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Just diagnosed..

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 5/5/2007 6:28 PM (GMT -7)
My doctor believes I have IBS...

Here is a little background of my symptoms...

The last six months I've alternated between diarrhea and what I would call a "sticky, mucus" constipation.  I have severe stomach pains, and bloating.  I also experience fatigue and migraines.

I've cut out all greasy, dairy, sugary foods.

The doc currently has me taking Levsin.  He also recommended I drink 6-7 water bottles of water a day and take Benefiber supplements.

Any other suggestions?

So far I'm not showing any differences than before..

Posted 5/6/2007 5:27 AM (GMT -7)
Give it a little while, first - it takes time to get your bowel normalized. I would also suggest taking digestive enzymes and a good probiotic. Definitely make sure to drink plenty of water, especially with the Levsin - I only take that when i have a flare-up, but it tends to constipate me pretty badly. If you like yogurt, the new Activa yogurt is great for tummy issues. Get plenty of rest, and try to decrease your stress levels if possible - that usually makes everything worse. Also, it's a good idea to keep a food diary and see what triggers you when. My main triggers are milk and red meat, but I've gotten more normalized recently, and can eat them occasionally (on good days). Usually sugar doesn't bother IBS, but it's a good idea to decrease sugar intake anyway. But, if you're just really wanting something sweet, as long as it's not super-fattening too, it probably wouldn't bother you. Just an fyi :)
Good luck!
Posted 5/6/2007 8:06 AM (GMT -7)
I tried the Activia for about 2-3 weeks. It didn't seem to help much, and made me really gassy.
Thanks for your reply, this is a hard subject to talk to anyone about...when they don't have it to understand! :)
Posted 5/6/2007 10:44 AM (GMT -7)
It will take some time before you hopefully will see improvements...taking a good probiotic cap daily could also be a huge benefit for symptoms as well.


:)
Posted 5/7/2007 5:39 AM (GMT -7)
Welcome to Healing Well Lissa,

I agree with everyone, it will take time for things to work. Patience with fiber is important too. I'm not sure if the doc mentioned but its best to start slow with fiber because it can tend to cause gas and bloating if introduced too much too fast but the benefits when you finally get used to it is amazing (at least for me). The increase in water is great too because its very important to drink plenty of water with fiber. Also if you aren't getting any relief from the Levsin, make sure you tell your doc. There are many different antispasmodics out there and I had to try a few to find one that worked for me.

Take Care
Posted 5/7/2007 11:37 AM (GMT -7)
Hi Lissa,
A big WELCOME from me too! :-)
Have you tried taking probiotics? Once you get those good bugs in there things should start getting better. I have been taking probiotics daily for at least a year now and it has helped me tremendously. My D and C have both gotten better and I seem to be much less bloated and flatulent.
Like the others, I think you just need to give your body a little time to adjust.
I hope you stick with us... we have a lot to learn from each other.
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