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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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Hi Colleen,
Thanks for sharing my message with other members on this platform. I suffer mainly from diarrhoea, stomach cramps and flatulence. Moreover, since I'm about to start my Keto diet to reduce the excessive weight that I have gained, I was wondering whether the keto diet is good for people with IBS.
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1 ReactionKijimea Bifidobacterium MIMBb paraprobiotic sold by Amazon is, I’ve heard, the go to probiotic for serious IBS. Look at their website. If you’ve tried it, or
know anyone who has, please post comments here. Thanks! Moo1
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1 Reaction@junita - There are so many of us with IBS! It is hard to get a grip on what to do because the body doesn’t always react as predicted. I’m glad to hear that you are planning a keto diet. I started one 2 years ago, successfully losing weight and keeping it off. I found that my insides were much happier on that diet. It definitely helped controlling the carbs.
Good luck! Are you using Imodium for the diarrhea?
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2 Reactions@astaingegerdm,- I use Imodium for diarrhoea, but seldom. I keep it stored away in my medicine box and unless and until the symptoms are grave, I do not generally consume it. To control my IBS I've been using probiotics of 25 billion strength. But I just wanted to know if the strength should be increased because at times the diarrhoea and bloating comes back with revenge!!! :)-
This particular paraprobiotic is not available on Amazon.in. Does you have any suggestions on the ones that are available... Thanks-Junita
I suffered from IBS of varying degrees (beyond horrible to the point of not being able to leave home to mildly annoying) for 25 years. Dr.s prescribed meds, sent me to dietitians, prescribed more meds, did acupuncture, more doctors, more meds. FINALLY through an odd set of circumstances I found a dietitian in my area that does MRT testing followed by the LEAP nutrition protocol. It was expensive to do (approximately $1150) but worth every penny. I was tested for approximately 160 things from food stuffs to some chemicals and metals to determine my reactivity to different things. I worked with my dietitian to figure out how to proceed. She helped me interpret the testing and see how to make this information work in my life. That was last August. Since then my GI tract has calmed down. I have had very, very few episodes of IBS, my anxiety is lessened to almost nothing, my arthritis has cleared up and my brain fog has lifted, no GERD, no diverticulitis. I also lost weight, which I needed to do. I have more to go on the weight, but I will get there. At first the program was very hard, but I stuck with it and it has absolutely changed my life.
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2 ReactionsJuanita, I saw it on the Amazon website! I’ll check to see if it’s been removed! Moo1
Juanita, it is definitely on Amazon under Kijimea IBS. Also, can be ordered directly from the manufacturer on e-bay, but very
high shipping charges if purchased that way. Made in Germany and Italy! Went through a Clinical Trial and did well with those
IBS sufferers who were part of the medical trial! See recent article in current “The Lancet“medical journal! Also see Kijimea
website, in German and English! Moo1
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1 Reaction@junita, while we greatly appreciate the suggestion from @moo1, it is best to speak with your GI physician before starting anything new with current medicine, even if it is over the counter.
Congratulations dear @cindychesler ... Glad to know you've overcome the tough period. Let me see when I'll get the comfort of leading a normal lifestyle. By the way, I've visited end no. of dieticians however no diet plan could actually help me out. However, now I'm trying to follow the FODMAP diet plan. let's see what happens. Thanks..
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