Activated charcoal and nausea

toasted bread ,scrambled eggs and roibos tea for breakfast...

rice/ boiled potatoes, chicken / fish and veggies for lunch...

toasted bread and a cup of tea for dinner with some butter occasionally.

2/ 3 glasses of red wine most days of the week.

I snack on fruits or nuts most days.

I have to admit that the food is mostly fried and not boiled. I only go on a bland oil free diet when my symptoms flare up.

I do not take milk anymore as it makes my stomach gurgle and causes diarrhea.

I see. I think GERD and acid reflux are pretty similar. I have been on medication for my acid reflux before, but came off it when I realised that taking it for a prolonged period of time would make the reflux worse than before (thankfully I did because the doctor didn't mention it). When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do before any food or other fluid intake is to drink a 250ml glass of water with x1 teaspoon of organic unfiltered unpasteurised cider vinegar. I've been doing this for about a year now and my acid reflux has almost disappeared since. I don't know for other people, but red wine has always irritated my guts since having acid reflux.

I can eat bread occasionally, but eating bread/wheat any more than once a week or so just continually makes me bloated. Have you tried cutting out bread and wheat products for a month? Also, it may seem odd, but I think sometimes people forget to fart, or hold them in at work, which can cause painful bloating.

My last question is: how much effort are you prepared to make to try and make yourself better? I'm asking you this because through my experience on here, as soon as I mention to people that they should try eating vegan for 2-3 months, they're suddenly uninterested in making the effort to try and help themselves (I didn't go vegan for health reasons, but since becoming vegan, it's improved my health and almost completely cured my lifelong IBS).

My IBS got better without making any diet changes because food was not the cause. Stress is my trigger and as long as I try to avoid stress, my symptoms stay away.

I've never heard of stress being the main cause, but I'm happy that you identified what it was and have dealt with it yourself.

My doctor identified stress as the cause and IBS can be triggered six months after a stressful event which happened to me. It can also happen after an accumulation of years of stress and anxiety. It is a well known cause of IBS and once you have IBS, bouts of stress and anxiety can trigger flare ups. The gut brain link is very strong and any emotional upsets can also be felt in the gut. The intestinal nerves are very sensitive and there are more there than in the spinal cord.

I am ready to try anything to have a somewhat normal life again. my condition is putting a lot of stress on my everyday life.

I'd recommend going vegan for 2-3 months then. I wasn't aware of the stress factors that contribute to IBS that pippa58442 mentioned, but going vegan almost completely cured my IBS and improved other health issues of mine. And by vegan, I don't mean the harder to do, raw vegan diet. You can still eat vegan junk food if you like eating that stuff. There's a load of information on the veganuary website should you want any more information.

hi Pippa! I met a doctor who told me I could have IBS and put me on mebeverine and that made my symptoms even worse. I tried food diary in the past which wasn't of much help. some days I ate foods that are believed to be triggers a s had a perfect day, other days even taking water bloated me and gives me nausea. I am completely lost! Do i need a colonoscopy? I feel my doctors are missing something.

and how do you manage your IBS?

Mebeverine made me worse too but Buscopan worked without side effects. It doesn't sound like doctors are missing something. It may be that you need to keep tweaking your diet and ask for a different antispasmodic. Have you tried the fodmap diet? Ask your doctor if you need a colonoscopy.

My IBS is under control without doing anything except for avoiding stress.

thanks Pippa. Will see my doc next week and ask. living with digestive problems is really not fun.

Maybe try distraction techniques like light exercise such as walking and concentrate on a hobby. This can help to relieve symptoms. Anxiety can make stomach problems worse.

You are right Pippa, when I go out with friends or do something that keeps my mind away from my tummy, I 'll feel pretty ok. but when I get home, everything turns upside down. I am crying real tears because I can't believe at 36 years old I can have so many digestive issues. this worries me a lot. I have 3 kids that need me.😞

The problem you really need help with is your anxiety rather than your stomach. Since you have seen that your stomach improves when out with friends but gets worse when you go home and think about your symptoms, this is an indication that you need to ask your doctor about relaxation therapy or CBT. Distraction techniques helped me in the same way you describe. When you start to relax, this can really calm your stomach. Once I started to calm down, it really helped my gut symptoms. Your doctor is mentioning anxiety because he or she had noticed that anxiety is a real problem for you.

yes Pippa, I couldn't agree more. thank you for always getting back to me and reassure me that i can manage my symptoms. I appreciate it.

Best of luck.