# A hopeful struggle



## Guest (Jun 1, 2009)

I'm male, 33 years of age, living in New Zealand. I've had symptoms of IBS for about 9 years: fatigue; abdominal pain, discomfort and bloating; random bouts of abdominal cramping, rumbling and diarrhea; mushy stools, anal stinging/itching after defecation. I haven't had a previous history of anything like this, although I am told I had colic as a baby. I remember these symptoms starting not long after a course of oral antibiotics.Here's the most interesting thing: bovine colostrum completely cured all my symptoms for about a week (this was about a year and a half ago). Almost overnight, the pain, fatigue, the mushy stools all disappeared. I made no changes to my diet during this time. I had a "golden" feeling of well-being in my upper belly (I remember going to bed and just laughing and laughing because it felt so good). I could actually feel my gut getting energy from what I'd eaten. However, after about a week, things started to deteriorate, and over a period of days returned to IBS "normality". I've told my doctors about the colostrum and they shrug and say it's not their field. Taking colostrum again has not had the same effect (although it can have a laxative effect, so may be worth trying if you suffer from constipation; Yakult and/or kefir I would also suggest if constipated).The only other time I'd experienced a similar improvement was when my doctor put me on metronidazole, about a year after this all started. I had a similar feeling of wellness in my tummy, but also had some pretty sudden neurological side-effects and had to stop taking the drug. Unfortunately, my sense of touch still hasn't returned to normal, 8 years on.During this time, I've found that taking a Lactobacillus reuteri probiotic supplement can improve the pain and bloating. I've also been taking betaine hydrochloride (stomach acid support) and digestive enzymes with meals, which I'm sure have been helpful. Unsweetened aloe vera juice, enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules, glutamine, and lecithin all seem to contribute a little to improving my symptoms. I have been diagnosed with low vitamin D status, so I've been supplementing with vitamin D3 also.Currently I'm mainly managing my symptoms primarily with diet. I had already identified certain foods as being triggers: apple juice and milk for example have seemed to be troublesome. By ruthlessly minimising my carbohydrate intake, I have significantly less pain and discomfort, no random bouts of diarrhea, and pretty normal, solid stools that aren't painful to pass. My diet at the moment basically consists of bacon, eggs, salmon, lettuce, nuts, other meats, vegetable oil, cheese, almond butter, cream. I'm using glycerol as a (nutritive) sweetener. No rice, pasta, bread, potato, grains, baking, sugary or starchy foods, fruit juice, soft drinks, high-fibre foods, or alcohol (other than occasional spirits). Keeping meals small and frequent also seems to be helpful. It's a limited diet, but it's helping well enough that I'm happy to stick with it for now. I've even managed to put on a little weight in the past 6 months (I'm now about 67 kg and about 182 cm height, BMI=~20).I'm still hopeful that I can get back to feeling normal again, being able to eat a normal, healthy diet, and basically feel OK to be alive - to live without the fear and pain and fatigue, and to be able to socialise. I still think that the colostrum and metronidazole are big clues, but I've yet to find a doctor who can figure it out. Dr Mark Pimentel's research on SIBO and IBS looks very interesting, though. Time will tell...By: pendragon


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