# IBS back again



## tarla (Jan 6, 2011)

I'm back visiting this site after many years absence. Guts flared up in June and I'm having a bit of trouble getting it back under control. I tend towards the "C" version if I don't have my apple a day.After more right side pain 4 days ago I put myself onto my 2nd strictest regimen which includes chicken, H2O, yams, agua, rice, water, carrots, apple juice, bananas, more water, some toast or plain crackers. (The strictest would be all fluids for a day or two, and then leave out the wheat).This is what I did wrong! In June I cooked a lovely Fathers' Day brunch for the family, and it included: sausages, bacon, cheesy quiches, English cream scones, whipping cream, and of course fruit and veg. I indulged and even partook of the forbidden coffee. The subsequent pain led me to think gallbladder attack but every test came up negative. Still, a fat free diet for several weeks really helped. Then came a few birthdays. One lasagne later and I realized that I could not stomach an egg, or even a bit of egg without getting really, really sick.Fine, then, carry on life without eggs. Then came Christmas and all the nice cheeses, Christmas cakes, dressings, gravies, desserts. Another attack and I realize that I can't do these either.So; no stimulants, no goo, no egg, no dairy, no spice, no citrus, no beans, no fun.However, I've beaten it before and held it at bay for years, so here we go again. Wish me luck, and I will record my progress. If only for my own motivation.


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## EmKay (Feb 23, 2010)

I am jealous that you able to pin down so accurately what brings on your symptoms. I have never been able to that! Any tips?Em


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## tarla (Jan 6, 2011)

Hi Em,I am on day 6 of this most recent attack, and every day I'm getting better. My day goes like this: Take a slippery elm tablet with a cup of water.1/2 hour later take two caplets of Calcium/magnesium chelate with 1/2 cup water.Have a breakfast of well cooked porridge and fortified rice milk, or cheerios. Add banana, blueberries.Throughout the morningrink warm water with honey, rice milk or apple juice added.Drink warm broth watered down.Have a snack of banana or applesauce.1/2 hr before lunch have another slippery elm caplet with water.Have a lunch of piece of boiled chicken breast plus cooked carrots,celery, broth, well cooked rice(I'm onto brown now, but start with white). Piece of my homemade wheat bread (about 50/50)Drink more warm water with honey, rice milk or apple juice added.Drink warm broth watered down...Snack on applesauce, banana, cooked vegetables leftovers.More drink (lots of peeing!)Have a dinner with plain fish, boiled chicken breast, yam, potato, other cooked simple veggies (but not peas, legumes, onions, garlic, or sulfurous brassicas, which doesn't leave much I'm afraid. More drink as mentioned above,Snack of cooked apples with oats and small amt of sugar.I may feel I need another slippery elm throughout the day, and I try to take 4-6 caplets of cal/mag chelate, partly because I'm menopausal, and partly because I think it might help.As I fully expect to get better and better on this diet I am willing to stay with it until my symptoms subside. Then I can slowly start adding back some normal foods, and some much desired salads (!)- but not too many at one time or I'll slip back where I was. I will also add back my women's multivitamin when I am feeling better.Notice that this diet has a lot of soluble fibre in it.It is also very low in fat and that makes it difficult to stick too but well worth the effort. (We all crave fat)I know I will never be able to eat some things, for example I can't eat junk food, or fatty foods, restaurant food, or coffee ever. But once I am better again I may be able to have the occasional cup of weak tea, or nibble of chocolate, or even a sip of wine, and I should be able to have dairy again I hope. This time though, I think it will be a long time before I try an egg again.Years ago my best attempt at an elimination diet brought me results. Plus time to heal. I had been suffering for two years from constant pain after eating. I was depressed and weak. In desperation then, I stopped eating. (I think I had the flu too, which helped. Only fluids for two days, and surprisingly my pain was almost gone.) Then I only ate gentle foods until I was feeling better. Eventually I healed. This experiment led to my current self treatment. IBS is not NORMAL so I do my best to treat the abnormal.Tar


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## Jackmat (Jun 13, 2005)

Tarla.1. Good girl.2. There is no reason (except the one in your head) why you cannot eventually reintroduce ALL the foods you love.3. Read my story.4. Keep up the good work.


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## tarla (Jan 6, 2011)

Here is my progress......keeping me honest....I am on day 9 of my repair diet now.I am keeping meals small and easily digestible.I am keeping a lot of soluble fibre in my diet.I am drinking many mugs of warm water a day, with a bit of rice milk or apple juice added.I have added plain mashed potatoes - no problem so far.I have added some lean ground beef - pain after ---maybe too much fat?I have added a bit of plain tomato sauce - surprising, but no problem so far. I have added some plain cooked green beans.Tar


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## raym0nd (Nov 28, 2010)

tarla said:


> I'm back visiting this site after many years absence. Guts flared up in June and I'm having a bit of trouble getting it back under control. I tend towards the "C" version if I don't have my apple a day.After more right side pain 4 days ago I put myself onto my 2nd strictest regimen which includes chicken, H2O, yams, agua, rice, water, carrots, apple juice, bananas, more water, some toast or plain crackers. (The strictest would be all fluids for a day or two, and then leave out the wheat).This is what I did wrong! In June I cooked a lovely Fathers' Day brunch for the family, and it included: sausages, bacon, cheesy quiches, English cream scones, whipping cream, and of course fruit and veg. I indulged and even partook of the forbidden coffee. The subsequent pain led me to think gallbladder attack but every test came up negative. Still, a fat free diet for several weeks really helped. Then came a few birthdays. One lasagne later and I realized that I could not stomach an egg, or even a bit of egg without getting really, really sick.Fine, then, carry on life without eggs. Then came Christmas and all the nice cheeses, Christmas cakes, dressings, gravies, desserts. Another attack and I realize that I can't do these either.So; no stimulants, no goo, no egg, no dairy, no spice, no citrus, no beans, no fun.However, I've beaten it before and held it at bay for years, so here we go again. Wish me luck, and I will record my progress. If only for my own motivation.


Hi, at the risk of sounding philosophical and sermonizing i tell you the following : The things that give us a lot of pleasure are usually the ones that give us the most pain,sooner or later. BUT, this does NOT mean that you cant have fun or food you like. The key is MODERATION - have a bit of fun, but control yourself. If you know that some foods hurt you just a little and you cant resist them, eat them "once-in-a-while"---guilty pleasures. BUT if something hurts you, forgetit.I apply this to myself also - my ibs-c began (now its gone '''p00f!!!) due to gulping lot of coffee and skipping breakfast. Sometimes, i would gulp tea/coffee on an empty stomach. I tried having coffee/tea sometimes, i noticed that my urination increased too much (its said that coffee is a diuretic). The loss of water due to this probably contributed to ibs-c. I am not demonizing coffee/tea,but its known to cause a lot of suffering in many people. To be fair, i add that black coffee *sometimes* initiates BM in my cousin(she has "frequent-c" not ibs-c). I think that its bad to repeat things that you know are harmful even after going through something as dreadful as ibs-c. I also fasted during ibs-c. I rarely do it now. *Fasting*(some unhealthy people should not) is generally beneficial for many people.In fact, religions such as christianity, islam , hinduism etc have seasons of fasting. My opinion is that it helps the body by giving it rest from the duties of digestion and all the disrespect/abuse some people inflict. The limbs get their rest from sleep,mind from weekends. But why do we forget the poor digestive system ? MANY PROBLEMS CAN BE CURED BY MAKING THE GUT STRONG AND HEALTHY. I have observed an interesting connection, a vicious circle(for some people) - -->tummy unhappy----v ^--> mind unhappy <--(see- one leads to the other in an endless cycle!)I was once discussing with a muslim friend on what might have prompted the "prophet" (no disrespect intended) to suggest "ramadan". Was it science - (my logic) "islam originated in the desert, so people should prepare to face shortage/tough times" ? Or was it will-power (my friend's logic) "he wanted to test how much one can resist temptation(to eat,drink etc) for the "sake" of allah". Or was it both ? Whatever be the reason, fasting is helpful for many people - healthy or not-so-healthy. *It looks like you already know the intricacies and root causes of your problems.You know what is best for you. But i wish to add to your knowledge : **You can try doing* "pranayam"(easy) and yoga(generally challenging) for making your gut stronger to handle food better...the benefits don't stop there...cholestrol ,bronchitis,irregular periods etc(*sounds unbelievable ??? Don't believe it because i tell you. **Instead, read-ask-research-experiment and convince yourself !!!)* If you wish to read about "pranayam" you can read my post "pranayam for good health" on the ibs-c section of this forum.*THERE IS A BIG CATCH* (SMALL FOR many ASIAN/INDIAN people) - "pranayam" shows its full power and "beauty" when its coupled with a complimentary diet - It requires that you turn vegetarian(I do pranayam and i rarely eat meat) and eat a sattvic diet(its not a secret,google it!). *BUT, IF YOU BECOME PREDOMINANTLY VEGETARIAN - YOU MAY STILL SEE BENEFITS LIKE I DO. *I don't follow this diet completely, only some parts of it along with my own stuff. But, I have seen some people who follow it(and do yoga and pranayam)to the word---those people are amazing. They eat "little", but their body utilizes the food well(a few of us eat more than them, most of which goes down the pooper). Some are more alert and active than other people, even after sleeping just 4-6 hours a day,everyday. You asked us to wish you luck...wellgood luck and god-speed to you!________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________PS : I you feel that this is irrelevant to you, please PM me. Express your opinions frankly, use any kind of language (preferably in English) you want.


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## tarla (Jan 6, 2011)

Raymond,I thank you for your well thought out response and tips. Yes, MODERATION is one of the keys and I wish I'd remembered in time. I was doing well at the time. That's one of the odd things about this IBS; when you're feeling good it's easy to forget that your gut is sensitive. Consider me REMINDED! I will watch myself now and in the future.I do demonize coffee, and I can't tolerate it even when well. My first cup of coffee ever made me violently ill. I perservered, however, was eventually able to drink a couple cups a day, and even got addicted at one point. This period in my life didn't last long and I made vast improvements cutting it out of my diet. I may have a sip out of my husband's coffee a couple times a year. Mostly I just say PLEASSSSE LET ME SMELLLLLL YOUR COFFEEEEE!Fasting... I don't know a lot about it, frankly, and I know nothing about the religious reasons for fasting. I know when someone has a stomach flu they shouldn't and probably couldn't eat. When my IBS flares up and I don't feel like eating anything either, then I don't. It never goes on long enough to starve myself, just long enough to settle things down and give the gut a break. The warm fluids really help move things along and are soothing. You made a couple of other interesting points. Firstly, the yoga and pranayama breathing. I think you're on to something here. There's a mind/body connection that happens, and yoga really helps nurture that. I have done yoga and pranayam before and enjoyed some success. I still practice some of the breathing, but have let the yoga slip in the last couple of months. I will find time to start again regularly.Second. Sattvic diet. I'm not far off that normally. I was previously an ovo-lacto vegetarian for 12+ years, but started eating some meat again 12 years ago. I notice there are a couple of things that a sattvic diet doesn't include and it surprised me: onions and garlic! They used to be a staple for me, but recently are a part of the problem. We grow a large organic vegetable garden and I make most of my own food from scratch, but not all my purchases are organic. It depends upon what I can find locally. Meat is normally a once or twice a week treat. I will try to find more organic replacements for some of my purchased groceries.I am becoming re-inspired to be proud of my healthy path. I don't want to be like most north americans anyways, over eating, eating ####, dependent upon processed foods, and far removed from the origins of their food. Thanks for the inspiration! And stay healthy yourself! (Remember, it didn't take much to send me off the rails)Tar


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## tarla (Jan 6, 2011)

This is day 15 on my road to health and I feel terrible.I have had another flare up before the previous one had gone away. By coincidence I was seeing my GP for my annual checkup 4 days ago and I wasn't feeling well and told her so. My upper right pain was back and I was feeling nauseous. I attributed it to the toast, butter and nut butter I had with breakfast. My words were "I'm having a hard time sorting out this irritable bowel thingy". She looked back at my recent test results for colonoscopy, blood work, ultrasound, and nuclear scan; all done in the last two months. Apparently there was a result there that she didn't like, and the specialist had failed to think it important. The result showed up in my nuclear scan; my gallbladder is functioning at the extremely low for normal rate of 43%.So add some inflammation to the pot, and some fat to the meal and I'm in pain and misery.She will refer me back to the specialist with her certainty that I have Acholic Cholecystitis. In other words, inflamed gallbladder without gallstones. Of course it is a weekend, so no doctors are working. I'm hoping I don't need to go into ER over the weekend.So; BE A SQUEAKY WHEEL! And I think I was too trusting of my specialist when he said nothing was wrong with my gallbladder, suggesting dairy was the problem. I should have taken the results to my doc and said Help! It doesn't help that she is always taking off on holiday and leaves locums to fill in. So I'm living on watered down juice and vegetable soup with a bit of boiled chicken for now. I think even that has too much fat, because the pain in my back has increased. No temperature so far.Tar


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## circadrt (Dec 25, 2010)

tarla said:


> This is day 15 on my road to health and I feel terrible.I have had another flare up before the previous one had gone away. By coincidence I was seeing my GP for my annual checkup 4 days ago and I wasn't feeling well and told her so. My upper right pain was back and I was feeling nauseous. I attributed it to the toast, butter and nut butter I had with breakfast. My words were "I'm having a hard time sorting out this irritable bowel thingy". She looked back at my recent test results for colonoscopy, blood work, ultrasound, and nuclear scan; all done in the last two months. Apparently there was a result there that she didn't like, and the specialist had failed to think it important. The result showed up in my nuclear scan; my gallbladder is functioning at the extremely low for normal rate of 43%.So add some inflammation to the pot, and some fat to the meal and I'm in pain and misery.She will refer me back to the specialist with her certainty that I have Acholic Cholecystitis. In other words, inflamed gallbladder without gallstones. Of course it is a weekend, so no doctors are working. I'm hoping I don't need to go into ER over the weekend.So; BE A SQUEAKY WHEEL! And I think I was too trusting of my specialist when he said nothing was wrong with my gallbladder, suggesting dairy was the problem. I should have taken the results to my doc and said Help! It doesn't help that she is always taking off on holiday and leaves locums to fill in. So I'm living on watered down juice and vegetable soup with a bit of boiled chicken for now. I think even that has too much fat, because the pain in my back has increased. No temperature so far.Tar


Hi Tar,Well, I am 61 and I have had alot of various ailments (and many doctors over the years. One thing I know: If a doctor ignores you or makes a mistake and you know it, *FIND ANOTHER DOCTOR*. And get one who has a decent support staff on call if they are out of town if possible.As for your current symptoms and status, here are some suggestions for usually helpful gallbladder disease foods and such until you see the doctor, unless you know any of these don't settle well with you, and VERY small amounts each eating. Better 4-6 small meals a day than 2-3 larger ones if you are hungry and not alot of pain after you do eat:Cucumbers Sweet potatoes - mashed & cooked wellAvocados, a good SOFT way to get needed fats directly from foodRipe stewed or cooked tomatoes ripeLemon and water (lemon juice in the morning with hot water helps to clean the liver)Grapes and fresh *organic* or hand squeezed-machined grape juiceapples, papaya, pears (mash them into a sauce - easier to digest)Omega 3 oils - and Olive oil. This kind of fat should do fine in small amounts.Vegetable juice and soups strained and warm (avoid drinking hot things as some think it heats up the gut too much)Alot of good pure water, room temp. Do stress relief and relaxing things if possible to take focus off the discomfort. Just rest and relax and if you should spike a fever, get to an ER for quick evaluation. Just try to stay calm and go with the flow til you can get the needed help tomorrow. If you need to be more assertive with your doctor (s) as far as being very clear with you about *what* is going on, and if they won't be clear, go see someone else who will. It's your body and your life. Gallbladder infection and worse - stones or not, can be serious if people do not get on it and treat it aggressively and properly.Best of luck to you! Dennis


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## tarla (Jan 6, 2011)

This is day 17 on my road to health, and I'm a bit better today.I was able to see my doc yesterday. She listened carefully, checked me out and then promptly sent me over to ER, where I spent the next 4 hours.There they did some blood tests to make sure my liver was functioning properly. All results were within normal except one liver enzyme that was raised. The surgeon on call agreed with my doctor about the diagnosis of acholic cholesystitis - that is inflamed gallbladder without gallstones. It's not that common, just a small percentage of gallbladder cases. He sent me home with all my bits still attached and has put me on his urgent list for a laproscopic cholesytectomy. I see him in his office in three days and will have the gallbladder removed in 2 weeks. In the meantime I stay off the fat, keep my gentle diet, and try not to lose any more weight.Both docs are convinced that having my gallbladder removed will make me feel a whole lot better. I agree, because I can't go on like this forever. I've tried modifying my diet for the last 7 months and I've kept having flare-ups. I think I've given it an honest try.I really wonder whether this gallbladder has been at the root of my digestive problems for the last 20 years! We shall see, and I will continue to record my progress.Thank you Dennis for your suggestions. I'm not sure about the olive oil, as it is fat. Can the body tell the difference? Funny, but the surgeon mentioned that some olive oil and also fish oils might be tolerable. I'll wait until the pain lessens before I try. At least I was able to rule OUT lactose intolerance! I've started eating some fat free yogurt so I'll get some protein and calcium.Tar


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## tarla (Jan 6, 2011)

Yesterday I was scheduled to see the hospital "Nurse Dietician" for IBS control. I decided to see her anyways, even though the current problem is gallbladder. She switched tracks and handed me some information on what to eat before gallbladder surgery and we had a great discussion.Surprisingly to me, she said not to cut out all fat from my diet because that can LEAD to the formation of gallstones! Here I was thinking I was doing a good thing by my diligency against fat. I tried some white cod for dinner last night poached in a skim milk, onion, celery and carrot sauce. It was great with mashed potatoes and greens. I'm still nauseous every day, but the pain is not constant. That is a relief. I see the surgeon tomorrow for my surgery date.YAY CANADA for UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE. Tar


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## tarla (Jan 6, 2011)

I felt ok on Thursday, so made a yellow pea soup with vegetables and onions. I had it Thursday, and Friday lunch. Then I became so nauseous. I felt like there was a balloon under my right ribs. And the pain in my back and side was constant. This meal was too gassy. (Probably onion and peas were to blame) It felt like the gas went straight up the bile duct into the gallbladder. I felt very sick all Friday night and spent most of Saturday in bed. I felt like I was fighting a fever, but there was no fever. Started to feel better Saturday evening. Took some tylenol and slept for 12 hours Sat pm and then now it's Sunday and I feel much better. No more gassy food until this is over!Today I stuck with applesauce, banana, boiled chicken, crackers, apple juice, broth. For dinner I had some vegetables cooked in broth.Tar


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## tarla (Jan 6, 2011)

A week has gone past and I'm getting by. I've rested a lot every day. I'm taking Ibuprophen or Tylenol for the pain. Doctor prescribed T3's, but funnily enough the Ibuprophen seems to work better. Doc said Ibuprophen works best on inflammation in the joints, not on internal inflammation, but it seems to be working for me.....so...Doc also prescribed Pariet. This is supposed to help my minimizing aggravation (acid) to inflammation in the area.Here are some other foods that I can eat without disturbing the gallbladder too much:skim milk, skim milk cheese, skim milk cottage cheese, cooked carrots, cooked squash, spinach, cooked celery, white fish, potatoes, well cooked brown rice, cooked oatmeal. Not too bad, if a tad repetitive. I also have to drink a lot of water to keep the kidneys flushing out toxins which may be accumulating. Finally, one of my liver enzymes was high, and that was the last bit of proof that my doctor needed to say this is not IBS, but in fact gallbladder! My surgery date is booked for 10 days away. I wonder how many others suffer from poorly behaving gallbladders and get no help? My heart goes out to you. If you have pain, then there is probably something wrong!I am wondering how things will change once the little beastie is taken out. It's too early to say whether it will clear up all my past issues with "IBS". I will be honest and report as accurately as I can.Tar


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## relhuk (Feb 3, 2011)

tarla said:


> A week has gone past and I'm getting by. I've rested a lot every day. I'm taking Ibuprophen or Tylenol for the pain. Doctor prescribed T3's, but funnily enough the Ibuprophen seems to work better. Doc said Ibuprophen works best on inflammation in the joints, not on internal inflammation, but it seems to be working for me.....so...Doc also prescribed Pariet. This is supposed to help my minimizing aggravation (acid) to inflammation in the area.Here are some other foods that I can eat without disturbing the gallbladder too much:skim milk, skim milk cheese, skim milk cottage cheese, cooked carrots, cooked squash, spinach, cooked celery, white fish, potatoes, well cooked brown rice, cooked oatmeal. Not too bad, if a tad repetitive. I also have to drink a lot of water to keep the kidneys flushing out toxins which may be accumulating. Finally, one of my liver enzymes was high, and that was the last bit of proof that my doctor needed to say this is not IBS, but in fact gallbladder! My surgery date is booked for 10 days away. I wonder how many others suffer from poorly behaving gallbladders and get no help? My heart goes out to you. If you have pain, then there is probably something wrong!I am wondering how things will change once the little beastie is taken out. It's too early to say whether it will clear up all my past issues with "IBS". I will be honest and report as accurately as I can.TarHi Guys, I read this thread and the comments and it sounds all too familiar. I used to suffer really bad with IBS and it does still flare up now and then which also leaves me really bunged up even though I try to steer clear of carbs,but I found this website by accident and there is some really good help for constipation on it.Have a look.http://bit.ly/constipationcures


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## tarla (Jan 6, 2011)

Well, I'm reporting back after my gallbladder surgery. I am 14 days into recovery now. My surgery was on Feb 11th. I can't believe that I'm able to eat so normally again, so soon. After eating such a restricted diet for 7 months (low fat, no eggs, onions, brassicas, beans, or meat except boiled chicken breast) I was a bit afraid to try. I had lost too much weight, and was feeling so sick all the time. But after the first week I tried some 1% milk, then some butter, then onions, then eggs, and now, there's no holding me back. Bring on the ice cream! Longer term I'm not sure, but apparently most people can eat perfectly normally again.I still have some pain from the surgery, under the ribs where the gallbladder is cut away from the triangle of fibres that hold it in place. But that is getting better daily. Gone is the bloated feeling, like I have a balloon under my ribs. The pain across my back is gone, and the pain in my groin is gone, and the pain in my side is gone. Yesterday was the first day in months where I didn't have any nausea. An interesting side effect is that my stools are softer. I wonder if that may be due to my diet having more fat in it. Or is it from my body working better, now that the poisonous gallbladder is out.It will be interesting to see how much of my IBS symptoms clear up. I'm still on Pariet for two more weeks to control stomach acid. I've dropped all pain killers.In a couple of weeks I will report back again.Tarla


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