You know that thing where sports commentators are watching their baseball/football/lacrosse/whatever people play in your part of the world match, and they say something like "Wow, that Portchester guy is the best damn lacrosse player I ever saw and he's gonna get the puck in the sweepnet any minute", and then the Portchester guy immediately falls over and breaks all the bones in his body?
I believe it's called the commentators' curse, and I seem to have fallen victim to its close cousin, the bloggers' curse, this past week.
No sooner had I written an entry saying I was so well I didn't have anything to write about, my intestines gave me something to write about. They've very helpful like that. Sometimes they even make the bed.
Now, it has to be said that I may have contributed to my own demise here, because on Sunday night I dropped my magnesium intake down from 450mg a day to 350mg a day. This was because for several weeks, perhaps longer, I had been verging on the D side of things, nothing major but not quite normal either, and so I was trying to correct the balance. In fact, I would say that since I started taking the 450 dose I had been slightly on the D side of normal, only just, but still a little off base.
However, on Wednesday and Thursday things seemed to swing too far the other way though, and I had a particularly pleasant session in the bathroom during which I can only assume that a small and badly co-ordinated hippo was attempting to climb out of my sphincter.
I took that as a warning that my body was objecting to the drop in magnesium, so I went up to 400mg a day, and for the last couple of days I have felt fine. I am fairly hopeful that I can keep things on an even keel with 400mg a day, or if not perhaps 400mg some days and 450mg when the hippo situation arises.
Of course, knowing my luck and the sensitivity of the IBS intestine, my ideal level of magnesium is probably 413mg a day, or 427.00782mg a day, in which case I have a small problem. But still, at least I have felt fine again for the last couple of days, and at least the magnesium actually seems to have an effect on my gut, which is encouraging. And I've made a nice hutch for the hippo.
HAve you ever tried the amitiza which they have now released here?
I know the Zelnorm has been voluntarily w/d in the US, but the amitiza samples given to me by my dr were absolutely HORRIBLE> the new drug triggered my colon for DAYS. i have kept my zelnorm, just in case.
diet has worked best for me. good and bad days, less stress the better...more exercise, pilates, the better, too.
darc
Hi Sophie,
Yes, there's such a huge difference between feeling awful and not having a clue what's caused it, and feeling awful and being able to pinpoint exactly why, like, for example, in your case, because you cut down on magnesium. In the first situation you feel so confused and powerless and like you're struggling against a mysterious force that is much bigger than you. In the second, you feel much more in control (as you said in a previous entry), and that makes it much easier to deal with the horrible symptoms when they arise, because you are pretty sure you know why they started, and, most importantly, how to make them go away.
The most horrible thing about IBS is feeling that nothing you do will ever make any difference. I'm really hopeful that all of us will, eventually, through trial and error, hit on the magic combination that works for us and our own unique form of IBS.
Personally, I've found that cutting down on fibre, and sticking to refined carbohydrates, and not too much fruit and veg, is helping me a lot. I'm going to have to do loads more tweaking, but it's a great start.
Hoping you're still feeling really good on the 400/450mg combination,
Debbie
Hi . I'm new and it's great to have found you. Thanks for this, Sophie.
I've had IBS since the early 90s, which is also when my pre-existing hypothyroidism started to deteriorate. My thyroid specialist and my nutritionist both told me there is a link between low thyroid and gut problems, with poor absorption, which is interesting. My mum is also hypothyroid and has ulcerative colitis. Ask for a thyroid test? Now on thyroid my body temperature, fatigue, aches and pains and chronic constipation are so much better on thyroid, but not so much my guts. A lot to fix all at once!
I was lucky, it seems, to get to see a nutritionist at the hospital, who told me how to conduct my own exclusion tests and get on with it myself. I was not able to reintroduce any grains except corn and rice, nothing in the deadly nightshade family (potatoes, toms, peppers, etc and no wonder I loath tobacco smoke!) citrus, peanuts and cashews. Coffee, but OK on weak tea (I thank God :) I lost 13 kg in 5 weeks while eating like a horse all I was allowed, and felt so much better. That was in '03. And I also find that having cut a food out you react more strongly to it if you make a mistake, rather than the rest doing you good. I haven't knowingly cheated on my diet, but it's hard. Since '05 the weight has been creeping back on, and so has the flatulence, well creeping out really! Then last week I noticed sesame immediately gave me a metallic taste, an intoxicated feeling and slight swelling of tongue and throat. Woa! I think intolerances are subtle while fast reactions are truly allergic, so this was a surprise, though I know that's how it can happen. I'm the same with Penicillin, wheat (even processed gluten-free wheat) and sugars commonly made from wheat, like (multi)dextrose and glucose - (my nutritionist told me to watch for those, and white pepper shakers in cafes - sometimes 'cut' with flour!!) But the other banned foods affect my guts the next day, in the familiar way. So my experience is of a mixture of reactions. I expect there is something else I haven't spotted that I shouldn't be eating. That fits my picture anyway. The acid reflux hasn't returned though, truly a blessing. Stomach acid blockers cause a vicious circle in my experience. Mastic capsules helped there, and diet. But I can add reactions to smelling perfumes and many chemicals and mouldy environments to my list. Anyone else notice that?
I deal with an IBS attack with digestive enzymes, slippery elm, charcoal, ginger, mint, fennel, gripe water! Probiotics, oh, and Weleda Melissa Comp. drops, which if I had to choose just one I would still kill for – magic for nausea. And water. Constipation responds gently to OxyOxC (though with thyroid I don’t need that anymore) diarrhoea and constipation both to Psyllium. I’m assuming here that it’s helpful to share remedies :) Heamarrhoids anybody? Follows on inexorably from constipation. I had a laser put where the sun don't shine, but it came back. Avatrol fixed it though. GP impressed! I swear by Avatrol, which has the wonderful advantage of being taken by mouth! Get a diagnosis first though. Best to know what you have, or rather be sure about what you don't have ;)
My considered opinion is that we live under an onslaught of life stresses and overwork, in an environment of subtly acting novel chemicals in many manufactured products, eating (at some time or another)processed food with additives, and our poor immune systems don't know which way is up. We didn’t evolve to live in these conditions. The effects are not evident upon initial testing (you hope they tested) but eventually we, the sensitive ones, have a 'gut' reaction. Our guts are right. I wonder whether eventually the tough ones will get sick too. Well, that's one big picture, I suppose.
Hope I haven't broken any etiquette by sounding off :)
Love and Stuff
Belinda
I had been suffering from IBS for two years and finally I got cured 100%.
I had diarrheal ibs and in six months I have lost like 40 lbs. I tried get treated in all way from Modern Medical science,Homepathy,Natual Pathy. But I got nothing from it. Then I went to India and there I learn Yoga for IBS. I did it for six month and gradually I was getting better.
Finally I am cured and I started eating everything like Wheat,milk product, fruits....
If u guys really want to be cured , u better start paranayaam yoga.........Good Luck
Sorry to Darcy for the delay in answering your question - been a bit hectic round here lately!
I can't try the Amitiza because I'm in the UK, and it's never been released over here - we've never had Lotronex or Zelnorm either unfortunately.