IBS

I do get IBS, but only when I consume dairy. I have given up dairy completely and haven't had a problem with it in two months. Whenever I eat pizza with cheese I always have an attack so I have just decided to give it up all together. ;( I love cheese, too!

Missy
 
Oh, me me!! Not something I enjoy talking about so much, but I got diagnosed w/ IBS a couple yrs ago. I was on some meds for it for a while (they're supposed to help regulate your colon) but stopped taking them because they had a lot of side effects.

What has helped me a lot is adding in more fiber to my diet (Fiber one cereal added to my oatmeal, other cereals, etc) & drinking a LOT of water (at least 120 oz a day). Also, there are things that can be triggers- for some it can be too much caffeine, MSG or other additives, high fructose corn syrup (this is a trigger for me!), dairy, plus stress, PMS, etc. Eating healthy helps a lot also. If I eat too much junk, I can definitely tell!!

And yes, I am a runner (training for my first marathon this weekend!). I haven't had any problems w/ it while running, I honestly think running helps keep things *regular* for me.

Have you been diagnosed by a Dr.? There are also a lot of websites w/ info in IBS. It's a lot more common than I thought when I first got diagnosed.

HTH & good luck!
 
Not to hijack the thread, but first I just wanted to give a quick shout out of GOOD LUCK to Jess in her marathon this weekend. I know I've been MIA from the running check-in, oh how life gets in the way, but I miss you cheetahs and I know you are going to rock it this weekend cheetah fast girl!

Sorry about that ;)
I have also been "running with IBS" for a couple of years now and just wanted to recommend Heather Van Voruous' website helpforibs.com
It's recommendations were so helpful in getting my colon back on track. There are also some super message boards over there where you can get advice from many experienced IBS sufferers. Stress is the number one trigger for me and I can eat most of the so-called triggers --in moderation--so long as I'm not stressed out and am "stable."
Good luck!
Mattea
 
Awww, Mattea!!! I just posted a shout out to you on the Cheetah thread!!! Thank you sweetie!

Yes, I agree w/ the stress being a trigger. I think I might be a little stressed w/ the upcoming marathon as my IBS has been triggered!! :eek: Thanks for the website link too!

Take care & post an update, girl!
 
I have IBS and can control it for the most part through diet. I know what my triggers are and if I avoid them, then I'm pretty good for the most part. Eating clean helps tremendously.

Colleen
 
I have been to Heather Van Voruous' website, I even bought her book. But eating her way didn't really make a difference for me, I got fennel tea and that helps a little with the bloating and pain management. I have been to the dr. and he gave me some drug that made me feel worse so I went to a naturopath, which was the smartest thing I could have ever done! She really helped me out a lot. I still have problems running though. Somedays I can run long, other days I run to the end my street, turn around and have to walk home. I know my triggers and stress is one of them, but it always effects my running. That's why I haven't attempted a marathon. My friend is training for the Nike womens marathon in San Fran and I really wanted to do it with her but I know that it would be too stressfull not knowing if I'd actually be able to run it. I hate it, it controls my workouts, that's why I asked about it. I stay away from dairy, I have slippery elm, etc. I guess it's just something that I'm going to have to deal with. The good thing is that it does come and go. I just have flair ups every now and then and I was looking for some extra tips from anyone. Thanks.

Good luck on your marathon jess. :)
 
I don't typically post, more of a lurker. However, I received such great advice and encouragement when I first faced what you're dealing with that I felt I should give some back :)

I had serious stomach problems for a year. No one could really figure out what was wrong with me. I had all sorts of tests. I was finally diagnosed with IBS w/constipation. I started taking Zelnorm, and that's really helped. But I still had some of the same symptoms and felt miserable. My doctor prescribed Xifaxan (rifaximin), which is a antibiotic typically prescribed for traveler's diarrhea. Although I didn't have diarrhea, he was positive I had a bacterial infection. I had numerous tests for bacterial infections, none of them showed anything. I took this antibiotic for 10 days, along with a low dosage, liquid antibiotic (can't remember the name) and felt better for about a week. Went back to the doctor and got another round. The second time it worked! I've never felt better. For me, it had nothing to do with food. The doctor said that some bacterial infections are very aggressive and may take several rounds of antibiotics.

There's even a write-up about this new type of attack on IBS in the Sept. '06 issue of Prevention magazine. Many people now believe that IBS is caused by an overgrowth of "bad" bacteria. There is a book called "A New IBS Solution" by Mark Pimentel about this approach.

I'm not saying that this approach will work for everyone. But it sure did for me. I was getting very depressed thinking that I couldn't eat the foods I love- spinach, dairy, veggies, etc. Now there's nothing I can't eat. I still take the Zelnorm, and probably will for awhile. I've felt normal since August.

Good luck. I'll be thinking of you and sending you good vibes.
 
Hmm... that's interesting. I've taken a pro-biotic that is supposed to help w/ the good flora (bacteria) for a while, but I'm not sure if that helps a lot or not.

I've seen the ads for Zelnorm but haven't tried it. I used to take NuLev, but it was before I got pg w/ my youngest dd (oh, I guess it was 4 yrs ago that I was diagnosed- I couldn't remember!).

I get Prevention, I'll make sure to read that article! Thanks!
 
Thanks! Sorry about your IBS issues, that would be bad for running! My running buddy has some IBS troubles too, she's had to hit the cornfield while running a few times! ;-) I hope you can find something that works for you!
 
I also take the Flora Q along with the Zelnorm. Just one of the Flora Q a day. I don't know if it works, but now that I'm normal I'm certainly not questioning it! I just eat my yogurt daily and take the Flora Q, plus the Zelnorm. The Xifaxan cleared up whatever was causing my problems. I was so bloated that I looked six months pregnant. I couldn't even wear some of my clothes. Very miserable feeling. Makes you really depressed.

Hope that helps. At least you have another option.
 
Hi, there,

Urgh, me too! For the last year or so, suddenly I bloat at the drop of a hat. I've been trying to figure out if it's something I'm eating...switching to soy milk, eating clean...but...man, it really is miserable. x(

Just curious as I'm the kind of person who doesn't even take an aspirin...are Xifaxan, Zelnorm, Flora Q and all those things medicines?

Also, do you find that you have trouble with starches like sweet potato or grains?

I'm going to check out that link...thanks for posting it!
 
Oh hey, by the way, have any of you tried Dannon's Activia yogurt? Dairy, I know, but just curious if anyone had any good results with it?
 
I tried to eliminate all the "tigger" foods, such as dairy, grains, and veggies. I noticed a great difference for about two days. Then all the symptoms came right back. Serious bloating, gas, pains like you wouldn't believe (well, you probably would!). I ate only the "safe" foods. Got that advice from the Heather's website. I was tested for allergies to foods. Nothing came back. So, for me, the foods weren't the problem; didn't matter what I ate because it was a bacterial infection. A lot of doctors are beginning to believe that this is the major reason for IBS. The book I mentioned earlier talks about it. It's also in the small blurb in the Prevention issue.

The Flora Q is over-the-counter. Pretty pricey at about $30 a bottle for a month. I was also very anti-medicine. I don't like to pollute my body with things. But this new approach with the Xifaxan for ten days and the low-dosage antibiotic at night (it's a pink liquid that tries to taste good!) was the key. My insurance wouldn't cover the Xifaxan, so I shelled out $250 bucks per round (I had to take two to get rid of the bacterial infection). I called it my "Gucci" medicine. :) My doctor told me to keep taking the Zelnorm. I will probably eventually try to go off of it, but for now I'm just enjoying being normal.

I haven't tried the Activia yogurt, but it has some of the same "good" bacteria that Flora Q has in it. There's too much sugar and fat in that yogurt for me. Plus, the amounts of "good" bacteria aren't really that much. Flora Q has the perfect mixture and was recommended by my doctor. He said that once the Xifaxan got rid of the bad guys, to then take the Flora Q to move the good guys back in.

Hope this rambling makes sense. I can totally relate to your struggles.
 
Missy- are you sure that you get IBS after dairy? Maybe you are just lactose intolerant. I know that I am LI and discovered while in college. I only get "attacks" after dairy and have started taking the lactase enzyme if I want to enjoy dairy and have had no problems or attacks. It might be something you want to try if you love cheese so much!:)
 
Another runner with IBS!...It was real bad a couple of years ago and I talked it ocer with my Doctor and understood the drugs to just be a temporary fix. I went to this site http://www.renewlife.com/ and tried a number of cleansing products that really helped. For me it is not food but stress related. I now use the Daily Cleanse everyday and do a CleanseSMART once a year. For me IBS caused constipation so if I feel like that is hapining I take 1 Cleansemore and it seems to alliviate that symptom. In the 2 years I have used these products my IBS has been so much better...:)
 
Great links and info. Thanks. I have not been diagnosed with IBS, but have been reading about it just because I can't figure out what the heck is bloating me up. I was surprised to find that it says to watch the insoluble fiber intake, as I was starting to suspect if maybe my trouble stemmed from the soluble stuff. Hmm.

Back to reading I go.

By the way, the abdominal pain that you feel.......is it always in the same place?
 
Hi,

I have IBS and gastritis but I am not a runner.
I take two prescription medications for the IBS
one for muscle spasams and
the other is miralax for constipation. I also take
an over the counter Digestive Advantage for IBS and
that does seem to make a difference. I take two of them
a day. If I forget to take them then I do notice the
bloating coming back. A few months ago I started having
Mayan Arvigo abdominal massage and that has helped too.
IBS can be tricky to manage so that it doesn't run my
life but I keep trying and different things work for
different people. I do know where every public bathroom
is in almost every store and public place I go!! This way
I don't get to stressed about going somewhere and not
finding a bathroom. I expect many of you can relate to this.
Also, the exercise and strict eating plan that I follow makes
a big difference.
 
wow, great suggestions from everyone. Mine is more of a stress thing too, but eating crappy certainly doesn't help it. I do get bloated so easily and anything starchy, look out, I have to put on elastic waist pants. I really try and limit these foods, except for pizza, even though I get bloated from it, I can't give it up, I just don't eat a ton of it. The pain I get is lower and left, my dr. said that it was my colon spasing, weird huh? But I totaly believe because if I have too much caffiene or something like that then I'm hurting. So strange. I think I'll check out that cleansing website and see if that helps. Thanks for the tips. :) :)

Jen
 
Hi Jen,

Has your doctor given you anything for the spasams?
You should ask him for someeting.
I asked my GI doctor if there was something to help
stop them and I now take hyoscyamine .125 mg. It is a
tiny pill that you put under your tongue. It helps me a lot.
Spasams are one of my worst sypmtoms and they often start my
attacks.
 
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