I was just diagnosed with IBS, I just thought I had a sensitive tummy Mine takes the form of diarrhea mainly, and my PCP recommended I eat yogurt with plain oats in the a.m. and take these little probiotic pearls...are there other things I should know? It's not that I don't trust my doc, she's always been very good, but I'm just looking for second opinions...
Well, yogurt's a good start. In some people it has the affect of solidifying stool. Besides that it has asodopholis which replenishes good bacteria in your colon that you may lose when you have diarrhea. I've tried probiotics before and they may or may not have worked. As with many IBS sufferes, my ssymptoms come and go. Some weeks will be ok while others are terrible. Whether or not the probiotics helped is unsure, but I'd try them none the less. I'd start by keeping a diary of what you eat and how it affects your pain (if you have any) or BMs. There are more things that you can do, but that would be a good starting point
I swear by a fiber supplement. Regardless if I'm in a constipated streak or a diarreha streak, I take those little fiber supplement pills that are sold beside the Metamucil. I know that the actual stuff you drink works better, but I can't get past gagging the taste and texture.
My mom said her accupunturist told her not to eat or drink anything that was ice cold, as it would make cramps worse. She also told her to drink a glass of ginger ale daily. Ginger is good for your digestive system. I tried the ginger ale and couldn't tell much difference.
Stay away from soft drinks, as the sugar and carbonation will only serve to bloat you more. Whole and multi- grains are also good. When I got diagnosed, I went grocery shopping and started reading labels. You'd be suprised at how many alternatives to your favorite things have a whole-grain version that usually packs at least 1 more gram of fiber.
I fare better with white meat, pasta, veggies, and water. Occassionaly, I'll have a steak and I will pay for it for about 3 days.
Alcohol also makes it worse.
Just some things I've learned after 4 years of dealing with IBS...
I've found that peppermint tea and/or enteric coated peppermint pills reduce the gas and abdominal pain, but I have to be careful b/c I also have GERD and peppermint can irritate that. Sometimes, I drink ginger tea and/or eat ginger slices that I buy at Trader Joe's. I have the alternating constipation and diarrhea type of IBS.
Am I the only person that realises that its all about your diet. There is no magic pills to cure ibs. I suffered for 3 years with doctors not knowing what advice to give except keep taking the tablets. The only person that can make you better is YOU. It takes time but you have to find out what agrivates your bowel. With me its sugar, wheat, dairy, fizzy drinks, alcohol, coffee. The only yoguarts I take are natural probiotic no sugars. The other thing i've is gone for therapy because I was suffering from stress which is also a condition of ibs. If you get both things sorted you will see a big difference.
I was just diagnosed with IBS, I just thought I had a sensitive tummy Mine takes the form of diarrhea mainly, and my PCP recommended I eat yogurt with plain oats in the a.m. and take these little probiotic pearls...are there other things I should know? It's not that I don't trust my doc, she's always been very good, but I'm just looking for second opinions...
How did they diagnose you with IBS? The reason I ask is that you didn't mention any testing. I was misdiagnosed with IBS for over 10 years before I was finally correctly diagnosed with Celiac Disease.
I was diagnosed a month ago, with diarrhea dominant. I eat whole wheat bread, and my gastro doc just called in a new script. He had me on pamine forte, and I was nauseaous all the time, severe migraines, still had cramps and gas, and can't sweat. But, the runs went away. They just called in Levbid a few minutes ago. I don't know anything about it yet, but I am very sensitive to medications. I got severely dizzy every time I would take the forte, but, i found I can eat fresh fruit and veggies, and only chicken unfortunately. You don't understand how old a certain food gets until you eat it every day! But, i eat cheese on occasion, every once in a while pork, but beef kills me. All my CTs came back ok, but I think there may be something else wrong. I have kept a diary of foods and how they affected me, and gave them to my doc. But, they said it was no big deal, and said i should not be on any kind of diet. I know better than that! Any ideas as to what this new med will do? I already checked WebMD, and the pharmacy, but anyone have experience with it?
Well if you've never had any specific labs done or any type of colonoscopy or endoscopy, you should look into being tested for Celiac Disease. It couldn't hurt!
Levbid is an antispasmodic....so it might help with stomach cramps/diarrhea.
I don't see how your Dr. could say you have IBS based on those few tests. Did they do any stool testing or schedule you for any type of GI tests? If you've had this problem for awhile now I would ask for more specific testing and/or find a new Dr.
I'm going to the GP on the 7, and they are doing a stool culture and breath test. So hopefully there will be a positive ID there. I go back to the Gastro on the 20, but now have to stop taking the meds he gave me due to the side effects. Hopefully I will find that it is something easily treated with natural things, but I doubt it seriously.
Mine takes the form of diarrhea mainly, and my PCP recommended I eat yogurt with plain oats in the a.m. and take these little probiotic pearls...are there other things I should know? It's not that I don't trust my doc, she's always been very good, but I'm just looking for second opinions...
