Perhaps the greatest pleasure that I get from my IBS websites is reading the lovely messages that fellow sufferers send in from time to time to thank me for the sites or say that something they read about has helped reduced their symptoms.
The other day I received this email from a guy called Bill:
“I hope you had a wonderful tricky treaty Halloween and if you English celebrate Thanksgiving may you and your family have a great feast and know that many of us count you as one of the blessings we are thankful for this season of Thanksgiving.”
Isn’t that lovely? Thank you too, Bill!


I am a big time IBS sufferer and would love to have contact with others who also suffer, i have constant Constipation, and during a flare up i have severe gas pains, bloating belching and total exhaustion. I love my coffee and cannot even dring DEcaf when i am like this. Any help
chronic appendicitis may be a cause of ibs symptoms(and no,you may not feel pain on the right side)so get yourself tested(diagonistic laparoscopy)could be imp
Hi Nancy – have a good look through the IBS Treatment section of IBS Tales at http://www.ibstales.com/treatment-reviews.htm. There are lots of product reviews there for things that might help.
I suffer from severe IBS C. I ‘ve tried everything and nothing will help.My worse symtoms are c, bloating, gas cramps, headaches, severe cramps during my period every month. It’s so bad In lost my job. If anyone has any tips I’d love to hear them.
Thanks.
You can refer to my lengthy comment on “IBS at work” to read about my experience and road to wellness, but the gist of it is: do yourselves a major favor by checking out Heather Von Vorous’ books. The one I have “Eating for IBS” changed my life almost immediately and I was able to help control my IBS symptoms. I’m trying to let everyone I can know about this book. She’s an IBS sufferer herself, and she explains the nutritional aspect of IBS and how eating more soluble fiber helps calm the gut and limiting/carefully incorporating insoluble fiber in the diet. I’m on her email list, too, and she sends out frequent newsletters and she’s got a forum where IBS people can connect. Make sure to read the intro chapter, she does a great job of explaining what’s happening with the GI tract. It changed my miserable existence with daily agony, it’s worth the effort, trust me!
Hi,
You may want to see if you are a candidate for a drug called Questran. It worked wonders for me and I have tried them all. Also, if you are having bad spasms in your stomach/colon, try Bentyl. It is also a prescription drug but it helps to relax the stomach muscles, so on. Neither drug are addictive. Bentyl was a great help when I needed it. I took it everywhere with me in case things flared up and I got those awful painful spasms. You can get it in pill or liquid form. I liked the liquid form, even though it tasted wicked. It seemed to get into my system much faster when I needed it.
BTW, I have tried fiber, things to put good flora back into your system, RX and over the counter meds. The above mentioned meds where what worked best with me. You have to keep your chin up and keep trying new things. Hang in there, you will eventually find the right thing or combination of things! Just dont give up on yourself. I know sometimes it seems as if it will never let up or end, but be persistant in your quest for relief.
Take care!
Hello,
I just stumbled across this blog recently and felt I should share something that might be of benefit to some (maybe many) of the readers.
As mentioned in another post, IBS presents a challenge when it comes to treatment due to the fact that its a functional problem and there are no definitive lesions or readily identifiable problems in which an MD can point to a say, “ah, we found the cause.” And without having an obvious place to start, they prescribe meds and dispense dietary advice in hopes on managing the symptoms.
In grad school I had a good friend who suffered from IBS and she had been dealing with it since high school. Like many she had experimented with life-style based changes like diet, exercise, etc. and all had limited or temporary success.
It wasn’t until she saw a chiropractor for a different problem that she found a lasting solution to her IBS. Apparently, chiropractic treatments have an effect on central nervous system function and what that chiropractor did to her spine helped her IBS. After looking into it a bit more my friend discovered that recovering from IBS with the help chiropractic care is not a fluke, it happens a lot.
If IBS is indeed a functional problem, then it makes sense that it responds well to a treatment that helps the body function better.
It worked for her, it may work for you. By the way, not sure if it makes a difference, but she saw a chiropractor that specialized in problems with the upper neck only.
I have suffered with IBS for over 20 years now. I have severe pain & am very diarrhoea prominent with probably only ever 2 or 3 bouts of constipation (usually caused by something other than my IBS). I, like many have tried everything but nothing seems to work for me. I have lost so much weight from having diarrhoea every day that I look ill. I am constantly tired & was wondering where to turn next.
I was sorting out a chiropractic appointment for my daughter & clutching at straws I thought it may help me to. I haven’t managed to find much on the internet apart from personal stories on sites such as this. I will be seeing the chiropractor next week so will definately get back to you all & let you know how I get on (good or bad)! Here’s hoping.
hi , i m rehman 23 year old from pakistan…..i just saw ur site sophie u doing a gr8 job!!
i was diagnosed with ibs-d 2 years backs!! there is no as such proper guidance around here in pakistan!! so i usually hav to struggle alot with my gut issues!!
wat i need to ask here is.! i m 23 and weight is 49 kg!! watevee i eat, in excess or in high calories i m not able gain weight!! and that sometimes emabrrassing! do u guys hav any idea how do i gain weight knowing that i hav diarrhea predomionant ibs?
hope u guys will respond!
I have tried a program that seems to help many people. The book is called Breaking the Vicious Cycle. It works for many GI issues and IBS is one of them.