Anyone have IBS?

hmd

What were your symptoms?  How were you diagnosed?

What do you do to control it?

JeffandLeslie

I do. Same symptoms as Kimbus listed. No colonoscopy for me, just samples and external checkup.

I control with diet. I was on Meds for one flare up that was bad but those were temporary. Mostly it is avoiding lactose and upping fiber that seems to help me. Probiotics also. I don't often have flare ups anymore and if I do it is usually something I ate that I can point to as the trigger.

jnksmom

JeffandLeslie said:

I do. Same symptoms as Kimbus listed. No colonoscopy for me, just samples and external checkup.

I control with diet. I was on Meds for one flare up that was bad but those were temporary. Mostly it is avoiding lactose and upping fiber that seems to help me. Probiotics also. I don't often have flare ups anymore and if I do it is usually something I ate that I can point to as the trigger.

All of this.

meglew

JeffandLeslie said:

I do. Same symptoms as Kimbus listed. No colonoscopy for me, just samples and external checkup. I control with diet. I was on Meds for one flare up that was bad but those were temporary. Mostly it is avoiding lactose and upping fiber that seems to help me. Probiotics also. I don't often have flare ups anymore and if I do it is usually something I ate that I can point to as the trigger.

I do not have IBS, but my DH does.  The above stated is true for him (though he did have a colonoscopy).  He has to take a lactase pill when consuming dairy products and that helps.  He also takes Metamucil every night.  There are definitely trigger foods for him that he avoids.  After a stool sample, it was found that he had giardia and they think that is what triggered his problems initially.  They have no idea how long the parasite was in his system or where he contracted it from (we were in college at the time, but the department of health did water tests from his parent's house and nothing turned up, think think it may have been a trip they took to Cabo a few years back).  He has also been tested for Celiac disease as well, which turned up nothing.  Stress is a HUGE trigger for him, even if his diet is perfect.

hmd

Thanks, girls.  This will probably get lost in everything else that is going on today, but I am just trying to figure out what is going on with my body.  Last winter, I had these same symptoms, but they went away all spring/summer and have just popped up again this week.

Please forgive my ignorance on IBS.  I have been going to the bathroom 2-3 times/day since Friday.  The past two mornings, I wake up starving, weak, light-headed and feel out of breath running around the house.  I have not noticed any blood.  

Last winter, we ran a battery of heart tests, tested glucose levels, and everything came back fine.  I quit drinking caffeine (I have slowly started drinking it again, but not as much).  I started taking an allergy pill (feels like I can't breath good through my nose/drainage/sinus issues) and a daily vitamin.  I started taking a probiotic pill yesterday.  I seem to feel better by the afternoon or so.  

My Dr. said last winter that perhaps I wasn't eating enough calories and suggested lots of small meals.  

I have noticed that I seem to go to the bathroom a lot when I have these "spells."  And at other times, I could be bloated and not go to the bathroom once/day.  

I ate something on Friday and felt badly after, but I didn't eat much overall Friday-Sunday, I guess.  So I don't know if it is just that I didn't eat enough those three days, but kept running around like normal or if something else is wrong.  I am just tired of feeling this way, and I had hoped it was gone for good.  

magentawarped

trntyrebrth said:

My apologies. I had no idea.

Then perhaps you should have kept your trap shut.

Aussie45

trntyrebrth said:

I don't, but a girl I go to church with has chron's and it's put her in the hospital (and almost killed her) quite a few times when she was little.  She's taken a little control over it now that she's older, I just worry about her from time to time...

What part of this did you actually think would be helpful for OP to hear?