Me neither!
#180569 - 05/22/05 03:06 AM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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Anyone with IBS should be wary of any product name containing the word "cleanse". All GI cleanses tend to be too harsh for IBS bods and can trigger off a major attack spell.
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I am a chronic Cer, so I know what you are going through, believe me. I don't think D folks can relate to how badly we feel inside with all this "crap" inside us all the time. (No offense to all D folks! I know you have your own problems ) I worry about the waste causing a toxic environment in our bodies over time. I mean, it is filled with toxins and "waste" from our bodies and remains in our bodies for weeks. Who knows what damage the toxic environment is creating inside of us. It can't be good or healthy to have so much waste sitting in us becoming more toxic and growing creating an even unhealthier environment.
Having said all that, I am still too chicken to do one yet for fear of any trauma it may cause to our abnormal GI systems.
I hope if anyone out there has had one, they will share their experiences.
I have read different sights and see many testimonials from satisfied IBSers who have had this done. Just don't know how trustworthy they are...they could be fake testimonials from the company itself. It's a shame to be so cynical, but I don't want to cause even more pain to my already pained body.
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Cyndy,
I'm not a big fan of any cleanses, and I think they're ultimately more damaging than helpful for IBS folks. However, that sometimes has to be weighed against the risks (that you wondered about) and sheer discomfort of impacted bowels. Occasionally, I give myself an enema to get some relief and clear things out... even though it often causes a lot of cramping, pain and gas afterwards. Six of one, half dozen of the other, right? Anyhow, I think enemas are generally safer than the "cleanse" products on the market. Tip: if you do an enema, make sure to take a couple of peppermint capsules about an hour before and have lots of really strong peppermint tea to drink directly afterwards, as well as a heating pad or hot water botttle to put on your belly.
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I spoke with one of the doctors at Cedars-Sinai today, and asked again about probiotics and fiber. Her response was that in their clinical experience, patients with IBS caused by SIBO already have a predisposition to bacterial overgrowth. Introduction of large amounts of bacteria, even if it is healthy bacteria in the case of probiotics, can easily contribute to overgrowth in these patients. She said that most of their patients who take probiotics report that it makes their symptoms worse, not better.
It's a similar story with fiber, though she believes it's not as potentially harmful for SIBO patients. If the fiber actually helps move stool through the intestines, then it is effective of course. But in many cases she's observed, the fiber does not increase motility and provides bacteria with a perfect source of food... leading to bacterial overgrowth and symptoms associated with fermentation (gas, bloating, etc.)
So that's their point of view. Based on the ineffectiveness of the treatment I just went through (antibiotics followed by Zelnorm, which works in 90% of their researched trials), her diagnosis is that although SIBO may have been contributing to my problems, it probably wasn't the cause.
She wants me to come back down there and have more tests: endoscopy with biopsy to rule out possible GI pathogens and infections, colonic motility/scintigraphic test (to determine if constipation is caused by nerve problem or muscle weakness), antroduodenal manometry (measure pressures in stomach and small intestine before and after eating) and a colonoscopy.
I still haven't been able to have a BM without an enema or HUGE doses of magnesium and vitamin C - both of which cause incredible amounts of pain, cramping, gas and bloating for the next 24-36 hours. I get to choose between the extreme discomfort and malaise that comes with constipation, or, the excruciating pain and discomfort that come with the use of harsh laxatives. So fun!!!
The doctor recommended MOM and castor oil as the least harmful laxatives. Perhaps I'll try these.
Chris
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...and life in general? Any improvements? Are you still trying the fiber or probiotics at all? I hope they are all helping you.
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Hi Cyndy,
This will be only my fourth day on the Fruit-Eze, so it's probably too soon to tell. I've noticed a lot more gas and bloating again over the past couple days... hard to say whether that's due to the Fruit-Eze, the high doses of magnesium and vitamin C I've been taking, or just being severely constipated for so many weeks now. I have had a couple of BMs after starting the Fruit-Eze but they were very incomplete (hardly anything comes out).
I've also started the Acacia fiber at a very low dose, 1/2 tsp. 2x/day. This is only the third day on that. As for probiotics, I was taking them for about ten days and saw no improvement. Since they've always made the constipation worse, and caused a lot of gas and bloating along with that, I'm hesitant to keep taking them. Have you noticed a similar thing with probiotics Cyndy? Or do they help you?
Thanks for checking in. I'm pretty freaked out that I caused some kind of irreversible damage with those antibiotics. As I know you understand, it's beyond frustrating that my body can't do one of its most basic and necessary functions - elimination - on its own.
Chris
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Chris,
I wouldn't worry so much about causing irreversible damage with the antibiotics. It took me a few weeks to get all the C out of my system that had built up, but after that, I've been doing wonderful - much better than I was prior to starting the antibiotics. In fact, I will probably do another round of them (with copious amounts of miralax during the 10 days, of course) when I go back to see my GI next month.
Sometimes it just takes a while to get our guts straightened back out after a lot of C. Be patient, I'm sure it will work out soon. 
Elizabeth
--------------------
Elizabeth
all those years it wasn't IBS - it was celiac!
send me an email: liz@dopple.net
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Elizabeth,
Thanks for your encouraging words. I'm definitely feeling DIScouraged. It's been two and a half weeks now and things really haven't gotten much better. The only way I can have a BM is with HUGE doses of Vit. C and magesium, or another laxative. Even then, it's really watery and not much comes out. And of course, taking those things often increases the gas and bloating that had improved so much.
Maybe I really should try Miralax. Is it your plan to wean off of that or are you comfortable being on it? And sorry to be graphic, but are your stools well formed on that product or is it more like diarrhea? (You don't have to answer that if you don't want to!)
Chris
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I'm a veteran of constipation but am new to this post-infection IBS. 1. I highly recommend doing kegel exercises to get peristalsis working. (long story involving bladder/rectal prolapse after 2 kids,PT, & mesh implant)2. I've currently had diarrhea for 3 weeks non-stop. sudden onset after a pork chop at a restaurant. 2 different doctors, 2 blood tests, 2 differing stool samples later. they say the flora is normal. please tell me what to do. I am basically diagnosing myself since nobody can help. I doubt 1 meal made me suddenly celiac after a lifetime of eating anything. need a clue please. thanks for any advice.
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