Hi and welcome to the boards! Thanks for introducing yourself.

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I was diagnosed a few weeks ago with IBS-C after several frustrating visits to two gastroenterologists. This is on top of excruciating GERD that I've been dealing with for years. You're definitely not alone on that one. Lots of people on the boards have both IBS and GERD. Heather recommends peppermint as a marvelous antispasmodic herb for IBS - and it truly is marvelous - but since you have GERD you should stay away from it and choose chammomile, fennel etc. instead as mint can aggravate GERD.

Now I can't eat or drink hardly anything. Not only does my lower GI hurt because I can't go, but anything I try to put into my body to help just triggers the acid reflux because my stomach is already full (at least I assume it is, since nothing seems to be going out). I've been tested for Celiac's and have been scoped from both ends with no abnormalities found.

I've been taking fiber supplements for months. What fiber supplement are you taking?

Now things are getting worse. I've been losing weight over the last few months because I'm not able to eat what my body needs. I'm becoming a huge stress ball over this and other things in my life and my lower GI seems to have shut down. This morning I couldn't take it anymore and got an Extreme Sausage Sandwich from Jack-in-the-Box for breakfast. I've also decided to drink coffee again today. I'm sure I'll have several days of suffering from this, but I suffer anyway, so I might as well eat what I want.

I'm sorry you're having such a rough time Have you had a good read-through of this site, especially about the DIET (web page)? It's so important. I'm guessing you haven't since red meat (your sausage) and coffee are big time triggers for most people! Definitely read through the whole website. Soooo much useful and helpful information - it was a god-send for me and many others.

I'm going to the doctor today to have my prostate checked and talk about the depression and anxiety my digestive tract is causing me. Maybe an enlarged prostate is blocking me up. Have any other men had problems with an elarged prostate causing constipation? You'll probably notice that on these boards the majority of us are women But there definitely ARE some men here - so hopefully some of them will chime in!

My gastroenterologist gave me a perscription for Zelnorm to try. I'm hoping this will work. Any suggestions for taking the med to get the most effect? WOAH... I was under the impression that Zelnorm was ONLY FOR C-PREDOMINANT WOMEN. This is what it says on this page. I would definitely check this out with your doctor and maybe do some research of your own too before you start taking it. Lots of people here DO take it and many have had success with it I think, but I'm pretty sure it should only be prescribed to women! You should also know about the FDA warnings on it, which are detailed on the link above.

I've also signed up for a Tai-Chi class starting next week. Fabulous! Great for stress relief and relaxation, which are so cruicial.

Of course, all these changes in my life are probably compounding the problem. But I'm desperate to fix this.

I'm sorry about the long winded post, I just needed to get some things off my chest. For those of you who stuck in, thanks for reading. And I again apologize for taking so much time on the boards. No need to apologize - that's what we're here for! Definitely have a good read through the site and get started on the diet asap. Best of luck to you, and once again, welcome to the boards!

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I was taking Benefiber, but I started on acacia fiber 3 days ago. I'm up to 2 tablespoons a day. Acacia has lots more Soluble Fiber per dose than other Soluble Fiber Supplements, so you might be getting lots more Soluble Fiber from the acacia than you were from the Benefiber. Increasing the amount of Soluble Fiber you get from Soluble Fiber Supplements too quickly can cause gas, cramps, and bloating.

I have been following the diet from the book for about a week. Started with nothing but SF and started adding some IF a few days ago. I also quit coffee (something I thought impossible!) Funny thing is, this morning my symptoms seemed to slightly let up AFTER I ate the greasy sausage sandwich and had that cup of Joe! Oh, if that were only the cure From what I've read, IBS-C types really need quite a bit of IF. If you're still just getting a little IF, your symptoms may ease once you work your way up to more. I also think not getting enough fat can be a problem (my own opinion), so the grease in your sandwich may have helped, too. And coffee has always worked as a laxative for me. In the long run, though, I truly believe red meat, too much fat, and caffeine cause more problems than they're worth.

My somewhat competant gastro told me they have recently seen benefits from Zelnorm for men with IBS-C. It doesn't really matter, I just found out my insurance won't cover it. And at $150 it'll just worsen my symptoms because the added financial stress. The Zelnorm Website recommends Zelnorm for women with IBS and for men and women with chronic idiopathic constipation. That doesn't mean your doctor isn't right - physicians may be prescribing it "off-label" for men with IBS-C, but I'd be really, really cautious. I don't think there's any way to know if Zelnorm has never been tested on men with IBS-C or was tested and either didn't work or had unfortunate side-effects. If you have your heart set on trying it, there are programs that help people get medicine they can't afford. Personally, I'd give Heather's approach a solid try first.

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