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IBS challenges
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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I can’t stand tight clothes either nowadays. I have IBS plus other issues.
Same with bras- put pressure on abdomen.
I even fold down stretchy pants sometimes to avoid any contact with the abdomen.
As a seamstress, I would suggest you contact someone that can remove your waistband and alter the garment as to where it just rests on the hip area. I have a similar issue with pain due to hernia and gerd. It is difficult to deal with and I also suggest getting undies that are hipsters or bikini. I can't say that's a miracle because I bend over and get sick. Just one more thing to cross off the list.
Hi. Thanks to everyone for posting. It helped me realize that I'm not the only one experiencing this.
I ate a bad oyster in 2008 and my digestive system hasn't been the same since. Although I've had colonoscopies and motility testing done previously and have also had my gall bladder removed, I mentioned these symptoms at my recent physical. As a first step, my doctor took an abdominal x-ray and found that my colon was full of stool -- even though I have normal daily bowel movements. I honestly had no idea. I was recovering from a bad case of flu and have been under a lot of stress as well. I'm living in a new city so my internist has referred me to another gastroenterologist. Hopefully, we will figure this out.
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1 ReactionMy opinion is that IBS is a catch all phrase for something doctors don’t understand or can’t fix. I also cannot wear a bra for long. My bra is a couple of sizes too big with a sculpted cup. I am forever pulling it down but works when I go out. I have had many abdominal surgeries starting with a burst appendix. My issues are caused by a tortuous colon, a cecum that wanders all over the abdomen and adhesions. The tortuous colon is long and up under my rib cage and around my side. It is also full of poop and causes pain all the time. I have too many surgeries so no surgeon wants to perform more surgeries. I take a stool softener every day. If I didn’t I wouldn’t have a BM. There are too many loops in my colon.
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1 ReactionFind clothing that you feel attractive in that are not tight. Squeezing your guts when there is food to digest or gas to expel, all requires it to move through your gut. Restricting movements could cause pain. It does for me.
The Fodmap diet doesn't have to cause constipation. Some of what I eat are close to zero Fodmap and I get a lot of well-tolerated fiber: parsnip, kabocha squash, radish, collards, potato. You can likely add carrot. well-cooked, not raw or al dente. Dietary fat can cause gut upset. Try cutting way down on animal/nut fat. Stick with oil for awhile and not much of it. Lactose-free cows milk, egg whites instead of eggs. Fish over meat. Plantain flour (LiveKuna is yummy). Makes a great hot cereal (add egg whites/milk for protein). You will know what dietary changes to try.
Our guts are very strange. What I eat, how much, how often, has been my "cure." Relief is worth "everything."
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1 ReactionCheck out Vascular Compressions as your symptoms sound like what I had. I have had several compressions-mals, pelvic and nutcracker. Facebook has several groups explaining and support.
I was told years ago by a Gastroenterologist that IBS is a "Diagnoses of exclusion" in other words when everything else has been ruled out.
Have you ever heard of Sibo. It took me months to get a diagnosis but I have had IBS for years and I have other complications, The food Map diet helps me.
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1 ReactionI get terrible pain from the waistband of my Levi’s jeans when I sit down to eat. I have unbuttoned the top button. The real relief is getting jeans with lots of stretch to them. Then they still look nice but feel like pyjamas when I sit down. I say do whatever makes you feel better. When my symptoms are bad I can’t even wear a belt
I have had this problem since my 20’s. Eventually I have had times when my stomach was really really hurting and turns out popcorn and almonds and things like that were giving me trouble and was diagnosed with some diverticulitis. But I actually had been nursing a twisting of my intestines and one day the pain was so bad I had to eventually have a resection near the iliac valve. It’s very difficult when they remove even a small part of your small intestines to recover . I knew another person that had that problem from the young age up until adulthood and I suggest getting a good diagnosis now before it turns into some thing maybe more complicated later. Good luck.