Quote:

---

Hi there. Welcome to the boards, I hope you can find some helpful information here. I am gonna try and answer a few of your questions as best I can, but feel free to look around the website and read other posts and things to get the info you need too.
A doctor told me I had it because he couldn't find anything else. I've only really had D 4 times in the past 6 months, but I often have loose stools or just a large amount of it but not loose. I have cramping and bloating but it doesn't seem to be as severe as what other people on here have.
Yep, that sounds about right. IBS is something that once doctors have tested for everything else that is similar to it can diagnose you with. If you have the kind of symptoms you are talking about, even mildly, it is most likely that you are dealing with IBS.
It sounds to me like your IBS is quite mild, and flares up in stressful situations. This being said, it should be somewhat easier for you to try and control your symptoms with some diet and lifestyle changes that may not be as dramatic as some other people who deal with very severe symptoms.
Anyway since I was going through a lot of emotional issues I started eating a lot less and now I'm trying to eat normally again. I've lost about 15 lbs and it really hurts to eat a normal amount. I'm even trying to eat more than normal so I can gain weight... but I get pretty bloated.
IBS aside, it is very hard for our bodies to adjust to very different amount of food intake, be it eating way more or way less than what we are used to. That being said, your stomach is probably so used to eating very small amounts of food that is has 'shrunk' to the point where it only allows so much before you feel full. Trying to eat more and more in meals quickly WILL inevitably make you feel full and bloated, so it's better to start off slowly.
One thing you should be doing is eating small amounts of food, but very frequently throughout the day. Eating 6 small meals, for example, is a lot easier on our stomachs than 3 large meals. For you, you might have to start out with quite small amounts at each "mini-meal" and gradually work your way up.
One way to easily follow the diet for IBS and to add a lot of calories to your diet (and thus to promote some weight gain) is through sugars. Eating snacks with high sugar (and thus high calorie) should encourage your body to gain weight. Heavy carbs like potatoes and pasta are good for this as well. Protein is also important, and if you can try to have small amounts with every meal. If you can tolerate them, sometimes crushed nuts and things have high protien and 'good fats' as well.
My whole life has become about eating and gaining weight since I quit my job because of emotional issues and feeling sick.
Stress is a huge trigger for lots of people with IBS, and one of the things that is absolutely crutial for dealing with your symptoms is to find and incorporate into your daily life stress management techniques. Getting enough sleep, exercise, possibly therapy or some other outlet for what you are feeling... all that stuff is important not just for your IBS, but for your overall wellbeing.
One thing I would suggest to you is to try the hypnotherapy program. Especially is stress seems to be the root of your stomach problems, the program should be really beneficial to you. It is one way of dealing with stress and the resulting stomach issues without going on any or anymore medication.
My mom keeps telling me to get on some type of IBS medication, she's on Notriptyline, but I don't even know if this would help me. Basically I don't want to poop out all the food I'm starting to put in my body. But no doctor has ever offered me meds, I didn't even know people took meds for IBS! I'm already on Lexapro, and I know all my tummy issues are from my emotions....
Yep, a lot of people with IBS do go on medicatin but there isn't one "IBS med" that I can suggest to you. First it depends on what aspect of the IBS you are trying to treat. I, for example, take a medication called Asacol that people with Colitis (another bowel disorder) that just deals with my D and stomach cramps. I was also taking amitryptiline (like notryptiline) to deal with both the anxiety I developed from the IBS and because it constipates a little.
Other people take different medications for pain, for d, for constipation, for anxiety, for depression... The list goes on and on. If you feel like you need some sort of medication to help, you need to discuss with your doctor what EXACTLY you want to be treated.
I just want to be able to eat and gain weight without pain. IS that even possible?Does everyone experience bloating while trying to gain weight? It's probably rough on anyone's body, stretching out intestines and tummies, etc.... any tips?
I think that undoubtedly while your body is adjusting to eating more, you will feel some discomfort.. but if you carry on _gradually_ and _consistently_, it should be very shortlived.
There are other things that I can suggest that aren't prescription medication and might help with digestion and any discomfort...
-Peppermint - Peppermint tea after meals helps digestion, relieves cramping and can help if you get D from any foods. If you brew the tea, make it strong and drink it when it is still hot/warm. You can also get peppermint capsules which are effective, but lack the comfort of the 'heat' from the tea.
-Fennel tea is great for bloating. When I used to get really bad pains and bloating, I would right away make a cup of really strong peppermint and fennel tea and it usually started to help right away.
-Heating pads are good for pain, cramps, bloating and D.
-Consider taking a soluble fiber supplement like Heather's Acacia, or Metamucil or something. This can really help with all symptoms - be sure to read up on them, though, and to add them VERY GRADUALLY into your diet so you don't get any side effects from having too much fiber at once.
-Drink loads of water.
-Exercise is really helpful for bloating.
-Diet... Even if stress is your major trigger, you want to be careful about what you are putting in your body. Avoid spicy foods, dairy products, carbonated drinks, alcohol, caffiene and deep fried/high fat foods. Stick to foods that are easy to digest.
If your symptoms are quite mild, I suspect you might be able to eliminate most of them through diet changes, drinking the herbal teas and using stress management techniques without having to go on any other medication.

If you have any other questions, be sure to ask!
Hope this helps at least a little bit!

Cheers,
--Steph

---