Newbie on my way to a mental shutdown due to IBS
#368505 - 11/13/12 12:03 AM
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Jaco
Reged: 11/10/12
Posts: 2
Loc: South Africa, Mpumalanga
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Don`t know where else to post. I`m Jaco from South Africa. Wanted to say: Good day all, but I can`t - not a good day for me. Been diagnosed with IBS 8 years ago. 9 years ago the doctor tests started and it was the most difficult time in my life - I`m now 33. I also suffered from depression, but since I got married to a wonderfull wife I`m almost 100%.
I get the normal ibs attacks once in 1 to 2 months and serious attacks once a year. 2 Week`s ago it was the worst pain I ever felt. Did not eat anything out of the ordinary, no real stress that I know about, but at 12:30am I awoke with colon pain, went to the toilet to c if my stomach will go, but nothing. At 1 am I were laying down on the ice cold tiles and were crying like a baby and the water ran down my whole body - tiles almost looked like a swimming pool and I don`t normally sweat - must be hot and I must be running. My wife rushed in and wanted to get an ambulance. The dramatic pain went on for half an hour and the aftershock dull pain lasts for 4-5 days. I feel better now, but am scared and stressed for knowing the pain can come back at anytime like always.
I saw this website and the tummy fiber, but have read a lot of mixed emotions on it on different forums. My biggest problem with this IBS is constipation. Sometimes I go for 5-6 days without going to the toilet and then a day of diarhee which does not bother me much, but the constipation does - feel uncomfortable, blown up and a dull pain.
Must I give the tummy fibre a shot or is there something else? Don`t want it to make my constipation worst.
Thanks in advance for your reply
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Welcome to the board,
Are you following Heather's Eating for IBS diet? Some foods can trigger bowel spasms or produce gas when fermented in the colon that can produce spasms inducing C or D. I too have experienced pain similar to yours frequently until I got my diet under control. You can read more about it starting here. It would be helpful it you could list the foods and snacks you have eaten over the past 3-4 for days. It might give us some clues as to what to suggest. 
You should be able to buy a soluble fiber supplement in Zambia. It likely would be cheaper than having a supplement shipped to you for the US. Check with your pharmacist or a local health food store if you have them there.
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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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Hi, thanks for the reply. Can't remember all the food, but it's not good. Fatty stuff. My biggest problem is constipation where I dont have a bowel movement for 4 to 5 days and then diarhee for a single sitting. Diarhee dont bother me at all, but constipation are my enemy. I'm trying to stay away from fatty foods now and foods that I saw are bad for ibs, till I get my Heather order diet for ibs. I'm eating pawpaw or other people call it papaya to help with bowel movement. What else can I eat in the mean time to help me go till I get my diet book from Heather?. Oh I also started to drink lots of water and stopped my 8 cups of coffe a day
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You could start by reading the information on the web site starting here paying particular attention to soluble and insoluble fiber. Also the two links in my signature will give you information on an dietary approach to managing IBS that has shown 60-80% improvement in large clinically trials in a number of countries. Your GI doctor may be aware of this approach and might be able to recommend a local dietitian with knowledge in the area. Over the past 5 years dietitians all over the world have been trained in this approach. In fact King's College London part of the University of London, UK is providing training for dietitian on this dietary approach. You can read about it in Heather's Research Library
Good luck
Hopefully the books will arrive soon
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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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Hi Jaco,
I agree with Syl's recommendation to check out Heather's guidelines. There are some general rules that everyone seems to agree on (whether on this website or not!):
-avoid caffeine (great that you're stopping your 8 cups of coffee)
-avoid alcohol
-avoid carbonated beverages like Pepsi, etc.
-avoid greasy and/or fatty foods (not just obvious ones like fried foods; you might try to limit meat and dairy too)
-exercise regularly
-get enough sleep
More importantly, just know that there are a LOT of people who completely understand what you're going through. It's great that your wife is there to help you, too. Take the time you need to do research on the internet and relax. You can come up with your own plan for how to make yourself feel better.
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Welcome, and the first thing I would do is cut out those 8 cups of coffee per day. That can't be good, IBS or not. Another thing you can do is scan this website and check out all the links and info on how to start out on Heather's diet.
This website is full of info for you to follow until you get your books.
One word of caution. Since you are new to the site and maybe a bit confused about what to do to help your condition, please stick with Heather's diet until you start to feel better. Don't let others try to steer you to other approaches and diets, and further confuse you. This is what Heather wants to happen here.
After you become stable, maybe then you can experiment.
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