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I am a 32yr old male who was recently diagnosed with IBS. Stress is my main enemy as diet is a far second. I am in good shape and visit the gym about 5-6 days a week. Lately, I stress out about dealing with bouts of IBS more than anything, which of course, is a downward spiral. I work in a stressful field (engineering) and am frequently at meetings that last hours. I am unlucky in that I don’t have constapation, but instead the other extreme. I have read your articles on Align and Digestive Advantage and am up for anything that helps break the chain to the bathroom, which do you recommend over the other?
Also, do you have any readings that explain what I am going through for my wife? She is being very supportive, but at times has a hard time understanding.
Thanks.
Comment by Scott | September 27, 2007
Hi, Scott,
Welcome to For My Tummy.
On your request for a book to explain things to your wife, I would suggest Tim Phelan’s Romance, Riches, and Restrooms, written by a young man with IBS-D. I have read part of it; for someone who doesn’t have IBS he writes in a humurous vein; for someone who does have IBS it’s more the recognition of “this is what it’s like, day in and day out.”
I find that both Align and Ganeden Digestive Advantage-IBS have a mild constipating effect in the first two weeks of taking them. I don’t think that would go away if you have IBS-D, just that I adjust diet and exercise and soluble fiber supplements so the constipating effect goes away. Digestive Advantage (DA) is cheaper, and leaves my tummy even more mellow than Align. In addition, you can (afford to!) take an extra DA-IBS tiny caplet at the first sign of pain or distress in your tummy, and it works fast to get you (at least me) back on a more even keel.
For the downward spiral of stressing out about dealing with IBS, get the hypnosis tapes available at http://www.helpforibs.com/
I want to point out that taking charge of your IBS is about 70% diet, 20% soluble fiber supplements (FiberSure or Acacia Tummy Fiber), 5% probiotics, and 5% stress reduction through hypnosis. Mint capsules or mint tea may also help.
It will be most difficult, and most counter-intuitive, to gradually increase your dosage of soluble fiber supplements (SFS). You can take a small bottle to work, with a measuring spoon. Pay Starbucks for one of their cups, buy some Dandelion powder (Dandy Blend) from Amazon, put a heaping tablespoon in an empty jar of instant coffee, add hot water, add some FiberSure to measure, and plain sugar to taste, and look like one of the gang at a meeting.
If meeting culture allows, set your cell phone alarm/announcement with a discreet but audible tone, hold it up when it goes off, say “I have to take this” and step out for a few minutes for necessary or preventive use of the john. I suppose that if you or your team is presenting, that won’t work too well, though :-(
The idea is to invent ways of coping that maintain your life and lifestyle, while you are getting your IBS under control.
Anyone else have ideas on managing IBS-D in the midst of a meeting-rich lifestyle?
Comment by tummyblogger | September 27, 2007
Dear Sir
I think taking acacia will also help with diahrria , take 24 g of acacia powder , Heather`s or SWEETFIBRE , before the mail 8g every 8hours , get well
B Rgds
Comment by Isam | October 20, 2007
Thank you for your website. It is so helpful. I was a little disappointed in Heather’s website because it was so focused on ibs-d.
I’ve been on a yeast free diet without any success. Now I am going to try your ibs diet. I already take probiotics and have Heather’s soluble fiber, however I am still in the process of increasing my fiber intake. Hopefully I will have as much success eliminating my ibs-c symptoms as you have had.
I am interested in a book or website that lists the soluble fiber content of foods. All the books and websites I have come across just tell you the total fiber content. How do you know what foods have most soluble fiber?
Thank you for your help.
Lynne
Comment by lynne | October 28, 2007
Lynne, I appreciate the compliment very much; thank you.
I don’t know of a book that lists the soluble fiber content of foods, per se. There is an interesting post by “Sand,” with a sticky and an introduction from Heather, at the following URI:
http://www.helpforibs.com/messageboards/ubbthreads/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=diet&Number=284172&page=0&view=expanded&sb=5&o=&fpart=1
I don’t know how that long URI will come out; the comment block doesn’t have anything in the way of formatting helps!
The upshot of Sand’s post is that with fiber charts there is so much variation from one to another that you are left with your own tummy as your best guide. If you find that certain foods are well-tolerated, then those are good sources of soluble fiber *for you.* That doesn’t satisfy my more-or-less scientific mind, though.
I base as many choices as possible on the labels that come on the food containers. That doesn’t help with fruits and vegetables. The guide there is that peeled apples are the best source (cut them up, steam them, and mash them with Stevia or honey); or use applesauce. All other fruits have fewer grams of SF. Bananas are not supposed to have much, if any, SF, but they *do* satisfy Sand’s criterion for most people. They work–and are fairly sweet. Vegetables: again, no reliable SF content; just eat whichever vegetables work for you. Steamed fresh carrots, or canned carrots, are good. I like the mixed vegetables for steaming that are packaged like Broccoli for steaming.
For the fiber content of packaged foods, the best source I’ve found is www.calorie-count.com/.
Let us know how you are doing.
All the best,
Tummyblogger
Best of Luck
Comment by tummyblogger | October 30, 2007
Would you be interested in a reciprocal link top my IBS blog? I am also a fan of Heather’s site and she kindly linked to me.
Comment by Loren | May 6, 2008
Hi again, Loren
Yes, I would be interested in a reciprocal link to your IBS Blog. It looks like the URI is http://ibshelpnow.com. I will add it to the IBS resources section of the For My Tummy blogroll.
Wishing you much success,
Tummyblogger
Comment by tummyblogger | May 8, 2008
Hello All,
My name is Cristina and I work for a continuing medical education company that specializes in educating health care providers on the topic of IBS as well as other GI disorders. We’re very interested in the perspective of IBS patients and how they feel their IBS could be better managed. Our goal is to better the communication gap often exists between IBS patients and their clinicians. If you have a moment to share your thoughts an experiences, please visit the link below to take a brief survey. Your participation will help steer our educational direction in the upcoming year. Thank you for your time!!
http://totalmeded.com/evaluation/IBS_patient_survey/index.cfm
Comment by Cristina | June 25, 2008
Dear Cristina,
While I think that the offer of a $25 certificate to Starbucks is ill-advised (see “Triggers” for the item Coffee), I do appreciate your comment.I hope that readers of this blog will take five minutes to fill out your survey. Are you aware of Digestive Health: Smart Brief, for the use of gastroenterologists and their patients?
All the best,
Tummyblogger
Comment by tummyblogger | July 2, 2008
i just received my free shaker cup form you. my wife also takes konsyl. could she get a cup or can we buy another cup from you.
gene and dorothy wiley
103 redding road.
georgetown, ky 40324
Comment by gene wiley | July 11, 2008
Dear Gene,
Thanks for writing in to the ForMyTummy.com web site. We do not sell any products from this web site, so I am not able to fill your request. I *am* glad you found your way to this web site, and thanks again for writing in.
Best,
Tummyblogger
Comment by tummyblogger | July 15, 2008
Hi,
I just came across this article which says soy is a really bad food: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/07/24/why-tofu-wrecks-your-brain.aspx
Can you respond?
Thank you
Comment by Specked | July 24, 2008
Hi, and thanks for writing in.
Hi,
Thanks for writing again.
I checked out your reference to the Mercola web site. Deep in his list of studies behind his links, I found the reference to a crown jewel of the “soy causes dementia” research. It does not show causation, of course, as it is a multiple regression study. I have analyzed it in detail at ForMyTummy, today.
On the Mercola quote, and the study quoted, which is sort of similar, I wasn’t able to find or download the article from our university database, so I cannot comment in detail. From the abstract, it sounds as though the authors took exactly the wrong implications from the earlier Honolulu study on which I comment in ForMyTummy–see the post from later today (July 25, 2008), to be indexed under “soy products.”
All the best,
Tummyblogger
Comment by tummyblogger | July 25, 2008
hi i’d like the coupon code for align
Comment by adriana | July 25, 2008