need!! Have you seen a registered nutritionist? I am on the Low Fodmap diet which has really helped control my symptoms. Almost never have that”gotta go right now” urge. This diet is VERY restrictive and you need to work with a nutritionist to implement it and see if it works for you. I also saw an integrative medicine doctor. She recommended some supplements which have helped stabilize my weight. I have lost 40 lbs—too much but at least I feel human again. Going out to eat is a real challenge (especially with both IBS and GERD limitations)but I now have found some restaurants that offer a few things I can have. I sure miss my Mexican and Italian favorites, though!
Life Gordon. Good luck to you!

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I have a good probiotic that is refrigerated. I don’t take it on a regular basis because it always seems someone has pushed it in the back of the fridge even though I put it in the same place. So I don’t see this don’t take it. I’ll have to think of a new solution!
Thanks so much!

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Profile picture for darweshalassi @darweshalassi

Hello , im sorry that u are suffering from this , but i gotta ask , did u try Probiotic 50 Billion ? give it a Try - And also Try to Diet
Hope u will be better soon

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Thank you so much!!!!

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Profile picture for jackiem95 @jackiem95

I have IBS and found probiotics were useless. Tried several kinds recommended by GI and integrative medicine MD. All probiotics did for me was to produce more gas—just what I don’t need!! Have you seen a registered nutritionist? I am on the Low Fodmap diet which has really helped control my symptoms. Almost never have that”gotta go right now” urge. This diet is VERY restrictive and you need to work with a nutritionist to implement it and see if it works for you. I also saw an integrative medicine doctor. She recommended some supplements which have helped stabilize my weight. I have lost 40 lbs—too much but at least I feel human again. Going out to eat is a real challenge (especially with both IBS and GERD limitations)but I now have found some restaurants that offer a few things I can have. I sure miss my Mexican and Italian favorites, though!
Life Gordon. Good luck to you!

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I’m going to start that Fomap diet really soon. 🥴

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Profile picture for crj @crj

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.

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I recommend that before you begin, you work with a registered nutritionist/dietitician. This is a really restrictive and complex program.

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Profile picture for crj @crj

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!!!!

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For me, gluten free is a part of the Low Fodmap diet--along with other "no eat" foods. I like carbs too but I have learned to work around the gluten restriction. Finding good bread (including things like hamburger buns and bagels) without the additives that are restricted on the Low Fodmap diet, is not easy but I have found some that I can eat. Not great, but better than nothing. There are also some sweets (like cookies) that are OK for me and are actually good. I do make my own sometimes (using modified regular recipes or low fodmap recipes) but my husband is diabetic so I end up eating most of them myself!

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Profile picture for jackiem95 @jackiem95

For me, gluten free is a part of the Low Fodmap diet--along with other "no eat" foods. I like carbs too but I have learned to work around the gluten restriction. Finding good bread (including things like hamburger buns and bagels) without the additives that are restricted on the Low Fodmap diet, is not easy but I have found some that I can eat. Not great, but better than nothing. There are also some sweets (like cookies) that are OK for me and are actually good. I do make my own sometimes (using modified regular recipes or low fodmap recipes) but my husband is diabetic so I end up eating most of them myself!

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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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Profile picture for crj @crj

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.

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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.

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Profile picture for mpeters @mpeters

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.

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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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Profile picture for crj @crj

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.

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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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Profile picture for maureenf @maureenf

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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This 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.

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