Ibs Woes

[Horndog]

I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Basically, IBS refers to -- according to Google Health -- "a complex disorder of the lower intestinal tract. It is mainly characterized by a pattern of symptoms that is often worsened by emotional stress." Because of IBS, I have stress-related incontinence. Interestingly enough, I don't urinate and excrete frequently as that serves as one of the common symptoms, but the urge to go strikes instantly and if I don't go within the timeframe of five minutes, I get this sharp-stinging pain in my lower intestines and pelvic area, which forces me to go right away... and if I go in my pants, so be it.

Though I haven't gone through counseling, I've made it a priority to lower my stress and tension. When I've had regular exercise, that actually made matters worse (in an odd way) because my body would push out the bodily fluids without any way for me to control them. I've modified my diet to reduce my intake of fiber and junk food, but my condition has not improved. What is the best way to handle IBS? I know it varies from person to person, but at this point, any suggestion helps.

[Horndog]

I've come across a few groups online after doing some Google searching. Thanks for the tips.

[WallaWalla]

I was diagnosed with IBS about about a year and a half ago now. I'm not really sure how serious I took it, but I was definitely in a very large amount of pain for a considerable amount of time.

Try to get more soluble fiber, eat less grease, and maybe try cutting milk out for a while. They say it's different for everybody, but those were what was causing me the most trouble. Watch out for insoluble fiber though, I found that eating too much of that often made my insides feel like they were burning.

None of the medication worked for me, just made it worse. Hope things turn out though, if what I had was IBS then I wouldn't wish IBS on anybody.

[ColfPup]

I was diagnosed last year and had and still have a similar problem, any emotional stress results in extremes of diarrhea in the same conditions of short notice and near immediate excretion, I personally found that limiting fibrous and starchy foods seemed to help a little. As of late its developed into a more worrying problem but I'm not one to hijack a thread so that can wait.

[Horndog]

I noticed that I have an addiction to dairy products, which could very well be the source of my problem.

[ldatsea]

I noticed that I have an addiction to dairy products, which could very well be the source of my problem.

For me the foods that cause the most problems are nuts,seeds, things like popcorn , hamburger buns with sesame seeds etc... If i don't eat those foods i don't have very problematic issues but if i do eat them i can usually count on a bowel accident. Thankfully my bowel issues are always in the morning so for now i am not really concerned about accidents in the daytime But since i am compeletly bladder incontinent i am protected and have a "emergency" plan in case i need it. IBS is a sucky condition as doctors know little and it effects each person differently

[Horndog]

Nuts and seeds never bothered me actually -- and that's one example of how IBS varies from person to person.

I got some bad pains today after eating a hot dog... it wasn't pretty.

[babytommy1981]

for me. its red meats. like steak, hamburgers, my body has a hard time with it. and sharp chedder kills me. too much dairy and im on the go. but then theres days and some times weeks nothing. i guess its a hit or miss with my IBS. but also when it hits me I has to go even if i cant make it to a bathroom. since i wear diapers for wetting 24/7 sometimes if i cant get to a restroom i just go in my pants and worry about cleaning it up when i get to a restroom.

[diaperedindayton]

What diapers work best for this type of issues? I been seeing my doctor for some similar symptoms and got some tests yet but in the mean time...

[Horndog]

What diapers work best for this type of issues? I been seeing my doctor for some similar symptoms and got some tests yet but in the mean time...

X-Plus works for me.

Yeah, I'm figuring that my intake of dairy products is what's bothering me. Had some sour cream earlier and it instantly turned my stomach inside out.

[AutieAB]

Yeah, I'm figuring that my intake of dairy products is what's bothering me. Had some sour cream earlier and it instantly turned my stomach inside out.

I was gonna say look for an intolerance rather than just assuming IBS. I went to the doctor many moons ago for frequent and urgent diarrhoea which gave me countless close calls over the years. He was fixed on calling it IBS and chalking it up as something to be managed rather than treated. I pretty much ignored his advice and kept on looking for patterns between what I was eating and when I was sick and soon realised it was a gluten intolerance. I started eating a gluten-free diet and problem was almost solved overnight (almost because it's pretty damn hard to completely eliminate something so widely used from your diet).

The emotional trigger thing doesn't point exclusively to IBS either - most people are susceptible to that particular quirk of human nature and if your gut is already a little iffy, well, it's gonna happen

Cut your dairy intake completely for a few days and see what happens - the worst that'll happen is you'll eliminate it as a possibility

[Horndog]

I am diagnosed with IBS. It's official. It's not one of those "I just made up a serious disorder as an excuse to wet myself!" kind of things.

As it turns out, I tried not drinking dairy for a day and I still got horrible-feeling stomach cramps in the middle of the night.

Every day I wake up feeling slightly one notch under food (Salmonella) poisoning.

[babyvr6]

Have you tried eliminating gluten from your diet? An alarming amount of gluten allergies go misdiagnosed as IBS or other gastrointestinal disorders. It couldn't hurt to try it, since nothing else seems to work.

[AutieAB]

Have you tried eliminating gluten from your diet? An alarming amount of gluten allergies go misdiagnosed as IBS or other gastrointestinal disorders.

This is the point I was trying to make above. Lactose, gluten and casein intolerances (which is actually the dominant protein in dairy foods) are all very common.

I am diagnosed with IBS. It's official. It's not one of those "I just made up a serious disorder as an excuse to wet myself!" kind of things.

I hope I wasn't misunderstood. I wasn't suggesting that! It's just that a lot of GPs tend to reach for IBS as a coverall DX when there are some more specific (and manageable) conditions that should be eliminated first...

[babyvr6]

It's just that a lot of GPs tend to reach for IBS as a coverall DX when there are some more specific (and manageable) conditions that should be eliminated first...

This. And it's my opinion that a GP shouldn't be the one making the DX in the first place. GPs are for sniffles, sneezes, coughs, aches, pains, physicals, HTN, good health check ups, ect.

You should be seeing a Gastroenterologist or some other specialist that actually knows about the many conditions that can cause your symptoms.

And besides, 90% of the other conditions that can cause you symptoms are easily managed, with most consisting of nothing more that a diet change.

[WallaWalla]

I am diagnosed with IBS. It's official. It's not one of those "I just made up a serious disorder as an excuse to wet myself!" kind of things.

As it turns out, I tried not drinking dairy for a day and I still got horrible-feeling stomach cramps in the middle of the night.

Every day I wake up feeling slightly one notch under food (Salmonella) poisoning.

In my experience, it took a while after a consistent change in my diet for the kinks to work themselves out. Don't give up or think that you are powerless because you aren't getting immediate results. What you do put into your body does matter, so keep paying close attention to how things make you feel.

I agree with a lot of what AutieAB is saying as well. I think that IBS is an umbrella diagnosis for what's actually a spectrum of disorders. Ask your doctor how it works specifically and you'll see exactly what I mean. If they give an abbreviated statement, ask for more detail, and you'll eventually notice that they are full of crap. A GI doctor won't even be able to explain to you exactly how it works, because nobody knows what IBS is.

Not that your pain isn't real, I dealt with it myself, just don't expect the doctors to know exactly what they are doing.

[Horndog]

Of course, which is why I went with a second opinion. The first doctor even told me to see someone else just to confirm because IBS is often misdiagnosed.

I just moved to a new area so I'm going to seek a doctor here and see if he has any specific advice he could give me.

I confess that I don't adhere to strict dieting. I relapse all the time. It's a family trait, actually. I'll post in this thread in a week after eliminating gluten-based foods from my diet.

Here's to making progress.

[babyvr6]

Remember that gluten is in almost everything. Even many nonfood items contain Gluten. A quick google brought up many sites that can help out.

Here's one

[spark]

My understanding with IBS is that it is one of those conditions that is very difficult to pinpoint. The doctors know that something is wrong which is causing your stomach to fight WWIII, but the reasons are very difficult to pinpoint.

In my case, I went to the doctor after years of complaining of bloating, gas, and unsettled stomach. He put the stethoscope against my stomach and heard what I was complaining of. He asked if I had a stressful job (I do) and he said "It is probably IBS."

I was tested for IBD's and ruled them out (they found something else, but that didn't cause my gas), so now it is a matter of finding a way to deal with the IBS that works for you. For me, reducing stress and improving diet. I tried some OTC drugs,but they made me constipated (The cure was worse than the problem). Fortunately, my form is usually just gas. I don't have issues with my bowels releasing too early.

[ldatsea]

IBS is def a catch all diaganosis from the GP's since they cant pinpoint anything and everyone is effected differantly, doc's like to blame Stress cuasing everything from headaches to MS type symptoms but I am sick of hearing its stress related when i see a doc. in my opinion stress may be a contributing factor and does heighten the symptoms... BUT i dont believe stress is the cause of most symptoms... I dont have that much stress but I have medical issues that the doc like to blame stress first.

[Horndog]

I finally managed to control my problem. Here's what I did:

• Consumed lots of yogurt
• Stayed away from spicy foods
• Ate smaller portions of food throughout the day
• Did some meditation
• Reduced my consumption of meat

Now I'm doing better, but I'm still cautious.

[WallaWalla]

Try yoga, I think that made almost as big of a difference for me as changing diet did.

[ldatsea]

I finally managed to control my problem. Here's what I did:

• Consumed lots of yogurt
• Stayed away from spicy foods
• Ate smaller portions of food throughout the day
• Did some meditation
• Reduced my consumption of meat

Now I'm doing better, but I'm still cautious.

Spicy foods don't seem to effect me.. very fatty foods,nuts,Diet soda(reg soda is ok) are the things that really mess me up!...I rarely have issues anymore once i knew what to avoid, but every once in a while i really crave some of the foods that effect me so I sometimes indulge when i know i can handle the resulting issues later.

[WallaWalla]

Oh and I'm not sure if you drink any carbonated beverages OP, but you might want to try giving them a rest. I haven't drank any soda in years, but even sparkling water was bothering me.

[Horndog]

Fun trivia: I don't drink any soda. I never have. What's even funnier is that I never even touched beer until I turned 23.