Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Txs Maryh, I'm up to 9 -10 gms of a combo of citrucel and benefiber per day.

It's taken me the past 4 months-since first starting on H's diet- to work up to this much soluble fiber b/c I kept worrying that it would make my constipation worse. However, it's done the exact opposite, just helped me to have softer and better formed poop, altho must now drink even more water than I used to per day - I"m up to about 12 16 oz bottles per day! You'd think I'd be sick of water but fortuately I'm not, it's my fav "food".

Only problem is that now I'm ALWAYS distended, even if I'm well cleaned out and have no gas-have gotten that under complete control w/ fennel tea, beano and US phayzme and exercise

. I believe that the distention must be due to the soluble fiber. Oh well, I can live peacefully w/ distention, just wear loose pants. Wish they made elastic waist jeans! LOL

BTW, forgot to mention in 1st post that exercising makes NO diff, as far as I can tell, to help me poop each day or to help me sleep if I'm constipated. I exercise 3 days a week for 2 hours of aerobics and wt lifting, plus on the other 4 days I do an hour a day of rowing. Regardless of all this activity, if I'm constipated I STILL don't sleep well and I STILL have to do an enema the next day.

Geesh, I wish they'd invent a drug that reduced the pain/ discomfort sensitivity communication between the gut and the brain ie: reduced the brain/gut signaling that's hyperactive in IBSers. I'm sure this is why I don't sleep well, my brain gut connection is too hyper. It's weird b/c I'm not a person hyper at all, unless I'm tired and then I can feel myself gradually becoming hyper thru the day in order to keep pushing myself to get my work done.

This is one of the MANY reasons why it's so hard to explain this disorder to my friends-even the ones who work w/ me in healthcare!- b/c they all say that I'm such a calm person. I appreciate the compliment, considering there are so many spaced-out, "mellow folk" among all the former hippies, yogis and meditators around out here! Next to them I think I DO look hyper, but my friends are none of these types, so I guess that's why I look calm to them.

I'm doing Mike's hypnotherapy tapes- day # 41- but so far can't see any diff in terms of the strength of my AM pooping
contractions.

However, I can definitely tell that it's helping me to feel better emotionally as I continue to learn, one day at a time, how to live "with graceful acceptance" w/ my C-IBS. sigh.......

Next step is to try probiotics. I can't eat any type of yogurt-even soy-, it instantly plugs me up. So I'm starting them today in powder form, based upon how much they seem to have helped Shanna. Everything I'd ever read about them either poo-pooed them in the conventional Western medical literature or, in the alternative lit, I'd only read that they were often-altho not always- helpful in relieving diarrhea. However, I'd never read ANYWHERE that they help w/ constipation until Shanna's posts about them. I've decided to give 'em a try. I decided to use the powder form b/c it's the srongest formulation that Jarrow makes- 12 billion organisms per 1/4 tsp dose. Sure hope it helps me to poop like it does Shanna...... it'd be wonderful to be able to stop having to do enemas, even once a week, which is about my average now thanks to all I've learned from Heather and this board.

Glad you are able to go regularly and that your IBS is under good control Thanks again for your empathy. LL

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Many years of C-IBS and pain too for past 2 years-

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