# Any help would be greatly appreciated!



## john734 (Nov 2, 2013)

Hi everyone, i'm new to this forum and ibs and i'm wondering if you'd be able to help me by answering some questions regarding this terrible affliction, but first i'll try to tell my story as briefly as possible:

About one and a half months ago, i went on an 18-day trip to europe (predominately to Italy). Naturally, my every-day diet there consisted of pasta (mainly four-cheese) and pizza. A few days before traveling back to the US i felt a slight cramp bellow my belly button but dismissed the pain quickly as i thought i had only over-eaten that day. I didn't experience the same pain again for a few days until it was time to go back and i was already on the plane. This flight was the worst i've ever had, especially since i had to endure the pain for about 10 hours with limited movement. Upon landing, my parents took me out to eat and i started feeling well again. However, it was only a few days afterwards that i started feeling the same pain once again, so we went to the doctor (GI specialist) who concluded i had IBS after minor testing. Nevertheless, he recommended I undergo a 3-day stool sample test to determine if it wasn't an infection (results came and pretty much everything bad like blood and parasites were negative but yeast came positive). He also advised me to change my diet and take two medicines (one to control the pain and the other to control colon spasms). The treatment lasted two weeks and i was already feeling better day after day. I also began eating apples, yogurt, and cereals with fiber which probably contributed to my apparent recovery. However, the same pain re-appeared a few days later possibly because i started eating cheese again and other irritating food since i thought i was ok. I immediately switched back to my previous diet and the pain seemed to calm down over the days. 2 days ago, i was feeling near-perfect but i seemed to have eaten/drunk some spoiled ham and/ or juice at night (my parents were debating which of the two was spoiled) which gave me intense diarrhea, vomiting, and pain the next morning (i actually woke up because of the pain). I also wasn't sure if they were spoiled or my ibs had shifted to D (although i find it unlikely because it's the first time in a month i've had diarrhea). I called my doctor and he told me to take an anti-diahrreal and antibiotic in case it was an infection. I think i only ate a pair of toasted bread and some jello throughout the whole day and that night i also experienced a bit of fever (about 101ºF). The next day (today) i felt much better since i had less diarrhea, no fever, less pain, and didn't feel that nauseous anymore but i don't feel nearly as well as i used to after following my doctor's initial treatment. Finally, i'm not exercising at the moment due to the fear of feeling the same pain and my doctor told me not to lift weights for a while (although he said cardio was ok). What keeps me a bit calm though is that i'm currently in a gap-year so i don't have to worry about college for about 8 months, and this will allow me to focus on solving this problem before stress starts making it worse! Thanks to everyone who's read up to this point, and i'd thank u even more if you'd answer some of my questions:

For how long have u had IBS? (i really hope ibs can be cured or at least greatly suppressed by a period of 8 months).

Are there any days in which you don't experience typical ibs symptoms?

What diet/s has/have helped you the most?

Thanks again,

John


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## rmiller1985 (Sep 13, 2011)

Hi John,

Sorry to hear about your recent experiences.

I've had very mild IBS-D for most of my life, most likely caused by overuse of antibiotics early in life. My IBS-D got 10 times worse a couple of years ago when I had an appendectomy. I've been on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet for almost 5 months, and it has helped a great deal.

It sounds to me like either a) the pain that you experienced off and on during and after your trip to Italy is unrelated to your symptoms over the past couple of days (which sound very much like food poisoning), or b ) you got whatever bug is causing the food poisoning in Italy, but your body was able to keep it at bay until a couple of nights ago. In either case, trying as hard as you can to learn as much as you can about how your gut works this early in the progression of your symptoms is the smart move.

I would be cautious about using any broad-spectrum antibiotics: if you have a bug that's a virus (many cases of food poisoning are caused by viruses), the antibiotic won't do any good, and it will negatively alter your gut flora. If your problems are being caused by bacteria (e.g., SIBO), a course of Rifaximin seems reasonable, since your symptoms started in Italy and it is often used to treat "traveler's diarrhea."

Unfortunately, with gut issues it's often a matter of trial and error. I've lost all faith in the medical community; even gastroenterologists who specialize in gut disorders seem mostly uninterested in finding the solution to the problem. Aside from the very few that are interested in working with you, the best of the rest are generally only interested in finding a drug that will mask your symptoms without actually resolving the problem, and the worst simply tell you there's nothing to be done except for trying to eat more fiber and taking a probiotic.

Good luck!

Cheers,

Rich


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## john734 (Nov 2, 2013)

First of all, i really appreciate you too the time to read my post and reply with such sympathetic insight Rich. I can't begin to imagine the kind of pain you must've felt after your appendectomy, especially because you had to deal with IBS right after it was conducted. I have a question regarding your specific carbohydrate diet: In what way is it different to the FODMAP diet? I've been reading lots of articles from people trying out different diets, and the most successful ones seem to be the gluten-free and FODMAP-free ones. This article sounds promising enough to help: http://stanfordhospital.org/digestivehealth/nutrition/DH-Low-FODMAP-Diet-Handout.pdf

I'm thinking on taking the FODMAP-free diet since it also suggests eating food without gluten.

Thanks once again,

John


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## Kristi12 (Nov 2, 2013)

Hi John. Thanks again for commenting on my post. I had a series of tests done before my GI concluded IBS. I've had it for 10 agonizing years before I went to the right doctors. If I were you, I would get a lactose test done just to rule that out. It's an easy test or at least at my doctor it was. You just breathe into a tube.


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## rmiller1985 (Sep 13, 2011)

Hi John,

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet and the low-FODMAP diet have a lot in common, but they approach the problem from different angles.

The low-FODMAP diet restricts foods that are known to be difficult or impossible for humans to digest, and therefore provide food for bacteria in the intestinal tract to feed on. The byproducts of the bacterial digestion are what often cause problems for humans (e.g., gas).

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet assumes compromised gut functionality due to damage to the gut lining, and completely eliminates complex carbohydrates and starches, as these become more and more difficult to digest as the gut lining becomes more and more damaged (this is the "vicious cycle" referred to in Elaine Gottschall's "Breaking The Vicious Cycle").

An example of a similarity between the two would be that the low-FODMAP diet restricts many grains, while the SCD completely eliminates all grains. An example of a difference would be that the low-FODMAP diet restricts apples because of the high fructose-to-glucose ratio (which makes them difficult to digest completely), while the SCD allows apples because the sugars they contain are monosaccharides and not polysaccharides.

It should be noted that the SCD is based on a diet that was conceived by a doctor back in the 40s or 50s as a way to treat Celiac Disease. When Elaine Gottschall expanded on it, her goal was to help her young daughter, who had Ulcerative Colitis. So the diet was originally designed to help those with IBDs. But it has been found to be helpful to those with IBS as well.

So... different approaches, same goals. I've seen comments here from people who have had great success on a low-FODMAP diet, and I've seen comments here and elsewhere from people who have had great success on the SCD.

Unfortunately, with IBS it's often trial and error. After much reading, I decided that the SCD is what I would try. I tend to think that low-FODMAP would not have worked as well, if at all, given what I believe to be the underlying condition that I had (SIBO, due to compromised gut function, due in turn to overuse of antibiotics as a kid). But Every Body Is Different!

Cheers,

Rich


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## john734 (Nov 2, 2013)

Hello again Kristi, thanks for your concern. While i haven't been tested in terms of lactose-intolerance, i decided to swap my milk for almond milk (since some sources suggest not drinking soy milk). However, yesterday was one of my worst days yet since i ate some red meat (never again lol) but i woke up feeling a lot better today. I hope you haven't experienced any strong flare-ups recently.

Regards,

John


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## john734 (Nov 2, 2013)

Hi Rich,

It all makes a lot more sense now! So in other words, IBD patients have no choice but to follow the Special Carbohydrate Diet, while IBS patients can benefit from either one. And while fructose is a monosaccharide (and therefore, easier to digest), it is an irritating agent for IBS patients. The fact that the FODMAP-free diet strictly prohibits eating any products with HFCs adds to this "theory".

Regards,

John


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## rmiller1985 (Sep 13, 2011)

Hi John,

I'm afraid I may not have been all that clear. 

IBD patients definitely have a choice about whether or not to follow the SCD. Most doctors, including gastroenterologists, refuse to believe that diet has any effect at all on Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative colitis (two of the most common forms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease), despite many success stories from IBD patients who have gone into full remission by following the SCD. Therefore, most IBD patients treat their ailment through drugs and surgery, since that is what most doctors recommend. I've never heard of someone "treating" their IBD by switching to a low-FODMAP diet; I don't know if it would have any effect -- but I don't know that it wouldn't, either.

Any one given IBS sufferer may benefit from either diet, or both, or neither. It seems like there are almost as many causes for IBS as there are IBS sufferers! So it's really trial and error to find the solution that works for YOU. Personally, I think that the SCD would benefit a large percentage of the people who suffer from IBS, but I certainly don't have any clinical data to back that up.

Fructose, being a monosaccharide, is, in general, easier to digest than disaccharides and polysaccharides. It may or may not be an "irritating agent" for IBS sufferers; again, it all depends on the person. I don't believe I have a problem with fructose malabsorption; on the other hand, I think I do have a problem with yeast to some degree, and yeast feeds on sugars, so I'm limiting the amount of fructose I take in (without cutting it out altogether). I believe the reason that high-fructose corn syrup is restricted on the low-FODMAP diet is not simply because it contains fructose, but because it contains only fructose and no glucose, and foods with a high fructose-to-glucose ratio are restricted because the presence of glucose helps with the digestion of fructose, so if there's not enough glucose present the fructose is not digested well and causes problems. But I'm no expert on the low-FODMAP diet.

Cheers,

Rich


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## john734 (Nov 2, 2013)

Hi Rich,

Sorry for jumping to conclusions that quickly  but your post cleared that up for me now. It really sucks IBS is so arbitrary in terms of treatment, but that's the way it is. What i find strange about my IBS is i don't suffer from either diarrhea or constipation (i have 1-2 BMs per day) and yet experience the lower abdominal cramps and gas. I've also discovered my symptoms have developed a tendency of appearing at night. Could this mean that i have a mild case of IBS? I also forgot to mention that in my trip to Europe there were many times where i had to put "on hold" both my "pee" and "poo" for 20-30 min since i was dumb enough to wait until i got back to the hotel.... could this have contributed somehow to me getting IBS?

Thanks,

John


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## rmiller1985 (Sep 13, 2011)

Hi John,

Technically speaking, I think there has to be some sort of change in bowel habits in order to have IBS. So if you're not suffering from either constipation or diarrhea, you might not technically have IBS. Perhaps Kathleen will chime in here, I know that she's posted about the specifics that are necessary for a diagnosis of IBS.

But regardless of whether or not you technically have IBS, clearly something is going on with your gut if you have cramps and are overly gassy.

To me, you sound like a very good candidate for the low-FODMAP approach, but again, I'm no expert on FODMAPs.

I seriously doubt that occasionally waiting 20 or 30 mins to urinate or defecate could bring on IBS, as I can't see how either would affect your body's ability to eliminate waste correctly. I could see how waiting 20 or 30 HOURS might, over time, retrain your body to work differently/incorrectly, but I can't see short periods of time having that type of effect. Again, though, I'm no expert in this area.

Cheers,

Rich


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