IBS...help?

bellehill, RN · Sep 18, 2002

CEN 35:

I too was diagnosed with IBS earlier this year. After learning what set it off, I am pretty much symptom free thanks to supplemental fiber tablets.

The worst thing you can do is let your self get stressed out, stress will kill your bowel. Some mornings after working night shift I literally go home doubled-over in pain. Not a good situation, keep it cool and your stomach will thank you!

micro, RN · Sep 18, 2002

yep, guess the potential is always there for me, but have been off medication(i.e. prilosec, tagamet) for years....

stress, bad diet, etc. played the kicker for me

of course in that process had scopes both ways.....

never wanna do that again :/

CEN,

be well,

please :-)

micro

sharann, BSN, RN · Sep 18, 2002

What are your symptoms? Are you sure its IBS not IBD?

nakitamoon · Sep 18, 2002

CEN,,,,,

Definitly know what you are going through,,, My thoughts & prayers with you,,,,,

Dealing with IBS,,,, and a HH,,,, (think first marriage to satan,,, set both in motion),,,,, Have gone the med. route,,, as micro said,,prilosec,,,librax,,,,

Truly have found in the last year,,, Watch very closely what I eat,,, (& when I am being bad,,, eating something I shouldn't I know it!!!! ) Starting on paxil,,,, > year ago,,,,, helped control the stress,,,,, & supplements,,,, fiber,,,,, You may think the next thing I am going to say is wierd ,,,, but it truly worked for me,,,,

Found out by accident,,,, I was on month long regimen of abt,,,for chronic sinusitis,,, I took acidophilous,, to maintain the healthy bacteria in my digestive system,,,, guess what ,,,, No symptoms of IBS,,,,or HH acting up the whole month,,, Thought it was a coinciedence,,,, Waiting till abt was over,,, I decided see if it continued to work,,,, I began to have symptoms one evening,,, took two acidopholis tablets,,,, gone,,,,,,,

Don't know if will work for anyone else,,,, but,,, I keep bottle on hand,,,, Much better than the prilosec,,,, (& cheaper),,,, I don't have the abdomenal cramps the prilosec gives me,,,,,

Just a suggestion,,, something that worked for me,,,, thank god!

~~kita

sunnygirl272 · Sep 18, 2002

CEN- I pmed you.

cargal · Sep 18, 2002

Shadyside Hospital in Pgh was doing a study with paxil for IBS. I asked the md if I could try zoloft instead, as I had a hx of using and tolerating zoloft and it worked. (note, I wasn't depressed) Prior to this I had abdominal pain almost daily. The nurse practitioner had prescribed metamucil, and although I still use it prn, zoloft really helped.

Good luck, I know what you are going through.

mcruss · Sep 18, 2002

There is a wonderful book out..I think it's called "eating for IBS". It's a cookbook basically and has wonderful suggestions. I learned alot by reading it. You may want to check it out. I suffered from bouts of constipation and alternating diarrhea. It was horrible. I learned what foods to stay away from and also went on Zoloft.

pebbles, BSN, RN · Sep 18, 2002

I recently found out that metamucil comes in cookie form now, so you don't have to drink that yucky solution every day. Two cookies a day,and avoiding some foods has cleared up my symptoms. (I had diarrhea and lots of gas & cramping).

It seems like it's different for everyone...

Good luck in finding what works for you. Try some of the diet changes and fibre supplements first - its definitely easiest.

llg, PhD, RN · Sep 18, 2002

I, too, have IBS as does most of my family. I've had it all my life -- though it got worse with the stress of college. Fortunately, mine is a pretty mild case and I have managed successfully with watching my diet (always) and taking Immodium ocassionally for flare-ups.

I had a doctor in college who gave me a great piece of advice. He said, "You're going to have this the rest of your life, so learn to manage it. Pay very close attention to the factors that aggravate it and don't aggravate it. If eating certain foods make it worse -- don't eat that food. etc." I discovered that for me, a low fiber diet works much better than a high fiber one, as is the case with some IBS "sufferers." It seems that the more stimulation I give my system, the worse it gets. So I minimize the stimulation. NO caffeine, minimal high-fiber vegetables, etc.

It's worked well enough for my case to keep me off all prescription drugs -- and I only take a couple of Immodium a month, in "high risk" situations. The Immodium slows down my GI tract and suppresses the painful contractions.

Finally, there have been a few good articles on IBS in the nursing literature. I recommend doing a basic lit search on the topic. My favorite is probably about 10 years old -- but it included a lot of information and "common sense" strategies as I recall. I believe it was in the journal, "Nurse Practitioner."

llg