Does anyone know how to sucessfully treat IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)?

Question

I have this stupid and annoying psychological disease called IBS (No need to explain what it is, if you don’t know what IBS is, you won’t be able to answer the question).
It is getting harder and harder to go to work and to socialize.
Does anyone know how to cure it? I am based in London (SW)

Answer 1

Hi, know where you are coming from. I suffered for years and now I diet control it. I kept a food diary for months and ate on day 1 pasta, day 2 added tomato's, day 3 added onion etc and established what made me react and what did not. I also found peppermint capsules a huge help. As far as I know there is no cure, but it is possible to live with. I would suggest seeing a dietitian (if you have not already seen one), who could help.

I now eat some food in extreme moderation or do not even touch them anymore, but it has changed the way I live. I no longer worry about how long a journey takes or how far away the nearest loo is.

Answer 2

Have you been tested for celiac disease? I know in Europe they're much more proactive at testing for it. Some people even test negative, but respond positively to the gluten-free diet the same way as someone with celiac disease does.

Here's the US National Institutes of Health webpage on celiac -

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/

If that starts sounding familiar, there are a couple of really great message boards -

www.glutenfreeforum.com
www.celiacforums.com

I had IBS for 18 years before it was discovered that it was 100% directly caused by gluten. I also got to the point where I couldn't really leave my house and it caused all sorts of problems socially.

I've also heard that in Europe they go by a Codex standard for labeling things gluten-free, which actually allows for quite a bit of gluten, more than enough to make a person with celiac sick. So if you've tried the GF diet before without success, you may want to give it another try, with some support from the people on the message boards.

I hope you start feeling better soon.

Nancy

Answer 3

I suffered with IBS for two years until I put this together for me, and it has gone away completely, save for a few episodes now and then, but they are mild tummy cramps.

- Cut out about 80% of lactose (a little bit is all right for me; this depends by the person)

-Stopped high-impact exercise such as running (this irritated my bowels physically)

-Cut out a LOT of the fat foods. I take healthier alternatives also at restaurants; I'd rather eat only a plate of salad at the restaurant with friends and come back home and eat something fat-free home made later. This also cuts out Lactose easily; as lactose-based things are often very fat. Or, when it is fat food, I eat very little of it.

-When I am stressed, I get episodes of pain and very much abdominal distention (I look pregnant!), so I have started seeing a woman who teaches me meditation and Yoga Breathing. If you're in pain because of stress, your body is telling you to look after yourself! Even only 10 minutes of deep breathing and soft Pilates exercises have been able to help me lose the entire bloating. From a very distended tummy back to flat. The pilates book: Emily Kelly's Commonsense Pilates helps a LOT!

-Pop soda and anything bubbly is a big no for me as I get very bad bloating.

-I eat small quantities more often.

-Regular exercise such as elliptical (no impact) can be very soothing if done softly; to relax the abdominal muscles, not to strain your body.

These are a few ways I keep the pain in control. It has pretty much reduced itself to something only 'once in a while' (especially during stressful periods). Sometimes something warm over the tummy can also help, if you have cramps.

Good luck!

Sofie

Answer 4

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gut disorder. NOT a psychological problem, I admit emotional situations can exacerbate the symptoms.

I've had it for years, my symptoms lessened after I had my kids, but probably because my diet & excercise regime changed drastically then too!

Buscopan helped with the cramps, (now available over the counter) and peppermint tea..

Answer 5

Go to see a doctor. They're great. They know about illnesses and stuff like that. Just make an appointment and go in and say 'I've got irritable bowel syndrome' (to the doctor not to the receptionist or the other patients in the waiting room) and the doctor will give you advice and maybe prescribe some medicine. Amazing isn't it? They probably know more about it than the people answering this question.

Answer 6

i Have suffered with IBS for some time, to be honest i dont feel there is a cure, i have though cut out on foods that contain wheat and it did seem to improve, you could try taking Buscopan which is the treatment for IBS, or maybe go to your doctor and see what he recommends.

Some people say to keep a diary of evrything you eat and write down on the days that you suffer with IBS and it maybe that you get a pattern, and find that it is something you eat

Answer 7

IBS is evil. I hate it. The best thing to do is to find out what foods trigger it and stay away from them. Also, peppermint tea works wonders. Stress triggers IBS, so try some lavender sented something-or-other for a calming effect.

Answer 8

Diet is a big factor and your ability to keep yourself free of stress are major factors in the disease.
I understand that they have a course of prednisone or some such drug available to help when the symptoms become unbearable. You should have and internist as a Dr. as they are making changes in the treatment of this disease.

Answer 9

yep try chaning your diet, mine is agrevated by things that are good for you ie high fiber die,t you could try aloe vera capsules or pepermint they are supposed to be good for ibs, go to the doc and ask to see someone about it, there isn't a cure yet, but try the diet thing, have a boring diet plain food first, and then add things back in and see if anything makes it worse, do it after christmas though ;-) and stress makes it worse so try to chill out a bit or do yoga it help you relax

Answer 10

IBS is usually a symptom of an anxiety disorder (bad nerves) and not anything that you eat.. Zoloft, or something similar, should help. It will take 2 weeks for the medicine to start working.