Recently been diagnosed with ibs and need advice
Posted , 9 users are following.
ive just recently been diagnosed with ibs ive been going through a stressful time and i am quite young however i was wondering if anyone had the same symptoms as me for months ive had stomach gurgling and lost of wind/trapped wind some slight stomach pain in both upper and lower. also severe constipation and urges to go even when i cant. however one question i would like to ask is if anyone has had their back passage feel uncomfortable like sometimes its feels like you need to go but but you can feel it in your back passage ive been put on fybogel and its help slightly but i dont want to up relying on it has anyone else felt like this and has any tips one thing i should mention is i had a ct scan and the only thing it showed was a lot of poo in the colon so i dont know if im emptying my bowels properly or what
0 likes, 61 replies
martin31040 han90045
Posted
Hi, reduce your fibre intake, eat foods that are low in fibre, there is no scientific evidence that fibre reduces constipation, fibre causes bloating and constipation in many people, check out the FODMAP diet it is very helpful.
han90045 martin31040
Posted
so what would be the best thing to reduce constipation and i thought fiber just makes gas worse
lily65668 han90045
Posted
If I can butt in on this one - I don't think there are any firm rules as to whether fibre makes gas/constipation either better or worse. It seems to vary from one person to another, so we all have to try and find our own way through the maze.
In my own case, fibre quite definitely makes gas worse but cutting it out increases constipation.
I'm still experimenting with different kinds of fibre, but even if I found the right balance it wouldn't necessarily be right for you. For example, many people swear by prune juice or eating prunes. I've done several trials of both, and in my case prunes in any form make the gas problem totally unbearable while having little or no effect on constipation. However, you might find it's completely different for you.
The only thing I've found so far that very slightly improves constipation without significantly increasing gas is eating a big handful of sultanas or other raisins every day. However, you might find the opposite - and so might I in a couple of months' time, as this thing seems to be variable even in the same individual.
The bottom line is that suggestions from others can be helpful, but we each of us have to find out what works for us.
martin31040 han90045
Posted
Hi, there is evidence that reducing fibre helps with constipation, in studies fibre causes bloating and constipation, so just read labels and avoid high fibre foods, check online high and low fibre foods, referring to the FODMAP diet is very useful.
martin31040 lily65668
Posted
Hi, prunes contain a lot of sorbitol which causes bloating, some studies have been done that show reducing fibre helps greatly reducing constipation.
pippa58442 martin31040
Posted
Prunes and prune juice don't affect everyone badly because not everyone has adverse reactions to sorbitol. They help me.I was told to increase fibre for my constipation and this worked for me. My doctor gave me this advice. People are paid to do research and negative articles sell better than positive ones.Increased fibre works differently for all of us. There is no one size fits all approach. . Research is not always accurate, is very general and doesn't tell you whether it will help you personally or not. If you were to listen to everything you hear and read, you wouldn't do anything out of fear and anxiety. The best research is to try a certain food types to see if they suit you or not. Only then will you be able to tell what effect they will have on you.. If you don't try, you will never know.
pippa58442 martin31040
Posted
I recommend trying to increase fibre first of all before assuming you need to reduce it,
han90045 lily65668
Posted
thanks guess thats what makes this so hard is because it can be different fir everyone like you said but its always helpful to hear peoples recommendations hopefully we can all eventually find something that works for us
han90045 pippa58442
Posted
yeah thats the part im going through at the moment just trying different things out and yeah im starting out by increasing fiber to see how i go
pippa58442 han90045
Posted
This is the best thing to do because it is more accurate than relying solely on scientific papers. Science does not tell us how each of us individually will respond. Experimentation is the key.
martin31040 pippa58442
Posted
Yes this is true, try it is the only way.
Emis_Moderator martin31040
Posted
Medical research into fibre has moved on in recent decades and it is recognised that for some people, increasing insoluble fibre can worsen symptoms of conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. However, there is high quality evidence that low fibre diets are linked with a higher risk of medical conditions including heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer (https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-01/tl-pss011019.php).
Many patients who cannot tolerate insoluble fibre in their diets find that they can tolerate soluble fibre, and that it improves gut-related symptoms.
You can find out more at https://patient.info/news-and-features/fibre-food-and-gut-bacteria
rick007 han90045
Posted
Hi han,
have you tried colon cleansing once a month of fortnight, if you can afford weekly. that helps in short term when you work on long term solutions.