IBS Irritable Bowel Syndrome Help

IBS and My Experiences

Posted on April 3, 2008
Filed Under IBS Stories | 6 Comments

IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome can be a challenge to live with because many doctors still do not recognize it as a bona fide illness or condition. This leaves IBS sufferers feeling lonely and hopeless. Having experienced this first hand, I can relate to that feeling very well. When I asked my gastroenterologist what was wrong with me, he replied that he didn’t know. To give you the happy ending at the beginning, I have been leading a perfectly normal life for over two years now after I put a few dietary and behavioral changes into effect. It is my intent to share the things I learned, both through the experience of trial and error, and through information I gleaned from the internet.

Let me give you some background. Back when I was in my twenties I had an ulcer. This was treated successfully but when I started having IBS symptoms I attributed them to ulcers. When no ulcers were found I was confused. My symptoms were mild but often annoying and uncomfortable. I didn’t realize that I must have had IBS until years later when I had an “attack” and couldn’t eat even a teaspoon of food without getting uncomfortably bloated. I was starving but full. It was horrible. I even went to the ER because the pressure on my diaphragm was very uncomfortable and I had no idea what was going on. The attack seemed to get better on it’s own in a few days and I was fine until we went on vacation a few months later. Then I was constipated for days followed by diarrhea for a day. This went on for a month and then it clicked. I remembered someone telling me about their IBS troubles. I ravenously devoured everything I could find on the internet about it, realized those were my symptoms and then set to work fixing things.

IBS Diagnosis and Symptoms

Posted on April 2, 2008
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According to the Rome II committees and the Functional Brain Gut Research Group, IBS can be diagnosed based on at least 12 weeks (not consecutive) in which a person had two out of three of these features over a period of a year:

Symptoms that cumulatively support the diagnosis of IBS:

Supportive symptoms of IBS:

Determining whether you are diarrhea predominant, constipation predominant or a little of both helps in managing your symptoms.
Diarrhea-predominant: At least 1 of B, D, F and none of A, C, E; or at least 2 of B, D, F and one of A or E.
Constipation-predominant: At least 1 of A, C, E and none of B, D, F; or at least 2 of A, C, E and one of B, D, F.

IBS in Children

Posted on April 2, 2008
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Yes children do get IBS and the treatment for them is the same as for adults. Depending on the age of the child, compliance may be hard or easy to come by. The occurrence of irritable bowel syndrome in children is similar to the rate in adults (6% to 14%). Symptoms sufficient for a diagnosis of IBS were noted in 17% of high school students and 8% of middle school students.

IBS Attack, What Now

Posted on April 1, 2008
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When I had my bad IBS attack this is what I did to regain some sense of normalcy. I ate soluble fiber foods for a few days. When I told my doctor’s nurse this, who was very IBS sympathetic, she said don’t overdue it. But this is where she was wrong. If you felt like I did, the only way to recovery was to eat soluble fiber exclusively or I’d bloat up like a balloon. My body wasn’t ready to handle anything else at that point. I chose only specific foods.

One easy way to visualize soluble fiber vs insoluble fiber is to look at a piece of fruit with a skin. Take an apple for example. The skin is the insoluble component and the meat inside is the soluble component. When you are having an IBS attack the gut has to work harder to digest insoluble fiber so sticking to soluble fiber helps your stomach regain it’s balance gently.

I stuck with applesauce, pasta and sweet potatoes, white bread and soy. I ate lots of small meals and no big meals, otherwise known as grazing. After a few days, when I could eat these food items comfortably and in reasonable quantities, I moved onto other foods, avoiding the foods that are bad for IBS that can trigger an attack. What was important then and still is now to a certain extent is loading up on soluble fiber before eating any other type of food. This soluble fiber acts like a buffer for the other, less easily digestible foods.

IBS and Foods to Avoid

Posted on April 1, 2008
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Foods that can trigger an IBS attack are: anything containing caffeine, any high fat foods such as nuts or fried foods, carbonated beverages, alcohol, red meat, chocolate bars, dairy and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame.

Remember, everyone is different. Some people can eat chocolate while others only have to have a tiny piece to trigger an attack. Some people can drink alcohol, others cannot. You have to experiment and eliminate those foods causing you trouble.

Fiber Supplements Are Essential For IBS Treatment

Posted on March 2, 2008
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Maintaining a high fiber input is essential for living comfortably with IBS. Recommendations are for a daily intake of about 22 grams of fiber in order to maintain a functional digestive system. How can you manage to eat this much fiber in a day especially considering that the average person probably eats only about 10-14 grams of fiber a day? Take a supplement. There are many supplements on the market but beware of the additives in some of them. They may contain artificial sweeteners. I tried Metamucil and didn’t like it. You can try Fiber Choice or Benefiber. I now take a tablespoon of Acacia three times a day before or with meals.

Remember, start small. You have to slowly build up to a 22 gram fiber intake and this should take a month or more of gradual increases in dosage.

IBS Tips and Tricks

Posted on March 2, 2008
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Always “preload” your stomach with fiber before a meal. I always start my day out with a bowl of oatmeal drizzled with brown sugar along with a cup of chamomile tea with Acacia dissolved in it.

If fiber supplements aren’t available and you find yourself caught out and away from them, choose the highest fiber food item you can find to start your meal. Or take along some fiber caplets.

Never allow your stomach to be completely empty.

Keep a diary while you are trying to figure out what foods are giving your IBS trouble. When you see a pattern, flag the trigger foods and avoid them. You might find that once your stomach stabilizes you can eat certain trigger foods with no effect.

A Word About Acacia: I discovered this organic fiber supplement during my internet reading journey and it’s an essential part of my diet. There are no additives or fillers in it and it is a tasteless powder that can be added to any food or liquid. You can add it while baking, add it to tea or lemonade or just drink it in a glass of water. When I go for a meal, I mix up water and acacia, put it in a water bottle and take it with me.

( I am not affiliated with the makers of Acacia but offer it for sale in my Amazon store)

What is NOT IBS

Posted on March 1, 2008
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Red flag symptoms which are not typical of IBS:

See a doctor immediately if you have any of these symptoms.

Don’t Waste Money on IBS Pills

Posted on March 1, 2008
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There are all kinds of pills on the market, all of which I tired before I got smart about handling IBS and none of them worked. None of the anti-bloating pills worked either. The last prescription drug on the market was removed because it was dangerous. There is no magic bullet fix. Dietary, including natural supplements, and behavioral modifications DO work however. At least they worked for me. With a little patience and time, you will become stable again.