Reged: 08/06/04
Posts: 4381
Loc: Within stray mortar fire of DC
My IBS started when I was 7, and I was in pain every night too. It was not uncommon for me to have between 9 and 20 attacks every day until I was 13 and learned to control what was happening to me through diet and managing stressors.
I really feel for your daughter because I know what it is like. It is quite possible that her food triggers are nothing like yours. Hardly any of us here have exactly the same safe foods! I identify with your concern and offer hope that you've come to the right place to find people who are where you are and care-- the people on this board are very insightful and knowledgeable about IBS, diet, and appropriate lifestyle changes you can make to make you and your daughter's lives easier.
Even though she has had a barium test, it is important that your daughter complete the colonoscopy with biopsies and a sigmoidoscopy to rule out disease. She also has to cut out all dairy and dairy products immediately in order to start feeling better. Dairy to me is like trying to digest sawdust. Even a little sawdust, and my tummy's out for a week.
Your daughter is also not going to get better until she gets herself stable. Stable might mean cutting out all GI irritant food except only her safe foods, then adding foods back one at a time. When I am in a bad IBS flare, I eat saltines, chicken broth, flat sprite, mashed potato flakes with water and lots of water for a couple days until the pain stops. Then I can add in only safe foods which for me include boiled chicken breast, beef bullion, cranberry juice cocktail with water, and plain spaghetti, one at a time over a course of a few days, until I am back to myself again.
There is help, and there is hope! Please keep the faith and visit the site for some good answers.
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Re: 11 year old daughter been in pain every night for a year!
It is quite possible that her food triggers are nothing like yours. Hardly any of us here have exactly the same safe foods! I identify with your concern and offer hope that you've come to the right place to find people who are where you are and care-- the people on this board are very insightful and knowledgeable about IBS, diet, and appropriate lifestyle changes you can make to make you and your daughter's lives easier. 
