Does it really work
#281263 - 09/07/06 08:14 PM
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Hi,
New to the board and fairly new to IBS, which I have been diagnosed with. Went through all batteries of tests, almost all the ...oscopies etc. All negative. But constantly display all the symptoms of IBS. Constant gas, bloating, cramps, everyday, always have the urge to go, but mostly only gas.
I have tried for 1 week florastor, not much luck, I did not see any changes. I have tried peppermint tea for a week, no luck. I have read pretty much everything that I could read on this site.
My regular diet is not terrible, but not excellent either.
I do not drink coffee, soft drinks, no junk food practically. I eat chicken, steak, spaghetti, fish, potatoes, carrots, corn, salad, pancakes, cold cut sandwiches, rice, drink 1-2 glasses of juice a day, rest is water, etc.
When I see all the options proposed by everyone on the message boards, it just seems to unreal.
Do the diets really work, do the supplements really work, etc. I just feel that I am cashing out a lot of $ and I see no results. I want to feel well and alive, but not well and poor !
I am not sure where to start anymore.
Unfortunately, my past knowledge, experiences with friends using natural products, yoga, etc. has not been great...it just seems like a big scam ! When I talk to people, they say try supplements for example Omega-3 tablets but for 6 months before I can see results, or hypnotherapy for so long, that it will cost me an arm ! I do not have that kind of $ to shell out for potential therapies that may or may not work !
You probably see where I am going...
I have also looked at the diets, and I am very picky in terms of what I eat, so a lot of the things, foods proposed have no appeal to me, ie zuchinni, soya milk, tofu, etc.
Anyone have tips on where to start and the probable success ratio !
I just feel this is like a long journey to nowhere, apart from depleting my bank account !
Sorry if I sound pessimistic.....
Thanks for any help you can provide,
Eli
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Hello,
You need to give the diet, probiotics, ect. more than just one or two weeks. For probiotics, you need to take them for at least 2 - 3 months before you can see a difference. With the diet, some people feel a change shortly after changing what they eat, but most people it might take a few months to a year or so. If you're C, it might take longer to stablize.
From the list of things you eat there are IBS triggers like steak, corn, salad, cold cuts, and depending what's in it, maybe juice. When you have IBS the veggies need to be either very well cooked, mashed, or purred. There are many on here that have a problem with corn. What kind of syrup do you eat with your pancakes? If you're buying the aunt jemima type of stuff, it's full of HCFC which is a major trigger for many people, plus it causes obesity.
I think it would be best to get a copy of Heather's book. If you can't afford it, or don't want to spend your money, you can get it from your local library. All the information in the book is on the website (don't just get your info from the message boards), but I like having a book in front of me to read, you might be the same. Give the diet, probiotics, peppermint, and fennel (fennel is best for bloating and gas) teas, and soluble fibre a good, fair chance before you give up on it.
By the way, try Rice Dream, and Blue Diamond Almond Breeze milks. They taste much better than soy.
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Hey. I have to say you suffer from the problem i did. "I want the fix now dam it!!!!"
You've got to, got to got to slow down. This is a problem that will be with you potentially for the rest of you're life. And you are an indiviual, and so is you're IBS.
"individual? what my IBS is individual? Is this guy crazy"
Yup. Unfortunately it has it's own personanlity. What i mean is what helps one persons IBS to a degree, may only help another persons IBS to a certain degree. Seople can do things or eat things that have no effect on them, while others will barely even touch it 4 fear of an attack. Some people do get miracle cures from certain treaments, others they have no effect on whatsoever, most people have mid range effects from treatments. A lot of treaments take time depending on the individual, and often it is a combination that helps them manage it.
What i've had to learn to do, is stop. The rest of my life comes second now till i figure out how to look after myself. I have a huge range of options and information provided by this community. What i have to do is work slowly and thouroughly through each one. (not everything costs money, such as simple aerobic exercise, or even the newletter subscriptions are free as is most of the information here)
What this site does do is ive you a thourough idea of all the treatments that have had succes at helping IBS Patients, you have a tool, not a miracle cure. I'll say it again slow down. I've been concentratingly working on my problems for 5 months now. Before it was just a thing on the side where i kinda followed the diet, but thats about it.
I suggest, buy the book the first year of IBS. Read It and work through it as you go. RE-read the stuuf your undertaking, re-read again. learn and implement. Give everything a go... and dont be afraid to use severalt things at once. I still haven't worked through everything but i'm getting there and i am finding light at the end of the tunnel. ATM what's helped is herbs and supplements abit, diet a bit, exercise a bit, avoiding and preventing stress a bit. When working together they work best. One on it's hardly works at all.
hope this was helpful
we're here to help
jez
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Who is Lord of this world? Jesus is. Now what will you do?
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Hi Eli. I can definitely understand your frustrations - I'm new to all this also. First, try to focus on the fact that you finally know what's wrong. We've all gone through so many tests and doctor's appointments trying to figure it out, and now we finally have!
I started Heather's diet about 4 weeks ago. I found this website and read First Year IBS. It's hard to remember all the information, so I refer to the book and this site often. At first, I felt like the new diet wasn't helping at all. But I stuck with it and started feeling regular (without the cramps!) after about 2 and a half weeks.
The things I think have been the most helpful are exercise and acacia. Exercise can be free - just put on some sneakers and go outside. And the acacia is definitely worth the price! I also think I'm saving money on food because I eat at home more now, rather than ordering take out or going to restaurants.
And these message boards are terrific! Anything that Heather doesn't already cover can be answered by the experienced IBS patients here.
Good luck. I hope you will see the results of the diet really soon!
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Best,
Lauren
IBS-A
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Works for me
#281303 - 09/08/06 08:49 AM
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Sand
Reged: 12/13/04
Posts: 4490
Loc: West Orange, NJ (IBS-D)
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Welcome to the Boards.
Here's what I do:
Food:
- I follow Heather's Eating For IBS Diet.
- I buy 95% of my food at normal super markets. (I can't find soy sour cream or hot dog/hamburger buns without dairy and/or HFCS there, so I buy those at Whole Foods.)
- I don't eat weird foods.
- I don't consider tofu to be a food
- I wouldn't recognize quinoa if it walked up to me on the street and bit me.
- I loathe beets.
- When a recipe calls for milk, I substitute rice milk and it tastes the same to me.
- My husband, who does not have IBS, uses Silk Soy Milk on his cereal every morning and loves it.
- If you want to actually just drink a big glass of milk (oh, ick), try one of the flavored soy milks or almond milks.
- Some of the soy ice creams are to die for. Soy sour cream is a more than acceptable substitute in cooking. Soy cream cheese I'm not crazy about, but some people like it.
- I think I've eaten zucchini twice in the past year, although I do like butternut squash a lot.
- I eat boneless, skinless chicken breasts, from which I make all kinds of yummy things, including chicken nuggets which I serve with oven baked fries to get my fast food fix and Crockpot Bourbon Breast of Chicken which is outrageously delicious.
- I use ground white meat turkey to make burgers and meatloaf. I also substitute it for ground beef in my world-famous chili and spaghetti sauce and bump up the seasonings and nobody notices the difference.
- I eat fish and shrimp and am looking to expand my seafood repetoire.
Supplements, herbs, etc:
- I think using an SFS is crucial, but there are people on the Board who do fine without one. I take Heather's Acacia, but there are a lot of other ones out there. I take 7 teaspoons of Acacia a day and it costs me 65 cents per day - less than $20 per month. (This includes shipping; I buy 3 packs at a time.)
- When I first started out, I drank a lot of peppermint tea. Heather's was too strong for me, so I just bought Lipton. Now I drink very little.
- I tried the peppermint caps, but didn't like them, so I don't take them.
- I don't have a lot of trouble with gas, so although I tried Heather's fennel tea, it was never a big deal for me. If you suffer from gas, you probably want to try it. I've heard that if you go to an Indian market, you can find loose fennel seed there quite cheaply.
- Traditional Medicinals makes a tea called "Eater's Digest" which is peppermint, ginger, and fennel and quite good. You could try that.
- I don't take a probiotic.
- I don't take digestive enzymes.
- I don't take any herbal supplements.
In other words, it is quite possible to follow Heather's approach without bankrupting yourself, eating anything weird, taking any bizarre supplements, or undergoing any strange rituals. I suggest you do the following:
- Get a copy of "The First Year: IBS". Your local library may well have it. As someone else has said, read and re-read.
- Follow the eating guidelines laid out in the book. (They're also on this Website, but the book is nice to have.)
- Take an SFS. Start low and go slow.
- Drink fennel tea for the gas.
- Keep drinking your peppermint tea.
- Give it more than a week and see how you feel.
HTH. Good luck.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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This diet is the only thing that has worked for me. It seems like a lot of money upfront to buy the cookbook, the supplements you want, the food that you need, but in the long run it is going to cost so much less because you don't have to waste money trying diet after diet, pill after pill, seeing doctor after doctor...you get my drift.
Plus, the peace of mind you attain when you realize that you can control this ailment is worth it! I suggest you give it whirl. After all, considering everything you've been through up until now, it can't hurt right?
Good luck and let us know if you need any help or have any questions! These boards are full of great people 
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Hi!
I am also I new Dx IBS person! I know how hard it is to make life style changes i.e. diet There isn't a magic pill or a quick fix to all's dissapointment. You need to find what works for you and give each new plan at least a month before giving up. Let your body adjust to each new treatment. Once you find what works for you, you will feel much better. For example I refused to believe that coffee and soda were causing my stomach pain. I stopped both cold turkey and felt like a new person. Heathers fiber once a day made a big difference as well. As for the rest of my current plan here goes...
am: fiber, liquid multi vitamin, iron, noni juice, aloe vera juice,probiotics,vitamin C (ester), peppermint oil cap, a little oj to help it all go down.
pm: sometimes fiber, calcium/mag 100mg, melatonin 1mg, noni juice, flax seed oil, aloe juice, peppermint oil cap, cambalta (for ocd/pain),probiotic,protonix (for gerd), little oj to help it all go down.
All day: as much water as I can stand, fennel/peppermint tea
I had one small flar up since, but I ate something that had spices in it, ooops [af]
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I choose to be a person living with a disease, not a diseased person.
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