Open main menu ☰
HealingWell
Search Close Search
Health Conditions
Allergies Alzheimer's Disease Anxiety & Panic Disorders Arthritis Breast Cancer Chronic Illness Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes
Fibromyalgia GERD & Acid Reflux Irritable Bowel Syndrome Lupus Lyme Disease Migraine Headache Multiple Sclerosis Prostate Cancer Ulcerative Colitis

View Conditions A to Z »
Support Forums
Anxiety & Panic Disorders Bipolar Disorder Breast Cancer Chronic Pain Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes Fibromyalgia GERD & Acid Reflux
Hepatitis Irritable Bowel Syndrome Lupus Lyme Disease Multiple Sclerosis Ostomies Prostate Cancer Rheumatoid Arthritis Ulcerative Colitis

View Forums A to Z »
Log In
Join Us
Close main menu ×
  • Home
  • Health Conditions
    • All Conditions
    • Allergies
    • Alzheimer's Disease
    • Anxiety & Panic Disorders
    • Arthritis
    • Breast Cancer
    • Chronic Illness
    • Crohn's Disease
    • Depression
    • Diabetes
    • Fibromyalgia
    • GERD & Acid Reflux
    • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
    • Lupus
    • Lyme Disease
    • Migraine Headache
    • Multiple Sclerosis
    • Prostate Cancer
    • Ulcerative Colitis
  • Support Forums
    • All Forums
    • Anxiety & Panic Disorders
    • Bipolar Disorder
    • Breast Cancer
    • Chronic Pain
    • Crohn's Disease
    • Depression
    • Diabetes
    • Fibromyalgia
    • GERD & Acid Reflux
    • Hepatitis
    • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
    • Lupus
    • Lyme Disease
    • Multiple Sclerosis
    • Ostomies
    • Prostate Cancer
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • Ulcerative Colitis
  • Log In
  • Join Us
Join Us
☰
Forum Home| Forum Rules| Moderators| Active Topics| Help| Log In

Just diagnosed..

Support Forums
>
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
profile picture
Lissa0
New Member
Joined : May 2007
Posts : 2
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..

profile picture
sunshine323
Regular Member
Joined : Feb 2007
Posts : 79
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!
profile picture
Lissa0
New Member
Joined : May 2007
Posts : 2
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! :)
profile picture
pb4
Elite Member
Joined : Feb 2004
Posts : 20577
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.


:)
profile picture
dbab
Veteran Member
Joined : Jan 2004
Posts : 4151
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
profile picture
7Lil
Veteran Member
Joined : Apr 2005
Posts : 3269
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.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply

More On Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Do I Have Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

Do I Have Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

Sophie's Story With Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Sophie's Story With Irritable Bowel Syndrome



HealingWell

About Us  |   Advertise  |   Subscribe  |   Privacy & Disclaimer
Connect With Us
FacebookFacebook TwitterTwitter InstagramInstagram PinterestPinterest LinkedInLinkedIn
© 1997-2021 HealingWell.com LLC All Rights Reserved. Our website is for informational purposes only. HealingWell.com LLC does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.