Flare up of my symptoms IBS-C
#364942 - 05/30/11 01:12 PM
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minks
Reged: 08/08/10
Posts: 47
Loc: Newport Beach, CA
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I have been pretty stable using diet and fiber to stop cramping and keep thins moving until last Thursday when everything completely stopped moving. Usually at night there is all sorts of noise coming from my gut as things move but the last few days nothing. I am able to "go" every other or every 2nd day. I am now on a "low residue" diet trying to get back my poor gut back to the way it is. At this point pretty much everything I eat causes cramping. My plan is to do this for a few days and start from the beginning. I take 1 TBS fiber a.m. and p.m. and am adding 1/2 tsp at noon. I'd love some feedback on this or what to do. thanks
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IBS-C Started out of the blue end of May 2010. I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and GI problems are pretty common with that. I've been fairly lucky up til now.
Edited by minks (05/30/11 03:58 PM)
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So sorry you're feeling bad. I have IBS-C, too, and I know how frustrating it can be when you can't go like you know you're supposed to!! I take lots of the fiber supplements like you do, (along with Heather's IBS diet), and I now drink SO MUCH water and tea every day. Do you drink as much as Heather recommends? It's a LOT, and I had to be really strict about that at first until I made it habit. She recommends 120+ ounces/day!! I never go anywhere w/o a water bottle or a thermal carafe of hot tea. Have you tried different types of fiber? I know some work better than other for me. I really hope you'll feel better soon! Oh... and when I'm crampy at all, I always curl up in bed or in a comfy chair with my heating pad. It sometimes brings relief within minutes! (I use a plug in pad that's really big and soft)
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Hi, Thanks for the response. I'm slowly getting things back to almost the way they were. I am back on the IBS diet and upped my acacia fiber slowly. Fennel seed was out as that caused painful gas and bloating. When things got bad I added senna every few days. I just was surprised about the flare up. I do not drink nearly enough water. I'm lucky if I drink 32 oz. There is just no way I can or will drink even 64 oz. I do what I can and I am managing with the amount I am drinking. Now that I know flare ups happen, I won't freak out. Again, thanks.
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IBS-C Started out of the blue end of May 2010. I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and GI problems are pretty common with that. I've been fairly lucky up til now.
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Hope you are feeling better! I have been pretty stable since I started on this diet but I had a terrible flare up 2 weeks ago that kept me home from work for a few days, I felt so bad. I've been extremely careful since, went right back to basics for the first few days, just rice, potato, oatmeal, etc. I have been consistently drinking at least 64 oz (4 water bottles) a day but am trying to increase it to 96 oz (6 water bottles) because it definitely makes a big difference. I have a huge veggie garden growing this year and it can be quite frustrating to think "will I even be able to eat them?" but I am trying to incorporate my veggies back into my diet, bit by bit. I love dairy too but after that last attack I've sworn off it for good. Thank goodness I can tolerate soy milk because I am addicted to my chai latte in the morning. 
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IBS-C
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Hi Luckiest. Glad you are feeling better and have things under control. I'm much better now although not like I was before this flare up. But I can absolutely manage. About every 3rd night I take 3 senna at 7 pm and have a pretty normal movement the next morning. That is if I don't eat a bunch of bad stuff like I did yesterday but sometimes you just gotta have something bad. I use almond milk since I don't eat soy and sadly I have to avoid rice, which I Love because it completely stops up the works. I've found that I can eat some surprising things with no problems, like asparagus and pork, lettuce and tomatoes. I even had some pizza Friday and had no problems. I think this flare up was from stress because I also had a relapse of my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which flattened me and prevents me from drinking tons of water. But we do the best with what we have. Thank goodness for acacia fiber. Saved me.
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IBS-C Started out of the blue end of May 2010. I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and GI problems are pretty common with that. I've been fairly lucky up til now.
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Yes, the acacia fibre has done wonders for me as well. I do think stress plays a large part in my flare ups...the day before my latest attack I had a lot of stress, and as a result I did not pay close enough attention to what (and how much) I was eating. The key is not to let myself get lax again. 
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IBS-C
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If it wasn't for the acacia fiber I'd never go. My flare-up came up after about 2 months of stress. I didn't realize it at the time so I got hit hard with it, and a relapse of my CFS/ME. I hate not being able to eat what and how I want. You eat one thing too much and that is the end of it for that day. Sometimes though I just don't care and eat something I know is gonna kill me. The last time I had to have a steak. I ate a really small piece and savored every bite and didn't go for almost a week! or it felt that way. I keep testing the limits of my gut. At least now I know what to do since I've only had this about a year and it took my by surprise.
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IBS-C Started out of the blue end of May 2010. I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and GI problems are pretty common with that. I've been fairly lucky up til now.
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I'm pretty sure I've had this my whole life, except no one ever pointed me in the right direction. I've struggled with chronic constipation since I was a child, and gradually I've come to learn what I can and cannot eat. Even before I discovered this website, I'd cut red meat and most dairy out of my diet. However I couldn't figure out how I could possibly still be constipated with all the fruit, veggies and whole grains I was eating. The key thing I've learned here is the difference between soluble and insoluble fibre. I've never had a doctor even mention IBS as a possibility (and I've seen quite a few). It feels weird to have 'self-diagnosed' however this really seems to work for me. When I made an appt with my doctor to discuss, he was less than interested. I asked him if there were any more tests we should run to be certain that IBS was truly the problem, his response was "if it's working for you keep doing it". Wow, thanks a lot.
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IBS-C
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Be proud that you figured it out on your own. I find the majority of the medical community is not that much on the ball for this. You could go from doc to doc and never get a "real" diagnosis. You did what you had to do so good for you!
I've had ME for almost 16 years and IBS is a hallmark of CFS/ME. Mine just came out of the blue. Like you said, I went for high fiber stuff and had horrible results. Because this came on all of the sudden and because of my age I had a colonoscopy which showed nothing. The gastro doc's instructions were to drink water and take Benefiber. She knew nothing about acacia fiber or the IBS diet. (My PCP doc does know this). As far as I know there is no test to dx this. It's all just common sense.
What saved me was this site, the IBS diet and like you soluble fiber vs. insoluble. I've had a problem the last few days just eating crap or too much in one sitting. I'm an emotional eater so doesn't work well.
I guess I don't miss that much foodwise since I had stopped red meat and dairy like you. But once in a while I just need a taste of something. I hate feeling deprived.
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IBS-C Started out of the blue end of May 2010. I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and GI problems are pretty common with that. I've been fairly lucky up til now.
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I've been reading about chia seeds and how they work great for helping with IBS-C. I think I might get some next time I order some supplements. Have you heard about them?
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IBS-C Started out of the blue end of May 2010. I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and GI problems are pretty common with that. I've been fairly lucky up til now.
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You may find this post on Chia seeds of interest.
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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Thanks Syl, I had read about the insoluble/soluble fiber ratio so was wondering about it. Very interesting.
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IBS-C Started out of the blue end of May 2010. I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and GI problems are pretty common with that. I've been fairly lucky up til now.
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I had heard of them but not in relation to IBS-C. Interesting.
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IBS-C
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It's interesting especially since this has a lot of soluble fiber. I'll read some more comments and see what else I can find out. When I'm cramping the last thing I want is soluble fiber.
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IBS-C Started out of the blue end of May 2010. I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and GI problems are pretty common with that. I've been fairly lucky up til now.
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I alternate between c and d and right now I'm back to a c. I'm about to start back on the tummy fiber. It does the trick. But you have to start off in small doses. 
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I alternate between C and D. But the EFI diet and teas have helped me a lot!
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The tummy fiber has saved my life. I just stay on it all the time or I'd never go to the bathroom. I do use senna every few days but I'm fine with that. The fennel tea really gives me horrible gas so I cannot use that at all. I find I'm better with smaller meals more often although sometimes I eat more than I intended and have some bloating. What is the EFI diet? I use the basic one posted here.
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IBS-C Started out of the blue end of May 2010. I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and GI problems are pretty common with that. I've been fairly lucky up til now.
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The EFI diet is this one. Eating For IBS. The fennel tea made me bloated at first, but then once I got used to it, it actually reduced the bloating.
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I alternate between C and D. But the EFI diet and teas have helped me a lot!
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OH yeah duh! Yes the diet is huge. I had no idea prior to my IBS about the difference between soluble and insoluble fiber. Saved me. I actually don't bloat much unless I eat something I shouldn't. The problem with the Fennel tea is just too much for me to deal with. I'm at a point where I can deal with using the fiber and senna every few days so that is a relief.
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IBS-C Started out of the blue end of May 2010. I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and GI problems are pretty common with that. I've been fairly lucky up til now.
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