my 7 year old has IBS
#214533 - 09/20/05 05:43 AM
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mykidhasibs
Reged: 09/20/05
Posts: 22
Loc: Virginia Beach Virginia
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Hello.
I need help with my 7 year old. She was diagnosed one month ago with IBS. She sees a pediatric GI who has her on prevacid, levsin, and prozac. One week ago I found this website, got the books, and I have had her on the diet since then. She has good days and bad days, for 6 months would not eat because of the pain. She is underweight.
It is extremely heartwrenching to see your kid suffer in the pain that she gets. It is hard on her in school to have to use the bathroom a lot.
In the morning she cannot eat because of the meds she has to choke down. At lunch she does not eat because she is scared of the pain. When she comes home sometimes she eats. We are trying the teas, the peppermint, and the safe food list.
Any other suggestions would be appreciated. Are there any resources geared specifically at children?
I so appreciated the chapters in Heathers book about them, in fact, my kid sounds like Heather when she was a child.
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It's really hard to tell you what will work for her and what won't. I'm sorry to hear that she has this at such a young age. Mine didn't start until I was in college. I didn't finish my degree until I was 28 because of it......They didn't know what to do for me back then......Anyway, I was and still am on basically the same meds as she is and it's very hard to add in the soluble fiber with the prevacid but it's critical for stabilizing IBS......I take my Citrucel Clear first thing when I get up and then an hour later I take my Prilosec (doesn't make me lose my appetite like Prevacid did) and about 10 minutes later I take my Levsin and then about 15 minutes after the Levsin, then I eat......It's a pain in the butt, but it's the way I have been doing it for 2 years and I was stable for a year but all of a sudden I got sick again on August 2nd with diarrhea and cannot get stabilized again, but I just keep on trucking.......it takes a LONG time for me to stabilize. I am better today than I was on August 2nd but it's been a long month for me and I still have attacks every day but not as many and not as bad. I will eventually stabilize again but I stabilize verrrrrrry slowly..........I'm not one of those that can stabilize in 3 days. It takes me forever. So, maybe she is like me, maybe not. It is also a pain the the butt because you cannot start the soluble fiber supplement too fast. Like Heather says, you gotta take it slow or it will upset your system. I just bought some of the Acacia Fiber and am going to try that again because I'm not getting enough fiber to stabilize on being on the Citrucel. One tablespoon of Citrucel provides 2 grams and one tablespoon of Acacia provides 7 grams. I'm takin 1 tablespoon of Citrucel (Clear) three times a day and that's only 6 grams of SF.......I need more to stabilize this time and I don't want to take Citrucel 7 times a day to get the same amount of fiber as 3 tablespoons of heather's tummy fiber.
One more thing about the Levsin.....I had an attack yesterday after eating corn pops (no, no for me) so I took a levsin and it pretty much stopped it in it's tracks. So, the Levsin works pretty good for me. It didn't completely take away all of the pain but it does help WHILE I'm having an attack. I don't think it really PREVENTS my attacks, though. Maybe so......I don't know.
Hope this helps and I pray that your daughter gets better soon!
Michelle 
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IBS-D. Hiatal Hernia, GERD
Unstable
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I thank you for your reply and it is sinking into me that this is a life long disorder that she has a long road to hoe with it. Hard on me as a mom.
The GI guy recommended benefiber. It is hard for her to choke down the meds and that stuff(she is good about it ), even though I let her choose what to put it in etc. She gets the benefiber twice a day. She still has not had a solid stool in months.
He has her on the levsin before meals and at bedtime. Sometimes it helps sometimes it does not.
I am seeing this is a trial and error sort of process and it is difficult.
Wish there was an easy guarenteed answer.
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Try a slice of plain toast and peppermint tea for breakfast. Try it on the weekend so she doesn't have to go to school in pain. I can relate - I was a teacher and I wouldn't eat hardly anything till I got home from school for fear of having to leave the room for an attack.
Seriously, the tea and toast is your best bet I think. For lunch, you can try some more bread, a little PB if her school allows it. Pack some peppermint tea in a thermos and send it.
Hope this helps.
Get her eating more soluble fibre first. It should soothe her stomach and help. Also, an empty stomach can only make things worse. Try especially on weekends, to have her eat small amounts of SF constantly through the day - so that her stomach doesn't get empty. Fat Free Saltines are also excellent for the stomach.
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Formerly HanSolo. IBS, OCD, Bipolar, PTSD times 3.
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Have you tried something else other than benefiber? She might just not be taking to that one. Also, did you start at a VERY low dose and increase it very slowly?
You can also try equalactin, citrucel, acacia. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get on the right supplement. I would start at less than half the recommended dose for your daughter, and increase it by 1/4 tsp once or twice a week at most. To do it too fast can cause the bloating and diarrhea you speak of.
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Formerly HanSolo. IBS, OCD, Bipolar, PTSD times 3.
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Yea, I couldn't do Benefiber either.....I only made my problems worse. So, I would change the fiber if she still hasn't stabilized in a while being on the Benefiber. It could be making it worse......I don't know....I'm not a doctor. But, Benefiber made me alot worse.
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IBS-D. Hiatal Hernia, GERD
Unstable
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I'm so sorry your daughter is suffering so much right now. My IBS started when I was a young teenager and it was hard enough to deal with at that age. I'm now 35 and it does get easier.
I really think she needs to stick with the "what to eat when you can't eat anything" for a few days. Then, as Heather suggests start adding things in very slowly. Going all day without eating is not helping her any. The toast and peppermint tea for breakfast in a great idea. Try some cinnamon graham crackers or dry honeycomb ceral for snacks.
Also be sure she is staying hydrated, if she is having so much D, she can dehydrate very easily. For the pain, try a hot bath with some chamomile bath salts to help her relax. A heating pad on the tummy also helps a lot!
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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