I have IBS-D. I've tried many things and at times I can get it under control until the next flare-up. Antiobiotics are usually the "cause" of most people getting it. It is said there is no "cure". I do take a very potent probiotic that has to be refrigerated and 2 Colostrum every morning, plus Calcium after breakfast. Boulardi Max helps some people. It didn't help me. I took Psyllium Husk capsules for a while, but that quit working. Mainly I live on Immodium when it is real bad. I plan on asking the family doctor about Welchol which is used on cancer patients who have the "d". It can also cause constipation though which I don't want, so the dose has to be small. From what a doctor told me, it isn't caused by what you eat or drink unless you are lactose or gluten intolerant. I'm not. I was tested for both. I've had every test possible done..allergy testing, bloodwork, stool checks, CAT scan to rule out colon cancer, a colonoscopy and endoscopy. Gastroenterologist diagnosed me with "Lymphocitic Colitis" which to me is just a fancy name for irritable bowel syndrome. It amazes me how "many" people suffer from IBS. Do a google search for "IBS Forum". I wish you luck in getting yours under control.

Check with your Gastrologist Dr, after you have a colonoscopy. I have it and I found out by deleting coffee, and chocolate from my diet that helped me alot. I do watch what I eat. My Dr. told me that it was the internal hemorrhoids that aggravated mine.

I too suffer from this horrid disorder. I like others have tried everything possible for relief and have had every conceivable test done as well as medications. Traveling I know is the absolute worst! My GS graduated from Navy boot camp a few weeks ago and nothing was going to stop me from traveling to Chicago to see it. The fear of IBS I knew would be a challenge to deal with and once the day approached of course had to be the worst weather possible! We were delayed in Salt Lake for hours as well as Chicago. I was terrified of getting to the restrooms. We had to divert and hold in Colorado and when we landed there the line to the restrooms was all the way from front to back before I would have ever had a chance to get out of my seat. Much to my and the rest of the family surprise during the 4 day adventure and extreme high stress I only had 1 attack which luckily I was in my Hotel! No one could believe it as normally just looking at food or smelling it can run me to the restroom. The thing that has saved me during this and many other excursions is simply sucking on 2 star lite peppermints before I eat and then again when I finish. I buy them 5 lbs at a time and keep them with me at all times. I am not saying it is a cure in any way but has truly helped me through some horrid times. This disease my Dr. says will not kill me but just make my life miserable. Give the mints a try. My DS and GS also suffer from this. My GS too has gotten some relief from the mints and keeps a supply in his school locker.

My dd has it very badly and I have had it off and on. I am convinced mine started when I ate at an Indian restaurant; I was out of whack and miserable for over a year. My dd also started with it after eating at a different restaurant, though she has always had what I'd call a touchy stomach and was unable to eat when nervous or excited. The last couple of years it's been very bad: colonoscopy, endoscopy, stomach-emptying test, gastro doc, dietician. And a celiac test for which she tested negative. HOWEVER, when she stopped eating gluten, things improved. I read recently that one can test negative for celiac and still have the symptoms. I have a theory concerning Monsanto, but I'll not mention that here. All I know is that there are waaaayyyy too many with this condition recently for there not to be a good reason for it. Dd found a different dietician whose diet she is following carefully, and she is feeling much, much better. She still is not really able to travel as she has to eat very specific foods, but she can function well now. Her trips to the bathroom are less often now and when she does have a "spell," it's for only a few days or a week.

First and foremost, you must have a colonoscopy and endoscopy if you haven't done so yet. After that, start to research--you'll be amazed at how many different people suffer from this and how much information on how to deal with it there is. I wish you good luck and better health!

One thing that most drs don't mention and many IBS patients aren't aware of--is that SUGAR is a major culprit in the condition. Sugar is a serious irritant to the digestive tract, and can make IBS much worse. Everyone worries about fat, spices, etc, but few are aware of the sugar component.

My DH has had IBS for the past 40+ years. During one extremely bad stretch for him, he found that eating a Panzarotti (a fried, spicy pizza turnover thing) gave him no problems, but the supposedly 'safe' things I was making for him like Angel food cake would cause all kinds of problems.

He manages very well these days, by taking a fiber drink every morning for regularity, and limiting his sugar intake. He rarely ever has more than minor discomfort.

Of course, you HAVE been tested for everything else, right? One should never accept a diagnosis of IBS until all other possible causes (Krohn's, ulcers, gaul bladder issues, etc) have been ruled out. Good luck--hope you find the right combination of treatment and diet that will work for you. It IS possible to manage with IBS--doesn't seem to be putting too much of a crimp in Tyra Banks' career!

Have you had your gall bladder removed??? I suffered from this for years after, and finally found out that acid in stomach was flooding (supposed to be held in the gall bladder) my digestive track instead of being released a little at a time. Doctor put me on Questran, which I mix with juice and drink once a day. Problem solved immediately, and doesn't return unless I neglect to use it. Sure wish I had learned about this 20 years ago....

azalea - I know this will sound ridiculous, but what may cause your husband problems with Angel food cake could be the egg whites (assuming you are making it from scratch - if from a box, then we have the preservatives). I don't have IBS but I do have urethritis - I have had acid based kidney stones, so really have to watch the purines and oxalics and now I have several gall stones (found when I had an X-ray for something I fortunately do not have) - but bottom line is now they are a pre-existing condition. So when I looked at the gall stone diet, foods that were supposedly okay for gall stones were the opposite of those on the acid-based kidney stone diet. Sweet potatoes would fall into this category - besides they are orange - and everything orange is a problem it seems. And the problems always start at night. And of course I am obsessed with my gall stones and want them gone but I first need to have an attack. I live in Ontario and there is no such thing as taking care of gall bladder problems in a non-crisis manner. I hope your husband can continue to eat his Panzarottis - if nothing else - an excuse to have them.

Azzalea--my dd was also told my her dietician to stay away from sugar as much as possible. She's pretty good about it most of the time, but there are days.....

Sugar's pretty near addictive, isn't it?

Chocolate, too.

o j ... if so, who's reputedly a double addict (though not troubled by ibs)

Thanks for all the info. It is a miserable thing to live with. Nothing truly helps, no meds, nothing. UGLY

Why not mention the Monsanto thing? Like how Bt is added to corn, how wheat is modified so much it is but a shell of what it used to be? I don't doubt these things wreak havoc on our systems.
There are some great books on the subject (IBS and the like - my mini rant on Monsanto is finished). It is a very strict lifestyle at first but in time you do get to reintroduce some foods once you find out your offenders. Mine are gluten (wheat, barley, spelt, kamut, rye), dairy, soy, peanuts, too many carbohydrates. I find I can have butter so that helps.
I never thought I could adhere to such a diet or even believed it when I started but it literally changed my life. There is also a lot of information on leaky gut and IBS. The results are so positive that the diet change makes in all worth it, IMO. Good luck.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Vicious-Cycle-Intestinal-Through/dp/0969276818/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363829274&sr=8-1&keywords=elaine+gottschall%27s+book+breaking+the+vicious+cycle+intestinal+health+through+diet

Thanks for the "rant," cookie. :) You are soooo right. I think I usually evoke rolling eyes when I bring up political subjects and didn't want to hijack.

Jensen, you CAN feel better if you educate yourself and realize you can live happily without eating some of the things you've become used to--If my daughter can come back from her misery (and large weight loss,) so can you!

I think you need to be real clear on what the underlying problem is. Many doctors just label it "IBS" or "IBD" without tracking down the real culprit.

UCLA diagnosed me with Ulcerative Colitis and for 2 years nothing helped. We tried 3 different medications and diet changes and still, nothing worked.

I got fed up and decided to see another doctor. Went to Cedars-Sinai and endured all the testing again. Only this time they came back with a different diagnosis - Crohn's Disease. And that's when they started me on mercaptopurine (affectionately referred to as 6-MP). I've been in remission for over 8 years with no symptoms.

And while they were at it, they also did testing for something called Bacterial Overgrowth (Google it). It's a companion situation in over 50% of patients with the Inflammatory Bowel cluster of illnesses. They took care of that too.

Don't self diagnose and don't hesitate to get a second opinion if you aren't getting results from your current doctor.

IBD/IBS diseases are a family of illnesses which are difficult to diagnose and may have very different approaches in treatement. The right diagnosis is the first step.

Good luck to you. I've felt your pain.