Stomach woes...any advice?

I suffer from a mild version of IBS as well, but mine is on the other end of the spectrum with me getting diarhea at at the drop of a hat. (I just realized I don't know how to spell diarhea...) I've dealt with it for almost ten years. I'm pretty confident that I have some form of control over it with a few tricks.

Stress is one of the biggest triggers and I have to be very careful what I eat when I'm stressed out. I cut out sodas. I cut back on dairy, and processed foods. I try to buy organic when I can afford it.

I eat a cup of yogurt every day. The active cultures really help keep my stomach in check. Which is hard for me because I really don't like yogurt. I also eat small meals and I drink lots of water.

Over all, you should give everything a try that has been suggested by previous posters. It could be an allergy, it could be that your body has a hard time digesting certain foods like dairy or gluten. There are lots of possibilities and I'm a big advocate of finding a resolution that doesn't require taking medication. For me, medication was a last resort and one that I was thankful to avoid.

Good luck!

So I guessing they checked your colon too? when I have stomach issues, I take a teaspoon of olive oil with a tiny pinch of salt. I don't know why but it works.

kohler44 I'm SOOO very glad you posted this! I'm right there with you. I get soooo bloated that I seriously look pregnant and am embarresed to go to work. I've ben to the docotors and I was told it was IBS, then Helicobacter Pylori, then ulcers, then lupus and now i'm going for a bactereia test and then a colonsocopy (which I may or may not do, i'm so scared!!).
I've had this for about 5 years now and i'm so sick of it. I just fear that one day the doctors will say something like "woops, we messed up, it was cancer and you're gonna die tommorrow". But like you, i'm at my witts end and don't know what to do.

I'm starting an organic diet next week to see if that helps, and I head abotu acupuncture which i'm willing to try... I bought aloe vera juice yesterday and will be doing a clense by drinking cabbage juice every morning..(i know, it sounds gross, but i've turned to nature for help) I'll let you know if this has any positive effects for me...

Thanks Geoffygirl, I haven’t heard of that one, I read a bit about it, it kinda seems like it is more geared toward people with the opposite problem that I have, but I will run it by my MD and see what he thinks. :)

Chow- No, I haven’t tried yoga and the only silly reason being is because the classes are so late at my gym! I would like to try it so maybe I will check in to the other gym locations and see if there are classes any earlier than 7:30 at night. In the interim, Im definitely going to look in to acupuncture. Sounds like a lot of the girls swear by it!

Ms. Sumono- Ive tried EVERYTHING and when I say everything, I really mean it! Yep, Ive tried prune juice, green tea, digestive tea, Ive eaten a bag of dried fruit – none of it works. :(

Wilcox & Caribear- I know portion control does seem to help – and sometimes I feel so sick, I don’t want to eat anyway! I rarely ever drink soda, so that really isn’t a problem, but I do know that I could definitely use more fiber in my diet and am going to work on upping my intake.

Champ & Moe- An allergy test might be a good idea, it’s definitely worth a shot, Ive done every other test which I'm sure are way more intrusive than that, so what the heck! Its just so frustrating not having an answer and constantly playing Russian roulette with my food! I never know what type of food is going to trigger my symptoms…

Redluv- Yep, they’ve done that too and all was clear. Its weird, my tests keep coming back clean so that is why they are at such a loss as to what to do for me.

Gonda- You're welcome!;) Ive already done the colonoscopy and its really not that bad. I ended up being put all the way out (I don't think they meant to, I must have just been sensitive). You wake up feeling extremely bloated, but that is just because of all the air they use while checking you out. It comes out pretty quick. I think the worst part was prepping for it the night before, you have to drink A LOT with the prep kit they give you, but its kinda nice because you DO get cleaned out! I'm really interested in your organic diet that you are going to start - do you have a set plan and will you email it to me? Id like to try it :) I too also want to try the Aloe Vera juice, but I would think the cabbage juice every morning may just add to the excess gas?

Thank you all so much for the suggestions, I guess I'm back to the drawing board as to how to self diagnose since the doctors are baffled! I think that I'm going to look for a local acupuncturist and make a run to the Natural Foods store for Aloe Vera juice and maybe some digestive enzyme supplements or something.

Kohler - That is the pw.com response to beat all pw.com responses. That goes down in the record books! You def got every single one of us ;)

Ha ha, thanks! I know Im a dork, but there was so much great information from so many of the girls that I wanted to address it all! -Not to mention it was a nice escape from the madness of my office right now! :)

I've tried all the same things that you have and I suffer from these symptoms to the nth degree.

I've been told to try not having any caffeine, eat a little less red meat and also try taking some enzymes like, "Pearl". It's part of those botic cultures?

I'm going to try them and I'll tell you if it helps.

vychang, I tried it once before, before it was OTC, and it didn't help, but was thinking I might try it again. Im up for trying anything....thanks! :)

kohler~Have you tried keeping a journal of what you eat and indicate when it happens? That might help you see what some triggers are without eliminating certain foods.

Also, I just remembered that my mom recently told me that iceberg lettuce (only iceberg) screws up my grandma's stomach, but she can eat any other type of lettuce. So it could be something like that or how certain foods are prepared, cooked vs raw, etc....

I feel your pain. I'm feeling the bloats and water retention right now. My period is so off because of the stress of wedding planning. It's all over the place. Here are a couple suggestions.

I have found that magnesium supplements help me immeasurably. It has solved my problem with constipation.

Dandelion root helps with the water retention.

I know I'm sensitive to milk and it always makes me retain water, so now that I've cut that out I'm much better.

I know how it is when you wake up and your clothes feel comfy and then bam(!), it feels like you've gained 5 lbs. Ugh.

My mom is on this IBS diet that has saved her from a life of misery. I will ask her what it is and post it later.

Shana