I just got diagnosed with IBS-C. My docter told me to start taking Citrocel for fiber, but fiber hurts me! I've been purposely keeping my fiber down to around 15 grams a day. If I eat more then that my symptoms get worse. You think the Citrocil will be ok? Are certain types of fiber harder on the stomach then others? I notice I can eat veggies/fruits ok, but can't have cereal that has fiber. Also I can't digest most beans well at all, they totally kill me, is that common with IBS? My docter told me to take Colice (spelled right?), does anyone find that it works ok?
Newly diagnosed- fiber hurts?
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Hi fishnets, Welcome to the game of "finding the right fiber for your IBS"
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A few things i've picked up. There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber is 'rougher' on the digestive system. Whole wheat, bran, etc are considered insoluble fiber - and metamucil is made of it. This type of fiber is fermentable - meaning that the bacteria in your gut can eat it and produce gas as a byproduct. When i took metamucil i bloated horribly!Soluble fiber is the fiber in food like oatmeal. Its easier on the system and in the case of Citrucel its not fermentable -- no gas! I went thru many many fibers before landing on Citrucel and it is the best one for me.If you are starting fiber supplements, don't jump straight into a full dose of it. Work your way up slowly to give your system time to figure out what to do wtih the fiber. You may not even need a full dose - i know that i don't. Also, regardless of the type of fiber make sure you get enough water into your system! Fiber without water will just mess things up. Anyway -- good luck with it all. Its a bit of a juggling act, but it definitely helps in the end! -Kac
Thanks! Yeah I noticed that I can eat oatmeal ok, but not fiber cereals, I guess that's why. I always figured the 2 types of fiber were the same thing, thanks for the info! My docter told me to only take half a dose of Citrocel, I'm hoping it won't cause problems, my stomach has been hurting so much already
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Yup - i can handle the soluble fibers, but a piece of wheat toast is more trouble than its worth! I take two capsules of citrucel a day and worked up to that 1/2 a tablet at a time. If i need it, i take an extra 1/2. The key is to drink lots of water (learned that the hard way!) Good luck - oh and checking the over the counter meds is a good idea. If you take any calcium supplements you may want to make sure they have some magnesium in them as calcium is constipating and magnesium is not.-Kac
Don't know if you saw this:"Finally, while experts used to think a high-fiber diet could improve patients' diarrhea, pain and constipation, recent studies found that the strategy relieved only constipation. Researchers have also found that even that relief may come at a price: One study found that high-fiber diets increased symptoms of bloating in more than one-third of patients."Here's the complete article: http://www.acponline.org/journals/news/sep03/diet_ibs.htm
Yeah, I do take a calcium supplement! I'll have to stop taking those. What do you think would be a good ratio for calcium vs magnesium, if I were to get a combo pill? I bought magnesium tablets that have only a very small amount of calcium(4%?). I don't get much calcium in my diet though so I'd like to take a supplement.I wonder if my problem is insoluble fiber in general or just fiber from wheat/bran?
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