Does anyone have IBS?

If so, could you please tell me what tests your doctor ran to give you a definitive diagnosis.

Thanks,
Maureen

Yes, no real tests just lots of painfully personal discussions! You have to really look at your diet, too, and see if any specific foods are triggering it. It also might be a good idea to get allergy testing done, as the symptoms may not be IBS so much as a food allergy. Just a precaution! I did them and found out I'm mildy allergic to rice. I can still eat it, just not a ton of it, and not when I'm feeling 'problematic'.

There is medicine now for IBS, two kinds (for women only!) depending on what your worst symptoms are. Ask your doctor! There are no real cures for it, unfortunately.

Hope that helps!!

Thanks! Matt is forcing me to go the doctor next week and I was hoping to skip the invasive testing!

Could I just ask if it became worse when Aunt Flo is around?

Thanks you've made me feel much better!

I was diagnosed with it years ago. The dr that diagnosed it really didn't do any testing, but I did have tests from other drs that ruled out other stuff.
I had a sigmoidoscopy (ouch), and then last year I had the test where you had to drink the barium stuff.
I also had to give a...ummmmm...'sample' (I can't believe I am posting this) and they found out I have blastocystis bacteria in my intestines which was making me sick.
I was put on a stong regimen of antibiotics which made me even sicker and didn't help. I never went back about it b/c we started TTC and I didn't want to take anything. I did alot of reading about it and found out that an overabundance of flour, yeast and sugar can make a comfortable home for these things.

A year later I started Atkins which pretty much eliminates all these thing and I feel better than ever!! I rarely get sick like I used to!!

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

I have Crohn's disease, which is more of an IBD (disorder instead of syndrome). But before they diagnosed me with that they thought I had UC. I was diagnosed by a colonoscopy (oh what fun stuff that is, thank God they sedated me for it). But I don't kow if they run those sort of tests for IBS. I would assume some dr's might want to in order to rule out something worse than IBS.

Good luck, I sympathize!! And I agree with LisaW, while all the dr's I went to see said diet doesn't cure IBS or UC or Crohn's, I've read that not eating refined sugar, wheat, flour, breads/pastas etc does help.

If you want more info on diet for IBS, FM me.

LisaW: have you ever tried the Selective Carbohydrate Diet? It is similar to what you mentioned and similar to Atkins. No sugar at all, no Equal/Spenda/Sweet and Low either, only honey since it breaks down easier than sugars do.

Also the diet recommends making your own yogurt and fermenting it for 24 hours. They say that the bacteria in it fights the bad bacteria in your body.

I was doing it for a little while but it's so restrictive and so time consuming (you pretty much have to make everything yourself althought there's one website where you can get things sent to you already made) that I stopped. But I am getting an attack so maybe I should start again.

Mary

Maribelle, I never tried that. I really can't eat yogurt, it usually makes me sick...lol. It does sound really restrictive.
I actually started to do Atkins to lose my quitting smoking and fertility drugs weight, and the other things are just a wonderful 'side effect'!!

My dad had IBS. It gets worse with stress. Since he retired, he almost never has problems with it anymore.

The thing that can actually help it is to increase your fiber intake. Sounds weird, but it really did help him. Avoid eating anything too hot/too cold, and don't eat fast or on the run.

Also omega-3s (found in fish oil, flax seed oil) are supposed to be good for IBS. And regular exercise is also good because it helps to keep you 'regular.'

Some of the most common things that cause an IBS episode are stress, dairy and fats.

Good luck everyone!


PS: It's normal for women to be constipated before AF, and then to get diarrhea just before or with AF. It's not related to IBS.

bump for Boop

I take nulev as needed for this and I take it if I am going to be out or traveling or if I feel an attack coming on...it usually helps mmy symptoms subside. Since I stopped working in security and am now working as a teacher, my stress levels have subsided CONSIDERABLY as have my symptoms, but anytime I am nervous or very anxious....look out!

I had an upper GI and a sonagram done of my tummy area. They found nothing. Doctors thought it was an ulcer, but nothing seemed to work to make it better. It was set off by ANY food not just spicy stuff and no ulcer showed up on the Upper GI Scan.

Then I went to a doctor on Beekman St. God bless this man. I told him my problems.. he asked if I gained weight, which I had. I gave him a break down of my normal diet and he nailed it. He said there are tons of test he could have done, but most are inconclusive, expensive and uncomfortable. He put me on Levisin and said if it helped, then it would point me in the right direction.

It worked wonders. No real cure, but took the edge off, if that makes sense. Im a Moderate to Severe case.

I changed doctors and this lady says I should be 'seen' by a gastromists (sp?) which I'm alright with, just waiting for next year so I can be on a PPO. In the meantime, I have been upgraded in medication. I am currently on Clidinium.

Still works alright and saves the day, but no real cure. I still have episodes. Being aware of what my problem is and how my diet and stress effects it has helped control it better, the drugs supplement it, but the problem still persists.