Please help with suggestions for relief of significant gas and bloating
#17888 - 08/20/03 05:23 PM
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lithelady
Reged: 08/15/03
Posts: 339
Loc: Novato, CA
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I'm new here in the past 2 weeks and I want to tell all of you that just knowing that this board exists and reading the posts whenever I get the chance has been so helpful. So thanks to all of you who are making it happen!! I feel like I've finally found people who will really listen to me and moreso, who can truly understand my symptoms!
I have very severe C-IBS with lots of gas almost daily, altho it has decreased somewhat since I started this diet several weeks ago. Heather's book or this website, [I can't recall where I read it] said that it takes longer to stablize C-IBS. So I'm hoping that my gas and other symptoms will continue to improve with time, b/c I'm following this diet and using the fibercon ( 2 tabs 3x/day before meals) faithfully every day.
For now I'm still dealing with alot of gas, throughout the day and also at night.I have to move around alot in my work b/c I'm not at a desk so sipping tea is difficult to do.
Has anyone had any success with chewing fennel seeds to relieve gas symptoms? I was thinking I would chew them and then spit out- discretely of course!- the seeds once well chewed. Or would it be helpful to swallow them once they're well chewed or do they contain too much insoluble fiber??
Also wondering if taking simethecone at bedtime has helped anyone to relieve their trappped gas and bloating during the night? Any other suggestions for at work or in the evening to relieve the gas, [besides sipping fennel tea which I'm already doing during the evening], would be great!! Thanks again!!
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Many years of C-IBS and pain too for past 2 years-
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Hello there windy friend. Many of us have problems with gas. It's embarassing sometimes, but part of life with IBS. You're on the right track with fennel tea. Take the seeds and grind them with a mortar and pestle, or cut them up with a knife and brew them for a strong tea. Cutting them up or crushing them makes the tea more potent.
Some people have found things like bean-o helpful - I haven't tried it before though.
Lastly, take a look at your diet. Look for all the gas producers and leave them out for a while. Introduce one back at a time, and see how you react. Some are more potent than others. Often culprits: cabbage, onions, garlic, broccoli, cauliflour, other veggies,. Also, make sure there are no hidden triggers in your diet - especially dairy and high fat foods. They make brutal gas.
Take care and hope the "winds" of your storm will calm down.
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Formerly HanSolo. IBS, OCD, Bipolar, PTSD times 3.
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Gas is a hard one. Certain food make it worse for me, onions, garlic, soy and of course beans. It seems like almost everything makes me gassey! Recently I have been using Beano and Gas-x. I take 2 Beano before a meal, (I usually don't find it necessary with breakfast) and 2 gas-x after a meal if I feel the rumblings starting! This has helped a LOT. I would estimate I have had a 60-70 percent decrease in my gas. I have tried just Gas-x in the past and didn't find it to help much, I think it's the combination with the Beano. I haven't found a generic for the Beano yet so its a little expensive but I just buy the off brand gas-x.
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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Hi!
Welcome to the board. Glad you found us.
I just wanted to share that I have IBS-C and that the fiber TABLETS actually made my gas much worse. The Fibercon and the Fiberchoice tablets gave me horrible gas; with the Fiberchoice, the gas was trapped and I was in excruiating pain. I switched to the Citrucel powder and I rarely have gas now. I know the powder is not as convenient as popping the tablets, but if it makes you more comfortable, it may be worth a try to switch. I filled one of those tiny Rubbermaid round containers with the Citrucel and I carry it in my purse at all times. (I've even put it in a teeny ziplock bag and just dumped it in my water. You have to be careful doing this at a restaurant if you are using the Clear Mix type. I've laughed and told my friends that I hope no one thinks I'm mixing some type of illegal drug into my drink!) Now if I do have gas it's usually because I have eaten something that caused it such as onions, beans, cabbage.
Have you tried Heather's suggestion of swallowing a couple of Altoids (whole, like you would aspirin) after a meal? I find that that helps my tummy a lot. Also, try drinking warm water with lemon juice. I drink warm water (almost hot) like this out of the tap. My husband thinks this is so gross, but it's not much different from drinking hot tea. It sure helps me and it stimulates my system and often produces a BM within minutes! Try it!!!!
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The product that I've found works best for me is Ultra Strength Phazyme (pink box). I take them as needed, and usually try and take them before meals. They work better than Gax-X and all those other products out there (at least for me).
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~jules
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Hey BL!
I thought you were only supposed to drink cold water from the tap and heat it up if you want warmer/hot, because hot water gets stuff from the pipes.  Is that true?
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Hi Lithelady,
I too have IBS-C, and lots of gas daily. I drink fennel tea too. I've started taking fennel caps by Nature's Way. They seem to be helping. This is a difficult symptom to control. My problem is lower gas, and bloating.
Pazyme worked for the bloating, but not much on the other.
Citric acid is a problem for me at times too.
Good Luck
Cloudygirl 
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Hi Again,
I forgot to mention I also take 10mg of Bentyl 2-4 times a day. It really helps with gas and bloating. Talk to your GI Doc about it. I find it helpful, it's not perfect, and you do have to drink a lot of water because it is an anticholeragenic(sp). I get dry mouth and feel more tired, but these symptoms very with everyone, and they are not hard to deal with.
Good Luck
Cloudygirl
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An ounce of prevention...
I have been able to significantly reduce my gas/bloating including the pain, by reducing soy consumption or using Beano tablets with beans and soy products. As well I avoid eating dried fruit as it produces wicked results! I recently found that the combination of banana and oatmeal porridge/muffins etc was causing me terrible anti-social gas, so i have started to eat my oatmeal alone. (complex carbs combined with fruit can cause gas). Lately I have switched to peaches as a fruit source, and have found that they too cause wicked gas, even when eaten alone. So I am on the lookout for a non-gas-producing fruit...as I adore fruit and would like it in my diet but will have to avoid it for now due to toxic air problems.
Good luck!
Kris
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Be the change you want to see in the world.
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