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New here same old questions every newbee asks??? A little help please!

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 8/24/2006 2:06 AM (GMT 0)
 Hi all, good to see so many helpful people. Sad that so many of you are not well. I have been reading for a while and decided to finaly post.

 I have had stomach problems IBS for quite some time. I am in my early thirties and it seems to have started about five to six years ago. I have run the gauntlet of treatment and meds, I have been scoped more then want to admit, swallowed the camera pill etc etc etc. I have had markers for chrons, but not enough to diagnose, I have had ulcerative colitis, inflimation of the colon in scopes a lot of bleeding and cramping! Thing is it just doesnt seem to get my Dr attention. Only because there is nothing definitive? Anyone else run into this?

 The reason I decided to post was because I get abdominal pains when I have a flair up or attack! When you know you only have a few min before all hell breaks loose! I swear the pain is so intense I dont know what the hell to do? I sweat from it, shake, and it gives me chills. I swear It has caused mild state of schock? I would say that its probably the worst pain I have ever experienced. It doesnt last long about fifteen to twenty min where it peaks and falls, do any of you experience this?

 Oh and I am not trying to sound like a tough guy or anything like that, but I have had many experiences with pain!  Broken bones, etc etc, most recent in April a metal bar through my sholder! That tickled by comparrison to the pain I mentioned above. I simply dont know what to do? I sit here dreading another attack!

Posted 8/26/2006 9:19 PM (GMT 0)
  I am around the same age as you, and I get the bad pains like you're talking about.  Mine start off where I get really hot until I begin to sweat & that's my main warning I get to head to the bathroom.  I just sit there crying bout after bout of "D".  When this happens to me, I have to crawl into my bed.  No position is comfortable, but I make myself lie there until the trips to the bathroom fade & I can get to sleep.  I wake when my body allows me to awaken & for the rest of that day I'll only eat plain white rice if I'm hungry at all.  I usually fell much better after sleeping it off & can actually venture out of the bathroom area.  I went 3 1/2 months this year with no meds for the pain from my doc and this was the one thing that I knew I could do to rid myself of the pain.  All the other advice I got: heating pad, hot tea, etc; I have never gotten any relief from anything but a nap.  I am still going through testing for the pain & have finally been given Bentyl, which seems to be working.

  I have also learned to cut everything out of my diet but the BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, & Toast) & work my way back to a regular diet from there.  The softer the food, the better off I am - no seeds, peels, peanuts - anything that my body has to WORK to digest.  Eating like that has really helped, as well as cutting out my dairy/milk intake compltely.  We're all different & maybe what works for me won't work for you, but you never know.  I do hope you begin to get some relief, I absolutely know what you're going through.  I'm still not out of the woods myself.

Posted 8/29/2006 3:06 AM (GMT 0)
 Thanks for the reply! I have been on the bentyl for a while, it did help at first. I guess the thing that is the hardest is knowing that this may be it. Just the way it is. Sounds like we have all heared the same things! ( BRAT DIET)  Anyway its good too see I am not alone! Thanks!

Posted 9/6/2006 2:18 AM (GMT 0)
I was fortunate to be diagnosed in the Seattle area where an IBS-sufferer turned nutritionist/chef came up with an eating system and cookbook. (There is also a message board and a recipe board.) This book changed my life!! It will teach you what foods to avoid and why. No more wondering if you're going to have an attack in public out of the blue. All of the trigger foods are identified, and she tells you the order in which to eat food, so that food can work for you to protect you. The book is called Eating for IBS by Heather Van Vorous. She's had IBS since childhood, and has done everything possible to find a way to treat it. If you're serious about living your life without worrying where the nearest restroom is, then read this book. I checked it out of my local library then bought copies for myself and my parents.

My parents follow this diet even though they do not have IBS. My father had high cholesterol and blood pressure, eh voila!, he is now at healthy levels and is 40lbs lighter. My mom went on the diet to support my dad, and she dropped over 50 lbs in a year. (I use the word "diet" not as a casual term, but a lifestyle change in regards to what you consume. The weight loss is an added bonus to eating healthfully.)

I have been on this diet for five years, and I live practically symptom-free. I was at the point where I could not eat anything or my body would immediately reject it. I had tried everything. Then I found this book, and now I can live!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you all get a chance to read it. The website is helpforibs.com if you want to read more about it. Good health!! Good luck!!
Posted 9/6/2006 5:32 AM (GMT 0)
Eating for IBS by Heather Van Vorous can be purchased at our Resource Center.
Posted 9/6/2006 11:03 AM (GMT 0)
Looks like an interesting book.. went down to my local borders book store, and they didn't have it.

Anyone else read it? any comments?
Posted 9/6/2006 11:50 AM (GMT 0)
I would love to follow a great IBS diet, but I just can't afford to lose any more weight that IBS has already caused me to lose.  I am down to 100lbs at 5'4".  I remind myself of those skeletons in the corner of anatomy classes.  Went to the doc yesterday & she said I needed to gain weight, but had no answer for "how".  Does the book have any information about diets like that?
Posted 9/6/2006 11:53 AM (GMT 0)
I read on amazon about this book that a few people reported actually gaining weight, because they were keeping their food down with an ibs diet. I'm skinny as right now... would like to bulk up if possible too.
Posted 9/6/2006 2:19 PM (GMT 0)
I would think if you can keep from getting sick every time you eat, then you'll be able to eat more and get back up to your normal weight.
Posted 9/6/2006 7:41 PM (GMT 0)
TLP,

I have had the same exact problem for the last 12 months. I am 23 years old and have also taken every test in the book (except for the pill camera -which I will be taking next week). When the symptoms flare up, the stomach/abdominal pain is so bad, that sometimes I just feel like I want to die. I have been taking a few different types of Meds over the last couple months, but nothing seems to eliminate the pain However, the weird thing is that I don't really have any other symptoms, like D, vomitting, fatigue, etc. I am currently seeing 2 different GI's. The one doc thinks I might have Crohns, and the other doc thinks I might have IBS. I have been on Short-Term Disability for work for teh past couple weeks, b/c the pain is so bad. I have also tried to change my diet, but nothing seems to work.
Please let me know what remedies and daily activities you go through to try and relieve your pain, and avoid flare-ups.
Posted 9/7/2006 1:47 PM (GMT 0)
I didn't lose any weight on the diet. I gained and am back to a healthy, normal size. The diet helps me maintain the weight, too. I don't even have to think about weight anymore.

The best advice in the book, and the thing that caused me the fastest relief (I'll never forget the feeling) was enteric peppermint oil. It is peppermint oil that has a special coating on it, so that it dissolves in the intestines. I couldn't believe how fast and how amazing I felt taking it. They use it in Europe to conduct colonoscopies (our favorite test, right?!!!), because it relaxes the colon and regulates spasticity.

You should be able to get it at any health food store. You can also buy "Tummy Care" products on the helpforibs.com website. Bulk teas and a fiber supplement that doesn't cause any gas or bloating.

Take care!!
Posted 9/7/2006 3:49 PM (GMT 0)
I ordered the book - thanks for the recommendation!
Posted 9/8/2006 12:45 AM (GMT 0)
Let us know how you go with the book. I'm going to borders to order it too, being in australia it'll probably take a few weeks to get here.
Posted 9/8/2006 8:32 AM (GMT 0)
I'll definitely keep you posted on any weight gain from tips in that book. It'll be a while for me to get it too......I live in Italy, apparently 2 weeks from everywhere! After I ordered the book, I realized that the other book I had ordered about the First Year With IBS (or something like that) is by the same author. STILL waiting on that one to arrive, maybe soon.

rgrwfe
Posted 9/8/2006 8:46 AM (GMT 0)
Guess what ?? I found the book at borders.. One copy of IBS the First Year and one copy of Eating for IBS. Apparently they're the only copies they had for the whole of South Australia. So i've read about a third way into IBS the first year.. haven't had a chance to get through eating for ibs. But i'm feeling really positive reading the book, even if it doesn't cure me at least i'll be armed with some information and a cook book :)
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