Diagnosed with IBS

[coldcoffeeinthemorning]

I have recently been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel. I was offered medication, but I want to attempt to manage it through diet and exercise at first.

The problem is that I am totally confused by dietary advice on the internet. High fibre? Low fibre? Soluble fibre? Low caffeine?

Can anyone with experience give some advice?

Thank you

[Hayleyh34]

Hi, I was diagnosed with IBS 12 years ago. Unfortunatly, there is no "common" triggers or ways to handle it. Mine is mainly stress related, so I have had to work on that. Certain foods will also affect me but I'm afraid it's been trial and error to work that out.

I don't take any medication now but when I did use it, it made no difference. I do use Manuka honey and that has made a massive difference to me.

HTH

[reastie]

I have IBS too. I believed fibre is good for iBS but only a certain type of fibre (always get confused by this one) where as the other sort of fibre can set it off if eaten too much. That's not too helpful is it . Different things do set it off for different people though - for example I can't manage to eat lentils or beans or very greasy/deep fried things as they set it off. I don't take medication for it but if I have a bad attack I have to take buscopan to settle it down. I also have peppermint tea alot.

[JuliaScurr]

www.getwellhere.com/pdf/vega-testing.pdf

I did this and it worked

[reastie]

julia it might have worked for you but I found this on the watchdog website. I had a similar test thing done a few years ago and the restricted diet it put me on actually made me ill and I was no better when on it.


'the Vega Test has attracted widespread criticism from doctors and dieticians and Allergy UK says it has no rational or scientific basis. So what are we supposed to make of this test?

Well, according to Catherine Collins, even the Vega machine's inventor, Doctor Helmut Schimmel admitted we're not quite sure how the base of Vega tests works. And that was fifty years ago - fifty years on, we know it doesn't work!

To try and be sure, Becca underwent two more Vega tests - and got different results each time.'

[JuliaScurr]

You're right to be cynical, it sounds ludicrous.
I already knew I couldn't tolerate wheat and coffee, so was suitably impressed when those were the only things identified
drink a little coffee, but still off wheat
ibs under control

[PoppyWearer]

Well I was diagnosed with IBS earlier this year and was told off by the GP for going back for another appointment due to the continued pain/discomfort.

I have now been correctly diagnosed, with gallstones, and need an operation to remove my gall bladder.

If things get worse rather than better, don't let yourself be fobbed off. Good luck!

[cocolepew]

You would be best to keep a food diary and how you feel after eating. I couldn't take any fibre, it made me really constipated.

Taking peppermint capsules or in it water will help with cramps.

What type of symptons do you get?

[EdsRedeemingQualities]

Medication for what though - it's not an actual diagnosis by itself, it's just a syndrome, so it can be caused by any number of things.

As someone else has said it warrants further investigation, so do push for this if you don't get any improvement soon.

I would suggest though that a lot of bowel problems are made worse by caffeine - especially if stress related as stress really responds to caffeine, or to not having it, rather.

Caffeine can also act as a stimulant on the bowel. Finding ways to manage stress is useful - CBT for instance can help with this - and don't overdo it on any sort of fibre, there's no need. You can have normal bowels with a good balance of everything.

Good luck, and don't just accept it long term - there is always a cause, even if that is 'just' stress, or an intolerance or whatever.

[coldcoffeeinthemorning]

Thanks for all the replies. I have started a food diary am going to cut out wheat and dairy and see if anything changes. The medication would be to help with intestinal cramps. Also, I will try to avoid caffeine and onions, garlic, spice in general as i know this affects other members of my family. Drinking peppermint tea as I type.

Hopefully I can work out what, if anything, triggers it and try to keep in control.

Again, thanks for the responses! :)

[lolalois]

I've had IBS and found for me the most helpful thing has been a good strong probiotic, not the Yakult type, more industrial strength. I use symprove which is very good but very expensive, however, it's sorted me out completely. You can get all sorts of types of probiotic but the best type are kept in the fridge and are live rather than freeze dried.

I also found diet changes helped, I cut out wheat and dairy, but the probiotics have had the best effect of all.

Hope you feel better soon, it's a right pain in the bum, so to speak.....