Just to keep in mind...

It's true - what works for someone won't necessarily work for another.  The GI system is extremely intricate, as I'm learning, and the magical cure for someone will be a metabolic burden for another.  It's a good reminder that there is no "magical cure" for someone who experiences constipation, diarrhea, or whatever else ails you.  The human body is a conundrum, essentially.  There are "typical" cases out there but nothing absolute.  All you can do is educate yourself as much as possible and share your experiences as much as possible.  You will find out what works best for you, even if it doesn't work as well as you hoped it would.  Thanks, gutastrophe!

Very true. My main motto now is - we are what we eat. Or I am what I eat!!! LOL

What I recommend the most is for each patient to keep a food diary or journal. And to know some basic guidelines too, when trying different types of food.

In my case I was told I could eat ~anything~ I wanted, after my colon resection for rectal cancer in 1999. Possibly aoviding spicy food and eating small meals. That was IT and I mean IT, for my post-op instructions (after a temp colostomy was reversed I should add).

Well, here I was resuming my pre-cancer, pre-surgery diet, before my world was turned completely upside down - whole wheat products (bagels, bread, cereals, rolls, etc.). Fresh fruit - all berries, pineapple (I learned how to carve a fresh pineapple, only used canned pineapple for upside down pineapple cake!), home grown tomatoes, corn, etc.

I could barely get through one meal - I had 3 bm's during each meal! Not to mention, many afterwards too.

Somehow I found time to get on the computer, I found a now defunct colon cancer message board and a patient who was experiencing repeated bms and all out D, while having chemo. This patient's symptoms were mine. Another patient recommended a Low Residue Diet. I glanced at that diet and realized all the foods I was eating (to keep cancer at bay and also b/c it was the very diet I had eaten before cancer) were no where to be found on the list. I went on this diet and within, I swear, 48 hours I was a new person. Oh my gosh, I could leave home, I could get behind the wheel of a car, I could do so much!

And all because I ate very plain foods, and consumed very little fiber.

So yes I do agree with you gutastrophe - we are all different. And what works for one person may not for another. But a Low Reside Diet and a food journal just about saved me from living in my bathroom for the rest of my life. I honestly thought any normal way of living was over for me. My doctor was taken back by my new diet but when I told him how much fresh produce and fiber was wreaking havoc on my gut, he said it made total sense to him!

I am still on this diet about 75% of the time. 8 years later. My husband jokingly calls it my White Diet. So many of the foods I eat are white - vanilla yogurt, bananas (I am so rarely w/o bananas!), white rice, cottage cheese, plain bread, plain english muffins, plain bagels, applesauce, Cheerios or Special K, turkey, chicken, fish, pasta, etc. Yes, mostly all white. And oh, another biggie for me - Regular Club Crackers!

Mary/Marsky

The white diet is what my Dr. told me to eat when I was having so many stomach problems. It really wasn't for IBS as much as for the stomach digestion. No red meat, no fresh veggies or fresh fruit, Only rice, noodles, potatoes, chicken, fish and pretty soon my stomach was back to normal (whatever that is) Now I am off that and OK but everyone once in a while when it gets goofy again that is what I have to do. In my case he also said No dairy.

I try to eat the right foods,but it's seems like what I eat does not agree with me the next day sometimes,I wake up to having excessive amounts of gas,I got to make sure a pass it,even before I have my bm's.I hate having to go threw that and it's loud gas passing,I feel embarassed even though their is no one around. And I would love to have just one healthy bulky bm,not several small pencil shaped ones I hate that,and the way I know now that I have to have a bm is I start passing gas involunteraly and my stomach starts hurting.And I know this sounds weird,I know are bm's are supposed to smell, but mine be smelling like they were dipped in viniger it's so pungent,I know I didn't eat anything that bad,I'm sorry everyone I hate to be so graphic,I just want to know if anyone experinences the same thing.Should I do a clense?

jtaurus said...
I try to eat the right foods,but it's seems like what I eat does not agree with me the next day sometimes,I wake up to having excessive amounts of gas,I got to make sure a pass it,even before I have my bm's.I hate having to go threw that and it's loud gas passing,I feel embarassed even though their is no one around. And I would love to have just one healthy bulky bm,not several small pencil shaped ones I hate that,and the way I know now that I have to have a bm is I start passing gas involunteraly and my stomach starts hurting.And I know this sounds weird,I know are bm's are supposed to smell, but mine be smelling like they were dipped in viniger it's so pungent,I know I didn't eat anything that bad,I'm sorry everyone I hate to be so graphic,I just want to know if anyone experinences the same thing.Should I do a clense?

I am pretty certain we can all relate! 

Pungent and aromatic BM's are generally the result of stool that has been lingering in the colon a little past it's expiration date.  Bacteria will begin to ferment and cause gas, as well as odor.  It's nothing to be embarrassed about.  Even my son and daughter in law, who do not have IBS, have stinky flatulance at times!

 

When I begin to back up, I use Magnesium Citrate.  It's quick, effective, and does not cause cramping and spasms.  I avoid the "cleansing" products because I don't believe the hype.  If you want to clean out, you don't need to pay a fortune and take pills and liquids for a month.  A two dollar magnesium citrate solution from your local pharmacy will do the trick!

Gut, I'm with you. When I tried a fiber supplement pill, it made my constipation worse. My mother said that I was imagining it since fiber always helps C (ha!), but how hard do you have to imagine being able to go to the bathroom one day, taking that pill and then being completely unable to go w/o taking laxatives while you are taking it? And when I stopped taking it, I was able to go again, albeit with some difficulty.

Okay, fast forward a couple of years to a bad problem with D. Should take the supplment, right? It's constipating fiber, right? Wrong! It made the D worse too! My D got worse, as did my cramps (which went from pretty bad to extremely bad). And this wasn't even a very high fiber pill!

I don't fool around with any fiber supplements at all anymore; I either get my fiber from food or I don't get it. I recently had to give up blue corn chips because they were causing me D and the only thing I could figure out was cause of it was the fact that they were super high in fiber. Yellow corn chips, however, have a moderate amount of fiber and I can handle them.