anyone have IBS???
 

I was diagnosed with IBS when I was pregnant with my daughter 7 years ago. I have found that I only have pains...or "attacks" about once a month or so. I watch for certain things in my diet and that has really helped. But I have noticed since becoming pregnant that I have attacks VERY often. Is this normal? My diet isn't changing so I can't imagine why it would be getting worse. I don't remember if it was worse when I was pregnant with my daughter...(I have a horrible memory) so I am just wondering if it is just me...or if others have had the same problem???

Me!! I do. As a matter of fact I had one tonight.. i ate at folks, nothing un usual.. and all the sudden.... my just comes randomelly and it can be caused from many different things, this past one is folks.. the next one could be like taco bell or something like that...

yeah, they say that greasy foods, chocolate, caffeine...those things can set it off. I am usually pretty good about avoiding those things :(

well...in case you are wondering...those "attacks"...that is what labor contractions feel like :) only the labor contractions don't stop...they keep coming :) so imagine having those every 5 minutes for HOURS on end...and then more often as it comes closer to time to having the baby :)

I never knew how to describe the pains until I had a child. Then I was finally able to describe it to my dr. and that is when I was diagnosed. Every other doctor tried to say it was endometriosis or something like that. It was horrible. I have had these pains since I was in the 7th grade...and I was 22 before I was finally diagnosed :( :thumbdown

geeze.. thats not good. and its a all the sudden thing, like i had just started eating when it happened.. uhhh.. so there are meds to take but i don't have any since i never went back to the doctor.

yeah, i never used the meds. The dr. couldn't assure me that it would help prevent the attacks...and I just figured that if I am taking meds to help the pains...well...by the time I get the meds in me, the pain has stopped. so it's not really making sense to me.

I have also been told that if you increase your fiber intake, that helps a lot. I use this powder fiber that dissolves really easily and does not have any taste to it. I also give it to my daughter..she has NO idea :)

Thats what I have heard to. And also having like 6 meals a day to.. thats so true about the meds.. the pains just come and go, so theres no point in taking the meds

I have IBS something HORRIBLE...I ended up in the hospital for 5 days one time...:(

I hate it...:mad:

oh man, i can totally sympathize. I am sick and tired of it. on top of being pregnant, having morning sickness, a terrible cold....I have these stupid pains that I get to deal with. I am OVER it!!!!!!!!

I Can Sympathize
 

I've had IBS for at least 15 years and have had some attacks that put me in bed all day so I can sympathize with you.
The doctor originally thought it was hormonal as the attacks came more often during certain times of the cycle. Once in menopause, the types of attacks changed and different types of medication helped but now the best one I used was taken off the market, Zelnorm.
Fiber therapy did not help at all. I drank that awful stuff for years, hoping it would make a difference at some point.
Regular exercise, yoga especially for relaxation, and lots of water seem to help.
wishing you the best in learning to live with it...

I think we need a IBS club!!! :eyetearss You knw the old saying... Misery LOVES company!!! I am in the club girls...ever since I was a teen...(I'm 47 now!):eek:

maybe that is my problem, i haven't been drinking as much water as I usually do. you would think that being pregnant, i would be drinking more. but I lost my beloved water bottle that i carry around everywhere with me, and it just seems so hard to remember to take water with me. When I am at home, I drink it more...but i have not been home much lately :( I ordered 3 new water bottles like the one I lost, so hopefully I will get back to my old habits. I am curious to know if drinking more water helps relieve that pains

I have IBS I"ve had it for the past 12 years the only thing i hate is when it acts up when you go out to eat so me and hubby dont go out to eat that often,because i fear it will flare up .i tryed the fiber which helped a little but i just have to watch what i eat.

yeah. you dont want to be far form a bathroom. Its so hard when you are at a friends house or somewhere other than your own throne. (lol)

its embarassing.

lol, I know that feeling SOOO well...:p

I've Had to Lower My Standards
 

I know what you mean. Unfortunately, I've had to use some bathrooms that haven't been very well maintained.
People used to tell me I'd learn where bathrooms were in every store when my son was potty-training but that was nothing compared to IBS attacks.

I used to suffer with IBS but NO MORE! I take digestive enzymes and probiotics and have no problems now, even with a not-so-great diet sometimes:o Talk to someone at a health food store and they'll show you what to take. It might seem expensive at first, but it's totally worth it, and when you break it down by the day, it's about $1 a day to feel better:thumbup:

I have crohns dieses... in some ways it is similar to IBS so I know how you feel. :(

I was diagnosed with IBS last year. Two big triggers for me: onions and granola bars of any type. My stomach actually swells and causes a lot of pain as well. My doctor put me on a Vit C regimen to test that out before I try any prescription meds. It has helped significantly; I just take 2-3,000 mg of Vit. C a day, and it helps me a lot!

I've never been pregnant so I can't offer any advice or share experiences there, but maybe you could check into the Vit. C thing with your doctor?

I have IBS too. I have frequent attacks (2-3 a week) and there seems to be no connecting food. My doctor says that stress makes it worse. The meds for it help, but makes me a little woozy. It also gives me the most horrible cotton mouth, does anyone else get that? I've been dealing with it for about 6 years, but it gets old.

I had IBS for 12 years, the only thing that cured mine was a DIVORCE!!! :D
Seriously, married now to a great man for 11 years and I have not had an attack in all these years. Amazing how our bodies eact to stress.

I've always thought I had IBS but have never been diagnosed with it....Now I also have my gall bladder out which can create a problem..so with what I think is Ibs and not having a gall bladder I know where all the corn fields are...(when traveling) and all the rest rooms are in stores...If I don't know that is the first thing I check for....lol (my kids give me a hard time about it...when going to grandmas house they always say to me...."mom, there is a corn field coming up...should we stop..." they are soooo sassy)

I have it but not very bad. I have found nexium really helps. I only take it when necessary. My flairup foods are anything really greasy & milk (cream sauces, cottage cheese, etc). I have found that white wine was causing a lot of problems with it so I stopped drinking it even though I love it.

I also take Imodium when I feel those cramps start & i can usually head off a stop at the next restroom. I know where all the bathrooms are anyway cause i always seem to need to pee when out and about.

Being pregnant I don't know what to tell. I started drinking grape juice with fiber (it's made by welches) and that seems to help too.

I have Ulcerative Collitis, which is which similar to Crohns and with IBS thrown in for good measure.

Mandee, I had no attacks for over 6yrs till I got pregnant, I started up with it really bad from around 10wks - 19wks and then it just stopped. My medication is steriod based and I didn't want to take any because of risk to baby so I just grinned and bared it. My gastroenterologist told me that it can go one way or the other through pregnancy and varies with each one. Hopefully your flare up will just be due to hormone changes like mine was and will clear up in a few days.

what are your triggers??

Yes, I have IBS. Mine is the IBS-C (constipation). The swelling I get sometimes makes me look 4 months pregnant! It can be agonizing. Really, the ONLY medication that ever helped me was Zelnorm - and then they recalled it. I've even tried buying it from Mexico but it's recalled everywhere. Another thing that worked is a dietary supplement called "Digestive Advantage - Irritable Bowel Syndrome". A friend of mine sent it to me (she had found it at a health food store and thought it was worth a try). I've also seen it at HEB. I do totally feel for you. I really have no significant "triggers". It can happen with any food - different ones each time. I think mine could be stress related.

One thing that you might look in to...... my best friend had "attacks" each time she was pregnant and finally after her third pregnancy the drs. discovered that she needed her gallbladder taken out. Sure enough that fixed her issues. During her fourth pregnancy.... no attacks at all. Is your dr. sure it's not your gallbladder? Seems like the only time she had problems with hers is while she was pregnant. It even caused labor-like pains. She was put on bedrest several times because they thought that's what it was. Good luck finding some relief!

I've never really had foods that cause a flare up... it used to be more stress, being run down physically or emotionally or with another illness... this is why I don't take medication for it other than a steriod based foam enema when I do get a flare up. I was on mesalazine for a few months and was constantly ill with flare ups, I stopped taking the meds and I was fine. The only guarented thing that will cause a flare up is a colonoscopy... but then you'd expect that.

:sidesplt: I am sorry, but that is too funny!!! :biggrin:

My doctor told me to stay away from diary and that seems to help, but a lot of times, I still get it......but then again, I do not totally stay away from diary though. I love yogurt, but I think I need to get the digestive enzymes and probiotics in pill form instead...I will have to look into that. AND I never heard about Vitamin C....hmmmm.......will look into that too.

I get bad pain...like the kind that double you over........I have to say, I am really a pretty tough gal...I can handle a lot of pain...but this pain...it is extreme.....well, it was before I laid off diary.

We even cancelled a trip to Ireland several years ago...we were going to drive along the southern coast....oh, but you can imagine my fear of doing that! Anyway...that trip will come again...one day!