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Hello from Missouri: Seeking support and information.

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 1/29/2006 4:05 AM (GMT 0)
Hello my name is Amie,

I'm twenty two years of age and I'm pretty sure I have IBS. I haven't been officially diagnosed with it, though. I don't have insurance anymore, just costs too much with my husbands job so I can't get diagnosed yet.

I've suffered from "food allergies" my entire life, a lot of foods make me pretty sick, I have a long list of items I just cannot eat without getting extreme abdominal cramping which soon makes me run to find a bathroom. Sometimes I'm in the bathroom two and three times a day, for 20 minutes or longer at a time. The stomach irritation, gas and cramping is unbearable, some days I feel like dying. Tonight is an especially bad night, we went out today to buy some home remodeling supplies, I had an omlette and pretty soon I was in a bathroom for 20 minutes, only to race home and return to the bathroom for another 30 minutes. My abomin hurts so bad I can barely move. The pain has moved through my low back, I've tried drinking hot peppermint tea, rolaids and anything else to try and ease some of the discomfort. It's hard to sleep like this and it's hard to describe how much pain I am in and how sick I feel.

I don't know if anyone else has ever experienced this kind of misery but I would like to reach out and know I'm not totally alone and maybe find some information or help regarding this.

My email is angelcrow26 at yahoo dot com.

Amie

Post Edited By Moderator (7Lil) : 1/29/2006 9:24:26 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/29/2006 5:48 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Amie,

Welcome to HealingWell! :-)
I'm sorry you had an especially bad day - but I'm glad you found us. This is a great group and I'm sure you'll find a lot of helpful information.

What you describe is fairly common with IBS. You should, however, see if you can get diagnosed. There are many things out there that can cause pain and cramping accompanied by D. Have you been tested at all in the past? For anything... like Celiacs, food allergies (specifics), lactose intolerance, GERD, H. pylori, candida, IBD, gallbladder, etc.?
Do you take probiotics?
Do you keep a food journal/diary? It might be beneficial for you to do so - so you can track exactly what bothers you. It is important to write down what you ate, how much you ate, when you ate it, what mood you were in when you ate it, and how you felt afterwards.
I'm sure you already know but.... It is helpful to stay away from fatty and/or greasy food. No deep fried anything. Also, make sure to eat cooked fruits and veggies (as opposed to raw). Avoid garlic, onions, bell peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, beets, corn, cucumbers, brussel sprouds, and any type of bean. Staying away from tomatoes would be good too - they aren't too gassy but they are incredibly acidic and don't sit well with people who have gut trouble. Apples juice is a big gas pain trigger too. Apple anything, really.
Along with the tea, do you take Gas-X or Beano to try and relieve any of the gas?
I know I wrote a book... Sorry.
Take care.
Posted 1/29/2006 6:10 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Amie,
I think Lil pretty much covered everything :) I just wanted to add my welcome to you to the site.
Take Care
Posted 1/29/2006 3:33 PM (GMT 0)
oh, i am so sorry! i keep a food diary as well, and it is an extremely great thing. i noticed you eat an omlette and felt lousy, egg yolks are not good for me, maybe you either??? i have noticed that fatty delicious foods irritate me.
i hear you on the insurance thing, in the mean time i know that Gas X helps me, along with A LOT of water a day, yoga and exercise. but keep a food diary, and i hope you get some relief soon!

--bunny
Posted 1/29/2006 6:56 PM (GMT 0)
I've been tested for food allergies in the past, I was given a HUGE list of foods not to eat because of how sick they make me. Which is just about every food, red meats, almost all vegetables, big thing for me that makes me sick is anything with tomatoes, onion, pepper, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, and more. I asked to be tested for IBS last year when I did have medical insurance but the Doctor was an internal specialist and all about NATURAL remedies, letting things slide and work themselves out blah blah. She wouldn't give me referrals to see anyone else or anything, by the time I was able to get into another doctor he cancelled the appointment and my insurance costs flew up to four hundred dollars a month not including co-pays, just too much money.

I keep a mental journal/list of things not to eat. I have found it's easier to remember what I CAN eat, though. I stick with what I call "safety foods", I know I'm okay if I eat turkey every day, or mashed potatoes made a certain way (very plain), or drinking lots of water. I don't like going to restaurants they get too fancy and throw too much crap in the food, if I'm desperate I go to Subway and eat a turkey sanwhich, without the bread. Bread irritates my insides pretty bad. I read an article that the bread problem is because of glutens? which if you have IBS can cause a pretty bad reaction. Whatever the reason for it I just avoid bread now. If I eat red meats it makes me pretty sick too.

I should probably just starve to death or something.
Amie
Posted 1/29/2006 7:15 PM (GMT 0)
Amie,
Have you been tested for Celiacs (wheat intolerance)? Wheat is in just about everything.... This could explain why you're having problems with just about everything. You can always try going wheat free on your own and seeing if that helps. If you go to a health food store you can probably find a lot of items that are "wheat free."

P.S. No starving to death. It is not pretty. You'll end up looking like Nicole Richie. Yuck!
Posted 1/29/2006 7:49 PM (GMT 0)
I've never been tested for Celiacs. I didn't know wheat was in everything. I haven't ate much of anything today and I'm already pretty sick again. I feel like crap right now. I have classes in the morning and a ton of work to do today, I can't even function right now.

I tried peppermint tea and water, nothing it helping right now.
Starving to death cannot possibly feel any worse than this right now. Nicole Richie is not the most attractive beast but I doubt she is ever this sick.

Amie
Posted 1/30/2006 6:07 PM (GMT 0)
Here's a weird thing: I cannot eat omlettes. I can eat scrambled eggs. I can eat scrambled eggs with cheese and onions and bell peppers and sausage and ham and bacon all mixed together. I cannot eat those same ingredients in an omlette, however. Totally baffling. So sometimes the demon is in the food prep, not the food itself.

Amie, people with celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten--it's found in wheat. Look for "wheat" or "gluten" on food labels. I think there is also another term that's used to describe the same thing, but I can't remember what it is. But Lil's right, it's in EVERYTHING. I don't know that you can find a pre-packaged item that it's not in.

Have you tried calcium? Calcium helps soothe inflamed intestinal and stomach linings and can help alleviate your pain. I got relief from just eating a cup of yogurt everyday (most lactose intolerant people can tolerate yogurt since the bacteria cultures break down almost all of the lactose before you even eat it). You can also take the pills, but I have found that they seem to give me terrible joint pain for some odd reason.
Posted 1/31/2006 12:34 AM (GMT 0)
Hey! I have somewhat the same problem as you except not as bad! It sounds like you definatly could have celiac's disease, but have you ever thought about things that you do everyday? Do you chew gum or eat mints or something every day? I am very allergic to sorbitol (which is in almost every gum, mint, breath freshner,sodas, and alot of candies) and I used to chew over 5 pieces of sugar-free gum every day because it helped me with anxiety (weird, i know haha) and my heartburn (im pretty sure i have GERD as well.) but then I realized that was giving me the horrible cramps and diarrhea. I still have alot of cramps and D but not nearly as bad as it was with ingesting all the soribitol crap!
I always drink small amounts of ginger ale (can you tolerate soda? I can in very small amounts) when I feel sick. Also, rice is about the safest thing you can eat. It has no gluten or wheat in it, its totally neutral. Try eating that...It also is somewhat constipating. Have you also tried popcorn? Dont buy the stuff in the bag, its nasty. Buy popcorn kernels, pop them in the microwave, and if you can tolerate butter you can put that on there. Popcorn has alot of fiber and is a pretty bland food so you could maybe try that.

Hang in there!
Posted 1/31/2006 3:48 PM (GMT 0)
I've never really considered a wheat intolerence. To be honest it makes a lot of sense, I eat a lot of products with wheat in it and I always get sick.

I'm afraid to eat right now, I haven't ate anything in two days, I'm scared to death I'll just end up in the bathroom. I drank a lot of peppermint tea last night but I'm too gassy to even function today. I have classes all morning and I just feel fatigue and my abdomin hurts.

I considered eating rice, wasn't sure how well that would go over or if it would hurt me. I don't know what to eat anymore, so it's easier to just not eat. Which could be bad.

I'm a little lactose intolerent, dairy can make me sick. I don't mind yogurt a lot, but it will give me bathroom trouble and a fever.

As for food preparations, I always cook everything very well, I don't like the eat anything raw or resembling raw. I'm a very picky eater, mostly because I'm always sick.

As for soda, I've always been a fan of soda, the sugars and syrup irritate my stomach pretty abd so I recently stopped drinking soda and started drinking lipton teas. I don't do popcorn either, although it was usually bagged popcorn which is gross. I used to get fresh kettlecorn a few years back in Ohio but you can't get that here, unless you make it.

It feels like as I get older this is getting worse.

If any of you have some "safe food" options, pass them over here. confused

Posted 2/1/2006 12:05 AM (GMT 0)
Oh man. Not eating is not good..even thought I know how you feel. Dont be scared of rice, there is almost nothing in it that can hurt you. Its like, the blandest food there is. Ive been racking my brain trying to come up with some safe foods, I was thinking possibly potatoes OR you know the stuff that Jewish people eat over Passover? Matza i think its called..its yeast free, dont know about wheat or anything but basically it tastes even blander than saltines so that could be a possibilty to eat..
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