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[omega1980]

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Hi all,I am new to this forum, having discovered it yesterday (i must say its good to know you are not alone), but i have suffered with IBS-C for 5 years.I have had loads of tests for Chones, Cealiac, wheat tolerance and more. I had a colonoscopy 3 years ago after being in hospital for a week with food poisoning. I have been put on many different IBS medications including Mebeverine, Buscopan, Colpermin and most recently Mintec, which seem to suit me better than the rest. I am also taking a Omeprazole which is a antacid medication which helps alot. I have recently started drinking coffee, was never a fan before but i am finding that helps alot too.A typical scenario for me is: - Fine for a couple of weeks, BM are fine, solid but soft. (eat, drink, be merry) - Then things start slowing down, i start to get bloated out. I have BMs but they never seem enough, I never seem empty. - Then I get constipated. To get any sort of BM is a nightmare. This lasts a while, then i usually get stomach pains, cramps and then explosive diarrhea. This episode wipes me out for a couple of days and then I am back to normal and the cycle starts again. This happens once a month, maybe once every couple of months, if im lucky.I would like some advice mainly on diet and supplements. - I drink herbal tea regularly mainly peppermint and green. Can anyone recommend any others that are good? Ive tried chamomile dont like it. - I have a sweet tooth, so i love sugar in my tea, i cant stand artificial sweetners, i find they leave a horrible after taste. Can anyone recommend an alternative? - I drink regular milk though i cant have too much as it plays up my stomach. Can anyone recommend an alternative, ive tried soya, I dont like rice milk, any others? - Bread is another thing. I like my bread. Any advice? - Probiotics. Has anyone tried Mutlibionta Vitality?Thanks in advance. This forum has been a massive help already.

[AIRPLANE]

Another possibilty for tea would be ginger. Where I live, it doesn't seem to be readily available but I order a liquid tonic (it also includes organic honey, organic green tea and organic lemon oil)that I can either just take by the spoonful or make it into a tea. It tastes pretty good and I have heard of both ginger and lemon balm as being good for digestion. I can only get this online but don't know about where you live as far as availabilty. If you look up ginger it supposedly has a lot of benefits for digestion- not just nausea. I take a ginger capsule with my meals also. I've never tried using fresh ginger but I would imagine there is a way to make tea that way as well. While peppermint seems to help a lot of people it has never agreed with me and seems to make me feel more gassy- probably because it is an antispasmodic like Bentyl which relaxes things and then the reduced contractions causes gas to pass out more frequently and it also has anti-microbial properties which might increase gas. Possibly if I could tolerate it and take it for an extended period it might be of benefit but I can't tolerate the effects, especially since I have to go to a job. Who knows, maybe the increased gas is a sign of a bacterial issue and the peppermint would eventually help- I'm going to have what is called a 'Carbohydrate Breath Test' in a couple of weeks so hopefully that will confirm or rule that type of thing out.For sweetening, have you tried Stevia leaf? There is also always honey.I have been avoiding both gluten and dairy for the past 8 months since I heard that they both can be a big problem for people- not only can they cause digestive issues but also inflammation that can even cause weight gain. I did have a blood test earlier this year for intolerances that came back negative although I'd already been avoiding them for several weeks when I was tested but the doctor did them anyway. I've heard that those tests aren't reliable anyway so it's best to do your own trial. I still have digestive issues (I also have other issues that are likely caused by several surgeries but can't get a definitive diagnosis for them) but since starting this I've lost 42 pounds and counting so I stick with it. My local stores- both a regular supermaket as well as a health food store, carries many alternatives for dairy and gluten and it seems that there are more and more products all of the time. I know that rice milk can be watery, and sometimes almond milk although there is a brand that used to only make soymilk (I cannot drink soymilk- I get very crampy and watery diarrhea very shortly after drinking it) that now makes a very good almond milk that is not watery. I also just saw an almond milk ice cream available but haven't tried it. There are also gluten-free breads, muffins available. I also now use almond butter instead of peanut butter. I will eat aged cheese along with gluten-free crackers on occasion. I make smoothies with the almond milk, protein powder, a packet of stevia leaf and some type of berries which not only tastes good but helps boost my protein which I probably don't get enough of.I haven't heard of the brand of probiotic that you mentioned. I take a brand that I buy at a local wholesale club and it is their own brand though haven't noticed any difference from taking it. I've tried many in the past with no difference in symptoms noticed.I don't know if any of this helps since I know you are in the UK.

[jadjac]

I can relate to that "cycle" that you seem to be on - I was on that too. I am experimenting right now, but I think things are starting to fall into place to me, I *think*. Have you tried Almond milk? Or Lactose-free milk? Artificial sweeteners are a no-no for me - I just go with real sugar in my teas, I just use a little. The things that help me the most are, I take a fibre supplement every morning. I was taking Metamucil in the mornings, but now I am trying the FiberSmart product by Renew Life, as it has a better variety of ingredients. I also take a good quality probiotic every morning - it is called TuZen.Other than that, I have done a bunch of research on the vitamins and minerals that are important for women to not be deficient in, and I made up a daily plan of which supplements I need to take and when throughout the day to make sure that they all work together and not against each other, and that I get enough since I have trouble with most food. I love the Garden of Life Raw Women's Code multivitamin - it contains probiotics and digestive enzymes in addition to the vitamins and minerals in it.As for food, I haven't totally cut out, but I mostly avoid dairy and try to avoid breads with yeast (I eat a lot of tortillas). I limit my consumption of raw veggies and fruit and make sure that if I am eating those, I eat soluable fibre first (tortilla, bread, rice cakes, crackers, etc.). If I am going to eat something that I figure I might have a problem with, I will take a lactase enzyme pill, or a papaya digestive enzyme pill.Also, most importantly, I make sure to drink 2L of water every day. This used to be so hard for me - I never used to drink any water because it made me gag. But at one point, it was all I could eat/drink, so I have formed a good relationship with it now. If I don't drink 1L of water before lunch, then I feel like garbage in the afternoon until I catch up.This has what worked for me so far...I hope you can find something to help your body become more digestively stable too.

[omega1980]

Airplane, Jadjac, thank you so much for your advice. I am currently making up a shopping list, so the next time I am in town I will get to my local wholefood store.I thought I would give a little history of my symptoms. My symptoms started while I was with my ex, I had a lot of stress at home, as well as work. While I was with my ex I went through a stage of cutting out dairy and wheat/gluten, my symptoms lessened a bit but I was still suffering.Since I have been split from my ex I do feel that things have gotten better. Now I am not saying she was the sole cause of my IBS, but she didnt help (for reasons I wont go into). Ive mostly tended to let my IBS just carry on, just enjoy the time I had when i was well, but now I have decided that isnt enough and want to take control of it.I have brought the Multibionta - Protbiotic/multivitamin supplement so I will see how I get on with those. I have also some lactose-free milk today, but I have also found where i can get some almond milk so if I dont have any luck with the lactose, ill give the almond a try.This may sound crazy it is to me, but does anyone else have issues with drinking water on its own? I can drink water with squash or as a tea/coffee, but when I try to drink water on its own I find it plays me up. I know it sounds crazy, but that's what happens.Thanks again for all your help. I am finding the site a great help

[jadjac]

When I first started upping my water intake, I did find that I was more constipated than usual for awhile, which really confused me, but I kept with it. Things seem to have evened out for me now; I still struggle with C, but I am usually only backed up for 1-2 days instead of 4-5, so I count that an improvement.

[Ihaveibs]

I never used to drink tea, because it always tasted too "blah"and I didn't like the idea of adding sugar to it. Recently, while looking for a tea for digestion, I found Yogi teas. I've tried the Stomach Ease, Egyptian Licorice Mint and another licorice variety(can't recall the name) and think they are all very tasty-they taste sweet, actually! I got my boyfriend to try them and they've turned us into tea drinkers!As for "milk," I've tried almond and coconut and especially like the chocolate varieties of both. Once I quit regular milk and started on coconut, my urgency symptom(feeling like I had to go, but when I would go, only passing mucous-sorry!)significantly decreased and now only flares up during PMS.As for bread, I buy gluten-free Schär bread(expensive, though:( ) and butter popped corn flavor rice cakes. Haven't heard of the probiotic you're trying. I just got done trialing one for a month, with no change in symptoms, so I am on to another one. As for the water, I only drink room temperature now, which causes no problems for me. If I drink chilled water, though, it causes my throat to become gurgly. Good luck to you going forward! I hope you are able to find alternatives that you like and that help you!