Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Getting very distressed

I was almost at that point, too, a year ago. A colostomy sounds horrible, but when I though it might be the only thing that could let me lead something even approaching a normal life, I was willing to consider it. I got lucky because I found this Website by chance (I did a Google search on "beano + IBS") and Heather's approach has worked wonders for me.

It may be that Heather's guidelines simply are not working for you, but before you go the colostomy route, here are some thoughts and alternative approaches:

Would you consider posting what you are eating and supplementing for a few days to see if anyone on the Board can spot a possible problem area? I'm not trying to say you're doing things wrong, but sometimes the people here can see something you may have missed.

You could try a different SFS. I'm IBS-D - before starting Heather's diet I was about as D as it gets many days - and I take acacia. I also take a lot of it - 8 teaspoons which is 20 grams of SF per day.

You could consider an anti-depressant, not for depression, but for IBS. I took Elavil which worked well for me for a while. I eventually had to go off it because I neeed to keep increasing the dosage to have it keep working and the side effects caught up with me. However, even those few months of relief were wonderful (this was before I found this Website) and it's possible Elavil or another AD would work for you long-term.

You could try the Breaking The Cycle diet for a few days and see if your D quiets down. If so, then maybe Heather's approach can work for you with some tweaking, like maybe less IF.

Have you tried the hypno program? I haven't, but I know some people swear by it.

Check out this post for an interesting regimen. You mention you've tried Bentyl and I don't know how you were taking it, but if LauraSue's use of it is not what you were doing, perhaps it would work for you. Also, note LauraSue's use of Immodium - you don't mention trying that and maybe using is it as a preventative measure would help.

I hope some of this helps. I know that if you're at the end of your rope, gathering yourself up to try new things can seem overwhelming, but a colostomy is a big step, so I hope you can find another way.

Take care.

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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]

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