# 20 years of IBS - how I got sweet relief



## Monstrella (Feb 28, 2017)

I'm a 50-year-old woman and I have had worsening gut pain for 20 years. It started as a low-level discomfort in the turn of my lower colon that increased in pain intensity over the years, and over the last two years I've had burning constant pain in my stomach and a strong feeling of pressure and a sense of being 'stuck' or that I can't bend over without experiencing pain. I had the feeling that my guts didn't belong to me that they were 'on top' of my abdomen and not a full functioning part of me. I also sufffered extreme bloating and looked pregnant. I had colonoscopy, endoscopy, and ct-scan - all clear. My doctor prescribed anti-spasmodics and diagnosed IBS. I then had a laparoscopy and extensive scar tissue in the abdominal cavity was found that is not endometrial. My condition and pain got so bad that I spent most of the time lying down on my right side for relief. I am pleased to say things have gotten much much better recently. I've done three things. Removed grains except rice and oats from my diet. I eat well cooked white rice and pinhead oatmeal, rarely. No bread, baked goods or anything containing flour of any kind. No gluten-free substitutions. Potatoes are fine for my stomach. I read up on SIBO and took the Biotics Research supplements in this study http://universityhealthnews.com/daily/digestive-health/sibo-treatment-with-herbs-is-as-effective-as-antibiotics-combine-with-a-sibo-diet-for-even-better-results/. I don't work or have anything to do with this company but I like their supplements because they don't upset my stomach. I got some relief from this SIBO protocol, but it didn't last. I read up more and started taking their Biotics Bio-HPF intestinal tract soothing formula for people with stomach ulcers and H Pylori, it has mastic gum and a bunch of other specific antagonists of H Pylori. I'm also taking Vit D and digestive enzymes. This worked well for pain and gut motility and I tolerated the supplement and gained a lot of relief. My dad, uncle and gran have all had stomach ulcers. Lastly, I heard a radio program about exonerees, people who had been emprisoned for crimes they did not commit. My doctor had talked to me about the mind-body-stress-depression connection with regard to IBS. Some exonerees talked on the radio show about using deep breathing techniques to manage their responses to their sense of injustice and hopelessness - something struck a chord with me in thinking about my sense of hopelessness about being in pain 24/7. Sometimes, suffering pain feels like being in prison. I tried the deep breathing technique of taking rhythmic super-deep breaths and filling up my lungs to their full capacity while filling my whole belly with exaggerated breaths and holding each breath with gut extended as fully as possible, for a count of 5. In doing super deep breathing I felt something move inside of me, maybe it was a twisted part of my colon. I have continued with super deep breathing daily and working this breathing technique often releases trapped gas better than lying on my side. I do 5 mins of deep gut breathing if I feel any pressure. I also upped fruit and vegetable intake. I eat organic plain kefir with berries and almond butter every day to enhance my flora. My bowel movements are very healthy now. Through these actions I have 80% pain relief. I thought my condition would get progressively worse as I age and instead now I am filled with gratitude and optimism about the future. Stress from being in pain and feeling unwell adds to the burden, lifting out of pain is a wonderful stress buster. I'm just a regular person, not a practitioner. I bought the supplements from Amazon, but I'm not getting paid anything from anyone for writing this. I think maybe my mysterious adhesions are from leaky gut syndrome, brought on by not being able to digest grains. I recently went to a funeral where there were only sandwiches to eat. After a long day and a long period of no bread or wheat, I ate a sandwich. I could have traveled home on gas power and digestive disturbance! Good luck to everyone suffering with gut pain, try some of these things, they're cheap/free and for me they've changed my whole life. I feel so optimistic about the future, now my pain has subsided. Years ago I had the tests for celiac which came back negative, but I know now from my prognosis that I am highly wheat sensitive having suffered for 20 years with worsening pain. Cutting out grains has helped so much. Over the years I also tried SIBO treatment, stool softeners, multiple parasite cleanses, mega acidophilus and I followed fodmaps diet for a while but that didn't help as much as 1. Deep Breathing 2. Biotics Research Bio-HPF supplementation and 3. Going grain free (except for some rice and oats). Good luck everyone. Maybe this could work for you too. I think there are practitioners out there who want to help, but sometimes they're a bit doctrinaire about their food theories or exclusions. I can eat potatoes, rice, some well-cooked oats and Guinness (best beer for IBS people) so I'm not fodmapping or being really paleo. I think cutting things out then adding them back as with the sandwich is the way to go. You'll know if it doesn't agree with you.


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## mela414 (Mar 13, 2017)

Glad things are working out for you! A little bit of optimism helps. I'm new here and that was good to read!


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