Anybody here suffer from IBD or IBS?

[Funtatlaguy]

I think I have it.
Having a colonoscopy in a few weeks.
Doctor has been having me write down everything I eat and drink to see what causes my diarrhea, gas, and bloating flare ups.

I may have isolated dairy, caffeine, carbonation, and popcorn as things that bother me.
Does that make sense to anyone with Irritable Bowel Disease or Syndrome?

[HipChick]

1. Yes, been dealing with this for some time before I went to dr

Isolated milk (had to give up any Starbucks coffee), Cheese - See ya Pizza
Hot sauce, peppers - all went bye bye

Lost a nice chuck of weight....
Eating raw ginger seems to help a lot..or ginger tea, I buy the stuff they serve with sushi in bulk from the asian store

[Frustratedlady]

2. I had it and then went into ulcerative colon. I finally ended up with

Entyvia, a biologic medication which is terribly expensive, but works. The last thing I had that caused explosive diarrhea was Glucerna. Delicious, but awful on the colon.

I have been taking Entyvia infusions for the last six months and haven't had diarrhea since. Bad thing is, you need pre-approval, or it will cost you $18K+ per infusion every 4 to 8 weeks for the rest of your life. So far, the bills that have come through have been $21K to $24K. The hospital told me I had pre-approval. I hope they are right or it will wipe me out.

[Funtatlaguy]

5. Interesting. I will ask my Gastro about it.

[JenniferJuniper]

3. Isolating foods

never worked for me, but going very low carb cured it.

I drink caffeine regularly and basically only drink carbonated water and champagne. Eat some cheese and use full cream. No problems.

My best guess is that gluten was the culprit.

[Stargleamer]

4. If you do have IBS

Rifaximin might help. It's hard to often determine if it's IBS or not, as it could be other things as well: Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), Fructose Malabsorption, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, etc. To make things more complicated, these conditions can co-exist.

[Funtatlaguy]

7. Oh wow. Im hoping the colonoscopy will give me answers.

[klook]

6. Never diagnosed with either,

but FWIW, I used to have symptoms until I started taking psyllium husk (active ingredient in Metamucil) every day, as well as an over-the-counter probiotic recommended by the gastroenterologist after my last colonoscopy.

Those have made a huge difference over the past couple of years, and now irregularity is very rare for me. It’s also helped that I get more regular exercise than I used to, and consume a little less caffeine.

YMMV, of course — and you should get a doctor’s advice — but that’s been my experience.

[Thekaspervote]

8. L glutamine helped me tremendously also monolauren

Both are over the counter and not expensive

[IcyPeas]

11. Monolaurin....

Most people have never heard of this. I had a bout of bad sinus infections a couple of years ago and this came up when I searched Dr. Google. I haven't had another sinus infection in 2 years.... They don't know if it really works or not, but they say that about a lot of supplements. They are researching it more now due to anitbiotic resistance. Like you say, it's over the counter and inexpensive... worth a try. has no known side effects.

https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1149/monolaurin

Monolaurin is a chemical made from lauric acid, which is found in coconut milk and breast milk.

How does it work?
Preliminary research suggests monolaurin might be able to fight bacteria and viruses in test tubes. It is not known if monolaurin has these effects when used by people.

Uses & Effectiveness?
Insufficient Evidence for
Common cold.
Flu (influenza).
Herpes.
Shingles.
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).
Strengthening the immune system.
Other conditions.

[pnwest]

9. Yes - have isolated wheat, not all gluten, just

wheat as my biggest enemy. Some dairy, but not all... cheese, ice cream, butter and yogurt are ok, but straight up milk and cream = big drama. Legumes can be troublesome sometimes. And then sometimes it’s just a “WTF is it now?!” mystery. But I’ve found that if I am very sparing with wheat, (LORD, do I miss my local microbrewery’s porter...) then most of the rest can be had in small, occasional doses with little trouble, as long as there’s lots of salad, vegetables, protein and brown rice most of the time.

Also, stress. Being stressed makes it all 10x worse, and harder to bring under control. I go through loads of Pepto tablets during stressful times.

[rownesheck]

10. I think I have it.

But I just suffer with it. I figure I'll either be unhappy giving up foods I like or be unhappy with the condition. I decided I'll just keep eating foods I like. Thinking of getting a colonoscopy is terrifying, so I'll probably never do it.

[duforsure]

12. Yes

With muscular dystrophy and think early Parkinson's, and certain foods absolutely bring on bouts, and for others it effects some differently with different foods. I've found certain foods that don't get it going, and try to stay on a strict diet, but hard to always do. I also have bad reactions to many, many medications, so no meds taken. It can be really bad at times.

[crim son]

13. Yes.

I was diagnosed with IBS after many, many tests, and also after having (successful) surgery for reflux. We tried multiple prescription meds and dietary changes but nothing worked and I was in pain every day from the first moment I took anything into my stomach in the morning until I finally fell asleep at night. I also had diarrhea but the pain was the worst of it for me.

Finally, desperate, I read that IBS is the one condition that has been proven to respond to hypnotherapy. I wasn't a believer! but I tried Michael Mahoney's IBS hypnosis treatment and it was a a freaking miracle. I followed the hypnosis schedule to the letter and was pain free within sixty days, with significant pain reduction much sooner than that. For a few years afterward I'd have a flare up maybe once or twice a year. Three or four sessions of the regime always settled my insides.

I don't know why or how it worked when nothing else did but I am very thankful to have stumbled on Mr. Mahoney's CDs (at the time, we used CDs, heh).

[pnwest]

14. Wow! Isn't that interesting! I would never

even have thought about hypnotherapy for IBS. I’m gonna read up! Thanx!

[MFM008]

15. Since i was 7.

Ive given up most dairy products.
That wasnt easy.
It helped though.