# How I cured my IBS-C (A very long and thorough post)



## kd.1310

Although this post is long, I'm writing it because I know how much a lot of you are suffering and how desperate for information some of you are. I've been through all that pain and desperation. So here is exactly what worked to cure my symptoms and I hope it will bring some of you relief as well.

I've been putting off writing this for a while. Mainly because every time I started to feel better and thought that I found a diet that cured me it turned out to be only temporary and after a day or two I'd end up blocked up and feeling awful. But I've found a system that consistently works after over a year of heavy searching. The following is a complete list and thorough explanation of everything that has worked to cure my IBS-C. It's the culmination of painful trial and error and sifting through dozens of health blogs.

That being said, during my research I've read enough health blogs to know how frustrating it is when the advice-giver saves the important material for the very end of the article, so to save you all the skimming I'll start with a short list of what helped, my diet, and then go into the details.

(Right now I'll only note that the following regimen was formulated by myself to meet my own needs. My research started after the 9th or 10th doctor I saw about my IBS-C told me that I'm just going to have to live with this condition for the rest of my life. So I said screw that and a year later: voila.)

THE LIST:

- Eat a variety of probiotics

- Nutritional diet is key (be hyper-aware of what you're eating)

- Avoid all raw foods

- Avoid all sugar (including fruit)

- Up your fibre intake, up your water intake

- Make sure to eat lots of healthy fats and proteins

- Supplements, vitamins, supplements

- Exercise, relax

THE DIET:

Breakfast:

- digestive bitters

- 1/4 cup steel cut oatmeal mixed with a spoonful of raw unpasteurized honey, 1 heaping tablespoon of organic coconut oil, and collagen hydrolysate powder (or gelatin) (you can mix in 3-4 prunes if you can handle the sugar)

- 1 cup kefir

- 1 glass OJ mixed with L-Glutamine (avoid if you can't handle sugar)

- 2 cups dark coffee

- water

Lunch:

- homemade chicken soup (use only natural products - nothing canned except organic broth)

- OR quinoa with avocado and tuna

Dinner:

- digestive bitters

- chicken, fish, or whole wheat pasta

- quinoa

Snacks:

- walnuts, almonds, 70% dark chocolate, sauerkraut, avocados, kombucha

Supplements:

- fish oil pills, L-Glutamine, Vitamin B complex, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D (from a dropper), AOR XOS

THE DETAILS:

1. EAT A VARIETY OF PROBIOTICS

I'm sure probiotics are nothing new to most of you, but I can't stress enough how important they are to all varieties of IBS. Probiotics are the healthy bacteria in our digestive tract that break down food for digestion and help the system absorb the foods nutrients. If you have IBS, there's a good chance that the main culprit is a lack or probiotics.

For how important they are, I'm amazed at how little knowledge is available about them through doctors. When my symptoms first arose, no doctors mentioned probiotics. All recommended either taking laxatives, adding fibre, reducing fibre, or drinking more water. A few places I went to mentioned probiotics in passing (colonic therapy, pharmacists) but I didn't pay much attention to them in the beginning, mainly because no one followed their recommendation with an explanation of their purpose.

Probiotics can come from pill supplements or fermented foods. For supplements, there's a wide variety of brands and varieties and you'll need to invest some money in order to find the one that works for you. A few months into my research I started taking a probiotic pill and noticed a change right away. I wasn't defecating regularly yet, but my flatulence was releasing more frequently (which can be attributed to the bad bacteria dying off). AOR makes a prebiotic supplement called XOS (xylo-oligosacchaide). Prebiotics helps the development of probiotics and definitely gave me an added boost - I take 6 every day.

The pills got expensive, so I decided to eat fermented foods instead. After a few months of this I got tired of the food and tried to go back on the supplement. Yet same pills that worked before now gave me a mix of constipation and diarrhea and I had to go through brand after brand until I found a stain that worked. (Turned out the winner was Align, because it has only the Bifido strain and not the Lacto strain, which turns out is what was affecting me).

It's good to start slowly if you're not used to taking probiotics because at the start they can give you a lot of gas and stomach upset. If you don't want to spend your money on a supplement (although I highly recommend that you do), here is a list of foods that you can gorge on:

1. kefir - very similar to yogurt; avoid the flavoured types because they contain sugar (stick to plain and only plain)

2. yogurt - again, avoid the flavoured ones, stick to plain

3. sauerkraut - fermented cabbage; as gnarly as it sounds it's actually delicious and very beneficial; however, you must find UNPASTEURIZED sauerkraut because only unpasteurized has probiotics; you'll only find the good stuff in the refrigerated section of grocery stores (more likely at a deli or a health food store); the stuff on the dry-shelf is not what you want

4. kimchi - like a Korean sauerkraut, except it includes a variety of fermented veggies as spices; again, only the variety found in the refrigerated section will be beneficial

5. kombucha tea - a very tasty (and expensive) fizzy drink that's loaded with probiotics; and lucky for you it's been trendy lately so it's not difficult to find; though like sauerkraut and kimchi, you'll only find the proper stuff bottled and kept in a refrigerated section

All of the food listed above is expensive, yet they can all be made easily at home for a fraction of the cost. At the beginning of my research, I made all listed above in my own kitchen (expect for yogurt). There are tons of DIY recipes online so I won't list mine here. However, although it's cheaper, it's very time consuming. So either you spend a good chunk of your paycheck on them or you spend your entire Sunday making them. Whichever what you go I suggest adding at least 3 or 4 of the above to your diet.

2. NUTRITIONAL DIET IS KEY

You must be hyper conscious of everything you eat. I cringe reading posts on here of people asking if they can eat potato chips, onion rings, chocolate bars, etc. The answer is absolutely not. Every time you go out to eat or go grocery shopping you must ask yourself: "Will this be easy for me to digest?"

Here is a general, non-exclusive list of typical things to AVOID at all costs:

- Red meat - very difficult to digest; for protein stick to chicken, fish, or nuts (SEE POINT 6)

- any snacks that come out of a container or a bag (chips, pretzels, milk chocolate, granola bars, cream cheese, etc)

- dairy - this does not include yogurt or kefir, as noted above

 - bread - I'm sorry but I don't have much of a reason why, although I think yeast might be the culprit; even if it's high fibre, the yeast and sugars will give you excessive gas

- starch (ie. potatoes of any variety - very difficult to digest)

- sugar in any form (SEE POINT 4)

- alcohol - alcohol will dehydrate your system and harden your stool. And much like bread I'm fairly certain that the yeast in beer will cause bloating and gas.

3. AVOID ALL RAW FOOD

My first step in changing my diet after being told by a trained professional that I'll be living with IBS-C for the rest of my life was to start eating as much raw food as I could - mainly fruits, veggies, and salads. Intuitively I thought this was the direction I should take.

As I soon discovered, raw food is incredibly tough on a weak digestive system and requires more effort to break down. It's important to eat your veggies, but make sure they're steamed (don't add butter, but a little salt won't hurt). Nuts are important and are ok to eat raw. However, eat them only after they've been soaked and dehydrated (SEE POINT 6)

4. AVOID ALL SUGAR

Right now, there's a good chance that your digestive system is full of bad bacteria (which goes back to why you need probiotics). Bad bacteria feeds on sugar of any form - be it from candy or from fruit. When the bacteria feeds on sugar, it causes gas. Cutting sugar is difficult for anyone, but you'll feel incredible after the first day.

When beginning my research, much like my raw food intake, I started eating lots of fruits: papayas, apples, bananas, prunes. One blogger said what worked for his constipation was to eat 10-15 speckled bananas a day. So I started eating 10-15 speckled bananas a day. (I won't go into the details on why this is a bad idea, but it is a very bad idea). One doctor told me to eat 20 prunes a day. So I started eating 20 prunes a day.

During all this time my guts were blowing up like a balloon. I was in a miserable state at work. I'd have to get up from my desk every hour to go to the bathroom to break wind. There were a few days where I missed work because of it. After a bad episode on account of the bananas (again, bad idea), I threw out all my sugar-filled food and quit cold-turkey just to see what would happen. And lo, the very next day gas was gone! I felt so much better. I was still constipated, but there was no more excessive bloating. From then on the only hot air escaping from me was when a colleague asked for my advice.

There were times when I'd slip and have a chocolate bar, or a donut if someone at work brought in a dozen, and immediately I'd be a bloated mess. So cut the sugar.

(If you end up dying for something sweet, 70%+ dark chocolate might not be as satisfying as milk chocolate but it is very beneficial for people with IBS).

5. UP THE FIBRE, UP THE WATER

A simple way to think about fibre is that it's something that we can ingest but not digest. It's sole purpose is to make your stool soft and easy to move. There are two types of fibre, soluble and insoluble. The differences are very basic: soluble fibre can be dissolved into water; insoluble fibre cannot. Soluble fibre mixes with the waste in your intestine to make your stool soft; insoluble fibre stays intact to help push your stool along. Both are important. A quick google search will give you a long list of each (remember, avoid the bread).

But fibre depends greatly on water intake. So make sure you drink lots and lots of water all day. Go the extra mile and get a brita filter. I found that filtered water greatly eased my digestion.

6. MAKE SURE TO EAT YOUR FATS AND PROTEIN

Be sure to replace all of the snack foods that you're used to eating with dense, high fat foods that you can digest easily. Healthy fats are incredibly beneficial to your digestion. It will grease up your intestinal walls and your stool and help things pass easily.

Nuts are very high in fat, protein, and fibre which makes them an excellent snack. However, they are difficult to digest in large quantities because of the chemical tannins. They must be soaked in salt water overnight and then dehydrated for a few days. This takes a bit of time and effort but for some of you (like it was for me) it will be the only snack you can handle. Dehydrators run at about $100, but the benefit is worth it. (Leaving soaked nuts out to dry doesn't work and using an oven will only burn the nutrients you need).

Oil will be your new best friend. All oils will be beneficial - coconut oil, olive oil, fish oil pills, flax seed oil, motor oil (that last one was a joke, please do NOT ingest motor oil). When I had my first full, healthy bowel movement in over a year I'm almost sure it was because I had up'd my oil, fibre, and probiotic intake.

The only fruit that you should eat is avocados. They're sugarless and full of healthy fats and fibre. I used to have one every day. For meat, stick to chicken or fish. Fish has tons of healthy fat, and both fish and chicken are much easier to digest than pork or beef.

7. SUPPLEMENTS, VITAMINS, SUPPLEMENTS

Now that you have your diet in order, it's time to start rebuilding your damaged intestine. It's best to ease into these supplements, but after building up over a few weeks you'll be able to handle large enough amounts to do significant work on rebuilding tissue in the intestinal walls.

1.40g L-Glutamine per day (yes, 40 grams) - an amino acid that will rebuild tissue. Start with a few pills every morning and afternoon, then gradually build up to 40g in powdered form. They can be found at any body building supplement store. (And don't be frightened of the muscleman behind the counter. He's just as afraid of you as you are of him.) Caution: many people find that high doses of L-glutamine gives them anxiety or sleeplessness. It definitely affects me that way. I spread my intake out starting from when I wake until about 3pm. If I take any after 5pm I have trouble sleeping.

2. Vitamin B complex and B12 - helps to absorb L-glutamine and helps intestinal muscles

3. Vitamin D (from a dropper, not a pill) - an anti-inflammatory, I'm sorry I don't have much of an explanation but I can attest that it helps.

4. Gelatin powder (or collagen hydrolysate powder) - this is a collection of amino acids that help repair the intestinal walls. The powder itself might make things worse if you're first starting out, so a better place to start is with a mug of homemade bone broth after dinner. Broth is packed with gelatin and easier to digest, but the gelatin powder itself is more concentrated. If you're making broth at home you can find bones at your local butcher and recipes online. Some butchers and health food stores make broth made in store. DO NOT buy the boxed broth on the dry foods counter at the grocery store. This is not what you're after.

5. Swedish digestive bitters - I take these with warm water before breakfast and before dinner to increase the stomach acid. Note that this is not angostura bitters. You can find Swedish bitters at any health food store. You'll know it's the right stuff if it tastes like vomit.

8. EXERCISE, RELAX

Nothing special. Just make sure to walk or bike for 15-20 minutes every day and spend an hour or so every weekend being active. And take 20 - 30 minutes to sit and breath deep after a meal. You don't have to join a gym or a yoga class. Just take time to walk/run/bike/lift, and time to sit and breath deep.

And that's it! It took me over a year to find this combination and I can say now, without any worry of jinxing it, that my IBS-C is cured. Though I still have stomach pains in the morning and the occasional cramping, but I no longer worry that I won't be having a healthy BM after breakfast. And once I do, the pain is gone. I'm assuming that the pain exists because my intestines are still in repair.

As for what caused my IBS-C, I'll be brief. I'm 28 years old now, and it started just after I turned 25. I'm not 100% sure exactly what caused it, because at the time I had a horrendous diet and lifestyle: I was eating pounds of red meat every week, I drank more alcohol than water, I suffered from social anxiety and stress over school, and was depressed for a number of reasons I won't bother you with now. IBS can be caused by any one of those reasons. What might have been the initial cause for me was leftover Pinesol residue in my sandwich container that mixed in with my lunch (don't ask). This could have killed a large portion of healthy bacteria in my system - as the bottle says: Kills 99.9% of all bacteria. The moral of the story: don't drink Pinesol.

Before I took my diet and my problem into my own hands I had seen 10 doctors, 2 gastroenterologists, had a colonoscopy, went through colon hydrotherapy, tried every laxative in circulation, and spent many listless days and sleepless nights doubled over in immense pain - I'm sure many of you are suffering the same.

My final advice is to be patient. Experiment. Avoid laxatives at all cost. Be persistent. Be strict. Keep doing what helps and quit doing what doesn't. Wake up and have breakfast at the same time every day. Then sit and read for 30 minutes and breath deep. Try all the dietary points slowly. Don't give up just because you find that they don't work after 1 or 2 days. L-Glutamine didn't work for me right away, but I stuck with it and it's now a cornerstone of my regimen.

I can say I'm back to eating sugar (in moderation), I'm back to eating raw foods, I'm back to eating bread, and I'm back to having a BM at least once per day. So good luck! I hope it helps!


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## MaroonGirl

Hey thanks for sharing your story.

Sorry if I missed this but can you please share if:

- You had any food allergies testing done or did you just start excluding foods that didn't sit well with you?

- Did you have pains from bloating or just C?

- What kind of bitters (tumeric, ginger etc) and which brands of probiotics did you use?

Thanks!


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## kd.1310

MaroonGirl said:


> Hey thanks for sharing your story.
> 
> Sorry if I missed this but can you please share if:
> 
> - You had any food allergies testing done or did you just start excluding foods that didn't sit well with you?
> 
> - Did you have pains from bloating or just C?
> 
> - What kind of bitters and probiotics did you use?
> 
> Thanks!


I've never had food allergies, and I had a few blood tests done while I was suffering but they showed nothing. I had severe pain from gas, bloating, and cramps for the majority of the time. It was particularly bad in the mornings - I'd wake up feeling like someone was standing on my abdomen. As bad as the physical pain was the emotional pain was always worse. I was always tired, always short of breath, I felt heavy and lethargic, it gave me awful anxiety and it felt like I was being suffocated on the inside.

For bitters I use Maria's Swedish Bitters (http://www.nationalnutrition.ca/detail.aspx?ID=1244).

For probiotics I've tried Jamieson (which is very poor quality). TuZen and Renew Life worked for a while but after going back to them they gave me constipation/diarrhea the very next day. I've also tried Genestra HMF Powder, which gave me constipation/diarrhea as well.

Right now I'm using Align and taking two per day and it works fine.


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## sweetbee01

I know I am years late but I plan to follow some of your steps because like you I believe a mix of anxiety/stress and bad eating caused my IBS C. My anxiety has been crippling the past few years and started with constipation and like you started a few hours after I ate a sandwich and had an anxiety episode.


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