[TimeToGo]

Like many of us I have suffered a long time with IBS D. Doctors and specialists have prescribed many different medications, few have worked - I have also tried at some cost hynotherapy. In the end, and from my own personal experience, Imodium has helped me more than anything else. Things have recently changed a lot. Unconnected with IBS D I am currently on a diet to shed some weight to control blood pressure and generally to get fit. The diet is the Dukan Diet from France. This is protein rich and very thin on carbohydrates and fat. My weight is falling and to my great relief my symptoms of IBS D have greatly improved. Urgency is no longer an issue and my stools are properly formed. I am not saying this will help others but it is certainly helping me. (But I am still maintaining a regime of 1 or 2 Imodium daily, just in case!)I just wonder if diet is a vital key in all of this.

 

[Kathleen M.]

Depends on the person. Some people get a lot of benefit from diet, others do not.There was a recent study at UNC with an American low carb diet and it did seem to help a fair number of people with IBS-D.It really doesn't seem to matter much which version of "low carb" people do. They all seem to work for certain people.

 

[crstar]

high protein is known for firming up stools............longtime well known fact...........here's what everyone out there with this problem needs to know............when u eat carbs, ur body has to produce insulin..........for the major portion of the population, because of the over consumption of carbs our whole lives, has made our pancreas over produce insulin...........this causes many problems, many..........one of the things excess insulin does, is to cause inflammation...........anyone with long time ibs-d, has inflammation...........but what everyone needs to know, is that that inflammation extends to the whole body............ this includes fibromyalgia, arthritis, heart issues, the brain, & everything from head 2 toe............many of these health issues r a long time coming..........insulin causes many of the bad eicosanoids to b over produced, this causes pain, anywhere...........when u have pain & u take some drug for it, most the time, it cuts the amount of those bad eicosanoids that r being produced............the problem is it also cuts the total amount of the good ones...........generally more of the bad, than the good, but still...........so it is a double edged sword..........if u can retard the excess of the bad 1's, then u greatly cut the pain & inflammation...........excess insulin is a good place to start...........how do u know u have an issue with excess insulin..??.........u gain weight around the thighs & waist line.........u get tired after a high carb meal, u get headaches after eating something with sugar, allergies & guess what folks, IBS-D...........now there is a portion of the general public who r thin & still have the excess..........these people have many mental issues......... with quite a range of symptoms..........it can b mild..........but hyperactivity, manic depressives, extended sadness, SAD, migraines & many others, even psychosis & schizophrenic symptoms, can b caused by those carbs u think r not an issue cause u r not fat & can eat what u want...........excess insulin is a dangerous thing.............inflammation of the intestines r only one of many............

 

[jmc09]

Insulin causes inflammation of what exactly? We need insulin desperately to regulate our blood sugar levels. My father has been a type 1 insulin diabetic for 40 years so I know just a little about it.Thin people have mental issues? That's a bit of a generalisation isn't it?

 

[overitnow]

I can't speak for the veracity of this book; but the brief summary seems to support something of what crstar says. (I came up with the page by Googling "insulin inflammation;" there were many citations.)http://www.qualitybooksonline.com/glycemic-index.htmMark

 

[jmc09]

The passage seems to say that inflammation is caused by high blood sugar levels but insulin is designed by our bodies to keep a steady blood sugar level,somewhere between 80 and 100 mmol,I think?So that inflammation is not present in everybody all the time but it does emphasise the need to try to keep ourselves from either over eating or under eating.BTW,I'm not criticising here I'm just trying to get a better understanding of how the body works.Excuse me if my text came across as critical or aggressive as that wasn't my intention.

 

[TimeToGo]

This is going to be my last post. I have found this forum very helpful and have a far greater understanding of how IBS D affects lives. My journey with IBS D has been a long one, and having tried many medications a 'cure' has escaped me as it has for many others too.My final comment to make is that diet (low fat, low sugar) has helped me more than anything else. I can now go out in the mornings without that 'urgency' feeling coming on; I have almost no 'D' now; my stools are firm and more regular than before.I will leave it at that with one final word that diet has also brought my weight down, controlled my blood pressure and made me feel much better all round.Thank you all for allowing me to share. And for Kathleen's wisdom and knowledge of the subject which is vast.

 

[clareuk]

I tried doing a feeble attempt at the atkins diet a month or so ago and with taking 1 immodium per day it actually made me constipated! I also had the same effect years ago when I did the same diet. So I think that what I eat helps me. I usually love my bread and carbohydrates and struggle to cut them down but it's the first time that I considered stopping the immodium.