Controlling IBS
Managing your Irritable Bowel SyndromeThis site will be solely dedicated to helping those already diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. So everything will assume that the reader already knows they have Irritable Bowel Syndrome and is searching for information about how to relieve the symptoms and, more importantly, what Irritable Bowel Syndrome triggers to avoid.
My wife and I both suffer from IBS, so we are no strangers to the resulting problems that come about from having it. I’ve literally driven 50 miles or so from the house only to have to give up and turn around to go back home for the day. IBS can pretty much rule a persons life if its bad enough, even causing loss of income and even loss of a job. I’ve heard of instances where IBS was so bad that it was directly related to a couple divorcing because they couldn’t cope with the problems it was causing.
Since we are assuming that you have already been diagnosed with IBS, or at least suspect you have it, we’ll firstly cover symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, then go over the triggers that help to worsen the condition.
Let me stress that there are other conditions that you must have ruled out, such as Crohns Disease before just assuming you have Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Crohns is a much more serious condition and typically has many of the same types of symptoms as Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
When these others are entirely ruled out, then usually your doctor will diagnose you with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Symptoms
Abdominal Cramps
These are usually in the lower part abdomen. Coming from experience, I can say that this is probably the worst part of IBS for me. I've been brought nearly to tears and profanity because of the pain at times. Thankfully over the years the lessened stress in my life has relieved the more severe symptoms.
Bloating
A womans personal nightmare. But seriously, there's nothing quite like having a pair of pants that fit you just 24 hours prior being too uncomfortable to wear today. I literally try to buy my pants just a bit too big (not too much) and wear a belt to accomodate the bloating.
Diarrhea
In some surveys about 25% of IBS sufferers have diarrhea, while about the same amount had constipation, with the remainder having some of both.
Constipation
The name says it all.
Diarrhea/Constipation Shuffle
You know the drill. One minute you feel like your trying to pass a stone, the next its like you can't contain it. This is a fairly typical symptom of an Irritable Bowel.
Nausea
Feeling like you still have to go Even after you've gone. Sometimes this is an all day event.
Mucus in the stool
This seems to be the bodies way of trying to coat/line the intestines to prevent further irritation. It's typically nothing to be too worried about otherwise.
Gas
And lots of it.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome Triggers STRESS
In the grand scheme of all things IBS, I'm not sure where stress lies for every individual, but speaking from my own personal dealings with the disorder(s), I know that stress has actually been more bothersome for me than diet or any other trigger. Possibly this is related to the field I worked in for many years, offset printing, because a small press operator can be under about as much stress as a postal worker on a bad day.
Foods / Drinks to avoid
- alcohol
- artificial sweeteners
- tea and coffee
- dairy
- red meat
- fried foods
- large meals
- spicy foods
One other drink item that I hate to add here is soda of any kind. A few weeks ago I decided to get off of my soda addiction of many years because I was worried about sugar intake. I had been drinking 3-4 24oz bottles of Pepsi a day EVERY day since as far back as I can remember and Ive had IBS issues all thru that time. Ive been worried about diabetes, so I thought cutting back the huge amount of added sugar I typically get would be a good idea.
About 4 weeks ago I broke myself off of the Pepsi habit and within a couple days noticed that my bathroom habits were changing. I stopped getting so much cramping and since about day 2-3 of being Pepsi free I have not had one single day where Ive had IBS symptoms and everything left behind for the toilet fairy has been about as normal looking as it gets.
I literally have gone from having IBS symptoms at least half the week every week for years and years to the last 30 days being almost a solid month now of being entirely free of IBS.
Im not claiming a cure here, but if you have IBS and you drink ANY sort of soda, break the habit for a month or so and see if you see any difference. I did some poking around on the web, and sure enough, Im not the only one who noticed when they dropped the soda that their IBS got much better.
Good luck !