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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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gutastrophe
Regular Member
Joined : Jul 2007
Posts : 319
Posted 10/5/2007 9:25 PM (GMT -7)
I hate to be the contrarian, but my experience with IBS C for decades has indicated I avoid the high fiber stuff.  Eating high fiber cereals, taking fiber supplements, dried fruits or nuts, etc., will effectively shut down my system.  The GI that worked on me said that fiber such as these will extract too much water from a system that is already having difficulty moving it's contents. 

Everyone is different but in my case, it has been proven over and over that the typical fiber foods and supplements are not helpful in combatting my chronic IBS C.  If you have been incorporating fiber into your diet for an extended period and are still not getting healthy BM's, you might want to have a chat with your doc about a more customized plan.

Post Edited By Moderator (Sarita) : 10/6/2007 2:15:39 AM (GMT-6)

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Sarita
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2005
Posts : 2486
Posted 10/6/2007 1:14 AM (GMT -7)

It's true - what works for someone won't necessarily work for another.  The GI system is extremely intricate, as I'm learning, and the magical cure for someone will be a metabolic burden for another.  It's a good reminder that there is no "magical cure" for someone who experiences constipation, diarrhea, or whatever else ails you.  The human body is a conundrum, essentially.  There are "typical" cases out there but nothing absolute.  All you can do is educate yourself as much as possible and share your experiences as much as possible.  You will find out what works best for you, even if it doesn't work as well as you hoped it would.  Thanks, gutastrophe!

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Sarita
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2005
Posts : 2486
Posted 10/6/2007 1:16 AM (GMT -7)
P.S. Gutastrophe, I just edited your post to add a title. 

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Marsky
Veteran Member
Joined : Jul 2007
Posts : 1956
Posted 10/6/2007 1:53 AM (GMT -7)
Very true. My main motto now is - we are what we eat. Or I am what I eat!!! LOL

What I recommend the most is for each patient to keep a food diary or journal. And to know some basic guidelines too, when trying different types of food.

In my case I was told I could eat ~anything~ I wanted, after my colon resection for rectal cancer in 1999. Possibly aoviding spicy food and eating small meals. That was IT and I mean IT, for my post-op instructions (after a temp colostomy was reversed I should add).

Well, here I was resuming my pre-cancer, pre-surgery diet, before my world was turned completely upside down - whole wheat products (bagels, bread, cereals, rolls, etc.). Fresh fruit - all berries, pineapple (I learned how to carve a fresh pineapple, only used canned pineapple for upside down pineapple cake!), home grown tomatoes, corn, etc.

I could barely get through one meal - I had 3 bm's during each meal! Not to mention, many afterwards too.

Somehow I found time to get on the computer, I found a now defunct colon cancer message board and a patient who was experiencing repeated bms and all out D, while having chemo. This patient's symptoms were mine. Another patient recommended a Low Residue Diet. I glanced at that diet and realized all the foods I was eating (to keep cancer at bay and also b/c it was the very diet I had eaten before cancer) were no where to be found on the list. I went on this diet and within, I swear, 48 hours I was a new person. Oh my gosh, I could leave home, I could get behind the wheel of a car, I could do so much!

And all because I ate very plain foods, and consumed very little fiber.

So yes I do agree with you gutastrophe - we are all different. And what works for one person may not for another. But a Low Reside Diet and a food journal just about saved me from living in my bathroom for the rest of my life. I honestly thought any normal way of living was over for me. My doctor was taken back by my new diet but when I told him how much fresh produce and fiber was wreaking havoc on my gut, he said it made total sense to him!

I am still on this diet about 75% of the time. 8 years later. My husband jokingly calls it my White Diet. So many of the foods I eat are white - vanilla yogurt, bananas (I am so rarely w/o bananas!), white rice, cottage cheese, plain bread, plain english muffins, plain bagels, applesauce, Cheerios or Special K, turkey, chicken, fish, pasta, etc. Yes, mostly all white. And oh, another biggie for me - Regular Club Crackers!

Mary/Marsky
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christycheri924
Regular Member
Joined : Jan 2007
Posts : 35
Posted 10/6/2007 2:48 PM (GMT -7)
Gutastrophe,

Sometimes when I take too much fiber I notice that it will backfire on me as well...so what kind of diet do you follow?

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Canyonbabe711
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2006
Posts : 1451
Posted 10/6/2007 2:55 PM (GMT -7)
The white diet is what my Dr. told me to eat when I was having so many stomach problems. It really wasn't for IBS as much as for the stomach digestion. No red meat, no fresh veggies or fresh fruit, Only rice, noodles, potatoes, chicken, fish and pretty soon my stomach was back to normal (whatever that is) Now I am off that and OK but everyone once in a while when it gets goofy again that is what I have to do. In my case he also said No dairy.
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gutastrophe
Regular Member
Joined : Jul 2007
Posts : 319
Posted 10/7/2007 1:18 AM (GMT -7)

christycheri924 said...
Gutastrophe,

Sometimes when I take too much fiber I notice that it will backfire on me as well...so what kind of diet do you follow?

Honestly, I have found no specific "diet" that "works", whatever that means!

Things that cause C most of the time are:

insoluble fiber supplements like Metamucil, high fiber cereals like Kashi, All-Bran, brown rice, bananas, apples, pasta, white rice, seeds, nuts, flax

Things that cause unbearable instestinal distress are:

raw veggies and lettuce, tomatoes, beans, lentils, sweet potatoes, milk, apples, split peas

 

Things that are somewhat easy to digest and eliminate are:

winter squash (like butternut, acorn, spaghetti), barley, meat, fish, poultry

 

I started taking Benefiber 2 weeks ago on the advice of my naturopath and stopped 2 days ago because everything in my gut came to a halt.  I admit I have little patience left anymore with this type of "experimentation".  After all these years, I just don't have the enthusiasm I once had for trying new plans and ideas.  I know my system pretty well by now and I am keenly aware of when I am getting into trouble.  Since my IBS has been predominantly C for the last few years, I am intolerant of any treatment that contributes to this miserable and painful condition.

Fiber supplements contributed to a colon impaction I had 2 years ago.  Clearly, I am not able to reap the benefits of those that are available OTC.  I try to incorporate as much of the easily digestible foods as I can into my daily food intake.  But the truth is, everything I eat is problematic, everything causes some type of distress.  For me, the goal is to minimize the pain, as much as is humanly possible.

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jt80
Regular Member
Joined : Sep 2007
Posts : 333
Posted 10/7/2007 5:52 PM (GMT -7)
I try to eat the right foods,but it's seems like what I eat does not agree with me the next day sometimes,I wake up to having excessive amounts of gas,I got to make sure a pass it,even before I have my bm's.I hate having to go threw that and it's loud gas passing,I feel embarassed even though their is no one around. And I would love to have just one healthy bulky bm,not several small pencil shaped ones I hate that,and the way I know now that I have to have a bm is I start passing gas involunteraly and my stomach starts hurting.And I know this sounds weird,I know are bm's are supposed to smell, but mine be smelling like they were dipped in viniger it's so pungent,I know I didn't eat anything that bad,I'm sorry everyone I hate to be so graphic,I just want to know if anyone experinences the same thing.Should I do a clense?
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Canyonbabe711
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2006
Posts : 1451
Posted 10/7/2007 7:00 PM (GMT -7)
I think we have to remember to increase our fluid intake if we are adding fiber. I wonder if we really do that enough.
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gutastrophe
Regular Member
Joined : Jul 2007
Posts : 319
Posted 10/8/2007 1:18 AM (GMT -7)

jtaurus said...
I try to eat the right foods,but it's seems like what I eat does not agree with me the next day sometimes,I wake up to having excessive amounts of gas,I got to make sure a pass it,even before I have my bm's.I hate having to go threw that and it's loud gas passing,I feel embarassed even though their is no one around. And I would love to have just one healthy bulky bm,not several small pencil shaped ones I hate that,and the way I know now that I have to have a bm is I start passing gas involunteraly and my stomach starts hurting.And I know this sounds weird,I know are bm's are supposed to smell, but mine be smelling like they were dipped in viniger it's so pungent,I know I didn't eat anything that bad,I'm sorry everyone I hate to be so graphic,I just want to know if anyone experinences the same thing.Should I do a clense?

I am pretty certain we can all relate! 

Pungent and aromatic BM's are generally the result of stool that has been lingering in the colon a little past it's expiration date.  Bacteria will begin to ferment and cause gas, as well as odor.  It's nothing to be embarrassed about.  Even my son and daughter in law, who do not have IBS, have stinky flatulance at times!

 

When I begin to back up, I use Magnesium Citrate.  It's quick, effective, and does not cause cramping and spasms.  I avoid the "cleansing" products because I don't believe the hype.  If you want to clean out, you don't need to pay a fortune and take pills and liquids for a month.  A two dollar magnesium citrate solution from your local pharmacy will do the trick!

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christycheri924
Regular Member
Joined : Jan 2007
Posts : 35
Posted 10/8/2007 8:26 AM (GMT -7)
Right now I just started drinking some cleanseing tea that is suppose to help with the upper track...which I am having a real problem with lately...it just feels so impacted that some products can't seem to help with. I am suppose to take it for 30 days, and so far it seems to be working and I haven't had too many side-effects outside of the cramping right before I have to go.

I just feel like my whole life seems to be centering around this problem.
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Keriamon
Veteran Member
Joined : Jun 2005
Posts : 2976
Posted 10/8/2007 11:07 AM (GMT -7)
Gut, I'm with you. When I tried a fiber supplement pill, it made my constipation worse. My mother said that I was imagining it since fiber always helps C (ha!), but how hard do you have to imagine being able to go to the bathroom one day, taking that pill and then being completely unable to go w/o taking laxatives while you are taking it? And when I stopped taking it, I was able to go again, albeit with some difficulty.

Okay, fast forward a couple of years to a bad problem with D. Should take the supplment, right? It's constipating fiber, right? Wrong! It made the D worse too! My D got worse, as did my cramps (which went from pretty bad to extremely bad). And this wasn't even a very high fiber pill!

I don't fool around with any fiber supplements at all anymore; I either get my fiber from food or I don't get it. I recently had to give up blue corn chips because they were causing me D and the only thing I could figure out was cause of it was the fact that they were super high in fiber. Yellow corn chips, however, have a moderate amount of fiber and I can handle them.
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