[Emma's Mom]

Hi all..I hope someone here can help me or direct me to where I should be. I am here for my 19 yr old daughter who is at the end of her rope with pain and bathroom issues. From what I have read and heard, it seems she has IBS. We have been to Drs, but all have dismissed as acid reflux which I know is not the case. Both my father and husband have/had acid reflux and they do not fall and writhe on the floor in pain, have severe bloating, expell whole salads exactly the way they went in, constipation then diarrhea, etc etc. She is a sophomore attending a local community college and also works part-time, but things are reaching crisis mode and she wants help NOW. I don't know where to turn..no one can even suggest a good doctor who has had success in treating this. Her best friend has Crohn's and is on several meds, but is still in constant pain and afraid to leave her house. I would prefer to treat her naturally but Probiotics and Calm Colon do not seem to be helping. Is there anything that has helped any of you? Thanks for any advice.

 

[sadone]

hey emma's mom,i know no one likes to hear this response: changing diet is often REALLY helpful. you and your daughter have to figure out what foods are esp. hard on her digestive system. sometimes it seems like it's all foods, sometimes your system is soooo sensitive that it pretty much is all foods. but, for many, certain foods are esp. lethal. and if you can cut these out (at least for a while anyway), you can feel much better.a couple of years ago, i also was in extreme pain...on-the-floor-squirming-pain...but now that i watch what i eat and avoid certain foods...i rarely get to that point of pain. now i mostly just have fairly constant discomfort. but, get a good doctor too that can make sure your daughter doesn't ibs and not something else. push for tests. get some definitive answers (i know it's not easy, so many doctors just brush this kind of stuff off, esp. when the patient is a young female--my experience!).however, until you find a doc that can diagnose properly, it can't hurt to start playing around with her diet...it's a lot of experimentation and oh so frustrating, but it can help.you mentionned her having an esp. hard time with salad...raw veggies are hard on my stomach and from what i've heard--hard on many other ppl with ibs--esp. salad. sometimes, you think eating healthy foods is the trick, but for me anyway, a number of healthy foods (like lots of fruits and veggies) make my symptoms worse.anywho, good luck, and take care...

 

[dottiemaggie]

As minimum said - change in diet can really help. While I still get upset tummies and bloating and pain and such, it's not NEARLY as bad as it used to be. Changes I've made is to watch the caffeine (I try to cut it out completely, but I have a chocolate addiction that sometimes gets the best of me), increase the water & juice intake, and I also take metamucil once a day. Certain fruits and vegetables can cause gas which doesn't help with IBS, so they should be avoided (brocolli, cawliflower and apples comes to mind..)Best of luck to you and your daughter!

 

[ziggystardust00]

Perhaps your daughter should join this group too as there are so many people with similar experiences and it might really help her to deal with things. Even though I hate the situation I'm in at least I can have a good chat/ rant with people on here on bad days!! (I don't like talking to my friends about these things!!)Hope she's able to find something to improve her situation!!