How my spouse conquered her IBS

She was diagnosed with IBS over 14 years ago, but no help came from the medical profession and suffered for 11 years with urgent diarrhea, gas, pain and 6+ bathroom trips a day.  Horrible way to live.  We tried numerous probiotics, calcium pills, immodium, antidepressents, HCL pills, fiber supplements and daily anti-anxiety meds.  Nothing worked

Changing our diet changed her life.  I read a book by a woman named Heather van Voros, an IBS sufferer, about what to eat.  We cut out garlic, tomatoes, hot spices, etc. I also read a study about possible links between gluten sensitivity and digestive issues.  Though not celiacs, we cut all gluten from the diet, too.  We make gluten free bread, muffins and pizza crust.  There are so many gluten free products that we eat great!

Within 2 weeks of becoming totally gluten free and cutting certain foods recommended by Heather, the gas, bloating, pain and multiple trips to the bathroom went away.  Within a few months she was making one trip to the bathroom and was only taking 2 over the counter immodium a day.  It is three years later and she is still happily doing great.  Every month or two she has a bad day or few days.  Twice to the bathroom and increasing the immodium to 4 or 6 is as bad as a bad day gets though.

Life is good now.  She isn't "normal" and won't ever be, but she can work, go out, is painfree and happy.  It tooks three years of trial and error to find what worked for her.  Don't give up IBS people.  Keep trying to find what works for you.

I wouldn't say at all this works for everyone, but it works for her.  Gluten free, daily exercise and  

I have seen her website. Thats so great to hear a positive story.
I think imodium is a great drug - I use it a lot.
Does she find exercise very useful? I have just started swimming in hope that it helps me as I feel very unfit.

 

John14,

Thanks for sharing!  Glad to hear that worked and has solved the problem.  In my opinion, if bowel issues are addressed before they progress to Crohn's/Colitis, most of them are solveable withoout prescription medications. 

I have had candida since 1994, and leaky gut since 2003.  I never used to have any allergies to anything, and all of a sudden came up as having over 30 food & environmental allergies in 2003.  After cutting out gluten and cow dairy, I felt better for a few months, but then diarrhea and malaise returned.  I went on the candida diet under the supervision of a nutritionist, but when it came to the point of adding things back in, I wasn't tolerating them at all.  I had bad diarrhea and horrible gas. 

Eventually, I moved onto a different nutrionist and a raw food diet, which finally allowed me to gain weight.  Over the span of a few years, I continued to become more intolerant to more foods.  My bones were weak, and although I was drinking raw milk and taking minerals, I was not absorbing them.  I broke ribs from coughing after an  exposure to formaldehyde. 

Then I began seeing a fibromyalgia doctor because my pain had gotten so bad.  Through this center, I was assigned a dietician.  I returned to cooked meats, no dairy, and limited vegetables for the candida diet.  I was not tolerating foods they said I should tolerate.  Now I'm not even tolerating things like tap water, canola oil, or balsamic vinegar. 

I'm excited to be starting a very promising protocol in a few weeks.  I heard a nutritionist speak about candida at an Autism conference, and he talked about rotating the antifungals so the candida cannot become resistant to them.  His protocol sounded the most comprehensive to me, and he does things that were not addressed the previous times I went after the gut issues.  Here's hoping his protocol will work for me!