Question for IBS-C folks
#193795 - 07/10/05 09:19 AM
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Augie
Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 5807
Loc: Illinois
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I usually am constipated for 5 or 6 out of 7 days now. The one day I'm not, I have Diarrhea.
If any of you experience the D at times, do you continue to take your anti- C suplements and meds, such as magnesium, flax seed, fish oil capsules, zelnorm, miralax, etc?
What about diet wise? Do you continue to eat IF as much as possible despite the D?
I'm afraid if I don't continue, I'm setting myself up for more C. Maybe that's how I get into this cycle in the first place? 
Thanks all!
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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but sorry, I can't help as I have the same dilemma/questions.
Maybe someone else can help both of us???
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When I have D, I go straight for the soluble-fiber-only diet. If I'm not totally nauseated, I do try to take my vitamins; otherwise, I just take my chewable Ca-Mg tablet which always tastes good to me. 
As I've stabilized over the past couple of years, I've been able to go back to IF more quickly after a D attack. This has been possible only because I've been less C and my system has been healthier, and so I don't feel like crap for several days after an attack.
It certainly can't hurt to see if there's any very mild IF things that you can have right after a D attack. It might be cooked fruit, whole wheat bread, chicken soup with mushy veggies, or whatever seems tolerable to you at the time. But treating the C *will* help you with the D attacks in the long run!
--AC
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are you able to take this even when you aren't D?
I've never seen a chewable one. That would be good, if no triggers in it for me!
Thanks
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Sorry, this made me laugh. I'm originally from Cape Cod and all the calcium that seagulls get (shells etc.) doesn't constipate them. You should have seen my car one day. Looked whitewashed. LOL 
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Carol
nós somos o que nós somos e o descanso é merda
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I do also get that D once in a while- See I have a bm every day- all I take is one dose of Citrucel in the morning. Sometimes, depending on how much I eat I have another BM during the day. BUt I don't think I go eneough. It seems to get backed up then I get the D. I continue to take my citrucel even on the days I have the D-- Loose stool, whatever you wanna call it.
As for IF- I don't consume much of that as it is. It seems to bring me alot more crampy pain after a BM and just in general.
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when i get d, i still continue on my same meds/vitamins because i feel like if i dont ill just get backed up again. The D cleard up on its own. If it last more than a few days, I ease up on the pills. During this time i eat a little lighter, and that tends to slow things down naturally without stopping what im taking.
As for chewables, you can find them at any drugstore. Some of them have things in it that may not be tummy friendly, so check the box before buying.
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--maikko
IBS-A, mostly C-- many foods intolerant 
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The miralax I take will occasionally give me D and for that day, I tend to eat less IF than usual. If I have D two days in a row, than I will cut my miralax dose back a bit for a couple of days but thats usually not necessary!
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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Note that I had a Ca-Mg supplement - not just calcium alone! I always make sure to take magnesium along with my calcium just so I don't get stopped up.
My fave chewable Ca-Mg is called CalSnack, and it does wonders to settle my belly along with keeping my bones strong. 
--AC
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I would find a regimen and keep it up regardless of what the day brings. Does that make sense? What you do today may not bring C or D until tomorrow, anyway... that's what's so confusing, frustrating.
Hoping things even out for you!!! Is there any progress at all after going GF?
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Take care,
Michelle
...the greatest of these is LOVE. (I Cor 13)
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Just aren't able to get a regime going to get me going. If I could get out of the C rut, maybe I keep things going continuously??
Too high of hopes I think.
Honestly, though, I don't seem to be able to break the C cycle in order to prevent the D day.
The only progress the GF diet has provided after 20 months is making me go from Chronic D to Chronic C. I think I am going to try eating gluten again to see how I react, even though I had high gluten antibodies. I just don't know what else to try at this point. Maybe I'll try taking an SFS yet once again. Don't know why I think it would work any better this time....but maybe???? Fingers crossed.
My current experiment is eating prunes...that was suggested by my mom as a natural remedy she has used.
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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This is confusing to me...IF is pushed for us C folks, but I often wonder if it causes me more pain and cramps as well. I would rather be "going" though I think.
I can't believe you can have a BM everyday even with limited IF. That's good.
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Hey Beth- my gastro told me that what happens when you're constipated is that your body builds up a lot of water that is trying to flush out the blockage. Eventually, it succeeds, but then all that water turns into D. So if you get the C under control, the D will naturally stop.
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what I can't figure out is how to mangage the C so it doesn't get to that point. I think I win the award for person who has been on this website the longest without getting one iota of relief from symptoms.
Not an award I want! 
Why, oh why does'nt my bowel respond to anything? I am just constipated, bloated, crampy, gassy all the time....except for my one day of D when the eruption finally occurs.
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Beth, if I had been restricting my diet for as long as you have with as little relief as you've gotten, I'd just be eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted it. I'd figure if I'm going to be miserable gut-wise, I'd at least want to be happy mouth-wise.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Sand
#194546 - 07/12/05 09:45 AM
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Augie
Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 5807
Loc: Illinois
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You're stable, though, right?
Are you telling me I should just eat whatever...or are you just kidding? Honestly, your sentiments cross my mind,,,but I can't bring myself to do it .....yet!
I swear, I am the most restrictive, safe eater there is...never ever cheat, never even do the iffy foods like soy or cooked onion, garlic...nothing! Never have cheated at all...very super safe! Even no sugar and no yeast for a good while now. I don't get it.
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Re: Sand
#194559 - 07/12/05 10:01 AM
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Sand
Reged: 12/13/04
Posts: 4490
Loc: West Orange, NJ (IBS-D)
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Yes, I'm stable - or within spitting distance, anyhow. I stick with Heather's plan because for me it's worked - worked miraculously, really.
I am NOT telling you what you should do - only you can decide what the right path is for you. However, I'm not kidding either. I think Heather's a super-neat lady, but if her suggestions didn't help my IBS, I wouldn't have kept eating this way. The added health benefits, like lower cholesterol, are wonderful, but they wouldn't be enough to keep my diet even as restricted as she suggests if my IBS wasn't improved. And I certainly wouldn't be willing to restrict my diet as much as you do if I wasn't getting any relief at all.
I'm sorry if I spoke out of turn, but it sort of popped out when I read your post. Feel free to ignore me - and I'll shut up now.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Are you getting a little IF after SF for every meal? Honestly, I don't get crampy if I combine the two and don't eat huge amounts of either. Getting liquid is also part of this equation - it may be just me, but I start feeling miserable if I go 2-3 hours without drinking something....
--AC
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Foods--Beth
#194567 - 07/12/05 10:11 AM
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maikko
Reged: 05/30/05
Posts: 62
Loc: maryland
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What foods do you eat now exactly? Do you eat any IF or just all sf foods?
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--maikko
IBS-A, mostly C-- many foods intolerant
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It just shocked me to see that coming from you! You are a total Heather dieter!
I guess I just figure if I don't eat this way, I might never have a chance...but then again, I may be one who does better with all IF and I may never know that if I keep hanging on to the SF before IF theory. I also keep thinking maybe I'm not doing something right. That I'm missing something or doing something wrong that I'm not aware of?
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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IBS A
#194591 - 07/12/05 10:57 AM
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Kree
Reged: 10/08/03
Posts: 3748
Loc: Northern NY
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I know just how you feel, this is what happens to me on and off. I would call it more IBS A than D or C, because it's alternating between the two. Personally, I usually return to the what to eat when you can't eat anything else diet when I get D attacks, regardless of whether or not it worsens my C. When I'm in D mode any little thing seems to bother me so I don't have much choice. My advice would be to listen to your body. If something with more IF bothers you, don't eat it. Just do whatever you can to start feeling better again.
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"Anyone can exercise, but this kind of lethargy takes real discipline." -Garfield
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Beth...
#194594 - 07/12/05 11:02 AM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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...remember as well that they are finding more and more things that have always been misdiagnosed as IBS (esp. IBS-C) so if NOT following the diet works and the diet doesn't, maybe you don't have IBS at all but something they haven't named yet. Ever think of that?
PS. Did you ever have a Sitz marker test?
PPS. Last time we talked about this, you were eating less IF than me remember. Have you added loads more of (safe) IF in since then?
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Well, I shut up because I really don't have anything else to say. I'm a total Heather dieter because Heather's approach works for me, but I'm not such a fanatic as to insist it must therefore work for everyone else. I just think it's worth a shot for anyone with IBS.
As for your "missing something or doing something wrong", the only suggestion I can make is the one I've made before: post everything you are eating, drinking, and supplementing on this Board for a few days and see if the Board-ites spot something you don't.
I am sorry you're having such a terrible time and I hope you find a way to feel better soon.
Take care.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Sand
#194708 - 07/12/05 01:49 PM
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Augie
Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 5807
Loc: Illinois
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Before I jump to any conclusions I need to check something out.
I'm not sure if you are really irritated with me or are telling me to go find something else if this isn't working? I hope you didn't take me the wrong way ...I was in no way trying to infer you were a fanatic! My goodness, you have always been such a wealth of information and help to others. I am so glad the diet has helped you and so many others.
I know I ask a lot of questions and, quite frankly, I'm sick of myself! But I just keep trying.
Should'nt the diet work for all IBS people?
Are you saying you have nothing else to say to me, personally, ever? 
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Linz
#194731 - 07/12/05 02:09 PM
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Augie
Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 5807
Loc: Illinois
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Good points, Linz
I haven't had the sitz marker test because my GI won't give me any tests. I asked and he flat out refused to do any testing.
I found a new GI doc, but can't see him until I get a referal from a GP, so I need to find one of those docs first. By the time I see a GI, it will be like 4 months!
As far as IF, I try to eat more, but must admit, I'm not doing so well with them. The gastroparesis does not like IF. I will try harder, and hope my pain goes away from the IF...maybe it might get used to it over time?
But don't you have to be pain free or stable before introducing more IF?
Thanks for sticking with me, Linz...I know it's been a long road...and it continues...
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Re: Beth (Augie)
#194733 - 07/12/05 02:13 PM
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Sand
Reged: 12/13/04
Posts: 4490
Loc: West Orange, NJ (IBS-D)
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I'm sorry if it sounded that way. No, I was just saying I don't have anything else to suggest to try to help. I do like to fix things (a characteristic both positive and negative), so perhaps "need to fix" frustration was what was coming across. (Even more frustrating for you, I'm quite sure.)
And I certainly wasn't telling you to go find something else. I'd have long since given up on Heather's diet (patience is not my thing), but if you still think it can help, then hang in there. And even if Heather's diet isn't right for you, I know there are a number of people on the Board who give and get support without being on the diet so even if you end up finding something else, you certainly don't need to "go".
My first post really was just a statement about me: I could never restrict my diet as much as you do without getting far more return from it and would long since have gone back to just eating what I wanted. As I said, it just popped out of my mouth (well, my fingers). Perhaps spontaneity is not my thing either.
As for asking questions, well, that's what the Boards are for. Plus you should know from a previous unmentionable experience that if I was really annoyed with you, you'd definitely know it.
HTH. Sorry for the confusion.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Beth
#194748 - 07/12/05 02:29 PM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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You should reintroduce IF after completing BTC NOT after waiting to become stable...and for a C that should be after a few days tops - you'd never become stable as a C w/out IF IMHO. I mean *I* get C if I don't get enough IF and I'm more towards the D side of the A spectrum.
Do you know what about the gastropareisis doesn't like IF? Could eating it ultra safely help do you think? I don't eat much IF that isn't very safe, but I do eat alot of it now.
And your docs suck! I wish you could go see my GI.
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Augie, I am GF too. Can't touch the stuff. My guts get puffed and I fart constantly. I've been really struggling with consistency as a C too. I am contemplating re-introducing more whole grains, such as 1/2 brown/white rice mix when I eat and also make bread that's got a little of both in it....say, do you know if millet, buckwheat, amaranth would be IF? I would think so...gotta look into that. I know fats and sugar are a huge trigger for me. And now uncooked veggies but I am recently became suspicious of my IF content and how I'm doing it....sorry if this isn't helpful or too rambly....just thought we could work together to try different things.
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IBS-C with major bloat!
Gluten Free Vegan
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I eat IF too
#195331 - 07/13/05 04:49 PM
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Augie
Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 5807
Loc: Illinois
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I eat cream of rice cereal with baked apple (peeled) or pureed cooked blueberries and 1 T of flaxmeal. For lunch I either have some cooked millet, or a piece of bread that has millet and flax in it and 3/4 oz of unpeeled cooked zucchini. For a snack I have an unpeeled nectarine. And for dinner I have either spinach, zucchini, green beans.
Then a snack of 1/2 piece of brown rice bread with maybe one prune. 
I think that seems like a lot of IF, don't you think? Especially considering the Gastroparesis. Aren't we suppose to go low fiber for that? Or at least low IF...I thought i was pushing it with this amount.
This may be changing as I try to incorporate more non-GF foods into my diet. But those would most likely be SF and actually take away some of the IF. Like having french bread instead of the one piece of millet/flax. Or having rice krispies as a snack instead of corn meal cereal..but corn meal is SF anyhow, but has more fiber (2grms vs 0 grms).
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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uwponine
#195373 - 07/13/05 06:26 PM
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Augie
Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 5807
Loc: Illinois
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Can I ask if you tested postive on any gluten antibody tests? Is that why you decided to go GF? I have not found relief on it...still get the "farts" and bloated.
I know DoubleTrouble has recently gone on a GF diet and has gone from D to C, which is the same thing that happened to me. It just seems weird that all of us GFers are also Constipated. I wonder if it is the essence of the diet??
Now to your questions! Millet, buckwheat, and amaranth are all IF!!! Especially the amaranth---that one has the highest percentage of IF. They make an amaranth cereal that has 10 grams of fiber!  Millet is probably the most tolerated. I also eat buckwheat noodles and brown rice noodles. Buckwheat noodles have more fiber.
When you say you will make the bread, are you going to use 1/2 white rice and 1/2 brown rice flours? Or do you have recipes using buckwheat, millet, and amaranth flours? That would be a good way to get more IF. Please share the recipe if you have one.
I don't understand your statement about your vegetables. Are you saying you eat a lot of cooked veggies, or lots of uncooked veggies, or very little of them? Or theat you think they are causing you problems and you want to reduce them and replace them with more IF grain sources?
It sounds like you are trying to increase you IF so you think you are eating too little?
I have been told that it is probably easier for us to incorporate IF in the form of fruits and veggies than in the form of alternative whole grains. But maybe you can't just generalize?
I need to decide if I eating GF or convential! I keep flipping back and forth with what is best. So far I am just eating oatmeal and a few pretzels to test the waters.
Keep me posted on your situation. It would be great to have more assistance in figuring all this out! 
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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