Has anyone here on Fluther successfully cured their issues with IBS?

I sympathize, @tan253. For a while I thought IBS was going to bring about an ignominious end to my career. Once during an hour-long presentation that I was giving to the managers, I had to leave the room four times.

I suffered symptoms for three long years, white-knuckling it every time I left the house or went anywhere more than a few feet from reliable plumbing. I turned down trips and outings. Going out to an event such as a theatre performance was torture. I tried dietary changes and various other things. Nothing my doctor suggested made any difference.

What made it worse is that it’s not really a socially acceptable disorder. People are kind if you have, say, a foot injury or pneumonia; but no one wants to hear about your bowels.

Then one day I read about the side effects of one of the meds I was taking. I spoke to my doctor and asked if that could be the cause. “Oh, yeah,” he said, ”[name of medication] can do that sometimes.” He changed the med.

My symptoms disappeared like magic. I didn’t have IBS after all.

I have to add that my confidence in my doctor was negatively affected. I see somebody else now.

Once in a while I have a difficult day or two, usually when there’s a lot of stress; but no one actually thinks I have the condition any more.

This may be of no help to you, but I offer it just in case.

Thank you – I wish my case was as simple as yours – meaning that I should stop taking a pill but I’m not on anything!
When I was on losec for a month that seemed to help, but nothing is helping me now.
It’s so hard.

IBS and IBD aren’t necessarily affected by what you eat. If you’re convinced that it is dietary related for you, try keeping a food diary and also writing down how you feel, and then look through it for patterns. When food is a factor it is usually very personal, no one size fits all solution.

Have you tried Imodium for relief of symptoms?

Im starting to think food isn’t a factor as I can’t pinpoint. What about emotional stress and having an anxiety disorder – can that alone be enough to cause IBS/D?

Not cause it but it can exacerbate symptoms. It has always been a trigger for me.

Try Imodium at the time of diarrhea, if you haven’t already. Even without a colon I can occasionally get formed stools with Imodium, it’s incredible.

Yogurt, such a simple solution that did wonders for me. I tried expensive probiotics and other stuff but this does the trick for me. Some of the really expensive probiotics worked too. Yogurt and reduced stress sure made the biggest difference.

I had it about 2 years ago. I was going to the bathroom about 5 times a day, very watery. Went to the GI doctor, went to the regular doctor. Had blood tests and stool samples done. Took probiotics which did nothing. Took an antibiotic for intestinal issues (Rifaxan or something like that), which did nothing. I wasn’t in any pain or discomfort so to me, it was not the worst thing one could have. I figured I’d just live with it and after about 9 months it went away.

What things like Chia seeds or Psyllium does is produce bulk by absorbing water from the colon.

But when dealing with severe diahrrea, sometimes that by itself is not enough.

If you add Bentonite clay, that can boost the absorbing power and, if nothing else, makes things less watery. And eventually, when you figure out the optimal amount of clay to add, it keeps stools firm.

I know it sounds a little strange but animals and peoples in various societies have utilized clay deposits as a natural health substance for thousands of years.

Plus, the original formula for the OTC medicine, Kaopectate, was based upon Kaolin clay (hence the name)

It comes in two forms. One is called colloidal Bentonite cuz it’s already in liquid solution. You can find it health food stores under the name Sonne’s #7.

It’s convenient but also more expensive than powdered. It’s around $20 for a quart.

You can also get the powder and hydrate it yourself. I basically just use mason jars.

I’ve used Redmond Clay and there are videos on their website on the best way to hydrate it and also on how to use it. It comes in various size jars and also found in some health food stores or online. It’s more affordable than the colloidal.

This has worked for me so much better than I’mmodium because I’mmodium basically just halts bowel motility.

The clay absorbs the extra moisture created but doesn’t bring everything to a grinding halt. Plus, it also acts as a detoxificant which is why some people take small amounts of clay on a regular basis even if they have no IBS.

All I can say is give it a try to see if it helps you. It can’t do any harm (unless you take a ton of it and get constipated horribly ) and many people use it in combo with either Psyllium or Chia seeds.

Don’t just take my word. Do your own research. There’s good info about clay out there. It’s a remedy that’s literally “older than dirt” ha ha.

I know it might sound a little strange but it has done wonders for me.
.

www.redmondclay.com
.
.

I’ve always had really touchy bowels. Anything greasy, oily or creamy and I know what’s coming. I could take Lomotil early in the evening if I was about to go on a date for example, and that would usually prevent the issue, but It’s not something I took daily.

Recently I’ve started eating a greek yogurt every night for dessert (I’m a big fan of the raspberry Chobani yogurts), and I’ve noticed a massive difference. It’s amazing something so simple could have such a big impact. It’s worth giving it a try. I’m not even doing the fancy probiotic stuff, just regular greek yogurt.

Yeah I did eat pasta yesterday and the day before that chocoloate – but really I want to be able t eat that type of food and now today my stomach is just not happy.
Seems to take a while for me to get right from 1 day of bad eating and even then I’m rarely actually right.