HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

help! ibs relapse

Support Forums
>
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 8/26/2008 2:55 AM (GMT 0)
i have been dealing with ibs for at least 6 years or more. it's always been a problem but seems to be getting worse and worse with time. recently i've found heather's ibs website and have bought and been using the tummy teas and fiber from the site. both seemed to relive all my ibs symptoms and i was feeling great for at least a solid month. Three days ago i moved into my dorm for college and all my ibs symptoms have returned! i am at a loss since i am still using the fiber and teas and i am wondering what solutions have helped other people here. this is urgent because i already stayed home a full semester because of this and i cannot afford to loose another one! please any help and suggestions are greatly appreciated

(to help these are things i have tried: metamucil and other fibers, peppermint oil, fennel tea, charcoal tables, amitiza, zelnorm, miralax, activia yogurt. i have gone for a lower GI series and they said everything was normal! i have also tried eating smaller meals which helped for a little bit but now that seems to not work anymore either)

Post Edited (dissolvedgirl) : 8/25/2008 9:47:18 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 8/26/2008 2:28 PM (GMT 0)
Stress can cause problems for anyone with IBS,also greasy foods,corn.That's what gets me but I have had no problems for nearly a year now............

Posted 8/26/2008 4:08 PM (GMT 0)

Do you eat Bread?  Stay away from wheat and wheat by products.  It is in so much now that I really just don't eat bread or any bread like products. No pasta (unless it is rice pasta and make sure no wheat is used), you need to learn to read labels... stinks to have to but worth the extra time in the end.

Another option and this helps with me try taking acidipholus (a pro-biotic) daily.  You can find it in tablet form at any health food store.  You need a min 3 million dosage.. sounds like a lot but it isn't.  One tablet once a day does it. I got a big bottle lasted me now close to 3 months for  $20.00.  This was recommended by my Dr. beleive it or not.

How about milk and dairy how do they affect you?  Is it possible you could also be lactose intolerant? This is why I stay away from yogurt which also contain pro-biotics

Peppermint tea is good, stay away from caffine it is evil and if you drink it now stop completly (be prepared for the headache caused by the withdrawl but it goes away eventually)  I now can have one cup a day no more but I had to get it out of my body completly first cause I drank 4-5 ice coffees a day during the summer and same with ice or hot black Tea in the winter.  Drink lots and lots and lots of water, cannot stress that enough.  Excercise will help too mainly cause it eases your stress.  Try eating 6 meals, (I know you said you do and it might be harder being in college again if your on a meal plan) but do your best.  Make sure your meals are small, I eat 6 meals a day every 2.5 to 3 hours.  Included in them per meal is 2 oz of protein, 1/2 cup of a carb, with breakfast meal I add 1/2 cup fruit and 1 cup of veggies with noon and supper meals) The more control you can have on what your putting in your mouth the better so try to stay away from processed foods, fried foods, anything you can't identify or tell what is in it.  I eat very little red meat, mostly chicken, turkey (ground or breasts), lean pork once every couple weeks only, lots of fish and sea food.  I have had IBS for going on 20 years.  I developed it after the birth of my children.  I first blamed in on beign lactose intolerant but found out later it was IBS combined with dairy allerigies.. I eat nothing dairy at all.

Okay I hope this helps some, it is frustrating, please know your not alone with this, but most of all stay as calm as possible, try to not get stressed, develop a tool to help you relax, meditation, yoga, excercise, reading, whatever it takes.. stay calm, stress is the worst trigger.

Posted 8/27/2008 12:50 AM (GMT 0)
dissolvedgirl: You've been given excellent suggestions regarding what to avoid, etc. But one thing jumped out at me in your topic - you've just moved into a college dorm! That is a huge change. Which can cause stress, in itself, but add IBS to the mix and no wonder you're not feeling well. I guess the mother in me is coming out because I'm about to send my youngest daughter off to a college dorm. She's very nervous! Her sister went away to college 3 years ago so we've all been thru it before. What I am trying to say college is such an exciting time, where you're almost an adult, in charge of your own schedule (in a sense, you can skip classes, you won't be sent to the principal's office! But I wouldn't recommend skipping unless sick), free to stay up as late as you want, eat when and what you want, sometimes the wrong kinds of foods (I'm sure you've heard of the Freshman 15).......so please know that we're here for you, try your best to relax. Your IBS will calm down. You've just made a major change in your life!

Good luck in college!

Mary/Marsky
Posted 8/29/2008 9:10 PM (GMT 0)
i try so hard not to eat bread!! i don't even like it but it's almost impossible to avoid here. now that i think of it that could have a lot to do with it. i still think the the bread is what bothers me, but they told me i don't have celiac's disease so i figured i was just wrong. i stopped drinking caffeine as well. i drink soy milk as well because i still can't figure out if i am lactose intolerant or not. im just so frustrated because the first time in my life i got my ibs under control and and as soon as i got here everything got bad again :( the worst thing is sharing a bathroom! i can't stand this. the embarassment ibs causes is just too much for me. the only thing worse than ibs is dealing with ibs with limited privacy. i have been walking everywhere and getting more exercise that i would at home, and i am just so nervous all the time anyways because my social anxiety makes me nervous just being around people. i will try staying away from the bread again and see what happens. i will also try and get the acidpholus. thanks you everyone for the advice and support!
i already stayed home a whole semester of college last year because my ibs got so unbearable. i'm so sick of it ruining my life and i hope i can find a solution soon
Posted 8/29/2008 11:45 PM (GMT 0)
dissolvedgirl - oh, my heart is going out to you again. Sharing public bathrooms, especially in a college dorm, can be stressful. My youngest is going off to school in a week and she is worried about having #2 with someone next to her. I just said eventually she'll realize it's no big deal and everyone has to go at some point or other. Can you try closing your eyes, taking deep breaths and forcing yourself to calm down while in the bathroom? If I'm in public, I do this and pretend I am home in my favorite bathroom here in our house, with my Golden Retriever at my feet. With no where to be (meaning, wide open schedule). I know it sounds crazy to do this but in my case I have calmed my gut or at least felt more relaxed by just pretending.

Don't worry about the other girls either. If they ever ask you, shrug and say you don't always feel well.

I think most of us think that other people are that surprised or shocked that we need bathrooms this much. But in reality, if we shrug it off and don't make a big deal about it, I've learned that others don't either. If I go into great detail about what I go thru in a 24 hour period, I shock the heck out of them! And even then they don't get it.....they say, isn't there a medication you can take? A surgery you can have? Then they think they know what to avoid and eat......

So what I'm saying is I've learned not to give many details.

Finally, I have heard yoga is very good at calming the GI tract. Look into yoga classes on your campus.

Personally, I find that white bread helps me but then that's just my wacky system. I also rely on Club Crackers a lot too. I am never without them in this house.

Wishing you my best and for the semester to go better than it has.......vent with us anytime.

Mary/Marsky
Posted 8/30/2008 12:06 AM (GMT 0)
Hey, all of the advice below is something good to think about. I cannot tolerate bread, but it is not because of the wheat, but because of the yeast. Maybe you have developed an intolerance to that. As well, staying away from processed foods is a good idea..too many hidden ingredients, including yeast. It is everywhere!

However, your comment that stood out to me was when you said was that you developed your symptoms again 3 days after you moved into your dorm. I'm wondering if you are being exposed to mold/mildew. Mold can certainly cause IBS symptoms, plus a whole lot more. Dorms aren't known to be the cleanest places, and some are known to be mold infested. You probably wouldn't even be able to see it unless you could pull back the carpet or tear the walls out. Feeling better, or worse after changing environments is an indicator that environment could be playing a factor in your health. Just a thought.

I would also suggest a probiotic that can help with the lactose intolerance issue. I take Primodophilus Reuteri, which is supposed to help with that. Watch the activia yogurt. If you are eating the low-fat flavors, you are eating artificial sugars,as well.
Posted 9/2/2008 2:08 AM (GMT 0)
hmm that is something i need to check out as well. (the mold situation i mean) it's very possible there is plenty of mold here in my dorm and i know that i am very allergic to mold anyways. i have been avoiding breads again and i think i am getting better (don't want to jinx it though lol) i'm sure just t the major stress i was feeling from moving in played a factor as well. i am getting an air purifier to see if that helps any (if not for my stomach hopefully it will help my stuffy nose at least)
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply