PLEASE HELPPPPPPPPPP!
#304402 - 04/09/07 03:45 PM
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AndrewIBSC
Reged: 03/23/07
Posts: 159
Loc: PHiladelphia, PA
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I am really upset and don't quite know what to do. I have been on Heather's Diet for about a month now and I am extremely constipated. Here is what I do on the typical day please let me know what you think. I take Benefiber 4 times a day, eat according to Heather's diet, and take Natural Calm in the morning. I am so frustrated because I am not going to the bathroom and have all this pent up anxiety. I was thinking about using the Benefiber before each meal and then eating less or no soluble fiber with the meal and more insoluble fiber just so I can get myself going. Does anyone out there think this may work or have any other suggestions? I don't want to quit this diet but unless I see results I will move on. PLEASE HELP. Thanks in adance.
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As anxious as you are to see a great change, it may take up to 6 months. It also depends on if you've gotten rid of ALL trigger foods. That means, not at all...period. It may take us C'ers more time to get stable. It's a delicate balance with the SF and the IF. It takes us a while to get to feeling ready to incorporate more and more IF, which is really necessary.
A year ago I was in really bad shape. While I started feeling better right away on the diet, I was scared to incorporate the IF. Because of that, it took me longer. But I did cut out ALL trigger foods and started very slowly. I can say that I was fairly stable after about 6 months. I still have my days but overall, I'm doing well.
I take more Benefiber now than usual since I'm pregnant and the prenatal vitamins make the C worse. I take 6 tablespoons of Benefiber and 2 Fibercon (it's just easier at lunch time to take pills)and 4 Colace right now. Normally, I would take about 4 tablespoons of Benefiber, 2 Fibercon and no Colace.
Trust in the diet and give it an honest 6 months before giving up. I'm sure there are many others that will attest to this diet being successful but you have to really give it a go.
I know how frustrating it is. I used to go every 3-4 days, I had cramping, painful gas, nausea and fatigue. Now, I'm feeling pretty good. I'm hoping for the best for you.
--------------------
Flipada - IBS-C "It's a gas, gas, gas"
**Lauren**
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Andrew - I hear your frustration. I am IBS-C and became completely dependent on laxatives to have a BM. My Dr. finally gave me Miralax to take instead of relying on M.O.M. & enemas. I first started on Heather's Diet & Acacia back in August, 2006. As I Sloooowly increased the Acacia & IF, I slooowly decreased the Miralax dosage. It took a good 6 months to get the right balance between the SF & IF. The SF bulked up my BM & the IF keeps it moving through my digestive tract. I also exercise every day. I still have pain from gas & bloating, but I have a BM every morning. And I no longer take the Miralax.
One month is NOT enough time on the diet, you don't say what your IF intake is, and you don't say whether or not you exercise  Also,stress is a major factor with constipation.
I know it is very hard to be patient, but it is so worth it in the long run. As my Dr. told me -"It took time for your body to get in the shape it is in, and it will take time for your body to get better."
Maybe if you listed a sample day's meal plan. Everyone could help you with suggestions. 
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Snookie, IBS-C
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You're not alone! It took a good 6 months before I was beginning to feel more in control. I've been on the diet since last August. Still not 100% stable, but really darn close.
You haven't said how much Benefiber and Natural Calm you are taking. I would suggest taking the NC at night; that's when I take it and I have a BM within an hour or so of waking up in the morning. I'm up to 1 tablespoon of it every night. I used to be at a lower dose, but my AD causes some C. Oh well.
You REALLY need to add in more IF. Perhaps give us an example of what you eat in a typical day, and we can give you some advice.
Also: Do you exercise? That is a MUST for C'ers - every day!!
Don't give up
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lisa, IBS-C (Vegan)
Stable since July 2007!
Mommy to Rhiannon Marie (Dec. 13, 2008)
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How much IF are you eating in your diet?
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Thank you all so much! Each of you seem like you know what I'm going through...I would like to continue to communicate with each of you. I am very emotional right now and I just binge ate which makes me feel worse. Anyway here is my average day diet:
Morning: 2 Tsp. of Benefiber
2 Egg Beaters
Roasted Carrots
Cooked Zucchini
Mini Bagel
3 Teaspoons of Natural Calm
Snack: Oatmeal
Lunch: 2 Tsp. Benefiber
Low-Fat Turkey Kielbasa
Sauteed Spinach
Pretzels
Snack: Cereal w/ banana
Dinner: 2 Tsp. Benefiber
Chicken Breast
Avocado Rolls w/ White Rice
Small Salad
Before Bed: Herbal Tea w. / 2 Teaspoons Benefiber
Let me know what you think...take care and I really hope we can beat this.
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Hi there. I am not stable by any means, so take my advice with a grain of benefiber. But I would say you need more IF in your diet, maybe more fruits and veg with the skins on. If your snack is oatmeal: I microwave frozen berries and add them to my oatmeal, and sprinkle it with ground flaxseed. Also drink tons of liquid - I just keep refilling my thermos of hot herbal tea all day long which helps things move. And yes, excercise is essential. I recently injured my knee and haven't been doing my cardio and am so much more bloated. Best of luck, I know how C can drive you bananas. And personally I prefer FibreSmart to Benefiber - FibreSmart is a blend of SF/IF, whereas I believe Benefiber is pure SF.
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IBS-C, lots of spasm and trapped gas.
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Thanks for all of your help. How and when do you take Fibresmart? BTW I was thinking of traveling to Vancouver this summer. Any areas I should definately visit?
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Hi Andrew,
Adding IF back into your diet is one of the hardest things to do. I was scared of it for so long - still am!! But you definitely need more IF. It sounds like you have an omelet in the morning. Can you try replacing either the carrots or the zucchini with peppers, onion, spinach, or some other IF veggie? What about adding fruit by having a smoothie as a snack? You could blend a banana with some frozen berries; this is always my first meal of the day! With your oatmeal, you could either add some fruit, or try grinding up your favorite nuts (I like almonds) and mixing that in for some more IF.
As I suggested before, you might try switching the Natural Calm to the evening and see if you get better results. I have tried taking it at both times of the day and find that it works better if I take it after dinner. 3 teaspoons is a good dose for NC, but you might try increasing to 4 tsp and see if that helps until you can get your IF intake up.
It sounds like you're still at a fairly low dose of SFS. Keep increasing that along with your IF. I would actually suggest switching to Heather's acacia; it's actually cheaper gram for gram, and you don't have to take as much to get the same amount of SF. Benefiber, Citrucel, etc. always made me feel worse, but that's just my two cents.
Good luck, and get exercising, too!!!! It will get better!
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Lisa, IBS-C (Vegan)
Stable since July 2007!
Mommy to Rhiannon Marie (Dec. 13, 2008)
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Thank you Lisa! I am going to order the acacia right now! I will also try the berry banana thing you mentioned. I love your positive tone and thank you for it. I feel like I'm constantly taking so I thought I would share something with you. I found this amazing tea from AVEDA that is peppermint, licorice, annise. It tastes awesome and licorice is a natural laxative. Take care and thanks again.
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Hope you are feeling better....though I can't help you by answering any of your original questions (since I am Ibs-d) I do live in Vancouver, so I figured I'd add my two-cents about that.
Things you should see when in Vancouver...(in no particular order)
-Granville Island, really laid back, right on the water, yummy food, lots of fun little shops.
-If you can try to get up to Whistler. They are doing alot of things to prepare for the 2010 winter olympics so that would be cool. They do alot of great things for the summer too..so it's not just skiing.
-Bike riding around Stanley Park. There are lots of great little places to rent bikes and then you can trek around the seawall..beautiful.
Robson Street, Granville Street, Davie Street, Denman, and West 4th, as well as Gastown are all really cool streets and areas that all have slightly different vibes..Lots of fabulous restaurants and shopping.
Okay I will leave you alone now...however there are still millions of things that could be done...
again hope you are feeling even a little bit better
shannon
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You are welcome; just don't give up! I have a feeling I'm going to be one of those that takes a year or so to stabilize. But mild gas is really the only symptom that bothers me anymore, which is a big improvement in itself! I just need to work on not eating so much - I LOVE food! And IBS desserts are terribly difficult to resist. 
This board is really what helped me stick to the diet; I honestly don't think I could have done it without the support I've found here. So keep asking questions!!
Good luck and keep me posted!
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lisa, IBS-C (Vegan)
Stable since July 2007!
Mommy to Rhiannon Marie (Dec. 13, 2008)
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I forgot to mention: make sure you read Heather's post at the top of this board about switching from one SFS to another. One teaspoon of benefiber is NOT the same as one teaspoon of Acacia! I would figure out the acacia-equivalent of your current benefiber dose, and start there. Work up SLOWLY!
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lisa, IBS-C (Vegan)
Stable since July 2007!
Mommy to Rhiannon Marie (Dec. 13, 2008)
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Hi Andrew,
Looking at your sample meal plan, I would say add more IF in the form of vegetables (well cooked) & fruit, Add these slowly or your body will reward you with GAS & BLOATING. When I make a fruit smoothie, I also add ground flaxseed. The ground flaxseed is an excellent source of IF. I tried taking Benefiber, but it was expensive. The Acacia is more economincal, and higher in SF per dose than Benefiber.
Drink lots & lots of water, and exercise daily. Try taking the Natural Calm in the evening before you go to bed.
Be patient, and give it a good six months. 
--------------------
Snookie, IBS-C
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I am from there, and I would recommend Chinatown,(very old, authentic)Sun Yat Sen Gardens, Little Italy (Commercial Drive area) more "crunchy" area of Vancouver, UBC grounds (Pacific Spirit Park if you like to hike, mtn bike), Grouse Grind (on Grouse Mtn)(again if you like to hike)In North Vancouver there's the Capilano Suspension Bridge as well...very beautiful. Restaurants: Since Vancouver has a large Asian population, they have many good authentic and/or westernized Thai/Korean/Japanese/Vietnamese/Chinese restaurants to choose from...Vegetarian as well! Vij's (Best Indian) off of South Granville St, Bin 941 & 942 (tapas & extensive wine list), I have lots of other suggestions, as Vancouver is one city where you can get GOOD food at all budgets. Yaletown has great restaurants, boutique shopping. Granville Island is good, but busy...there's a year round market that is Euro-inspired, with walking areas and a mini ferry you can take to Davie St. (gay friendly neighborhood)
Whistler is very expensive, so if you are on a budget it may not be a place to spend alot of time in. Let me know if you need more info.../suggestions for hotel, inns, etc and anything else... You can email me too.
--------------------
Amy
IBS-A
Stable and thankful!
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Re: Vancouver
#304533 - 04/10/07 04:52 PM
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renee21
Reged: 06/02/05
Posts: 486
Loc: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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I agree with all the above...especially Bin 941 & 942! I now live in Toronto, a city overflowing with restaurants, but boy do I ever miss those two!!! Also, if you love sushi and seafood generally, Vancouver is the place to go. And the beach, and the mountains.... Oh, look, now you've gotten me all homesick.
Have a great trip and yes, you can also email me with any questions. I spent my whole life Vancouver, just moved out east last year.
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IBS-C, lots of spasm and trapped gas.
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u might wanna stay away from avocados, oatmeal and banannas and rice as all of these are very binding.
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Re: FibreSmart
#304539 - 04/10/07 06:56 PM
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renee21
Reged: 06/02/05
Posts: 486
Loc: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Hi Andrew
Fibresmart is a fibre supplement It's a powder that comes with a little plastic scoop - I take one level scoop before bedtime in some water, but as with all things, each person is different in what will work for them. I only mention it because it contains IF along with the SF, which might help you if you are extremely C.
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IBS-C, lots of spasm and trapped gas.
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It's also available in capsules.
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Somebody told me that bananas avocados and rice are very binding...is this true. And why are they binding?
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Re: HEY ANDREW
#304587 - 04/11/07 12:26 PM
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renee21
Reged: 06/02/05
Posts: 486
Loc: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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I have been told (by doctors/naturopaths) that bananas are good for IBS but white rice is too binding and to avoid. I've also been told (by doctors/naturopaths) that white rice is good for IBS but bananas are too binding and to avoid. Lately I've been following the latter. But honestly, I think it depends on the person.
Both foods are high in SF and traditionally prescribed for non-IBS D (i.e. the "BRAT" diet - Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast). I say try and see what works for you (I know I sound like a broken record. Plus after 8 years of IBS I still have only a very vague concept of what works for me.)
As for avocadoes, I don't know if they cause C, but they are quite high in fat which can be a trigger. You said you eat sushi; I think a little white rice and avocado in that, if eaten along with an SF veggie, should be okay.
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IBS-C, lots of spasm and trapped gas.
Edited by renee21 (04/11/07 12:27 PM)
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--------------------
Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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