I am looking for any help or advise on managing IBS symptoms my main symptoms are back pain, nausea, Diarrhea and stomach cramps. I was diagnosed about 11 months ago and I am having trouble dealing with these daily symptoms (which have started to get me down). please can anyone give me advice on how to control these symptoms and make my day a little easier instead of dealing with these constant symptoms as I have tried cut out various foods and changing my diet but I can't seem to link it with foods that I eat.

I sympathise with anyone who deals with IBS on a daily basis and the horrible symptoms that go with it and the lack of understanding from my doctor makes be feel like I am some Hyprocondricate.

any help please.... will these symptoms ever get any easier to manage?!!

You sound like you are going through the mill at the moment! Have these symptoms been constant for 11 months? have you been to see your doctor? I have exactly the same symptoms as you but mine seem to come in 2 week episodes. I have just started to take calcium supplements which really seem to be helping, after 2 days of taking them my episode stopped. Maybe it was gonna stop anyway but I'm hoping I have found something that helps.

I have not tried this but I saw in Walmart in the Antacid aisle a product by Digestive Advantage called Irritable Bowel Syndrone. Says on the label it is for relief of IBS symptoms.
I have IBS and was getting some OTC recommended by my GI and I saw that product.
I may go back and get some to try ......I hate having to take a pill for every symptom...feel like a mobile drug store....
I was having fantastic results with Levbid it really helped with the pain and explosive bm's..but can't take it daily anymore if you read my post on Levbid. Too much dry mouth... I'm hoping to get a short acting antispasmodic rather than a time released long acting antispasmodic..

Country Kid, I am from the UK but my Dad goes to the states alot on business.
He picked me up the IBS advantage pills that you stated, I have been taking them for about a week with the calcium supplements and am having some good results. Don't know which one is making the difference but its worth a go eh?

katie tattie

Boy that's good to hear!!!!! I just talked with my GI and he said all antispasmodics give dry mouth so i think I may pick up a package of that IBS stuff from Walmart this week and give it a try.
Thanks so much for the info....Always glad to hear good news

I've almost totally solved my IBS problem and I had to stay close to the john for months due to IBS-D. My problem started off last August with a major yeast infection which followed a course of antibiotics. My doctor prescribed a course of some medication (I forget what it was now) for the yeast, but I still had a serious diarrhea problem for several months, so I finally went to a gasterenterologist and had a colonoscopy in late December. The diagnosis was IBS.

I had started taking probiotics after the antibiotics, but I didn't see that they did any good. The specialist also had me try Digestive Advantage - IBD and it didn't seem to do any good either. But what I did find in my web search was this admonition: If a person with IBS is going to eat foods with much insoluble fiber, they must get an adequate amount of soluble fiber in the same meal. Duh! I had been sure I'd been getting plenty of soluble fiber, but I had repeatedly been getting it in different meals than where I got most of the insoluble. For me, the big triggers had been the insoluble fiber in veggies, especially raw veggies, as I love my salads. As soon as I started drinking a mug of Metamucil in the same meal, my problem was solved. My body has since adjusted to the point I can just put 1/4 cup or so of garbanzo beans on my salads, and that is enough soluble fiber to handle the salad.

Obviously, your problem might be different. But if you can identify what your food triggers are, it might help a great deal. Hopefully, at least, someone who might be reading this might be helped by my experience.

thank you for all your help, I will try the product by Digestive Advantage and am going to my doc to see about anti spasmodics I am really hoping this helps releive at least some of the daily symptoms.

is nice to know that others are managing there IBS and I hope in time I will be able to do the same

I too have the daily episodes of IBS. If I take 2 or 3 Imodiums I am sometimes OK. My symptoms have been going on for a little over a year. I have tried changing my diet, but it seems that sometimes even saltine crackers sends me to the toilet! Not fun. It has put a MAJOR damper on my daily routine/activities. I can't work out like I used to because I know I will have to be using the toilet 2 or 3 times while I am there; my husband and I never go to dinner for the same reason...it is very upsetting. My doctor prescribed me med's but the side effects were too much for me to handle. She wants to do a colonoscopy on me but I am WAY FREAKED out by doing that. I worry about the "prep" the night before & I worry that I will have to be awake during the procedure. I would prefer to be put out, completely! :yawn: I just feel like there is no solution to my body being back to normal!!!!! :dizzy: