[Go Girl]

Hello everyone!I have been checking out the bb for awhile now, and finally decided to join the ranks. What a blessing to find you all

I've had diagnosed IBS for over 15 yrs, and still battle it almost daily. I am IBS C/D- D mostly and although I have made some improvements using diet/nutrition & cognitive skills, I still have a lot of attacks. I have tons of questions, but will give you all a break and start with one! I find if I do any kind of bending or stretching I get abd pain, and sometimes bad D. This symptom hasn't lessened at all over the yrs. Although it's a great excuse not to vacuum,it gets hard to handle sometimes. I basically have to watch every move I make, or I have D and/or bad abd pain. Does anyone else deal with such a sensitiveabdomen,and what are your secrets to handling it??? I sure could use some advice.

 

[persian26]

Hi thereHave you been to a gastro and had tests done? When my belly hurts I tend to take hot baths and lay down in a comfy bed with a heating pad...You could try to do daily gentle stretches for your tummy...I hope you find something that works for you.

 

[Go Girl]

Hi Persian26- thanks for the reply.My heating pad is my best friend when I get pain! I did have a dr. suggest trying to improve my stomach muscles & back muscles as a way to help with the pain, but the exercises just seemed to lead to even more pain or worse...D. Maybe it's an area I should revisit though, with much gentler stretching involved! Thanks for the tip.

 

[DeeDee1]

Several have posted here that doing any kind of exercising can bring on an attack for them. So, yes, I think physical activity causing you pain may not be unusual.Edited:I'm also C/D and find taking calcium (for the D) and magnesium (for the C) in a ratio of 2:1 works fairly well to keep things balanced out (I think my current mgs are 500 mg calcium; 250 mg magnesium or something close to that. Sometimes just straight magnesium (500 mg) if I need it. It takes a bit of experimenting to find a good balance. Fiber doesn't work so well for me. For pain (spasms), I take Dicyclomine (Bentyl) or Levsin (which works better for me with bad attacks). Good luck. ---

 

[Go Girl]

Hi DeeDee1- It's nice to feel like it may be "normal" for having IBS! I am able to go for walks without discomfort-as long as no hills are involved!! Do you do any type of stretching? I've tried Tai Chi, but some of the moves were painful to do.

 

[Go Girl]

Hi again DeeDee1- I'm noticing your mention of calcium. I just started taking it twice daily (6oomg tabs),with vit.D. C is setting in I think, but have been afraid to try mag. I have other calcium tabs that have 160mg of mag in them- is that too much?

 

[DeeDee1]

Yes, I would guess that just straight Calcium is making you C. Calcium citrate would be what to look for (as opposed to Calcium oxide, I believe), as it may not be as constipating. For me, if the balance of calcium to magnesium is around 2:1, then I do pretty good with it. For instance, with the Magnesium you mentioned (160mg), your calcium should be around 320 mg. You may need to experiment with it a bit, though. Some evenings, when I just need to get things moving, I'll take straight Magnesium, 500 mg. You might do a search over on the C forum for 'magnesium'. As far as exercising...well, at the moment, I don't have any real specific segment of my life devoted to exercise. Tai Chai would be fun, though! Have even thought about some type of yoga. I'm probably more of a lifting weights kind of person, though, for tone.