Diagnosis question
#318240 - 11/08/07 06:25 PM
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Amandarosko
Reged: 08/15/07
Posts: 10
Loc: Ontario, Canada
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Hi, I've had problems since I was sixteen, and never knew what they were until I heard the term IBS on a movie (Along Came Polly) and so I thought that's what I had, but was never sure on how to treat it until finding this website a few months ago. Since then I've bought the recipe book and acacia, and have noticed a huge improvement but still have some problems, and only just today did I go to the walk in clinic to find out what I had for sure.
I asked the doctor if there was a test I could take and he asked me about my symptoms, and then suggested that before taking any tests, I eat a lot of bran and take some Metamucil. I told him I couldn't eat bran, but I was wondering if Metamucil is safe?
Thanks 
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Metamucil gives me incredible gas and bloating. Acacia is much much safer form of SF for IBSers. Good luck to you. Ditto on the bran. Find another GI.
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IBS-D, Gas & Bloating
Barbara50
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I was afraid of that, but I think I'll have to try it anyway or else if I go back to the doctor he's going to wonder what the hell I'm doing. I told him definitely no on the bran, and explained that I was taking Acacia, but he didn't know what that was. I'll just have to keep the doses low and drink lots of peppermint tea for the next three weeks I guess.
Thanks for the help
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Hi there,
First of all, I am really glad to hear that the changes you have made have made a real positive difference in your symptoms.
The truth is, though, you really should be tested for a myriad of gastrointestinal issues just to rule out that there isn't anything more serious than IBS and would require different treatment.
I'm not suprised that your doctor suggested eating Bran and taking metamucil because the opinion I have noticed from most doctors is that the answer the solving these problems is simply to add more fiber. Additionally, because Acacia isn't one of the largely marketed brands of fiber so I'm not surprised the doctor didn't recognise it. The next time you see your doctor and he asks if you are on or suggests Metamucil, say that you are taking a fiber supplement but that Metamucil isn't the right one for you.
I would then ask that you be tested for things like Colitis and h.pylori and maybe celiac disease. If you want more advice about testing, do a board search and let us know about any questions you have to make sure all the important stuff gets ruled out.
What you said about having some problems is a little too vague for me to make any suggestions on how to try and completely stabilize so try to be more specific if you need any help.
Good luck with everything,
Steph
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~~I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell-I know right now you can't tell~~Matchbox 20
IBS-D,pain.
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Hi Steph, thanks for responding and sorry about being so vague. I guess the reason I put off going to the doctor was that I was embarrassed they would have me give a stool sample, and they did but didn't find anything wrong (This was when I called in sick to work several months ago and they wanted to see a doctors note), so when I went to the walk in clinic a few days ago and asked if there was a test I could take and he suggested bran and metamucil, I could tell he wasn't too pleased when I kept saying how those things weren't so great for me. I think he thought I was trying to be a know it all or something by his comment on "I bet you didn't read up on that" when I wasn't sure what a colonoscapy (sp?) was.
But what I mean by some problems is that I used to have it so bad that I would have C one day and then D the next with incredible pain, and never seemed to have any sort or regular bowl movement at all, and since taking Heather's diet about three months ago, I'm averaging D once a week with minimal to no pain with no C, but I can also blame some of those on inability to learn to the rules right off. Like I would drink an orange juice on an empty stomach without realizing it, or forget to take my acacia for a few days.
What the doctor suggested was that I try the metamucil for three weeks, and if there's no improvement I go back to him and he'll run some tests. And the reason why I want to try it was because of what I mentioned above, he seemed to have the aura of "I'm the doctor, you're the patient, listen to what I have to say" when I mentioned that Bran was a no no and that I wasn't too sure about metamucil, so I figured I would just take it in the same small doses that I take the acacia in, drink lots of peppermint tea, and in three weeks go back to tell him "see? didn't work."
I'll have to look up those other diseases you mentioned too. Thanks a lot for your help
Amanda
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