Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

glad you found us. sorry your highly respected internist is a loser who has no clue about nutrition!

this is a great diet and should help you feel better soon. the biggest things to do are, in my opinion:

give up the coffee and soda
start a soluble fiber supplement that doesn't contain psyllium (just in case you have an adverse reaction to it as many do)
get yourself some fennel tea. NOW.*
read as much as you can as you navigate this site. the stuff Heather wrote, the stuff that's been posted. you'll learn tons. then later, read it again. and again!

*fennel tastes like licorice, and if you don't like that, i would suggest you try as you might to get used to it. it will help greatly with the sausage-pants problem you describe. it really cuts back on bloating (and gas, too). if you must, start making it weak and use some sugar or honey or my favorite- cardamom. to make the tea: take some fresh fennel seeds, mash them a bit or not, and put about a tablespoon or a tablespoon and a half into a tea strainer, then pour in a cup of hot hot water.

more tea tips: ginger works for nausea. peppermint can help with stabilizing the spasms in the colon. (these flavors in Altoids can help, too, in a pinch! as can the real thing: slices of ginger, some fresh peppermint.)

here's a little thing i wrote to help people get around: hope this helps.

welcome to the boards! (PS: i'm not a therapy type chick, either, nor was i a support group girl, but really, you can't beat a bunch of people who can help you kick the IBS to the curb!)

--------------------

Print Remind Me Notify Moderator