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Hey everyone. I've been doing great on the diet ever since I started in March. I switched from an IBS-C with constant gas/bloating and pain to being almost completely regular with pain eliminated.

This week, I haven't changed anything about my diet, but my symptoms are worse...mostly the bloating and the SEVERE pain. What can you do when the pain is so bad? You could try using an anti-spasmodic or heat therapy.

I hate tea, but which is the best kind for pain? Peppermint.

I'm on acacia, 2 TBSP. per day, and have been for at least a month.

I also take Miralax, but I've gotten down to just a small portion of the regular dose.

My diet includes english muffins, tortillas, chicken/turkey, and fruits and veggies. At first, I only ate apples (no peel), bananas, and cooked carrots.

I was gradually able to add things back in to try to incorporate insoluble fiber. I've been eating peaches with the peel, and some raw vegetables, but only in small amounts after a meal.

None of this is new. As I said, my diet has been stable for at least a month. I really don't think your diet is causing this recent attack. You seem to be doing everything right. I believe that even if you're stable, you'll still experience an attack every now and then completely out of blue. Even Heather has attacks, which she mentions in her book and she uses prescription meds during those times. Following the diet, makes those symptoms less severe and less frequent and some people can go for a quite a while, years even, without experiencing another attack. Unfortunately, it's not a cure and you'll have these random flare-ups now and then. That's IBS for you! Very frustrating, I know. Other than diet, other things can affect your IBS symptoms: menstrual cycle, change in physical activity, stress, heat, amount of water you're drinking. Could any of these other things be causing you this flare in symptoms?

What can I do to deal with the return of SEVERE abdominal pain after every meal? Try drinking peppermint or chamomile tea with your meals. If your pain is from gas or bloating, you could try fennel tea. Personally, I find peppermint tea to be the best at alleviating pain and spasms. I also really like those disposable heat packs, like ThermaCare. You could also try taking an anti-spasmodic.

Thanks. I hope you feel better soon. It sounds like you've made significant progress and that you're following the IBS diet guidelines quite well. Sorry about the setback. Darn IBS!

Carolyn

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