Info on IBS and what other suffers have done

[DiaperDiva]

Hi all.

My mom has IBS and is pretty frustrated at the lack of helpful information she has received/found.

Can anyone who has this condition perhaps give lists or links to food that is ok to eat? My mom is pretty vegetarian now and has cut out a lot of her dairy, perhaps all? She drinks soy milk. Perhaps a switch to Almond or Rice could help?

Anyway any and all info regarding foods and natural meds would be helpful. I think she might come here to register. Thanks again ladies and gents.

[TexasSuz]

A good place to go for help is a website called ibsgroup.org
They discuss every aspect of IBS. Remember though that everyone's IBS is different - what works for one person might not work for someone else. You might also want to make sure your mom really has IBS and not something else. I am in the process of getting tests run by a gastro specialist to determine just that. IBS is what they label you if all the tests come out ok and you still suffer from problems.

Hope that helps. Check out that web-site - it is great!

Susan

[DiaperDiva]

Suz~


AWESOME! Looks like this site could really help my mom out, and I see they have natural alternatives.

I am not aware of the process taken to come to her diagnosis, but will ask her when I call tomorrow.

Thanks again

[OceanMomma]

Has she tried taking aloe vera juice in the mornings & evenings ? I know a guy with IBS & he swears by it.

Maybe also check out if it isn't coeliac disease. Dad got like IBS type symptoms, had all sorts of crap off the docs who did countless tests with no results until they told him it was either stomach cancer or colitis but they had to do the thing where they stick a tube down your throat & take part of the stomach lining out to test Poor thing!

Turned out to be a gluten allergy he'd developed as he got older. Altho' to be honest, I think it was more an allergy to some pesticide they used on wheat since he could eat the bread in Portugal without symptoms.

[owensmom]

I just heard an author speak on her book, I think titled "no more heartburn", but it covers all sorts of tummy troubles (wow, I just spelled that trubbles...). I don't remember her name, she also has a book called Pain Free in 6 Weeks. She sounded very interesting...

[mary ann]

i have IBS and followed a strict diet for about 4 months while getting accupuncture regularly and taking chinese herbs... since then, i've pretty much been able to eat what i want... but when i get a flare up i go back to my bland diet for a few days... my chinese dr. is what helped me the most!

[DiaperDiva]

I spoke to my mom a few nights ago and asked her how they came to the diagnosis. She said she had discribed her symptoms to her doctor and the doctor said, "oh you have IBS." UGH!! So I told my mom about the series of tests and that she might actually have something other than IBS. I also gave her the site addresses you all mentioned above. Very cool. Thanks so much.

BTW, my mom is vegetarian now, and has cut out caffeine, sugar, sweets, and dairy from her diet. She exercises regularly and gets massages and goes to a chiropractor a lot.

She has went to a webiste that listed a FEW foods she could eat. Which left pretty much nothing but carrots. My mom is a little women, 5'7" MAYBE 110 or 120 pounds. If she cut back anymore on her food she would fly away.

Thank you for the great info and advicec though, I will pass it along to her

[TexasSuz]

One more thing:

Since your mom drinks soy milk - make sure that she drinks one that is not made with carrageenan. It is a natural thickener that is made from seaweed but has been linked to gastro intestinal problems and cancer in animals. Most soy milks contain this ingredient but Vitasoy, Soy Dream, 8th Continent, and Eden Soy do not. I switched brands just to be on the safe side. You can do a search on carrageenan on the internet if you want to look at some of the research.

Hope your mom finds some relief, IBS is no fun!

Susan