Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Hello from a (bloated) new user

Hi everyone-- I've been lurking on the site for a while and decided it was time for me to thank everybody, Heather in particular, for all the really useful information and support here. You give me hope that I may get my condition under control... eventually.

Thankfully I seem to have a very mild case of IBS. My primary symptom is bloating-- I have been non-stop bloated since my diagnosis 6+ months ago. Originally I had severe constipation too.

My gastroenterologist was no help-- if anything he may have made things worse by putting me on a series of antibiotics to reduce bacteria count in my stomach. I tried acupuncture for a few months too. I think that helped some, but not enough to justify $100 per visit.

As for my current bloating problem, if anyone has any insights or a similar situation I'd love to hear about it. I have better and worse weeks (including some food poisoning last week-- oh no!), but currently it seems that almost anything I eat causes my abdomen to double in size. Dairy, soy, and peanut butter seem to be particular triggers but it's hard to say with certainty what is and isn't.

Fennel tea has no effect on me. Chinese herbs (from my acupuncturist) seem to keep my digestive system in a "calmer" state, but don't do anything about the bloating. And they're expensive so I'd like to find an alternative. I recently started using Benefiber. It has completely eradicated any remaining constipation issues, but also makes me bloat. After more careful reading on the website and message boards, I am thinking that maybe I jumped in with too high a dosage and will lower it.

I also just bought some probiotic capsules. I went to Vitamin Shoppe and somehow let the salesman talk me into the Vitamin Shoppe brand. Then I came back to my computer tonight and read that good probiotics need refrigeration. Unless someone advises otherwise, I'll stick with what I have for now and see if it does anything.

I think that's about it. Thank you all again!

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