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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 4/22/2007 5:26 PM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone,

I am a male in my mid twenties and I was recently told by my doctor that I probably have IBS. Since I was in school, I had a "nervous stomach" (for lack of better words): I felt like I had to go to the bathroom just before important tests and I went to the restroom at irregular times (often more than once a day). So in that sense, I am probably not that new to IBS. However, in the last 2 years the situation has progressively deteriorated. Until less then a year ago I would still feel bad only when I was in social situations with others, but now I feel that I have bowel movements even when I am at home alone.

Most recently, I have had a lot of gas and flatulence. Strangely I don't have it in the morning at all. It always comes after I have lunch and it lasts until I go to sleep. I can't pinpoint to a food which makes the symptom any more or less pronounced. I was told by the doctor that increasing my fiber intake may help with IBS, and I have done so by eating more whole-grain bread, whole-grain pasta, vegetables etc. However, I don't know that increasing my fiber intake has diminished my flatulence at all, in fact it might have made it worse for all I know. Lately I have taken Gas Relief pills in the afternoon (the generic versions of Gas-X): they generally work for about an hour and a half, then I have to take another pill if I want to avoid having Gas. This doesn't seem to be a good solution as I don't want to take 5 or 6 pills a day for concern about side-effects.

I was wondering if anyone else has similar symptoms to mine and whether anyone has any ideas on what I could do to reduce my problems (in particular Gas). Do any foods help ? I thought that perhaps eating Pro-Biotic yogurt might help. I was also curious to know if anyone has tried Yakult to help his/her digestive problems (Yakult is a drink containing a lot of the bacteria that help one digest better; I have found it abroad but I don't know if and where it's sold in the United States).

I have read a bit about IBS and have the impression that difference people have different symptoms, which make it impossible to find a solution that fits all . Nonetheless, I look forward to your comments. Thank you in advance.
Posted 4/22/2007 7:29 PM (GMT 0)
Hi salus,
Welcome to HealingWell! :-)
Has your doc done any tests to rule out anything other than IBS? I must say, however, you sound like many of us. Social situations seem to come with a lot of nerves, which causes D for many of us. I actually have IBS-A (alternating between D & C) so 1 second I can't go and then the next the flood gates have opened. I'm in my late twenties, but this all started in my late teens... It was a tough battle to deal with during school, I understand.
YES, I have tried Yakult! I'm shocked someone else has tried it, let alone seen it. :-) Did you find it in Brazil? I am originally from Brazil so I grew up on Yakult (kids love the stuff!). You know, you CAN find it in the US (I'm in CA). I find it at Brazilian stores and even asian markets. Many of those large asian markets (Ranch 99, Lion, etc.) usually carry Yakult or some generic version of it in the refrigerator or frozen food section. For probiotics you can also try Dannon Activia yogurt or simply probiotic supplements. The supplements have billions of live cultures which may be more productive than yogurt or Yakult alone. I do both... I take supplements and eat the yogurt. If you keep up the regimen it WILL help with the gas.
Have you also tried Beano before your meals? That should also help reduce the gas production.
Fiber will eventually help too... The key is to finding a fiber supplement your body agrees with. In the beginning, fiber (and probiotics) will cause you excess gas. You body just needs time to adjust to it.
I don't doubt that the extra veggies you are adding is causing extra gas. Most veggies will do that to any person. Sometimes it might just be better to reduce your intake of those veggies. You might also want to try cooking them thoroughly; eating them raw is a definite way to cause major gas.
You might want to consider keeping a food diary, it will help you pinpoint exactly what foods give you the most trouble. Write exactly what you ate, how much you ate, what time you ate it, and how it made you feel afterwards.
Again, welcome to the forum!
Posted 4/22/2007 9:38 PM (GMT 0)
Hi 7Lil, thanks for the welcome.

My doctor didn't do any tests to rule out other diseases. I talked to him about this for the first time a few weeks ago, he said he thought that I had the symptoms of IBS, gave me some pamphlets and some internet links so I could read about it and sent me home. I read that a test I could do to rule out other diseases is colonoscopy, so if this continues or gets worse I would consider mentioning it to my family physician. I am not sure what the A, B, or C, or D after IBS stand for, I saw them mentioned in other threads on this forum, but didn't find an explanation in the pamphlets my doctor gave me. Unfortunately, I am still very ignorant about IBS: despite the problems I had before, it's something that wasn't even on my radar until a few weeks ago.

I am actually surprised to hear that vegetables would increase my gas problem, I thought that having more fiber they could help me digest better and avoid gas problems, especially the raw ones. Oh well, I guess I'll have to throw all that celery I bought away :-) So far I have only tried the pro-biotic version of the "La Yogurt" but I will look for Dannon Activia next time I go to the grocery store. Are there any probiotic supplements that help digest better and may help reduce my gas problem ? Aside from probiotic yoI also had someone recommend Beano to me before, so I will look for it at the drug store (I assume that I don't need a prescription for it).

I found Yakult in Hong Kong and in Brazil (I was there twice: once in São Paulo state, and once in Paraná state). I think I recall seeing it as a child in Europe, however I don't know whether they still sell it there.

Thank you again for the information
Posted 4/23/2007 2:01 AM (GMT 0)

D = Diarrhea
C = Constipation
A = Alternating between C & D

You will also see the following acronyms:
BM = Bowel movement
MIL = Mother in law
mo = moment
w/o = without
GI = Usually means Gastroenterologist
PC = Primary care physician
GP = General physician
SBFT = Small Bowel Follow Through (barium swallow)
EGD = Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (upper GI endoscopy)
OTC = Over the counter
RX = Prescription

I'm sure there are many more but that's all I can think of at the moment. If I remember anything else I will come back and add it.

I have IBS-A (alternating between constipation and diarrhea), you will find many members on this site have IBS-D (diarrhea predominant IBS), and a handful have IBS-C (constipation predominant IBS). I didn't know about any these acronyms either; this site has sure taught me a lot.
Yes, absolutely veggies cause gas. Especially raw. You don't need to throw away your veggies, just cook them thoroughly. Or eat them raw in moderation. Big gas producers are onions, bell peppers, garlic, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, salad and beans. Fruits do it too, especially apples.
You are correct, Beano is bought OTC.
I'm not sure which probiotic is best; they're all great for you. It just depends which is easiest on your body (kind of like fiber). I can't take Acidophilus because it causes me way too much gas, however, there are tons of people on this site that take it religiously and love it. You just have to pick one and give it a shot for a couple weeks.

Posted 4/23/2007 3:14 AM (GMT 0)

I found this somewhere online its called "Good Nutrition and Great Food When You're Eating for IBS"  By Heather Van Vorous.  Author of Eating for IBS.

She really helps in explaining foods that are Soluble Fiber Foods, which you can eat with IBS and Insoluble Fiber Foods (that she suggest you don't eat them alone or on a empty stomach.  She suggest that you eat the insoluble fiber foods with a larger quantity of soluble fiber.  She gives a list of both.  This has helped me more than anything in knowing what to eat.  She suggest that you watch your portions and eat small meals. 

I've started having problems about 2 months ago.  I thought it would finally go away but it hasn't.   I did go to the doctor which diagnosed me with IBS.  He has gave me medicine (which I have not started taking because I'd rather just do it naturally)  and he told me to start taking Benefiber.  Which hasn't bothered me in anyway.  Its actually helped.

Hope this helps

bennettgirl

Posted 4/25/2007 2:40 AM (GMT 0)
7Lil: thanks for the explanation. I found the "Mother In Law" one amusing, I bet I can figure the meaning of that one out tongue
I am not sure what type of IBS I have. I often feel the need to go to the restroom only to find out that I can't have a bowel movement and that I really only need to release gas. Because of this fact, I lately don't panick a whole lot about being near a bathroom.
I found a generic version of Yakult in my grocery store yesterday.
Yesterday I tried Beano and took it before dinner and it worked wonderfully. Today, however, I took it just before lunch (two sandwiches and an Activia yogurt) and it didn't have much of an impact sad

bennettgirl: thanks for the tips. I visited some online sites that explain the differences between soluble and insoluble fibers. I must say that I was quite surprised to learn that I will have to revert to white bread and regular pasta. I had actually switched to whole-weat bread and whole-weat pasta a few weeks back thinking it would help my digestion ! What also puzzles me is that I eat granola cereal with milk for breakfast, followed by espresso coffee and I don't have much of a problem for the entire morning. Conversely, it seems that no matter what I eat for lunch or dinner I get gas or other problems in my bowel (even if I don't drink coffee or chew gum, or eat white bread). I also read that most people with IBS have problems in the morning as opposed to the afternoon and evening. That makes my experience even stranger.
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