# Cured after six years! Elimination diets provided zero relief, but this one did.



## vanilla_bean (Mar 1, 2015)

I was diagnosed with one of the most extreme IBS cases my GI doc had ever seen. Colonoscopy/upper endoscopy showed I was totally healthy with minor inflammation and a polyp (very unusual for my age - I'm 25, had colonoscopy at 24). I had been having IBS since I was 18, but it was very mild until age 21 when it became mildly annoying and it abruptly became terrible at age 23.

I will spare you the details on how it affected my life - I am sure you can imagine how bad it was. (Nothing like bloating another "I'm cured!" topic with complaints and unnecessary details... we have enough bloating in our lives with IBS!).

*Symptoms:*

Loose stools 2x/day, unable to get clean after pooping (incurable mud butt - it was like wiping a sharpie every time I went), poop sometimes felt like fire when I went to the bathroom; after a few years, I began having gas pains, searing hot farts, and basically always felt bloated.

I have a 32 waist size but had to wear Large and XL boxers because the waste bands felt tight around my intestines and made gas worse.

I also found out I have low B12 and low Folic Acid levels... not quite anemic, but close. Pain was becoming debilitating in the last few months; felt like I was poked with a knife when I simply touched my stomach, and it was reaching a point where I couldn't even work out despite a very high pain tolerance.

I tried supplements, probiotics, elimination diets (BRAT made me feel terrible), blood test, a colonoscopy, and my GI doc was suggesting outlandish things like going to a rectal prolapse surgeon! (WHY?!)

*Cure: *

*Eliminating grains and starches and dairy from my diet. I also cannot consume peanuts. I add in L-Glutamine, N-Acetyl Glucosamine, and OMEGA-3 with D3 daily to further reduce inflammation in case I consume some. This is not a food allergy - allergy testing showed negative for all of these. *I think my condition is akin to a lactose intolerant person not being allergic to dairy, but they simply cannot consume it because they don't produce sufficient lactase to break it down. Consider how ubiquitous grain is in the Western diet - I was eating granola bars at breakfast, rice with chicken at lunch, and a sandwich (ex grilled cheese) for dinner. No wonder I was in such agony...

*More Details:*

I found my cure by cycling through completely different style meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; when I started realizing that I had reduced bloating after breakfast (oatmeal and bananas) and that I could eat it all day and not have stomach problems, I realized I was onto something! It's worth noting that I had temporary cures with VSL #3 and L-Glutamine - still not sure what to make of that, as both stopped working after a matter of weeks.

I do not have celiac - gluten is agreeable with me, and gluten free doesn't help whatsoever - and I can even eat oatmeal, oddly enough, but all other grains and dairy products make me inflamed and gassy and give me poops where I have to shower to get clean. I'll add that when I am not eating any grains, I go to the bathroom every other day; when I eat grains, I go 2x/day. For some reason, white grains are infinitely more agreeable than whole wheat/brown grains.

As for dairy, it appears that like many young adults, I (coincidentally) developed lactose intolerance around the same time that my wheat allergy appeared.

When I cut out wheat and dairy, it took 48-72 hours before my GI system "reset" and all inflammation was completely reduced and bowel movements returned to normal. I eat a spartan diet of meat and veggies now 5-6 days of the week. I find that if I treat my body very well for several consecutive days, I can eat something with bread or chocolate and I don't die... but if I start eating those foods back-to-back it's bad!

*Conclusion:*

I am back to Medium/Large boxers - still not quite as comfortable as they once were, but I'm getting there! I hope this helps someone. I had seen someone suggest a wheat free diet... I waited way too long to try it...* if you are a healthy person with IBS-D and you have not tried a grain free diet, you owe it to yourself to try this for 3-4 days.*

If anyone needs recommendations for brands for the supplements, feel free to ask. The OMEGA-3 is great quality and has high levels of D3 built into it. Both OMEGA-3 and D3 are helpful for reducing IBS-D according to peer reviewed studies (which get censored when I try to link to them...seriously?!). The reality is, some brands make better vitamins/supplements than others, but many brands work.

I am meeting with my GI doctor to discuss having some breath testing done. I am guessing that I don't have the enzymes necessary to break down some of these foods. For some reason, I also can't consume peanuts, marinara, and a few other random things - it doesn't make much sense to me (I'm open to theories if you guys have any). I thought I had pernicious anemia, bacterial overgrowth, or something else, but apparently not... if anyone has any questions, ask away. I pray this helps some of you guys. No one should live like this.


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## peaches41 (Nov 26, 2008)

So glad this has helped you! Could you tell me a typical day's menu that you eat? I'd like to try it. Thanks.


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## jaumeb (Sep 1, 2014)

It seems you have re-discovered dairy-free SCD which is the diet I've been following for many years. I reached the extreme of eating only fish and meet for some weeks. I have eaten a diet of fish, meat meat and cooked veggies only, for months.

I am glad it worked for you. My case seems to be a more complicated than yours.

Your testimony gives me some confidence that I am doing the right thing. Believe me, it is very hard when you follow this diet and still have symptoms as people tells you that you are sick because of the diet.

Thanks for sharing your story.


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## Betty Wilson (Apr 4, 2013)

Hi Vanilla!









Thank you for sharing your story...

After much coaxing from my daughter I went on the grain free diet... and it WORKED. Not saying it was easy. And you can't

'cheat' even a little bit... but the reward was well worth the effort.

After many months I was able to eat a little bit of grains here and there... but then, it caught up with me again... so now back to doing what I know I should. I also think that I go through phases of lactose intolerance...

I know your story will help people...again...thank you...

I have to add this: many people have NO IDEA of what it means to be completely grain free/some claim they have gone on elimination diets but some also finally will admit well they cheated 'just a little bit' AND YOU CAN'T... Grain free has to be researched/Googled... it is a very limiting diet...BUT...for many it has worked miracles.


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## jaumeb (Sep 1, 2014)

I have not cheated. No grain for the last six years. I buy only fresh products: meat, fish, veggies. I cook all my meals myself to be sure that there is no hidden grain.


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## Knyttet (Oct 21, 2013)

I'm really happy that you found something that works for you! You are right, no one should have to live like this.

I tried going grain free on the autoimmune paleo diet for around 2 months, but my symptoms got progressively worse. After those 2 months my IBS was worse than ever. The frustrating part is that overall I felt better - had more energy, my join and muscle pains almost disappeared completely, the itching of my skin disappeared.. And it felt like my gut felt better in a way, but I just couldn't digest the food. I did it low fod map, no dairy, used strong digestive enzymes, betaine HCI and other supplements. I wonder how much of my worsening of symptoms had to do with my increase of eating red meat and more fat, prior to being a vegetarian.. My stomach didn't calm down until I decided to eat rice again. Now I'm on a very restricted diet and can't eat barely anything , the only grain I tolerate is rice. When I try eating mashed parsnips instead of the rice I immediately get more pain and bloating. I feel like a grain free diet would be better for my overall health but why does it make my IBS worse??

I've been thinking a lot about trying SCD because maybe I would need a real reset without starch as well. But as I have difficulties digesting fat and protein I don't know if I could manage it. I'm also underweight so I'm scared about restricting carbs when I can eat a lot of fat instead..


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## jaumeb (Sep 1, 2014)

Knyttet, if the grain-free diet didn't heal you, we are on the same boat. I suspect yeast/fungal overgrowth. And I have a plan for it ... which may fail just like all my past plans failed.


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## vanilla_bean (Mar 1, 2015)

Sorry I am late in my responses, work is pretty crazy. I need to keep my messages brief tonight but wanted to respond.



peaches41 said:


> So glad this has helped you! Could you tell me a typical day's menu that you eat? I'd like to try it. Thanks.


Hey peaches41, I am still experimenting with adding in new food. I am finding the strangest things trigger my stomach - peanut butter hurts, as does marinara sauce (I've used to flavor chicken). Point being, forgive my unadventurous list









Breakfast: Banana and instant oatmeal (brown sugar and cinnamon)

Lunch: Salmon and frozen green beans (flavored with salt and black pepper)

Snack: Banana, whole fruit popsicles

Dinner: Chicken breast and some kind of vegetable (usually green beans again since they're quick, carrots can work too)

I'll sneak in a light "cheat" meal every few days. For instance, I ate fried chicken fingers tonight. The batter obviously contains flour in it, but for some reason, it hardly upsets my stomach since it's the only bad thing I've eaten in a few days. I sometimes sneak in ground beef for a meal, too, but I only eat red meat 1-2x/week max - I understand that red meat is something to consume in moderation because of cholesterol, but it provides some great nutrients that are difficult to get, too (ex iron).

I am still working on expanding my menu. Hopefully, my GI doc can provide some insight and help me figure out what I can/can't eat. You'd think I have celiac since I can eat oatmeal, but I had both a blood test and a biopsy performed (during the colonoscopy) that both tested negative for celiac.



jaumeb said:


> I am glad it worked for you. My case seems to be a more complicated than yours.
> 
> Your testimony gives me some confidence that I am doing the right thing. Believe me, it is very hard when you follow this diet and still have symptoms as people tells you that you are sick because of the diet.


Very true. If there is one thing I've learned from this ordeal, it's that the GI system is really freaking complicated. In many ways, we're in our infancy of understanding it. But, if you find something that works, DO IT! I can't explain why I can't eat whole grains or starches, nor can I provide a rational explanation for peanut butter or marinara upsetting my stomach... but it works for me, so people can sit back and question my diet all they want. Of course, if your symptoms persist, you should always consider what the person questioning your diet is saying. It's important that we consider all viewpoints for situations this complicated.

This disease tries your patience. We are all very desperate for a cure and will try almost anything... pseudoscience permeates many remedies around here, so it's always a good idea to get the opinion of someone else you trust and respect. I certainly considered seeking some bizarre remedies at my low points, and I'm glad I had a close friend and family member to discuss them with.



Knyttet said:


> I'm really happy that you found something that works for you! You are right, no one should have to live like this.
> 
> I tried going grain free on the autoimmune paleo diet for around 2 months, but my symptoms got progressively worse. After those 2 months my IBS was worse than ever. The frustrating part is that overall I felt better - had more energy, my join and muscle pains almost disappeared completely, the itching of my skin disappeared.. And it felt like my gut felt better in a way, but I just couldn't digest the food. I did it low fod map, no dairy, used strong digestive enzymes, betaine HCI and other supplements. I wonder how much of my worsening of symptoms had to do with my increase of eating red meat and more fat, prior to being a vegetarian.. My stomach didn't calm down until I decided to eat rice again. Now I'm on a very restricted diet and can't eat barely anything , the only grain I tolerate is rice. When I try eating mashed parsnips instead of the rice I immediately get more pain and bloating. I feel like a grain free diet would be better for my overall health but why does it make my IBS worse??
> 
> I've been thinking a lot about trying SCD because maybe I would need a real reset without starch as well. But as I have difficulties digesting fat and protein I don't know if I could manage it. I'm also underweight so I'm scared about restricting carbs when I can eat a lot of fat instead..


It sounds like you may be malnourished because of your diet, but your body is unable to digest the foods you've tried.

Do you have a good primary care physician? Can they refer you to a dietician?

If you have not already, I would consider asking for a full blood panel/basic blood tests to uncover any nutritional deficiencies. While you work on finding foods that agree with your body beyond rice, you can take supplements to cover those deficiencies, theoretically alleviating joint/muscle pains, skin conditions, etc. that are revealed by your blood work.

Of course, nothing beats the real thing, so finding real food that can give you those nutrients is paramount. Have you tried grilled vegetables? How about pureeing disagreeable foods to see if it helps making them a similar consistency to rice, thereby easier to digest? You may want to consider whey, as well. I have a hunch you could use more protein.


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## jaumeb (Sep 1, 2014)

From what I read, it seems that what you have discovered on your own it's not that different from Aglae Jacob's elimination diet explained here:

https://bodyhealyourself.wordpress.com/2014/12/09/the-elimination-diet-how-it-works/


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## Knyttet (Oct 21, 2013)

vanilla_bean said:


> Do you have a good primary care physician? Can they refer you to a dietician?
> 
> If you have not already, I would consider asking for a full blood panel/basic blood tests to uncover any nutritional deficiencies. While you work on finding foods that agree with your body beyond rice, you can take supplements to cover those deficiencies, theoretically alleviating joint/muscle pains, skin conditions, etc. that are revealed by your blood work.
> 
> Of course, nothing beats the real thing, so finding real food that can give you those nutrients is paramount. Have you tried grilled vegetables? How about pureeing disagreeable foods to see if it helps making them a similar consistency to rice, thereby easier to digest? You may want to consider whey, as well. I have a hunch you could use more protein.


Actually, according to paleo/scd and other real food diet principles, it's not really weird at all that you react to peanut butter and marinara sauce. Peanuts aren't considered that healthy by e.g. paleo, they're not a nut but legumes. They can hurt the gut and cause permeability. And the marinara sauce can cause problems for several reasons, many people react to nightshade vegetables in general (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplant) but it could be something else in the sauce causing problems as well. But great that you're noticing what you can and can not tolerate  I'm happy for you! I hope this good direction will continue.

I don't really have a good primary care physician but I'm being treated/examined at our university hospital's gastro clinic. They just referred me to a dietician when I explained how terrible my situation is and that I don't know what to do. I actually saw the dietician last week and she made this rotation diet schedule for me. She wants me to try to introduce nuts, eggs and other grains. I will start with soaked almonds next week. Right now my stomach is really upset and I even have diarreah which I rarely have. I tried introducing a teaspoon of cooked mâche salad on sunday and monday. I don't know if that's what upset my stomach this bad... It just never works. Everytime I try to introduce something I cook it thoroughly. Mashing/puréeing seems to help a bit, yeah. I should do it more often.

Thank you for your tips. My situation is very complicated and for over a year doctor's have been trying to figure out what's wrong and multiple standard blood tests have been taken. Last year a functional medicine doctor discovered that I had iron deficiency and b12 deficiency and she put me on a very broad supplement regime and also tried treating my gut problems. I continued to get sicker and sicker and in February my primary physician discovered that my liver enzymes were elevated and I was sent to the hospital's gastro clinic. I had to quit all the supplements I was eating, also those helping my symptoms. There they continued testing me trying to figure out what is wrong with both my liver and gut. I got diagnosed with IBS-C but the liver thing is still a mystery. I have so many different symptoms and my IBS only seems to get worse.. It's a vicious cycle to be under this amount of stress and not being allowed to even use supplements and not being able to eat real food. :/

But I do eat a lot of protein, the problem is that I have problems digesting it. If you have any tips on easily digested foods I'd be happy to take them.. I wonder if I should try a little bit of green smoothies. I haven't had those since last summer since everyone has advised me to not eat raw vegetables. But then again I've also read stories of people getting a relief of symptoms when eating green smoothies and more salads. I'm just sooo sick of rice and carrots! And it is NOT healing me =/

Jaumeb, have you had a stool analysis done? I had one last year through my functional medicine doctor and according to it I don't suffer from candida or a fungal overgrowth. They did find an overgrowth of klebsiella species bacteria, which is something that conventional medicine doesn't consider a pathogen. I don't know if it still might be that overgrowth causing me problems.. Haven't been to the functional md again because it's so damn expensive. What is your next plan?


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## jaumeb (Sep 1, 2014)

Knyttet, I also had some abnormal liver function results. The GI asked for ceruloplasmin which was low. Then 24h urine copper which was extremely high. Then a liver biopsy. The GI asked for copper quantification. The pathologist did a normal analysis instead, which came back normal. But we are missing the copper quantification result that is needed to rule out Wilson's disease. If you have abnormal liver function, that is one the things to consider.

A local lab was offering dysbiosis panel and I ordered it. Everything normal with the exception of candida overgrowth. I am taking boulardii. That's my plan.

I am currently on a very limited diet. I kind of started with Aglaee Jacob's elimination diet, taking out carrots as they seemed problematic. I am eating meat, fish, some veggies and some fruits. Everything cooked with the exception of ripe banana.


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## Knyttet (Oct 21, 2013)

jaumeb said:


> Knyttet, I also had some abnormal liver function results. The GI asked for ceruloplasmin which was low. Then 24h urine copper which was extremely high. Then a liver biopsy. The GI asked for copper quantification. The pathologist did a normal analysis instead, which came back normal. But we are missing the copper quantification result that is needed to rule out Wilson's disease. If you have abnormal liver function, that is one the things to consider.
> 
> A local lab was offering dysbiosis panel and I ordered it. Everything normal with the exception of candida overgrowth. I am taking boulardii. That's my plan.
> 
> I am currently on a very limited diet. I kind of started with Aglaee Jacob's elimination diet, taking out carrots as they seemed problematic. I am eating meat, fish, some veggies and some fruits. Everything cooked with the exception of ripe banana.


Oh really? I haven't heard from many that they would have had abnormal liver function! Nice to know that I'm not alone. The 24 h urine copper collection is actually the next step. I will do it on the 22 of june and I'll see my GI at the 26th of june. We'll see what it shows.. So you haven't been able to rule out Wilson's disease yet? Can someone still do the copper quantification test for you? I've also read that there can be an accumulation of copper in the liver without you having Wilson's disease. But this is something that is mainly considered my naturopathic doctor's I think.. Are your liver enzyme levels normal now?

Okay, I see. So you know that you have candida overgrowth, it's good to be sure. Have you tried any natural antibiotics to kill of the candida? Like garlic and grape seed extract? If you have candida then you should probably for at least sometime avoid sugar completely, even ripe bananas.. I've understood that it's really hard to get rid of it and even small slips can ruin the progress. I hope the boulardii will help. I ate it for quite some time, maybe 6 months or more. Did not notice any results but I'm thinking of starting using it again soon. Today I started trying VSL#3 (now called Vivomixx over here). I really hope it will help.


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## jaumeb (Sep 1, 2014)

Knyttet said:


> Oh really? I haven't heard from many that they would have had abnormal liver function! Nice to know that I'm not alone. The 24 h urine copper collection is actually the next step. I will do it on the 22 of june and I'll see my GI at the 26th of june. We'll see what it shows.. So you haven't been able to rule out Wilson's disease yet? Can someone still do the copper quantification test for you? I've also read that there can be an accumulation of copper in the liver without you having Wilson's disease. But this is something that is mainly considered my naturopathic doctor's I think.. Are your liver enzyme levels normal now?
> 
> Okay, I see. So you know that you have candida overgrowth, it's good to be sure. Have you tried any natural antibiotics to kill of the candida? Like garlic and grape seed extract? If you have candida then you should probably for at least sometime avoid sugar completely, even ripe bananas.. I've understood that it's really hard to get rid of it and even small slips can ruin the progress. I hope the boulardii will help. I ate it for quite some time, maybe 6 months or more. Did not notice any results but I'm thinking of starting using it again soon. Today I started trying VSL#3 (now called Vivomixx over here). I really hope it will help.


Knyttet, maybe we should consider starting a new thread as I feel we are deviating from the original topic and hijacking this tread. I started a thread some time ago here:

http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/230425-stubborn-ibs-and-now-wilson-disease/

Anyway, some short answers.

Doing a new copper quantification test requires a new liver biopsy which carries some risks. I had some internal bleeding when the liver biopsy was performed.

I tried garlic and GSE. I tried a zero carb diet eating only meat and fish. They didn't solve my problems. Now I have my hopes on the boulardii. I have tried four different brands so far. Only the last one seems to have some effect. Which brand did you use?

Feel free to start a new thread and PM me to keep discussing this.


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## Knyttet (Oct 21, 2013)

You are right, good point. I apologise to the thread starter from going off topic  I'll answer you Jaumeb in the other thread.

Back to the the topic of this thread, I do believe that a real food diet is really important when getting to the bottom with IBS and treating the underlaying causes. That's why it feels so frustrating and confusing when your body won't even allow that. But it gives me hope to hear that you've found something that works for you, Vanilla_Bean. It's also interesting that you tolerate oatmeal but no other grains. I've tried reintroducing oatmeal again but it causes quite bad bloating and pain. How do you tolerate pseudo grains like quinoa?


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## Cmakris1234 (Apr 22, 2015)

Does anyone have recommendations for a good brand of omega3 to try that's easy to digest and l-glutamine?? I want to try both


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## Cmakris1234 (Apr 22, 2015)

As well any recommendations for a good pro biotic I noticed that some cause me to have the sudden urge to go and some don't do a thing.


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## jaumeb (Sep 1, 2014)

Cmakris1234 said:


> Does anyone have recommendations for a good brand of omega3 to try that's easy to digest and l-glutamine?? I want to try both


I am currently taking amix glutamine.


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## jaumeb (Sep 1, 2014)

Cmakris1234 said:


> As well any recommendations for a good pro biotic I noticed that some cause me to have the sudden urge to go and some don't do a thing.


I am currently taking boulardii. I have experimented with different brands and it seems that one of them is more effective than the others I tried. Be careful and try only microdoses at the beginning, as it can easily trigger a die-off effect.


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## christinemarie1015 (May 26, 2015)

This is the diet I've found myself on as well. It's so tricky to know exactly what it is - for me, I get constipated so badly if I eat grains that I'll be up all night in pain. Veggies and meat seems best, though it hasn't exactly cured me. I still get bloated and have pain -- just not as much as I would if I incorporated grains into my diet. White rice I can have every once in awhile and it's okay - but not really on a daily basis. Nut butters I can have a little bit of. Starches are a huge no - sweet potatoes are the worst. And it's so confusing because most people say that's such a good thing to eat. It's really hard to figure out these things...


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## vanilla_bean (Mar 1, 2015)

Before I responded to a few posts, I wanted to mention that in retrospect, when I had my food allergy test, I responded pretty badly to legumes. At the time they hardly bothered me; now, they're pretty bad... I'm wondering if my allergies to legumes become extremely aggravated for some reason and, compounded with problems with grains/starches, possibly nightshade vegetables, and dairy, all created the perfect storm for extreme IBS? Hmmm.. if anyone has any thoughts, I'm all ears.



Cmakris1234 said:


> Does anyone have recommendations for a good brand of omega3 to try that's easy to digest and l-glutamine?? I want to try both


It's my personal opinion that you should not skimp on Omega-3. I have tried some lower end generic brands and never felt a difference. I have started taking Vitacost Mega eFA-D3 Omega-3 EPA & DHA 2126mg, on a daily basis. Perhaps it's the vitamin D3 I'm responding most to? Always worth consideration - I have a D3 deficiency, and it's pretty common for people with IBS to have low D3 levels. Like I said in the OP, there are some peer reviewed studies indicating that D3 is very good for some IBS sufferers.

That being said, this is a pretty high dose of D3, so that supplement may not be for everyone - get your vitamin D2 and D3 levels checked (many docs only test for D2, and most vitamin D supplements only address D2). Anyways, Vitacost is the Omega-3 supplement I've responded best to.

For L-Glutamine, I use Jarrow. I also use Jarrow for N-Acetyl-Glutamine. I'm sure there are other brands that have great quality L-Glutamine and NAG supplements, but since Jarrow worked for me, I haven't tried anything else







(if it ain't broke, don't fix it!)

Side note: for L-Glutamine, I'd start off with 2g and work your way up to 6g. If I recall correctly off the top of my head, it isn't toxic until over 55g/day. It's of the most common amino acids in the body (naturally occurring). I've read about some IBS-ers trying as much as 30+g per day, but that is overkill for me. I take it for weightlifting recovery, and anything more than 15g seems to be a wash for me - though obviously everyone's body is different.



Cmakris1234 said:


> As well any recommendations for a good pro biotic I noticed that some cause me to have the sudden urge to go and some don't do a thing.


I've had the same experience with some. I once had a probiotic ice cream and it just completely ran through me. I also developed bloating over time with VSL #3.

I am not particularly knowledgable about different strains of probiotics - it is almost pseudoscience, as even doctors have a relatively limited understanding of them compared to medical knowledge in some other fields; we're still in the infancy of understanding the GI system. Probiotics clearly work for some people and don't for others.

Ones that I take occasionally after a night of drinking or having some diarrhea include Culturelle, Florastor, and VSL #3. Culturelle and Florastor seemed to help me out long term even after I stopped taking them, which doesn't make much sense since probiotics are supposed to be transient. Maybe it was a coincidence.

Try many different strands... maybe you'll find one that is right for you, or maybe the cultures in your gut are perfectly fine and don't need any help











christinemarie1015 said:


> White rice I can have every once in awhile and it's okay - but not really on a daily basis. Nut butters I can have a little bit of. Starches are a huge no - sweet potatoes are the worst. And it's so confusing because most people say that's such a good thing to eat. It's really hard to figure out these things...


It's so fascinating that we have such similar symptoms and can eat certain foods, but others set us off. Like you, white rice is only ok every now and then (never brown rice). I'm totally fine with non-starchy vegetables, too - thank God, as there's not much I can eat.

There are certain foods that are great for most people in the world - many of the foods I cannot eat are healthy, like whole grains. Unfortunately, IBS means you can't always eat what you want; on the plus side, IBS generally rules out unhealthy foods, so many of us are probably healthier than non-IBSers.

Off topic, but I have lost 5-10 lbs since going on my meat and veggies diet. My body really does better without soy and grains. I feel lighter and more alert than ever. I'm sure much of it is because I have great nutrition since I rely on lean meat and veggies for sustenance, as opposed to an easy sandwich and potato chips on the side. The fat is really melting off of me, and my new diet is helping me get stronger in the gym. I've also learned a lot about nutrition... I'm not going to say I'm glad I have IBS, but it has definitely taught me a great deal about health, nutrition, and checked my ego on more than one occasion!


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## clarkscent (May 27, 2015)

I've got somewhat the same symptoms as you. Not so much bloating and pain, but the soft-end part is exatcly the same, and the million wipers. Often i get nausea and fatigue after i've gone to the bathroom. I've tried all kinds of diets, eliminated all sugars, all milk, all gluten an such but never combined them i guess. Does anyone know how long it takes for a meal to pass? Becouse i get different answears everywhere. This is what makes it so hard becouse once in a while i get those perfect stools and i just feel clean and good after. It's actually like a real good sensation feeling. Actually i had one of those a couple of days ago. The weird thing is that i just ate pizza, chips and icecream this weekend (i had a cold/fever







) Had a bad stomach all weekend but sunday night it was good, i wonder if it's becouse i ate meat and broccoli with ketchup on thursday for dinner and friday.for lunch. Can it really take 3 days for food to pass through?

Gonna try this diet. I'm underweight tho so it worries me that i will be even thinner without carbs.

It would be real helpfull if you could post some dinner recipes so i could try it out for a week and see if it helped.


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## acureisoutthere (Jun 28, 2014)

Hi Vanilla,

It sounds a lot like the FODMAP diet that I finally was told about. The FODMAP diet usually helped, as long as I was careful to follow it at all times. Trouble for me was that I really, really wanted to get back to eating normally agian, and really wanted to end the episodes of diarrhea. I was ready to do just about anything to solve this.

Do you feel the same way ?


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## vanilla_bean (Mar 1, 2015)

FODMAP did not help me! I'm a weird case. Certain foods I should eat according to FODMAP upset my stomach and vice versa.

My apologies guys, I thought I posted some meals.

Breakfast:
Oatmeal and two bananas
Two scrambled eggs (prepared with virgin coconut oil and water)

Lunch/dinner options:
Salmon and green beans
Chicken and grilled bell peppers & onions
Ground beef and (some) white rice

Fun snack: Popsicles with real fruit pieces inside (these are premade/bought at store)

I've found that I can occasionally consume small amounts of white rice - never brown. If I eat two packets of oatmeal, my stomach gets upset. It's the strangest thing. And for some reason, I'll sometimes have a bit of problem with chicken. I'm wondering if the anti-inflammatory properties of the OMEGA-3s in the salmon help calm my GI system.

The lesson to learn from me: you may have illogical food intolerances. Everyone's body is different. If you have symptoms like mine, try eating 1-2 foods for an entire day and see how you do. It's the only way I could pinpoint what I could and couldn't tolerate.

Also, my carbohydrate levels are woefully inadequate. I met with a nutritionist and she stated 50% of my calories should come from carbs. Problem is, most carbs upset my stomach. My diet is pretty extreme... I'm still working on improving it! It's hard to cook so many meals. Buy frozen fish - you can get organic, pre-marinated salmon. It's the easiest meal to make and it's delicious. I just buy my veggies frozen and toss them in the microwave.

Edit: These days, coconut oil appears to be upsetting my stomach, so I've switched to fruit smoothies.


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## acureisoutthere (Jun 28, 2014)

Hi Clarkscent,

Just want to pass along : There is a trial for FMT and IBS in Norway, that is now recruiting. For more info go to clinicaltrials.gov

Also, there is a study that is recruiting patients at Orebro University, Sweden, Dr. Robert Brummer. using FMT for treating IBS.

I would seriously have a talk with him to see if you are eligible. Please note : When I fixed my IBS, I modified the protocol somewhat. You should consider this in your discussion.

I believe it was an important, helpful modification. Please read more about it here : http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/243081-i-recently-fixed-my-ibs-d-its-gone/

Your bacteria in your intestinal tract are out of balance so to speak. For one reason or another, the good helpful bacteria have been displaced, and some bad ones are in their place, which is giving you your problems. An FMT basically takes the good helpful bacteria from someone who is in perfect health, and gives it to someone whose bacteria is out of balance, and having digestive problems. Dr. Borody from Australia has been doing FMTs for 25 years, and has been very successful.

Why does everyone seem to have slightly different issues, or food intolerances ? Well, for one, every one of us has a different microbiome (the 100 Trillion bacteria that live in and on our bodies). Our microbiome is different from our left arm to our right arm. Anyway, each of us end up taking different antibiotics throughout our life, and our mothers probably took different antibiotics too. The problem is, antibiotics while saving lives and very important, they also kill off helpful bacteria in our microbiome, thus the differing bacteria that are affected, and giving differing symptoms.

The important thing to learn is that FMTs from a good healthy donor can re-balance your bacteria in your large intestine, and have a very good chance of helping you with your symptoms. I stress that you read about the protocol I used, as I believe this is a better approach. We don't want to kill off the helpful bacteria we are trying to transplant, instead we want to do everything possible to keep them alive during the transplant process.

And it helps ! I am so thankful to not have diarrhea, and the endless wiping till you are raw episodes anymore. I am also starting to conclude that my fatigue is lessening since my transplant. Still evaluating.

I hope this is helpful, and you find a solution to your problems, so that you can live a normal life again.


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## Raw015 (May 9, 2017)

vanilla_bean said:


> I was diagnosed with one of the most extreme IBS cases my GI doc had ever seen. Colonoscopy/upper endoscopy showed I was totally healthy with minor inflammation and a polyp (very unusual for my age - I'm 25, had colonoscopy at 24). I had been having IBS since I was 18, but it was very mild until age 21 when it became mildly annoying and it abruptly became terrible at age 23.
> 
> I will spare you the details on how it affected my life - I am sure you can imagine how bad it was. (Nothing like bloating another "I'm cured!" topic with complaints and unnecessary details... we have enough bloating in our lives with IBS!).
> 
> ...


how much grams of L-Glutamine and NAG did you take each day, for how long and did you build it up and after how long did you noticed the effects? thnkyou


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