IBS sufferers – MRT and LEAP

@graceandpeace Are there recommendations for pelvic floor dysfunction? If so, what are they? I presume when you say pelvic floor dysfunction you mean you don’t have adequate control over urination. I know that I should not have carbonated beverages, citrus, coffee, and chocolate but I have the last two anyway.
JK

@graceandpeace Multiple diets are sooo difficult, really. I'm juggling chronic kidney disease, diabetes and IBSd diets with a couple more low-level problems. Sourdough bread is excellent; since I'm counting carbs, I, too, found a white bread (Italian) that seems to work. With the diabetes, I've given up flour: pasta, bread, cookies, rolls, stuffing, bread crumbs, crackers, etc., and I keep my bread portions to an absolute minimum, like less than 30 carbs. Don't know if that's what has helped or not. Still have the usual foods that set off the diarrhea, like all of the cabbage family and acidic products - citrus, vinegar. Gave up salads for years, and only this year discovered it wasn't the salad, it was the dressings, almost all of which contain vinegar! Who knew. My only real suggestion is that I find I can tolerate very small servings of no-no foods - a half cup or less. Makes preparing the family dinner a real challenge! And I am a firm believer in "quality of life." Unless there is a compelling reason not to, I CHEAT!

@contentandwell Thank you for asking; Yes, I am currently seeing a pelvic floor therapist on a weekly basis to help me learn how to relax the muscle tension that I constantly have, which can cause mild to severe episodes of flare ups. The last 15 minutes of therapy, I do E-stem and heat, which is very soothing. At home, I do specific stretches and exercises, including walking on a treadmill, for 15 minutes, and I am also following a special diet from problem foods that can also cause a pelvic floor flare up from inflammation. However, bc I also have IC (interstitial cystitis), and IBS-C/D, even if I'm doing all of these things correctly, if I get flared up from the IC or IBS, it can flare up my pelvic floor as well since they're so interconnected. They pretty much feed off of each other. Other things that can cause flare ups are allergies, infections, stress, lack of sleep, sitting for too long, quick and sudden movement, and hormonal fluctuations. So, this can all be extremely tricky and discouraging at times, trying to figure out which thing is causing a flare up. One of the best resources I have found to help educate me is a hook called Healing Pelvic Pain (After getting the book, I found out that may therapist actually knows the author and was able to authenticate all that it says; in fact, my therapist has me doing some of the moment so home stretches that come straight from the book - some of them I have not been cleared for, though, just yet.). Anyhow, some other things that have also helped me are rubbing essential oils on my abdomen/pelvic bowl - Peppermint and Digize (I get mine from Young Living); and then using a heated corn bag, while lying down, propping myself up, with knees bent and resting over a pillow, relaxed in the butterfly position. Relaxation techniques, such as breathing through the belly instead of through the chest, which is what most people do, and listening to music (usually it's instrumental for me), with my eyes closed has also become a staple when I feel a flare is coming on. And, finally, the diets that I am on have been game changers for me as well since most of the foods/ingredients/drinks that I cannot have cause either inflammation to the pelvic floor, or to my bladder or intestines/colon. I am on the Low FODMAP diet for the IBS, as well as the ICN Food List for my IC - again, both of these lists are extremely helpful to keeping my pelvic floor happy. The IC-Network, and especially their magazines, have been sooo extremely helpful, since a lot of people who have pelvic floor dysfunction also have either IC and/or IBS. There's just so much information on their link: IC-Network.com and their free printable exhausted ICN Food List: https://www.ic-network.com/downloads/2012icnfoodlist.pdf

And, food list info: https://www.ic-network.com/interstitial-cystitis-diet/the-ic-food-lists/

One final thing I am currently doing for flare ups is having to take meds. I see a rheumatologist who has me on a nerve relaxer (Gabapentin) and a muscle relaxer (Cyclobenzaprine at the lowest dose of 5ng). I also see a Urogynocologist for both the pelvic floor and the IC, who has me also on the lowest dose of Oxybutinin (5mg, for frequency/urgency and bladder
spasms), but only as needed. I also take gas-x and 2 OTC Tylenol, 500 mg each, but , also, only as needed, like when I'm in an extreme flare. So whenever I am in an extremely severe episode (flare up), I have to take all of those meds at one time, in order for it to stop. The severe episodes can cause painful BM's, where I can't go bc it is too painful, also can cause colon spasms, as well as not being able to finish voiding, again, bc it's too painful. Thankfully, these kind of Episodes do not happen very often now bc of all that I am doing (therapy, diet, stretches, relaxation, and Gabapentin).

Anyhow, sorry this was so exhaustive, but there's just so much that goes along with pelvic floor dys that it's difficult to inform people without including all of the other things. Hope this is helpful!!

@trishanna I am so sorry you have had to suffer with so many different health issues; I'm sure it has been an uphill battle! I'm glad you have been able to find some things that work for you. I understand about eating the "no no foods" as long as it is in very small amounts and not an every day thing; I have found the same to be true for me as well! I hope you are able to continue to learn and heal in the weeks and year's to come!

@contentandwell I'm sorry but I just noticed that you had asked about urination control. Although, incontinence is a big part of PF Dys, thankfully, it is not something that I suffer with. Usually, incontinence implys some kind of organ prolapse. However, my PF Dys is not being able to relax my pelvic floor muscles and pelvic floor nerves, which can mean painful pelvic bowl muscled to/nerve spasms, pressure, heaviness, painful voiding, usually at the end of a stream, trouble with getting a stream started, emptying colon, spastic colon, a quick electric-like zap from the middle of abdomen, under navel to groin or in vaginal region. Sometimes, some of the flare ups can be likened to a charlie horse, except one that is not as quickly relieved as the normal foot charlie horse.
Hope this helps!

@susan30 you might already know this but in my research, I have found that most fruit contains a high level of fructose (sugar), which can aggrivate the diarrhea. Since I suffer from IC and IBS (partly diarrhea), I go by the Low FODMAP diet: https://www.ibsdiets.org/fodmap-diet/fodmap-food-list/
They have a list of fruits with the least amount of fructose, as well as a portion amount (if applicable) that are safe. One of the best one's for me is blueberries. Hope this can help!

Maybe this will help if you want to copy a link into this forum:
* Open the Chicago Tribune article
* Open the Mayo Clinic Forum page
* Highlight the link from the Chicago Tribune article
* Copy link (on a Windows computer, Right Click and then choose "Copy")
* Click on the Forum page which is still open
* Right Click and choose "Paste".

I did that with this article from the Tribune - but do not know if this is the one
you were trying to copy?
https://www.bing.com/search?q=leap+mrt+test+reviews&FORM=R5FD5

{Of course, I do not know if you have a Windows computer? And, also, are you
familiar with the "Copy/Paste" function?. If not, this may be hard to follow......}

@graceandpeace Thank you for all of that information. As you realized in your additional message, my concern was simply if your pelvic floor PT was for incontinence as mine was, and if you were given a restrictive diet for that. I know certain things do make mine worse, such as carbonated beverages, coffee, citrus, but thought you may have more info. I didn’t realize that pelvic floor PT was done for other conditions.
I don’t have any of the other conditions that you mentioned, just lactose intolerance, but I’m sure that your great info will help others with problems more similar to yours.
JK

Yes, hopefully!

@graceandpeace Thanks for your kind words. Would that our doctors had all the answers, but they don't. This is a good place to learn, I think. Susan30 said something about sugar in a recent post which caught my attention, causing me to do some Google research, which I then will discuss with said doctors. Having struggled with IBSd all these years, I can only imagine the problems encountered in dealing with IBScd, but am so glad to see that you work with a therapist! Mine keeps me going - think while dealing with complex internal problems, it's easy to forget physical things one can do with the help of a therapist.