My stomach has been very weird since I was stationed in VA.
I saw a show about Celiac Disease and swore up and down that I was going through the same things.

I am always tired, I have constipation/diarrhea in alternation, sometimes I’m bloated, my allergies change (one minute I’m allergic to wheat and can eat dairy and then I am lactose intolerant and can eat wheat), my body really shuts down at times,…

It’s not so bad now but I begged my doctor to test me for Celiac and he told me I was overexaggerating and it’s just lactose intolerance. I wanted to smack him because I don’t even eat a lot of dairy products and I knew it was the wheat doing those things to me. Ironically, some months later, dairy products tore me up but the symptoms weren’t the same.

I had a colonoscopy, everything and all my test results came back negative. SO, how can you REALLY tell whether it’s IBS or Celiac?

I am looking for something to help with IBS that you may be able to order over the internet.

cranky_gut asked:

I have had IBS for 3 years. If I did not have kids I would cut out my own colon. I’m that desperate. I have eliminated everything from my diet. (I survive on toast only and yes i eliminated toast for over a week so it can’t be that.) I want to find a doctor to give me a colostomy. My kids are 8, 6, and 4 year old twins. Don’t blame the kids. I wonder if the ob did something wrong when the twins were born by c-section because my back hurt for a year after they were born. As soon as my back stopped hurting my IBS started. I have tried everything, medicines, natural remedies nothing works. I have given up on doc’s. Don’t say it’s stress. IBS is my only stress factor. I’m happy and calm as long as I’m not spending the day in the bathroom. By the way I have diarrhea about 5 days a month. (down fron 20 two years ago) and I’m never constipated. Please help.

But it’s one of the most misunderstood disorder among patients, according to Dr. William D. Chey, director of the gastrointestinal physiology laboratory in the University of Michigan division of gastroenterology.

So he’s listed seven of the most common myths about the syndrome.

1. It’s all in your head – It’s likely that psychological distress or stress worsen IBS, but may not be the primary cause of the disorder.

2. The syndrome only affects young women – It does tend to occur most often in women, but there are many men – and perhaps up to 10 percent of the elderly – also diagnosed with the syndrome.

3. It’s not important – Though IBS may not shorten a person’s life, the quality of life and ability to function can be affected.

4. The disorder is related to lactose intolerance – About a quarter of the patients with the disorder are lactose intolerant, but that matches the percent of lactose-intolerant people in the general population.

5. People with the disorder can only eat bland foods - Fatty foods, milk, chocolate, alcohol and caffeine can set off symptoms, but not everything has to be eliminated from a diet.

6. Irritable bowel syndrome cannot be accurately diagnosed – The disorder can be diagnosed by looking at persistent or recurring abdominal pain and changed bowel habits.

7. There are no good treatments – The disorder can be managed with counseling, dietary and lifestyle changes and medications. If that doesn’t work, prescription medications are available.

Article Source: Mlive

Do any of these myths about IBS sound familiar to you? Perhaps you’ve heard them from family or friends over the years to dismiss your “tummy troubles.” Learn the truth behind some of things you may have heard.

1) IBS is an uncommon condition.
IBS is very common; it’s estimated that 24% of women in the United States suffer from IBS. Men also have IBS. In the United States and other western countries, IBS affects 3 times more women than men, but in other parts of the world IBS is very common in men.

2) IBS pain is not debilitating.
Some people report that the pain caused by IBS is more of an annoyance, but others describe it as intolerable. The pain may lessen with a bowel movement, but for some the pain is continuous and debilitating.

3) IBS is caused by stress.
IBS is a functional disorder and is not caused by emotions or stress. Some people with IBS find that their symptoms are made worse by stress, but stress itself does not cause the problem.

4) IBS can lead to IBD or colon cancer.
IBS does not progress in severity, change into another condition or disease, or harm the intestine. IBS does not lead to, or cause, colon cancer.

5) IBS is the same thing as colitis.
Colitis is a term that refers to inflammation in the large intestine. IBS does not cause inflammation in the intestine, so it is a different condition than colitis.

6) Blood in the stool is a symptom of IBS.
IBS never causes the colon to bleed because IBS does not cause inflammation. Any blood seen in the stool or on the toilet paper should be discussed with a doctor immediately.

7) IBS only causes diarrhea.
IBS can cause both diarrhea and constipation. IBS actually has 3 forms: diarrhea-predominant (D-IBS), constipation-predominant (C-IBS), and alternating constipation and diarrhea (A-IBS). D-IBS is the most common form. followed by IBS-C and IBS-A.

IBS only causes symptoms on the large intestine.
IBS can also cause fatigue, loss of appetite, and nausea or vomiting (though this symptom is uncommon) and is associated with fibromyalgia, anxiety disorders, and depression.

9) Enemas can be used to treat constipation.
Enemas may be prescribed by a physican at certain times, such as before a colonoscopy, but they should not be used to treat constipation on a consistent basis. Over time, the persistent use of enemas can damage the muscles in the large intestine, causing abnormal function.

10) There is no way to diagnose IBS.
IBS is often diagnosed after diagnostic tests have ruled out other conditions that have similar symptoms. However, there are a set of criteria, called the Rome Criteria, that can be used to diagnose IBS.

Author: Amber J. Tresca

What are the foods that cause constipation?

People who have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), have the nerves in the lining of the bowel react to lectins, or identifying proteins, in certain foods. These lectins make the foods have the same effect on the bowel as a medication containing opium, such as paregoric. Commonly constipating foods in IBS include wheat, dairy products, beef, pork, and lamb. Constipation is a problem with low carb diets that allow large intake of meat and protein

People with a sensitivity to the gliadin or gluten protein in wheat, barley, and rye can experience alternating constipation and diarrhea, along with varying degrees of intestinal inflammation, weakened immunity, and chronic headaches. These IBS symptoms can be relatively mild but still caused by celiac disease.

When the problem is celiac disease, the answer is eliminating ALL gluten protein from the diet. Other foods do not aggravate condition.

What about the rest of us? For most people, constipation has more to do with not drinking enough water or not getting enough exercise. Taking too many laxatives or avoiding trips to the bathroom can aggrevate the situation also. There are, foods that can cause constipation, as well as foods that relieve constipation, in nearly anyone. It helps if you pay attention to your diet and note what food groups you may be overdoing it in.

Some foods cause constipation if you don’t drink enough water with them, but ironically are foods that relieve constipation if you do drink plenty of water with them. Foods containing inulin (a starch, don’t confuse it with insulin) such as bananas, chicory, leeks, and onions, provide food for the helpful bacteria that live in the gut.

These bacteria form a mass that makes the stool easier to move, provided there is enough water available to soften it. The value of that old adage about drinking plenty of water becomes apparent here. When there is adequate hydration, inulin helps the lining of the colon absorb calcium. And when the colon absorbs calcium, the risk of colon cancer is reduced.

Fiber supplements that many people use to treat constipation, can actually cause constipation if you don’t drink the recommended eight glasses of water a day.

What are the foods that relieve constipation?

The best-known of the foods that relieve constipation is that old standby for relief of irregularity is the prune. Prunes are dried plums. Dried prunes are approximately 6 percent fiber, but prune juice (which is made from dried prunes) contains no fiber at all.

Prunes promote regularity by providing simple sugars that draw fluid into the intestine. The additional fluid makes stool softer and easier to expel. Prunes do not cause spikes in blood sugar, because their natural sweetening agents are fructose and sorbitol rather than sucrose, better known as white sugar. Too much sorbitol, of course, can cause diarrhea. If prunes are too much of a good thing for you, consider this list of high-fiber foods.

Soluble fiber is found in barley, beans and peas, apples and oranges, carrots, flax seed, oatmeal and oat bran, and psyllium (the fiber source used in Metamucil).

Insoluble fiber is found in peels and skins of fruits and vegetables, corn bran, flax seed, vegetables such as green beans and cauliflower, and whole-wheat products.

Fiber from fruits and vegetables is always more beneficial than any fiber supplements. That’s because fruits and vegetables offer fiber in small doses. There’s enough fiber to contribute to regularity but not so much fiber as to create its own clogs and road jams in your colon.

Wheat bran is considered a popular food that relieves constipation in adults, but it may not be best. Many people suffer mild sensitivity to gluten that can cause alternating constipation and diarrhea. For people with this condition, called celiac disease, wheat products aren’t the solution, they’re the problem.

Even if you aren’t sensitive to wheat, the fiber in wheat bran is only effective if you eat the bran by itself, not if you eat it with other foods. Eating any bran food by itself can aggravate constipation. Better than wheat bran are psyllium, citrus fiber, or slippery elm.

The Ten Commandments of Eating for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

1. ALWAYS eat soluble fiber first, eat soluble fiber whenever your stomach is empty, and make soluble fiber foods the largest component of every meal and snack.

2. Minimize your fat intake to 25% of your diet, maximum. Read labels and at restaurants, ask. Focus on small quantities of heart-healthy oils.

3. Never eat high fat foods, even in small portions, on an empty stomach or without soluble fiber. Better still, don’t eat them at all.

4. Eliminate all red meat, dairy, fried foods, egg yolks, coffee, soda pop, and alcohol from your diet. This may be the most difficult dietary strategy to adopt, and I know it probably won’t be fun or easy – but neither are Irritable Bowel Syndrome attacks.

5. Never eat insoluble fiber on an empty stomach, in large quantities at one sitting, or without soluble fiber.

6. Eat small portions frequently, calmly, and leisurely.

7. If you’re unsure about something, DON’T EAT IT. It’s not worth the risk.

8. Food is fun and eating should be pleasurable. Take the time and make the effort to eat safely, and then enjoy yourself.

9. Remember that you have absolute and total control over your diet. No one can force you to eat something you know you shouldn’t.

10. Practice creative substitution, not deprivation. Use soy or rice replacements for dairy, two egg whites to replace a whole egg, try low-fat vegetarian versions of meat products, replace some oil with fruit purees in breads or cakes, use veggie broth instead of oil in sauces, bake with cocoa powder (it’s fat free) instead of solid chocolate. Use herbs, baking extracts (vanilla, peppermint, maple, etc.) and mild spices generously to heighten flavors.

As an aside, if you’re currently trying to break the cycle of ongoing attacks, it is best to strictly limit your diet to soluble fiber foods and strong peppermint or fennel tea for several days. This will allow your GI tract to stabilize, and then you can gradually and carefully add in other foods following the commandments.

Heather Van Vorous is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: Irritable Bowel Syndrome, the two best-selling and best-reviewed IBS books in America. She is the founder of Help For IBS.com, which features comprehesive Irritable Bowel Syndrome dietary information and thousands of IBS-friendly recipes here http://www.HelpForIBS.com/Diet/ Her groundbreaking IBS dietary work has led to clinical research studies of diet and IBS, a nomination for a “Julia Child Cookbook” award, and her inclusion in the 4th edition of Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare. Her Irritable Bowel Syndrome recipes have been licensed by Novartis pharmaceuticals and her products are recommended by physicians and dietitians across the world. Heather has had IBS since age 9, and is now considered the foremost “patient-expert” on Irritable Bowel Syndrome in America. 

]]> http://www.ibsweblog.com/the-10-commandments-of-eating-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-ibs/feed/ 1 http://www.ibsweblog.com/do-i-have-irritable-bowel-syndrome/ http://www.ibsweblog.com/do-i-have-irritable-bowel-syndrome/#comments Tue, 28 Mar 2006 03:45:33 +0000 David http://www.ibsweblog.com/do-i-have-irritable-bowel-syndrome.php Your boss, your spouse, your mother-in-law, your bills, the I.R.S.- life is hard enough and going to the bathroom shouldn’t be. But for 20 million people the urge to go to the bathroom can be agonizing. The reason is a disorder known as irritable bowl syndrome (IBS).IBS is a common disorder of the intestines that leads to crampy pain, gassiness, bloating, and changes in bowel habits. Some people have constipation, some people have diarrhea, and some people have both. In the past it has been known as spastic colon or colitis, but this has been found to be untrue. It is, instead, a functional bowl disorder without evidence of disease. It doesn’t cause permanent harm to the intestines, it doesn’t lead to intestinal bleeding, and it doesn’t cause cancer. It can, however, be extremely annoying and possibly debilitating.

Our large intestine is controlled by nerves, hormones and electrical activity that propels the fecal material in the colon toward the rectum. This propelling action, or muscle contraction occurs a few times each day and some of them result in a bowl movement. A normal movement is one that is formed but not hard, contains no blood and is passed without cramps or pain. Why people develop IBS is unknown, but one theory is people with IBS seem to have large intestines that are more sensitive and respond strongly to stimuli that would not bother most people. Stimulation can be from emotional stress or over distention from gas. An over distended colon is usually due to inadequate amounts of fiber in our diets. Fiber, with its ability to maintain colonic health, has, unfortunately been compromised with the evolution of processed foods.

Do you think you have IBS? Well, if you have bleeding, fever, weight lost, and persistent severe pain with your bowl movements, you do not have IBS. IBS is usually diagnosed after the exclusion of more serious conditions such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. It may be necessary to do endoscopy (viewing the colon through a flexible tube inserted through the anus) to rule out those other diseases.

So, how do you treat IBS? There are prescription drugs that can control colonic muscle spasms or slow the movement of food through the digestive system. You can even take laxatives if you are constipated or use fiber supplements to regulate bowl movements, however, fiber from the foods you eat is preferable. Whole grain breads, cereals, beans fruits are good sources of fiber.

It is recommended that you eat just enough fiber so that you have soft, easily passed and painless bowl movements. You have to be careful though; high fiber diets can cause gas and bloating, so incorporate it gradually into your diet. Some tips in combating this syndrome:

1. Keep a diary or journal of what foods cause distress.

2. Eat smaller portions. Large meals can over distend the colon and create spasms.

3. Work hard on eliminating stress from your life.

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