sick daughter
#8212 - 05/03/03 08:15 PM
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Our young teenage daughter has recently been diagnosed with IBS, and had such severe constipation that she had to have the "golightly" treatment in the hospital. The constipation was cleared up, but the opposite IBS symptoms have developed and worsened. She has had near constant diarrhea and horrible pain after that ordeal in the hospital, and she is mostly miserable. She has pain immediately after eating, and a lot of bloating. I have just purchased Heather's books, and am cramming. We have started the rice+bananas+peppermint tea only diet today, and she got through the day without being doubled over with cramps, nausea or diarrhea, but she felt a few gripping (and releasing) sensations in her gut. My worry is her tendency towards severe constipation, and this diet will get her to that stage quickly if I don't do something about adding something to "get her going". I have ground some North American Nutrition brand flax seed up, and we were using that for a few days along with some unground flax seed, until her pain became so intense that we stopped everything. I realize now, after reading Heather's book (I'm about half way through) that the unground flax seed was probably not a good idea. How about the ground seed? Does it need to be heated to inactivate the prussic acid? For someone with a severe IBS flare, is it ok to simply sprinkle the seed on a banana, for example, or is it better to cook it in some dish? She had three very good days with flax, but then things went downhill upon having a take-out Chinese meal. (We now know better!) She has a terrible time with bloating, and this is causing great distress, as you might imagine, for a teen. Any recommendations on how to introduce a gentle, natural "mover" without causing the severe bloating or IBS-type reaction of diarrhea, pain, cramping and nausea? Thanks for any suggestions!
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Quote:
My worry is her tendency towards severe constipation, and this diet will get her to that stage quickly if I don't do something about adding something to "get her going".
I promise that, as Heather says in her books, her diet will NOT cause or worsen constipation. The soluble fiber really does work for both constipation and diarrhea. That said, if your daughter DOES wind up needing some flaxseed along with her soluble fiber supplement (has she begun taking one?), now is NOT the time to introduce it. Stick to rice, bananas, peppermint tea, French bread, saltines, and a soluble fiber supplement, etc. for as long as it takes for your daughter's pain to ease--then worry about flaxseeds and a more "balanced" diet (protein and fruits and vegies). But don't worry about Heather's diet exacerbating your daughter's constipation--if it didn't work for those of us with IBS-C, we wouldn't be here on the boards  .
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Thank you for the advice! We're still a little concerned, however, because while the "pipes are open", things are a little dry and sparse. She's had several really painless days, now, however, and that's such a relief!
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Hi - Make sure your daughter is drinking lots and lots of water or herbal teas. This will help tremendously.
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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