IBS Support Group

hi i have ibs for at least 7 years,ive never vomited from it.my dr said if you vomit then there is a blockage.have you had a colonoscpy? peanuts aggervate my colon ive found out.no more peanut m$ms.sucks.i dont drink alcohal in fear of starting my ibs symptoms or coffee.i wish there was a cure for this disease.try taking stool softeners also 2 a night.and miralax when you feel constipated thats what i do.im 46 now an lately its flared up evry 2 months.im so bad i stay in bed.steve from cleveland.

I also have IBS and used to vomit all the time in the mornings only. I would eat breakfast and in about 30-45 minutes I would vomit. I had both an EGD and a colonoscopy and both were clear. The foods I ate (coffee) were too harsh in the mornings for my stomach to handle. I was on antispasmotics and nexium for my pain.

I have had IBS for 11 years but my symptoms were a little backwards as I had nausea and vomiting first and then came to rest of the problems. I have seen the best Dr's at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester and they say there is nothing they can do as it's just a brain gut disorder. My nausea and vomiting is pretty severe, almost daily and so I'm pretty much a prisoner in my home except for days I'm able to go to work. I take Tigan for the nausea and vomiting, it helps take the edge off if I take it early enough. This is the only known anti-emetic used for nausea related to IBS. Try it !!! Good luck.

yes, i have has ibs since 15 after the birth of my daughter. over the years it has been getting progressively worse!!! i cant find a good treatment to help with the horrible symptoms. i get bloating, unrelieved gas, constipation, vomiting. im a mess. i have been giving myself fleet enemas for over 15 years now and im tired. i have become a serious smoker because of the constant pain in my stomach that is slightly relieved by smoking. ibs is killing me!

have been told its the same thing a brain and gut disorder and there is not much they can do for me. im pretty much a mess without relief as well. its so hard some days when i feel like imma just pass out from the horrible symptoms

There is something that doctor's can do. I suffered constant nausea for 3 years and saw many GI doctors all of which said they couldn't help. Eventually I came across a doctor who said he could help. He explained that the messaging system between the brain and the gut can become out of sync and he put me on anti-depressants, even though I am not depressed, to boost the messaging system and I began to improve and now have no nausea. The drug I was put on is called Duloxetine and I built up to 120mgs per day in 2 divided doses. Low dose anti-depressants may help but he says it is important not to be afraid of using higher doses and mixing other anti-depressants together if necessary. He was keen to stress that I was not depressed. I have also come across other people in different parts of the world who have had similar success to mine using the same approach. I am in the UK. You need to find a doctor who is familiar with this type of approach and if you cannot find a GI doc then find a psychiatric doctor as they are familiar with these types of drugs. Good luck.

Well the theory behind the anti-depressants is that it raises the pain threshold which makes tolorating many of the IBS symptoms easier. I'm sure there are other perks to taking this type of medication as it's been strongly recommended by many Dr's. I unfortunatley have such a sensative stomach that all the anti-depressants including the one you mentioned had such horrible side effects that I had to stop taking them. My Rhuemetologist has given me an RX for Savella which is an SNRI like Cymbalta for my Fybro which if I can tolorate should help with the IBS as well. I won't stop trying or researching possibly remedies because I can't imagine living this way for the rest of my life !!! I'm glad it has helped you

I agree that it is very hard to find something that works which is a horrible feeling!! Have you tried taking Miralax? It's not a harsh laxative and for me has NO side effects. It has no taste so you should have no problem putting it in a glass of water.Take one dose daily and you will see a difference within a few days. You need to stop doing the enemas, your body will become dependent on them and you don't want that. If your in need of relief then do the glycerine suppositories instead, I use them from time to time and they work as long as your not waiting too long. BTW smoking is an irritant to our tummy Have you tried any anti-spasmatic meds for your pain? Don't give up !!!

I have had IBS for about 30 years. I didn't know what it was until I had an episode involving super-intense pain from bloating followed by vomiting and extreme diarrhea. My new husband was wondering if he should take me to the ER. My body finally resolved, but I brought it up with my doctor soon afterwardsc. Her opinion is that I have IBS and that the vomiting episode was a vasovagal response. This is my body's response to extreme pain. In this case it was the bloating with which I woke about two in the morning. That episode was 9 years ago. Doctors will tell you that food has nothing to do with it. While I still experience symptoms, things are much better for me since I stopped all coffee/caffeine (with the exception of some chocolate) as well as carbonated beverages five years ago. Chocolate can trigger me so I try to be careful. If you google "Heather" with "IBS" you will find a website with some very helpful info for managing this. She is selling things, but provides much good guidance to start you on your way to figuring out your triggers.

Do try to find your triggers and reduce your bloating. I don't know what laxative you are using, but using something like Benefiber has helped me a lot. Laxatives in general make my gut pain worse. Hope things are better for you.

While it may be true that food is not related to IBS, you may still have a food intolerance.

I discovered that soybean oil or soy protein bloats me so bad, it looks like I am pregnant. No kidding! And of course following the bloating are all the other fun GI problems after that.

The problem is that soybean oil is found in just about everything so I really have to be careful and cook at home. Try and avoid soy for a while and see what happens.

You may have more than one food intolerance. For me, soy is my number one problem but other things get me as well. Soy protein is similar to peanuts. I found that by replacing peanut button with almond butter I could enjoy an almond butter and jelly sandwhich.

Keep a food journal and look not only at the food but at the ingredients in the food. It is tedious to keep track but once you find your food triggers, you can change your diet.

It's been awhile since I've been on the web site, but I have a couple of things to mention. I've been dealing with IBS for over 40 years. I've tried many different things in the past, but over the last year or so, I've been trying few new things to get my problem under control. I've "discovered" a couple of things. I believe that I have a wheat intolerance but not really gluten - I am allergic to most grasses, so this would make since. I can have "some" wheat at times, just not everyday or a lot at once. But wheat/gluten is a big problem for a lot of people and should be taken out of the diet to see if that helps at all.

I think some doctors put people in the IBS catagory simply because they don't have any other answer for their problems. I have recently come across 2 things that might help some of you with your problems.

1) Do some research on GAPS - Gut and Psychology Syndrome - some very interesting information there that might help some of you. You might find out that you really do not have IBS but that your body simply lacks the ability to produce a certain type of organism that the body needs to help with digestion. It is a very interesting read. If you do decide to try the GAPS diet, be very careful with it.

2) Look into taking "Saccharomyces Boulardii" along with your regular probiotics. I now take 1 capsule twice a day and this has helped me a LOT! More so than anything else I've tried over the years. In looking at the symptoms and other problems associated with a lack of the probiotic yeast, I fit 90% of those problems - which explains a lot for me. But one thing I do know - this is working for me.

Check these things out because there is some really good information there. But remember - be patient! If you have been dealing with this problem for some time, it will not just go away because of a pill. It takes time for your body to adjust.

Hope this helps some of you - good luck!

Thanks for the reply. I totally agree that watching your food can be really helpful in controlling IBS. It is unfortunate that the doctors don't pass that along.

Yes, I have avoided soy....to a certain extent. I am outright allergic to dairy, but only really started respecting that allergy last January (2012). Prior to that, I had cut back enough so that my rash went away. Apparently there is a similarity between dairy and soy, so that many who are allergic to dairy also react to soy. I read that after getting dairy out of your system for say...six months, one may be able to eat soy again.

I am cutting all dairy out of my diet. Cutting soy out as well is really just too hard. As you pointed out, it is in everything. As is dairy. And what doesn't have dairy, often has soy. I do use the soy-free Earth Balance. The positive reinforcement of cutting dairy out makes me not feel too deprived.

I also don't tolerate PB well, probably for the reason you gave. I eat a lot of almonds, I balk at the expense of almond butter, but it is really delicious.

Food triggers and IBS are very individual although there are some that generally trigger most of us. Yet I know someone who is triggered by lettuce and can eat cabbage freely. I eat lettuce, but bloat up from cabbage. So it takes a lot of paying attention to your body and what you have been putting in it to get things livable.

And then there is the matter of not letting yourself get too hungry. If I am ravenous, almost anythingc will trigger me. White potatoes or white bread are my go to foods in that scenario.

Good for you keeping a food journal. Maybe some day I will have the discipline. What do you find is the easiest way to keep the journal?