There are TWO (2) "types" of IBS. One with diarrhea (IBS-D) and one with constipation. When a Dr tells you that you have IBS, he/she is saying, "Something is wrong with your intestines, BUT we have no clue on what is wrong", I have been diagnosed with IBD-D. I went through TWO (2) colonoscopies, AND a camera inserted into my stomach, AND a special test where i had to wear an electronic belt and swallow a huge pill that takes pictures of my entire system. also numerous stool lab tests. RESULTS ALL NEGATIVE. The whole thing was a waste of time. All that happened is that the gastroenterologist got richer. Not once did the Dr discuss possible diet causes, except to say try cutting down on foods with wheat. There are millions upon millions of people who suffer from "IBS" and none of them are cured. You would think that somewhere in this world there would be a large "Clinic/lab/hospital' that specializes in discovering the cause(s) of IBS. It order for me to go anywhere that takes longer than 15 minutes, i must not eat a single thing for 16 hours. PS: I have discovered that IF I eat a large amount of refried beans AND NOTHING ELSE, my system becomes almost normal.
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Eat refried beans or some other food that is asymptomatic until everything calms down, then add one food or type of food at a time to your diet and see if you can determine what triggers the symptoms. Common offenders are wheat or grains, dairy, high-sulfur foods (which you may have ruled out since you don't react to beans) and fructose-containing foods, especially agave or anything with high fructose corn syrup in it.
Beans are the highest-fiber foods on the planet, (7 gms/serving) so fiber may be the answer (at least for you).
One of the main problems is lactose milk, creamy chip dip etc. I only consume lactose free milk. Wheat was a big problem but pasta now seems ok MOST OF THE TIME.
Pasta is not a refined flour...it's made with durham wheat. So you may react to it differently. I was reviewing my probiotic info the other day and remembered that there are specific bacteria recommended for IBS. You may want to research these before trying them (I can find links for you if you wish). Taking probiotics (and prebiotics) can require caution of you have existing gut issues. The bacteria I noted that are said to address IBS are: Bifidobacterium Longum Lactobacillus Acidophilus Lactobacillus Acidophilus Lactobacillus Bulgaricus Lactobacillus Paracasei Lactobacillus Plantarum Lactobacillus Rhamnosus If you think this might be a route you want to go, I analyze things to death and have a spreadsheet I'm updating, so I'll be able to tell you which brands have these (or at least, which brands have some of these.) I'm curious as to what input others here might have on this.
Thank you for taking time to post the above. I assume that the bacteria you named are in probiotics prebiotics ?
Things to help the lower intestine probably need to be enteric coated to make it through the stomach acid. The ingredient list does not tell the whole story.
Those are in probiotics. I am not a doctor...but I'm not sure that prebiotics are a good idea for IBS. It seems that internet opinions are mixed as to whether they help of hurt. I don't know. All of the probiotics I've tried (3 brands) are in capsule form.
I know we have discussed this topic with Richard in several other threads, and i believe that probiotics has been mentioned before, along with using a natural probiotic like kefir or even plain cultured yogurt with live bacteria. Kefir is about as simple as anything to make, you just need to order the kefir packets from Amazon and mix in with a quart of milk and leave it sit out overnight, or until it thickens. The lactose in the milk is eaten by the bacteria during the fermentation process, so it is fine for people who are lactose intolerant. Once you have made a quart of kefir, you can use a cup of the kefir as a starter for the next batch, so you can make several quarts from each packet.
I done a thread asking about IBS, but this thread is better. Seems like both of us have IBS-D ("D" for diarrhea), definitely not "C"/constipation. We tried 1MD Nutrition Complete Probiotics Platinum from Amazon. It's 1 capsule daily that we took in the AM with breakfast. Really didn't help at all. IOW, we both still got fairly bad watery diarrhea many times. Bought a bottle of IBS Clear with Bioperine on Amazon. It's a 2 capsule daily AM/PM. Took one this AM with breakfast and my stomach started hurting. Drank some bottle water and stomach felt better. My wife doesn't want to try it, because she seen how I reacted (some pain). When my wife seen an MD here for the first time, both of us mentioned the IBS and he pretty much ignored us. I see a VA-NP here for the first on January 24 and will ask her about the IBS-D I've been getting. We thought it might have something to do with where we lived at before, but nope, it's happening here as well. At least half of the time when we go out and eat, we wind up with IBS-D the next day. There are all kinds of IBS-D supplements online, but we don't want to keep spending out money and not having anything work. Anyone here have this and, if so, what do you use?
Yes,, for me have recently been using Bigelow Lavender Chamomile tea with Probiotics. i really like the flavor and aroma. It is not immediate help but has made a big difference enough that I bought another box today. I drink it hot since it is cold out but you can drink iced also. I drink at least one a day. I laso let it steep longer than 4 minutes as suggested.
Dunno if I’ve ever had IBS. If it’s the same thing as a pain in the tail then yeah, I’ve had a few of those.
I've been into probiotics and prebiotics, and learned a lot from some IBS forums. It's a very complicated thing: -If the issue is low gut bacteria, then a probiotic might help. -If the issue is low intestinal bacteria, then a prebiotic might help. -If the issue is SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth), taking either probiotics or prebiotics is liable to make the issue worse, because it will increase an already overpopulation of bacteria. I am no expert on the subject, but I understand that SIBO can be tested for. I would do that first, then go from there. SIBO can be treated. If it's not SIBO, then your doctor should think it's OK to try probiotics and prebiotics. I don't believe that there is any info on which strain of bacteria you want to take (probiotic) in order to fix IBS in general or your individual gut biome specifically. Quantity of bacteria is also something you need to experiment with. The same holds true for prebiotics (these are fibers that are food for the bacteria in your intestines.) I don't believe that anyone knows if the different types of prebiotics (fibers) feed different strains of bacteria, much less which strains you might want to feed.
I think IBS is one of those diagnoses of "we can't figure out what it is, so we'll call it that." Rule out everything else, and a doc, pa, or np should be able to do most of that. Rule out parasites and other stuff. Since it happens mostly when you go out to eat, see if you can narrow it down to a food sensitivity, like wheat, corn, rice, milk, etc. Some naturopaths can address this more easily than a regular medical person. The inability to define symptoms may be why your wife didn't get a satisfactory answer for her doctor. Some doctors say there is NEVER blood in the stool with IBS, while others are okay and maintain the diagnosis. You might try something like L-glutamine. It is not expensive and can't hurt. It is an amino acid required by the intestinal tract to function properly. Here is the Amazon link, but you can get it in many grocery stores, pharmacies, and health food places locally. Since you describe it as periodic and not a constant problem, the best start is to keep a food diary and see if you can narrow it to one food or food type. Otherwise, do an elimination diet and eliminate almost everything but met for a week or two, then add one food type at a time and see if you can determine what triggers it.