# Any advice for alternating IBS?



## Shanel (Jan 6, 2014)

Hi there,

I've suffered from IBS my whole life. After a bout of food poisoning in 2000 it became debilitating IBS-D. I could hardly leave my house and the only thing I could eat was boiled chicken and rice. This flare up lasted nine months and then suddenly went away. Fast forward to 2010. Suddenly, my IBS has returned..but now it's constipation predominant. It was so painful, and I was so unsure of what was going on in my body that I ended up in the ER a couple of time. So here I have my SECOND diagnosis of IBS, but C instead of D. I'm taking all the supplements...a fiber supplement called Blue Heron, probiotics, enteric coated peppermint, a supplement called "intestinal repair" and still..I have days of alternating symptoms. Massive constipation and left side abdominal pain that lasts for DAYS followed by a day of urgency and multiple trips to the bathroom. It's starting to affect my work(all morning in the bathroom every three days!) and making me nevous to leave my house, ride the bus etc.

Anyone else experience this? any ideas on how to regulate this?

~shanel


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Generally for alternating IBS avoiding the constipation can be the key to breaking the cycle. I know it is hard to take something like a mild osmotic laxative (like 400 mgs Magnesium oxide) daily when you are still worried about diarrhea, but if you don't keep the remaining stool wet enough to move that clean out just sets you up for more constipation.

If you can avoid the back up, you usually avoid the blow out. So not waiting to see how long it will take to have a BM this time and having that be 3-4 days later should help. But sometimes doing things to keep it moving (if you need more than just a bit of fiber for that) can seem worrisome and a lot of people focus on stopping up the diarrhea which tends to make the constipation worse and keeps the cycle going.

Have you played around with how much fiber you need, and seeing if more (or sometimes less) of the supplement does a better job?


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## Shanel (Jan 6, 2014)

You are totally right. And I do agree that I need to play with the fiber dose and up it gradually. It's certainly the truth that stopping the diarrhea creates this cycle..I think I'm permanently traumatized by my nine month bout with IBS-D. This current state is almost as debilitating though. I'm going to fiddle with my fiber dose, I've also made an appointment with the doc to see if I can't find something to help with the spasms I'm getting in my colon. I'm SO tired of this being a constant focus in my life!


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## Sunshine2u (Jan 24, 2014)

Don't rely on vitamins too much only when needed because they are a supplementation meaning in addition to not your mainstay of nutrient intake. Avoid anything made with white flour and high fructose corn syrup. The only natural ingredient in high fructose corn syrup is the corn starch which is very constipating much like white flour. The other ingredients are artificial enzymes and artificial fructose in high levels which would by themselves give you diarrhea so that means that combined with corn starch you are going to having alternating IBS symptoms and leaky gut syndrome and gas with liquid discharge which would give you a wet anus almost every time you have flatulence. Try to switch wheat flour with quinoa. That might help too. I am going to make the switch to quinoa once I can find it. I have alternating IBS symptoms too so I know what you are going thru. I would be a hundred percent better if I took my own advice and made sure I avoided pizza from Papa Johns and soda made with high fructose corn syrup and everything else made with high fructose corn syrup and made the switch from wheat to quinoa.


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## divaatje73dog (Feb 1, 2014)

Alternating IBS here, but mostly constipation at this point (living with it for 20 years). During this looong period I have pretty much tried any diet, supplement etc. Too little fiber=constipation, too much fiber=bouts of diarhea, bloating and excessive gas. I used and became dependent on Senna as a laxative for 1, 2 years about a decade ago. Made the IBS worse and more permanent. Never ever use Senna!! I will use Dulcolax at times, but when you use laxatives for longer periods of time you become dependent on them, need more of them, and when you stop taking them you just become constipated again. In the short term laxatives seem like a good option, but in my opinion they make everything worse in the long run as they irritate the bowel. I suppose if you have either IBS-C or IBS-D you can concentrate on treating the one symptom, but having the alternating kind is like trying to constantly adjust an old, leaking, faucet in the shower. It is like dealing with faulty plumbing in an old building and it is virtually impossible to get the water at a comfortable temperature and have it stay there.Turn it ever so slightly to the left, the water gets boiling hot, turn it a little back to the right, icy cold. I am now in a terrible C phase, following a short D phase. I tried a glycerin suppository, and I am considering an enema. I am super sensitive and triggers are everywhere; (marital) stress, a new protein bar, PMS, sexual intercourse, antibiotic skin cream for my acne. But some prescription meds I just have to take; I also suffer from migraines, anxiety, BPD, depression, arthritis, acne, eczema, yeast/fungal infections......an endless list of chronic conditions. I know that my mental illness is a great stressor....the mind manifests itself in the body. My advice: don't neglect the mental aspect of this illness, and accept it is a chronic condition and will most likely always stay with you. That said, I have enjoyed long periods of being virtually symptom free, and although diet is an important component, telling yourself you can get your IBS under control and manageable, can make a huge difference. I have only been flaring up again since october 2013, after many years of having my IBS symptoms at very comfortable, stable levels. However, at this point I am suffering deeply, and I am desperate to break the cycle, but nothing brings relief. Miralax doesn't work for me, and I am afraid of fiber, because all it does is blow me up like a toxic balloon. Laxatives are irritating and addictive. What do I do?


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