not getting better
#250384 - 03/07/06 06:36 AM
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I've been following the diet for 4 weeks and I'm not getting better. I spasm throughout the night, don't sleep well as a result and have mushy stools almost every morning. My gastro. has me on amitriptyline(been on it 1 week). Tried hyoscamine, didn't work. What am I doing wrong? I've been taking the acacia fiber for 4 weeks-up to 1 tbsp twice a day. Help!!!
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I've been at it over a year and still not better. I've heard from others it took over 6 months or in one case (Ms. Bev) it took 3 years! It's hard to keep the faith isn't it?
Are you tried peppermint caps or teas for the spasms? Some people find that helpful...if you don't have GERD/Reflux issues.
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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I have tried the peppermint tea. It doesn't seem to help at night. Just wish I could get a good night's sleep!
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I don't know if you are C or D. But C takes much more time to resolve than 4 weeks. Don't give up. You have a great start!
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God is Faithful!
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Thanks for the support. I'm D but P predominent.
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I'm not familiar with that at all other than the spasms I sometimes have to deal with. I still feel time is the main ingredient. The peppermint caps and tea should work well for you. 4 weeks still isn't very long though. Not in the big picture. Hope you feel better soon.
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God is Faithful!
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I'm also IBS-D w/ pain. For mushy stools, I recommend taking 1/2 - 1 Imodium caplet after dinner. That shouldn't make you constipated and will help give you more formed stools. You can take another 1/2 to 1 caplet in the morning if your stool is still mushy or a regular dose if you have an attack in the morning.
I also drink a cup of strong peppermint tea (not sure what brand you're using - Heather's is strong - but for other brands I'd double the tea bags) in the evenings when I'm cramping. Try a cup before you go to bed. Or, if you have GERD, try a strong cup of chamomile tea before bed.
You should also try using a heat pad at night - I use the disposable heat patches. In my experience, the tea and heat patches have worked better for the cramping than the antispasmodics.
It can take up to a month for you to notice any effect from the amitriptyline.
How fast did you increase your dose of acacia? Sometimes increasing it too fast can give you some discomfort and it can take a week or so to adjust to the dose.
HTH! 
Edited by Maria! Maria! (03/07/06 09:42 AM)
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I've been increasing the acacia for over a month. I'll try the imodium at night. Thanks for the advise-trying not to lose my mind from lack of sleep!
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Hi,
You might want to try a relaxation style of yoga before bedtime followed by a warm bath. Heather's diet really does help, and finding out about Acacia has been a godsend for me. I would also add in a probiotic if you are not already taking one. Adding a probiotic along with the acacia has really helped me. Yoga helps me too, when I'm not too tired to excercise. I have a video called Candlelight Yoga put out by AnchorBay. The back of the box says "the emphasis on breathing and meditation will help you feel recharged and renewed - it may even help you sleep better".
You might also want to think about what else may be troubling you. In my case, as if IBS-d wasn't enough, dinner time was a mad free-for-all at my house. My kids wouldn't eat what I made, my oldest was always rushing in or out, my husband worked late 2 days a week, and money was a big issue. I was at the point where I couldn't eat until the house was quiet, even if it was 11 pm!!
I guess the point I'm trying to make is to give the diet a chance, find a good relaxation yoga dvd or video, add a probiotic and attack the problems you can solve. Do one thing each day just because it makes YOU feel better. I hope you feel better and sleep better soon.
Regards,
Barbara
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Just a quick mention. You might want to try Heather's tips for what to eat when you can't eat anything. Pg 22-23 of her Eating for IBS book. You really need to break the cycle of spasms and lack of sleep, and might want to try to limit your food choices for a day. Hope this helps.
Barbara
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Thanks for the ideas. I'm doing the hypnosis already-day 6. I've really restricted my diet to Heather's list the last two days. Hopefully tonight will be better. I'm lucky-I've got very supportive husband and two gret kids. They are good at reducing my stress, not adding to it!
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i have been recommending a diet for diarrhea that i read in a very old medical remedies book in 2003. its called the B.R.A.T diet--Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast---white rice and white toast is probably best to start since it is the most plain. unsweetened applesauce is good too b/c there are not any fruit-flavors added. assume that you know nothing of your triggers and feed yourself as though you were a baby--are you sticking to heathers breaking the cycle diet? its hard--i was on it all last week and lost my balance over the weekend. some safe snacks could be pretzels, rice cakes, crackers, weetabix.
as a staple for me i usually eat white rice with peas and sometimes toast. i dont usually go alot afterwards so i assume its creating more bulk which is hard for me to pass. give it a try and see what happens. also--try slowly increasing the acacia. too fast provides no relief at all. good luck and i hope you feel better! im not feeling to great either so im in that boat with you. ive been trying to be on heathers diet too with no such luck. take care
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VEGAN ASHLEY~IBS/C
www.myspace.com/dutchflowers
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I just started amitriptyline a couple of weeks ago for non-IBS related sleep and pain problems. So I'm hoping it works for both of us!
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I used to do kripalu yoga and have a cup of tea (first the tea, then the yoga) and I'd be so relaxed I'd fall asleep in the rest position when I was done with the yoga session. It took me a couple of years to get stable. But I did get stable. It seemed never ending at the beginning though. Be careful not to take too much fiber. Hyosciamine didn't do a thing for me either. Have you tried hypnotherapy? If it is possible to take a nap during the day, do it. Even if it is just a few minutes. They extra sleep helps keep my gut calm. And make sure you drink lots and lots of water. 
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If you're not dead, you've still got time.
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I'm on day 6 of the hypnotherapy program. I'm enjoying it even though I haven't seen any results yet.
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Hi! I agree with what others have said in that four weeks is hardly enough time to get better. I know I've been on the diet since last July and I sometimes go through cycles of stability and instability. I am just now finally feeling like I'm stable more often than not and it's been 9 months for me. If you stick to the diet and listen to your body, you will see improvement.
Since you are D, try taking Immodium in the mornings. That helped me tremendously with both the mushy stools and the spasms. I am also pain predominant. The trick to easing the pain was to stabilize with safe foods (white rice, bread, bananas, apples, toast), chamomile and peppermint teas, Immodium, getting more sleep, yoga and plenty of exercise to ease stress. I also started taking an antidepressant which has worked wonders for the pain as well!
Keep us posted and don't give up hope! You'll get there!!!
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I agree with everyone here - patience is key! But I also want to add, it used to take me hours to fall asleep because of the gas pain/discomfort. Now I take an over-the-counter herbal sleep remedy containing valerian, hops and skullcap which I find SO helpful in getting me to sleep. I don't know what others think of this, I'm told it's not habit-forming. All I know is that I'd be a mess without it.
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IBS-C, lots of spasm and trapped gas.
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First and foremost, 4 weeks isn't enough time for the diet to really work. I know that elsewhere on the site, it either states or implies (I don't remember) that you'll see improvements within a few days... don't count on that. Totally honestly, I didn't see even a little improvement for a couple months, and I didn't completely stabilize for over a year. I'm not saying that to be discouraging - I'm saying it to emphasize the importance of sticking with it and not cheating! Trust me when I say that it's TOTALLY worth it.
Second, the amitriptyline might well help you, but again, that's something you have to give time. It's a mild antidepressant, and ADs can take up to a month to even start to work. If you've been on it a week, chances are good that it hasn't even started working yet.
Third, have you tried peppermint? I had a lot of spasms and cramps with my D, and peppermint seriously worked SO much better than anything else I tried. Strong peppermint tea works, but since you're spasming through the night, I would try peppermint capsules instead - Heather sells really good ones here on the site - so that you're not up peeing all night from the tea. LOL!
During my worst attacks, I also found it helpful to sleep with a heating pad on my tum. Of course the heating pad manufacturers tell you not to do this, but whatever. 
Good luck, and hang in there - you will get relief, but you have to stick with it.
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***********************
If you're not dead, you've still got time.
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