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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 12/8/2005 4:35 AM (GMT 0)
Hello Everyone~

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving! I haven't been on in a while. The end of the semester is always crazy but things are winding down now. So, upon my return to this board, I have a few questions I was hoping you could help me with.

1. I've had IBS symptoms for as long as I can remember but wasn't diagnosed until a few years ago. Things seem to have gotten much worse since giving birth to my daugter 2 years ago. I mentioned this to the Dr. and he told me that pregnancy and delivery both worsen the symptoms of IBS. So now I am wondering if I were to have another child, would the symptoms worsen even further or is it the type of thing that once your body goes through it once, you're over the hump, so to speak? We are considering havinga another child and while I would never allow IBS to take away that joy, I must admit I am a bit nervous about not being able to care for another child because I am constantly sick with this condition! I'm sure this seems silly but I was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts!

2. Is there a resource to find who the leading doctors are for IBS in the country. I have been feeling pretty lousy again lately and my dad actually offered to travel with me anywhere in the country if there was a doctor out there who has had great success in treating this. I live in a small town and the doctors around here can tend to be a little antiquated in their methods. Is there any way to find out this info?

And last but not least....

3. I am at the point right now, where I'm kind of throwing my hands up in the air. I've done everything my Dr. has told me to do and I'm still not finding any relief. I was on Zelnorm, it worked for a week and then nothing. I started DA with it which also worked for a week and then I went back to my old ways. I called my Dr . for a Zelnorm refill and he said if it was not working, to discontinue it. He prescribed Miralax daily which had me in the bathroom literally for days. So I stopped that and I had one of my old attacks the other day. I guess the Zelnorm must have been doing something afterall. While I was C for a week at a time. It did releive my cramping and urgency....the other day it was all back...cramps, sweating, chills...I hate that feeling! So, to get to my question (finally) I was wondering if anyone has tried any hollistic methods to treat IBS. I  saw an ad for a wellness center that claims they can treat IBS through iradology. I made an appointment but I am skeptical. Has anyone gone this route?

Thanks for listening to me ramble on!

Shel

Posted 12/8/2005 1:23 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Shel,  Its really good to see you again.  I also hope you had a nice Thanksgiving holiday :)

1. I have never heard that there is any evidence that supports IBS gets worse after you have children.  Its possible that it could happen but I don't recall ever reading anything stating that and I research a lot.  If anyone can find anything on this please let me know.  Our bodies are so different and we all respond to things differently.  A good example is IBS during pregnancy.  I had hardly any problems whatsoever however some people get worse symptoms.  I think that it might be a good idea to get a second opinion on this.  Was this coming from a family doctor or GI specialist?  You might want to see if you can get some more information.  I did check on the American College of Gastroenterology website and did a search but I can't find anything on that.  Please be sure that is correct and not just this doctor's opinion.

2.  As far as doctors go, I don't think there are any doctors that would be called an IBS expert except for the researchers.  Even though IBS has been acknowledged for quite some time, it was not understood nor did the doctors or researchers look deeply into it.  IBS is getting a lot of attention in the GI world today and just recently has been looked at as a specific disorder with specific symptoms (not something that people classify you when you have something wrong and they can't figure it out).  It is a disorder diagnosed through exclusion however that is because the symptoms are very similar to other things (ie IBD) but there are specific symptoms that you have when they diagnose you with IBS (under Rome II criteria).  My suggestion would be to find a good GI specialist in your area.

3.  I'm sorry that I can't help you too much with this one.  I am just starting to look at holistic medicine as I have always been very conventional in my medications.  Someone might be able to come along and give you some info.

I hope this kind of helps... all I can offer is my opinions on these things which I'm sure you will get more of.  Take Care. :-)

Posted 12/8/2005 1:31 PM (GMT 0)
hey,
i have partially delved into holistic, i have an osteopath who helps me with the pain, and my mom is an RN but very knowledgeable with holistic healing--she also does Reiki. (she has been mailing me herbs and articles...)
there are many options, a good herbalist (most herb stores have an herbalist on hand to help you). there are also a lot of books, i have one called "healing digestive disorders", it is western based medicine.
i dont know what iradology is, but ask questions...
best of luck!
--bunny
Posted 12/8/2005 3:09 PM (GMT 0)
I would be interested to hear from anyone who's tried Chinese healing (acupuncture and the like). I was reading an interesting article on MSN/Slate yesterday about a woman who went to China to try and get some help for her shoulder pain. The doctors there all looked at her and said "not your shoulder, in your neck," which is actually what her MRI had shown, and then they looked at her some more (no tests) and said, "neck not the root of your problem; heart condition is problem." She was amazed that they knew that she had a heart condition; she had had surgery as a teen and had it fixed, but it does show up as a slightly irregular beat on a machine. These doctors figured it out by looking at her, her tongue and by taking her pulse. They all said that in order to fix her shoulder, they would first have to do acupuncture and the like to fix her heart because even if they fixed her shoulder, her heart problem would just manifest itself in some other way in some other part of her body (like the constipation she sometimes suffered). Kind of a Feng Shui thought process: everything you do affects everything else you do. Bad Feng Shui in one part of your house messes up your life in various ways. They certainly believed in treating the whole person and being preventitive, not just treating each problem singularly as it arose.
Posted 12/8/2005 4:13 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks everyone!
It was my GI that told me that my pregnancy/delivery had worsened my IBS. I don't remember having my symptoms worsen while pregnant but there was a significant difference afterwards. However, I did have some complications during my preg so I may not be a typical situation....but I don't know if my GI knew of the complications.
I think I may try the hollistic approach..I don't think it can hurt. They explained to me that iradology was the study of the iris and that there is a map of the entire body. By looking at the iris, she told me that they would be able to pinpoint exactly what part of the colon wasn't functioning properly. I think the Chinese healing that Keriamon talked about sounds very interesting...it sounds pretty amazing!
Well, my appointment at the wellness center is next thurs and I guess I will keep it. I'll let you all know what I find out!
Thanks again!!
Posted 12/8/2005 5:03 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Shel,
I am a big reader on IBS and I just bought "IBS for Dummies" and I love it. There is an entire chapter (#6) devoted to finding the right doc. Right when you open the book, the first page (an insert) is a checklist of what you should ask your potential doctor. I think the most important thing is finding a doc that will listen and believes in IBS. Many of us know all too well that there are doctors out there who dismiss IBS. Don't settle for any doc. Look look and look until you find one you like.
Good luck! I hope the iradology works for you.
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