Found out today that iv IBS help plz

Welcome to the forum. You'll find plenty of info here, and lots of helpful people.

IBS is a "syndrom" which, simply put, means its a number of symptoms that the doctor can't specificly identify the cause of. Diet and stress are high on the list. You probably already know about the episodes of pain, cramping, bloating, constipation or diarhea, (or a combination of both).

At 27, unless you have been eating absolutely horribly for years, or live in an incredibly stressful environment, I would bet you could resolve your "syndrom" over time, through simple dietary or life style changes. This forum is full of suggestions. And if none of the sugggestions work for you, just ask new questions.

I am 48 and suffered with IBS for about 30 years. I have now put it behind me, mostly by what I eat and finding ways to decrease stress. I have a number of issues that will be with me for some time because I took so long to get serious about resolving my IBS. So I would encourage you to not panic about the diagnosis, but certainly take some time to learn about your body and specificially about digestion to minimize further damage.

There are certainly drugs that doctors will offer. Try them if you like, but ask what they do and what side-effects they cause. Remember Irritable Bowl "Syndrom" means they don't know exactly what is causing the problem, so at least, to some degree, they are guessing at what to prescribe. Some medicines can increase the problem over time. The reality is some so-called healthy foods can also increase IBS symptoms. So explore what "healthy" means for your body.

Granola is healthy, right? Not for me, too coarse and hard for my system to digest. Pomegranate juice, with all it healthy anti-oxidants? Cramps me up like a twisted wash rag. But I enjoy plenty of good food.

This is just a starting point, as they say, don't get scared, get curious, and you'll find a way out of this.

Good luck and good health to you.

Post Edited (redee2moov) : 3/23/2009 4:55:15 PM (GMT-6)

I did a little research on the product you mentioned and suggested.

pippie - are you currently using this product on a daily basis?

So correct me if I'm wrong, please, but kafir is basically a yogurt smoothie with much higher concentrations of good bacteria, far more than an organic cup of yogurt can give you?

I have tried organic brand yogurt since these brands contain 3 and 4 times more good bacteria than other brands.

But in my case I find that yogurt makes my gut ~more~ active, doesn't slow down my bm's (these are caused because I no longer have the lower part of my GI tract, lost it due to cancer/surgery), or stop D and turn D into formed bm's. Yogurt makes my act extremely noisy to the point where I almost feel pregnant again (haven't been pregnant since 1990!), my stomach heaves and rolls if I have too much yogurt. As a young child I couldn't digest milk. I almost died as an infant my mom says. I outgrew this allergy by age 3 but milk never goes thru my system without side effects. A milkshake will induce D, for example.

Personally I'd be leary of this product, because of my obvious sensitivity to dairy. I haven't been officially diagnosed lactose intolerant, I just often do not feel well after ingesting certain daily products but I can enjoy cream in my coffee and a small amount of milk in my cereal. Odd I know. But if I were to drink an 8 to 10 ounce glass of milk, I'd have trouble.

If this product works for people struggling with IBS/D, then great.

I'd have to try it, when I'm not working and when I know I can allow whatever it does to me, to do it (whatever that may be!).

Has anyone else here at HW suggested Kafir on the forum? Just curious.

As far as all of your IBS related questions, redee2moov gave you an excellent start. I would suggest you keep a food diary or log of all the foods and beverages you have each day. Also record if your stress level was high or low that day and any medications you took on that day as well. All of these aspects of IBS are important - diet, stress, medications. After a while you'll begin to see a pattern form. You may find that dairy messes you up. Or high stress (I don't think any of us have ever said our IBS is gone or controlled when we're under a lot of stress, quite the opposite) or if you're on meds for other reasons. Antibiotics can give me D, vitamins can give me D. Lots of things can give me D, that I wouldn't think would induce D before all of my IBS troubles began. You begin to learn a lot when your gut is heaving and rolling, and not behaving in a normal way! Finally I prefer to avoid the food or beverage that messes me up rather than risk having it and then dealing with IBS flare ups. Trying to turn around D is hard for me. Downright impossible sometimes. That quote - you are what you eat - well, with IBS these words couldn't be more accurate. You ARE what you eat.

Wishing you better days ahead.