# How Can I Cure My IBS?



## SMoKeR (Nov 14, 2013)

Hi everyone,
This is my first post in this forum and I hope to find here a solution to my problem.

I'm 26 years old and my IBS has erupted about a year ago.

It all began when I started training in gyms and started using some compounds in order to grow muscle. I used a supplement called SAM-e and another one called puerarin and that's when the symptoms have started. I don't know which supplement caused the problem but I'm pretty sure it was the SAM-e.

At the same time there was an occasion where I ate 3000 calories in one meal and I got a food poisoning or a virus and was rushing to the toilet every 10 minutes all night long. Eventually I had to be rushed to the hospital due to dehydration.

This event has marked the beginning of IBS in my life and since then, I'm no longer able to eat as before.

Up until that point I could eat whatever I wanted and had no problems digesting anything, but since then my life has totally changed.

To figure out what's wrong I did many tests, such as:


Blood tests
Stool culture and parasites
Colonoscopy
CT
Video capsule (where you swallow a capsule that has a camera on it and it photographs your whole GI tract)

In the end I was diagnosed as IBS since no irregularities were found.

Again, I must stress out the fact that before all this I never had any problems with digestion, I could eat whatever I wanted and I have no food allergies or intolerances whatsoever.

My IBS-D symptoms are diarrhea, gas, watery stools and frequent bowel movements.

My doctors believe I have a 'Post-Infectious' IBS (PI-IBS) and prescribed me with Mebeverine but I didn't take it because I don't want to use drugs and I heard it's not curing the problem.

So I turned to probiotics instead, I tried Jarro-Dophilus but it didn't work. Then I tried VSL3 and shortly after I felt a relief in my symptoms. It's been almost 2 months now on VSL and this probiotic has really helped me reach optimal digestion but I noticed that when I stop taking it my symptoms are coming back and I can no longer digest well.
So thumbs up for VSL but it does not cure the problem.

At the moment I'm on a low fiber diet and it helps me keep my IBS in control, but I don't want to live like that, and I don't want to be dependent on probiotics my whole life.

Looking desperately for ways to *cure IBS for good*. Does anyone have a solution?


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## Rahul MS (Sep 14, 2013)

Hi Smoker,

Same case is with me my IBS, It started this year and I am 26.

I too started gym training and I used to do good exercise everyday however I did not started any supplements to grow muscle yet.

As a part of my office daily work I was under stress and I used work late nights from home that's why I was only manage to have only 4.5 to 5.5 hours of sleep daily.

I think with improper seep I was doing gym that caused stress and in turn caused IBS in me.

And I am suffering from IBS-C and my symptom's started gradually not all of sudden,It was too late for me to reach out to Doctor.

Does your Symptom's caused gradually or all of sudden ? And were you under stressful conditions while doing Gym ?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

So you mean do something for a couple of weeks (or months) and then you can eat what you want, when you want, never take any supplement or do anything of any kind to do with IBS.

Or are you willing for something that may be more of long term symptom management? although if you consider taking bacteria that are part of the human diet as "dependent" I'm not sure any other type of symptom management will be OK?. I mean some people eat yogurt every day of their life and I woudln't call that "dependent" but your mileage may vary.

About the only things I know that change IBS symptoms long term where you do not have to take it/do it regularly to maintain control are the mind-body therapies. Usually when you check one year out people who did a 3 month program are still better (sometimes continuing to improve). But a lot of people don't like using them, either.

FWIW, a lot of people with PI-IBS (post infectious) which is more likely the cause than the supplement you took, tend to get better with time, but usually in the 2-5 year range than in the less than a year range. So time may take care of it. I think the mind body work does help time take care of it as you tend to reinforce getting back to normal rather than reinforce the symptoms (which is what a lot of our normal behaviors and thoughts tend to do).

Now if you are willing to eat the low FODMAP diet for the long term that may be something to look at, but it isn't a quick fix and you are cured forever kind of thing. You can use peppermint as an antispasmodic, but is that something you would use or do you see it the same as taking an antispasmodic drug?


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## rmiller1985 (Sep 13, 2011)

Hi SMoKeR,

I agree that it sounds like you have PI-IBS. You got a bug that caused a serious reaction (food poisoning), and that threw your gut flora out of whack. I would think substantial relief from taking a high-potency probiotic like VSL#3 would tend to confirm this, as it would be helping to throw your gut flora back into shape.

After my positive experience on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which I undertook because I believed I had SIBO, I'd recommend it. Removing complex carbohydrates starves the bacteria that are out of control and/or in the wrong place, allowing your gut to heal and allowing your gut flora to get to a more normal state. As Kathleen mentioned with the low-FODMAP diet, this is not a quick fix, but it is possible that it will eventually lead to a permanently "normal" state for your gut flora.

For a quick fix, you might read the posts in the FMT subforum. This route isn't for everyone, and there certainly isn't a 100% success rate. But it is an aggressive approach to getting your gut flora back to normal -- or at least to a "new normal" that's positive.

Aside from that, I don't know of any quick fixes. You could look into rifaximin, but I don't know how well that would work if the problem with your gut flora isn't actually SIBO; also, from what I've read it seems that the long-term success rate with this antibiotic is not high, if the problem is resolved, it often recurs.

Good luck!

Cheers,

Rich


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## SMoKeR (Nov 14, 2013)

@Rahul

My symptoms started gradually too after I started using the SAM-e, maybe if I wouldn't have had the infection my gut would have returned to normal once I ceased with the supplement, but after having the infection I could no longer eat normally.

Adequate sleep is also very important from my experience, if I sleep only 4-5 hours a night my symptoms are more severe, but when I sleep 8 hours my gut functions a lot better.

@Kathleen

I didn't say I was looking for a quick fix but I'm not looking for it to take 5 years too. Right now I can't eat fruits & vegetables and my diet is really lacking in vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants, this is far from an ideal diet and it's really costing me in my health.

It's also costing me a lot of money because the VSL probiotics are so damn expensive... and yes taking probiotics every day just to digest food is considered being dependant, I don't want to have to be dependant on it my whole life.

About the peppermint oil, I have no problem trying that because it's natural and drugs are not, but I heard it's only for the symptoms too.

Oh and what exactly is the mind-body therapy you're talking about?

Here are some things I'm considreing trying next:

Acupuncture

Different probiotics

Peppermint oil

Bach flower remedies

What are you suggesting?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Probiotics don't digest food, they do eat the remains but that is just what you would poop out anyway. The stuff most of the bacteria eat no human on the planet digests.

Have you looked at the low FODMAP diet for the fruits and veggies that are very low in the compounds that bacteria make gas from?

For me, at least, the reduction in fart frequency from probiotics eventually doesn't take daily dosing, but it does take months or a year to get them established enough you only need occasional reseeding.

The two mind-body therapies that have clinical evidence for them are Cogntive Behavioral Therapy (what I did) and Clinical Hypnotherapy. The Hypnotherapy is generally more available. http://www.ibshypnosis.com/IBSclinicians.html has the list of people trained in the Hypnotherapy program developed where I got the CBT. http://www.ibsaudioprogram.com/ is an at home protocol used by a lot of people here.


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## SMoKeR (Nov 14, 2013)

So you're saying that it takes a lot of time with probiotics to resettle the gut flora? I thought 2 months should be enough...do you think I should stick to VSL or try a different brand now?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Many of the probiotics seem to be transient members of the colon flora so it can take awhile to get enough to be relatively self-sustaining. They do need occasional reseeding even if you get the population going on it's own so you don't need them daily. 2-3 times a year I take them for a few weeks, but the first year or so if I missed a day or two I could tell.

If the VSL#3 is giving you a lot of symptom relief then I might stick with that. There is a lot of individualized reactions to different blends and strains. If it isn't really reducing your fart frequency after a couple of weeks you may need a different one.


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## MVD011244 (Jul 6, 2000)

I posted about fiber and it changed my life. Try 2 Phillips good fiber gummies, and 1 package of Metamucil wafers, I use the Cinnamon Spice it has two cookies in the package. Eat those with water or tea or coffee. You will notice a difference, I got relief in 2 days. I have had all of the tests and prescriptions but nothing worked for long now I don't have the urgency or the panic if I don't know where the restroom is when I am out. It cannot hurt you and you will have no side effects. Good luck I have had ibs-d for 20 years on and off.


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## Whodathunk (Aug 23, 2010)

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to let you know that I had IBS-D for years and it stopped when I finally quit smoking last year. In a couple of days, I had normal bowel movements! I also had to stop coffee completely both decaf and regular. I drink an herbal beverage called cafix. I smoked cigarettes from age 14 to 57 but only about 10 cigs a day. My gastroenterologist told me that smoking wouldn't have any effect on IBS but boy, was he ever wrong. I never took probiotics but I thought you might be a smoker because of your pseudynom. I wish you the very best of luck!

Happy holidays,

Whodathunk


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## SMoKeR (Nov 14, 2013)

Good to know, although I don't smoke, even though my nickname is smoker


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## HumanistRuth (Sep 19, 2013)

Whodathunk said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> Just wanted to let you know that I had IBS-D for years and it stopped when I finally quit smoking last year. In a couple of days, I had normal bowel movements! I also had to stop coffee completely both decaf and regular. I drink an herbal beverage called cafix. I smoked cigarettes from age 14 to 57 but only about 10 cigs a day. My gastroenterologist told me that smoking wouldn't have any effect on IBS but boy, was he ever wrong. I never took probiotics but I thought you might be a smoker because of your pseudynom. I wish you the very best of luck!
> 
> ...


You're right, Whodathunk. Smoking is connected to IBS.


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## SMoKeR (Nov 14, 2013)

Thanks for the tip flakes 2013.

Anyway right now I'm trying acupuncture with herbal tincture formula, if it won't work I think I'll go with fecal microbiota transplantation.

I'm really looking to get to the bottom of the the problem and solve it for good, and I was amazed when I read the case studies in the FMT forum.


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## chlorophyll (Jul 31, 2013)

Sleep is definitely a factor for me as well. There's a whole load of things you can "try", but for me I found that chlorophyll (and enough sleep) really put the brakes on my digestive system. So much so that I totally tapered-off to taking it just once or twice a week.

And lately I've forgotten entirely, and my symptoms have returned. It's a fickle balance of not having the whole system come to a crawl versus not having the system on turbo. I figure if I drink some after I go to the bathroom and then put it out of mind until the next time I go to the bathroom then it seems to strike a pretty good balance and has an organic self-aligning timing to it all.


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## SMoKeR (Nov 14, 2013)

All of these products might be great for reducing symptoms but I'm not looking to treat the symptoms, I'm looking to treat the problem.


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## chlorophyll (Jul 31, 2013)

SMoKeR said:


> All of these products might be great for reducing symptoms but I'm not looking to treat the symptoms, I'm looking to treat the problem.


What, and the rest of us, and doctors and researchers around the globe, aren't? I'm not sure how you come to a board filled with IBS sufferers and not come to the conclusion that maybe there isn't a magic cure-all, or do the rest of us just love to suffer?









How long did you say you have had IBS? A year?








Ah, you think you have IBS? You merely adopted IBS. I was born with it. Molded by it. I didn't see a regular poop until I was already a man. By then it was nothing to me but lots of wiping!


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## SMoKeR (Nov 14, 2013)

chlorophyll,

No disrespect but no, doctors are not really looking to cure you, the pharma industry is also not looking to cure you, all they're looking for is to make you dependent on their drugs so that you'll keep coming back and buy more.

I was treated by many doctors in my life and I can count in one hand the ones that really cared about my condition.

And if I suffer from IBS 1 year then that means I need to suffer 10 more years until I get rid of it?! If you're proud of the fact that you suffer from IBS for long then good for you.


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## chlorophyll (Jul 31, 2013)

SMoKeR said:


> chlorophyll,
> 
> No disrespect but no, doctors are not really looking to cure you, the pharma industry is also not looking to cure you, all they're looking for is to make you dependent on their drugs so that you'll keep coming back and buy more.
> 
> ...


Well then, again, do you think this forum and others as a whole are enjoying their symptoms instead of just "fixing the problem instead of the symptoms"? If there was a fix it would sooner or later gain some traction, and so far the only one that seems to hold promise is fecal transplant... but that's still not exactly something which I believe has been given the two-thumbs up yet by enough people who know what they speak of.

You either find what seems to work for you, and take into careful consideration the different things other people have tried, or you keep-on waiting for the definitive fix. I think you'd be waiting awhile.

As for the last part of my previous post, it was a play on a Dark Knight Rises quote.


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## SMoKeR (Nov 14, 2013)

I think fecal transplant will be the next thing, in nothing else works for me I will do it.


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## swood1 (Dec 1, 2013)

I had to make up excuses to go home from work early because of accidents, etc.

I'd carry my gym bag with me to work even though I really was not going to go to the gym, but because I had extra clothing in the bag in case of another accident.

After many embarrassing moments and little effective help from Doctors at the major institutions here in Philadelphia and also in New Jersey I came across this web site.

It has helped me. This is the site: http://goodhealth.emtuanh.com


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## MVD011244 (Jul 6, 2000)

I just returned from my primary Dr., he was very surprised when I told him about the soluble fiber (2 Phillips Good Fiber Gummies and 1 pkg Metamusil multigrain fiber wafers). It was the first time in almost 20 years that I didn't need a prescription for ibs-d. He has 2 other patients the he is going to tell to try it. I asked about inulin and he said there is no danger of it being a problem because it is a miniscule amount, so do not be afraid to try it, it just might surprise you. Sometimes people post

negative things that have no proof to back them up. I was desperate and just sick & tired of the bathroom being my whole focus when I would try to go out for meals. I have proof that it works and you can buy it at you grocery or drug store for about $20 & no prescription needed. It will do NO harm unlike some of the prescription drugs do.


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## rfairfield (Apr 13, 2011)

Get tested for Low Stomach acid and H Pylori infection.

The fact your doctor found nothing wrong tells us they are not looking in the right places.

*See my post above titled IBS can be cured.*

It is unlikely that anything you were taking as part of your gym program has caused this.


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## SMoKeR (Nov 14, 2013)

I don't think I did those tests, thanks for the advice


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