# How I fully cured my IBS



## cben (Feb 18, 2012)

**Update (Jan 3, 2015): Title of this post is misleading but I can't edit it. Turns out I have Crohn's disease and not IBS - was diagnosed about 4 months ago via colonoscopy. What I thought had 'cured' me of IBS was probably just a diet/supplement combo that put me in remission from Crohn's for a couple years. Later, a fecal transplant eliminated my symptoms for several weeks but then they returned. Will be more careful with the word 'cure' in future.*

**Update (Jan 10, 2014): IBS Symptoms/Disorder returned about 3 months ago with a vengeance (guess I wasn't 'fully cured'). I tried implementing the above outlined procedure which only worked slightly. Last week I did two Fecal Transplants over three days (first time I ever tried this) using the stool of a good friend of mine who has excellent digestion (I followed the Freeman Protocol http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/165423-fecal-bacteriotherapy-for-ibs-d-success/) and I've had zero symptoms since. Thanks TheFreeman! *

*Original Post:*

Hi,I`ve been fully cured of IBS for about two years and I just wanted to share a quick summary of my story as I think the treatment I used may be helpful for others.About 5 years ago I was on a long treatment course of antibiotics which resulted in a stomach infection which then left me with IBS (almost constant stomach discomfort, diarrhea, etc.) In an attempt to cure myself I tried dozens of treatments including an elemental diet for two weeks, probiotics, different types of antibiotics, herbal supplements, large amounts of raw garlic, radical diet changes, and more.After approximately two years of unrelenting symptoms and losing about 15 pounds in body weight from lack of eating, I discovered a treatment that finally worked. Here is what it is:Whenever symptoms get bad immediately start following these instructions:1. VSL#3 Probiotics (4 or so packets a day, must be VSL#3 - google it for info) 2. 1 serving of Activia Yogurt daily (must be Activia)3. Only food you should consume (besides the Yogurt) is home-made chicken soup with nothing but a little salt, chicken, and any non-root vegetables that you're not allergic to.4. Pepto Bismol - couple tablets/servings a dayOnce symptoms resolve (which they should do within a couple hours or days) you can gradually add back additional foods into your diet. Then you can eliminate the Pepto Bismol. Then after a couple weeks you can eliminate the VSL#3. You should never stop taking the daily Activia Yogurt.I think the above treatment strategy works so well because it helps correct your balance of intestinal flora. The Pepto Bismol has anti-microbial effects and reduces inflammation, the VSL#3 and Activia yogurt crowds out bad bacteria, replenishes good bacteria and also reduces inflammation, and the low carb diet starves the bad bacteria. So, in a nutshell, you're killing and starving the bad bacteria in your body while replenishing with good bacteria.I'm sure the above treatment will work for many people besides myself. Good luck.


----------



## rhonalomey (Aug 15, 2005)

IBS is not caused by bacteria so what you say wont work.You may have had something else.


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Regardless of cause probiotics have been studied with IBS and can, for some people, reduce symptoms.Probiotics produce no gas when they digest carbohydrates, they also interact with the GI tract, so it is not true they cannot possibly help with IBS. They can.Some people do much better when they have a lower gas volume as distension from gas bothers them. Some people respond well to the ways certain bacteria interact.Altering the bacterial flora to one that reduces symptoms can be helpful even if the bacteria in there are not pathogens but normal colon bacteria that happen to have a different metabolism that produces gas or have a different way of interacting with the host's GI tract.


----------



## Korga (Sep 8, 2011)

LOVE hearing when someone gets better. Thanks for sharing.


----------



## rhonalomey (Aug 15, 2005)

It is misleading to talk about a cure. Also eating very little except chicken soup doesnt help IBS, even if its temporary. There are too may other things which influence IBS for probiotics alone to have a lasting effect, certainly not for 2 years..Pepto Bismol is for acid not for diarhhea or constipation.


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Pepto Bismol (Bismuth) is actually also used for diarrhea.I do think most people mean "treatment" when they say "cure" but if something is working for someone, and there are clinical studies to show probiotics can help, eliminating food triggers (and you do eventually have to start putting other foods back in, and some people do very well on a low carb diet for diarrhea in some clinical trials and plain chicken soup with veggies is low carb) and antidiarrheals (Kaopectate which is marketed only for diarrhea has the same bismuth compound as Pepto) all are likely things to help SOME poeple TREAT their IBS.I don't like the "cure" word but that things with some data showing they have efficacy actually working for someone isn't shocking, and I don't see why it is a problem for him to say these things that could work did in his case.Now it won't work for everyone, and I agree it is a list of treatments that can help and isn't a do it for two weeks and it is gone forever cure, but I'm not sure why it seems you think none of these things could work and sounds like you feel no one should try them.This combination of lifestyle things may work well for some people. Others need either different lifestyle changes and many will need prescription medication, but if some people can manage it with lifestyle I don't have a problem with that.


----------



## overitnow (Nov 25, 2001)

Well, then, how about "How I Cured My Total Despair Over Having IBS"? I mean, if you have to eat a carton of yogurt or take a supplement or say 100 Hail Marys each and every day, if you know you are not going to have to deal with D all day long, why quibble over what a person does to get out from under this or how it works? I'm with Korga on this. Mark


----------



## AIRPLANE (Mar 15, 2004)

I'm glad to hear that someone found relief. I too will probably never dare use the word 'cure' after having this condition for so long. I did that once after my symptoms mysteriously went away after an exploratory lap where I felt better than I ever had in my life only to relapse after two weeks. Just appreciate every day that you are comfortable enough to have the freedom to go where you want and do what you want.I think it is worth trying everything to get well. For as much as we DO know, there is probably as much if not more that we DON'T know. Things like CT scans and blood tests don't show everything. For example, if you have a food panel test or breath test and they are negative for, say, dairy and/or lactose, it may not tell you for sure that you don't have an issue with dairy. While these tests may provide some useful information, the only true test is to avoid it for a length of time. There could be some other factor at work that hasn't even begun to be discovered yet. So if I test negative for issues with dairy, but avoiding it seems to help, does that mean that I'm nuts? Most likely a doctor would say 'yes' because they don't like to believe things that can't be proven according to current knowledge/science, just like what went on before and even for awhile after the discovery of H Pylori causing ulcers. So just because the success of a particular treatment seems not to have a logical explanation doesn't mean it isn't worth trying as long as it doesn't hurt and seems to help.


----------



## Adrian_w (Jul 11, 2004)

I've suffered from IBS for 40 years and the only things I've done have been 
Avoid antibiotics because I can guarantee it will cause me up to a month of pain.
Remove stress from my life IE: Don't watch the news or read newspapers.
Drink lots of water because dehydration will have a terrible effect on the bowel. If you suffer from headaches on the weekend when you are more active its probably because you aren't drinking enough water. That means a glass of water every hour at least. I was very active on weekends and hardly ever drank water. Most of my serious attacks were on weekends. Now that my life is a little more sedentary my infrequent attacks can happen on any day of the week.
IBS does get better as you get older. I have very infrequent attacks and the pain is nowhere near as bad as it was when I was in my twenties. I'm in the middle of a 3 week bout at the moment after two courses of antibiotics but, it sounds funny, but because the pain is nowhere near what it was I'm content.


----------



## guillaume (Oct 1, 2011)

rhonalomey said:


> IBS is not caused by bacteria so what you say wont work.You may have had something else.


I don't think the origin of IBS was discovered, so we don't know that.


----------



## Linda46 (Jan 2, 2012)

guillaume said:


> I don't think the origin of IBS was discovered, so we don't know that.


I do believe that what I have (fructose malabsorption) is also called IBS by some doctors. Not 100% certain about that though. I do know that since following the FODMAP diet, I am 80% better. They think that about 30% of people with IBS actually have fructose malabsorption. I was always one of those people who was skeptical of food allergies, etc.. I knew they existed, especially in young children as I work with children. However there seems to be a whole group of people who are self diagnosing, especially things like celiacs and I found them a bit tiresome. Now here I am with a food intolerance. It almost seems like karma. Linda


----------



## overitnow (Nov 25, 2001)

Linda46 said:


> . Now here I am with a food intolerance. It almost seems like karma. Linda


It may just be age...Mark


----------



## cben (Feb 18, 2012)

Title of this post is misleading but I can't edit it. Turns out I have Crohn's disease and not IBS - was diagnosed about 4 months ago via colonoscopy. What I thought had 'cured' me of IBS was probably just a diet/supplement combo that put me in remission from Crohn's for a couple years. Later, a fecal transplant eliminated my symptoms for several weeks but then they returned. Will be more careful with the word 'cure' in future.

On the positive side, I think there are some very exciting Crohn's and IBS treatments on the horizon so I think people with these conditions should be very optimistic about the future, I know I am.


----------



## dirigable (Jul 16, 2014)

Hi, Im glad to hear that you are staying positive and I wish you all the best with your treatment of Crohn's. How were you misdiagnosed with IBS, did you do the colonoscopy prior to that daignosis?


----------



## gigz89 (Dec 9, 2010)

Thanks for updating. Wish you well.


----------



## jaumeb (Sep 1, 2014)

cben, I have been following the SCD diet for five years. This diet might help IBD.


----------

