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IBS C/Gas/Bloat & Anxiety/Depression

Does anyone suffer from IBS C and gas and bloating?

My IBS started perhaps 7 years ago and was more of a feeling of incomplete evacuation. Taking Metamucil/psyllium husk would typically help. I then noticed alcohol and coffee would sometimes throw me off, but things were very manageable.

I got food poisoning about 5 years ago and I noticed things were never quite the same. The symptoms were more severe. So I took the bulking agents everyday.

Then about a year and a half ago it was a crazy fun/stressful summer. My buddy got married and I was in the wedding. I noticed that at the wedding I felt really good, my gut seemed almost normal. Thank goodness! Then I went back to work and I was more constipated than I've ever been in my entire life. I felt like my gut was irritated and I had to go 4-6 times a day, yet I would strain and barely anything would come out.

So I started taking Magnesium Citrate and this started to help a bit.

I then embarked on getting every test done under the sun! About $1,000 later and 18 months later I got no diagnosis from my gastroenterologists, none from my Integrative Doctor and I had given up on my General Practitioner. I was beyond Frustrated! People wanted me to try some of the most obscure stuff and nothing seemed cost effective or would work.

So Here was the journey:

Gastroenterologist: Colonoscopy and Endoscopy, blood work, Breath Test - nothing came back positive (that's good I guess)...I then begged them for a medication and they let me try Linzess and Trulance, both were awful! The side effects
Integrative Doctor - Heavy Metals Test, Blood Work, Stool Sample (He wanted me to try the the SCD Diet and low Dose Naltrexone and that’s when I said, I think I need to tackle Anxiety and other aspects, goodbye. I tried going carb free for 2.5 weeks, it helped ever so slightly but I felt so weak).
Dietician - Allergy Elimination Diet, then low FODMAP Diet (Allergy Elimination diet was terrible. Some relief from low FODMAP)
UBiome - Stool sample - (No real actionable information)
Professor/Doctor of Gastroenterology - Cognitive Behavior Therapy aimed at IBS
Allergy Testing - Sent Hair Follicles out for intolerance, nutrition and heavy metal testing

Currently, I still work with a dietician and am on a low FODMAP diet. I meditate sometimes. I still see the Professor/Doctor of Gastroenterology for CBT sessions. I also recently am trying out an anti-anxiety for the first time in years, as well as an antispasmodic.

It seems like my symptoms fluctuate. I’ve noticed that since I’ve started eating all organic and mostly whole foods, that I’ve lost a lot of weight, but I’m gassy alllllll the time. Occasionally it goes away, but lately it’s been constant. I think the stress of the Holidays, as well as letting my guard down slightly for the holidays with good I can’t seem to get rid of gas. I’m actually trying food combining this week. And if that doesn’t work I may next try intermittent fasting.

I have to say, I've suffered from Anxiety, depression and stress for years. Maybe 15 years. I tried a few generic medication about 7-10 years ago, no help. Recently I've done 90 consecutive days of meditation, 30 consecutive days of intense workouts, 75 consecutive days of Writing…..none really seemed to help all that much. I think I get some relief from the Cognitive Behavior Therapy, but I still feel really tense a lot of the time and my mind races uncontrollably.

My current regiment:
Meds: Escitalopram, Dicyclomine
Supplementation: Psyllium Husk 2x/ day, Neuromins, Vitamin E, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, ~1000 mg Magnesium Citrate.
Diet: Low FODMAP, removed all intolerances/triggers/sensitivities
Mental/Physical: Exercise, Meditate, Yoga (I have gotten pretty lazy about this as depression and fatigue has increased over the year, but I do try to get ½ of these in per week). Try to sleep as much as I can, however sometimes I wake up after 6 hours. Fill out CBT sheets or run through exercises in my head.

I’m kind of at a loss of what to do next. I’m just hoping the Food Combining helps with the gas and intense IBS C flare up, and hoping that the Medication helps take the edge off of the anxiety. If anyone has any recommendations, I’d love to hear them and if anyone has any questions for me, I’d love to help you out on your journey.

  1. I forgot to mention, I'm happy that this community exists!

    1. Hi, Fostext - thanks so much for taking the time to post in our forums! I'm glad that you found this community!

      That is quite the journey you've been on. You're definitely not alone here with the constantly fluctuating symptoms and triggers. That's one of the biggest issues we hear community member talk about. You'll have to keep us updated about Food Combining. Was this something your dietician suggested trying? A couple of things I wanted to mention: we've heard from some community members that exercise that's too vigorous may make IBS symptoms worse, so I thought I'd share this article with you: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/low-intensity-exercises/. One of our contributors wrote an article about gas issues and the anti-fungal diet, as well as a medication she discussed with her doctor. I thought this might be a good read for you, and something to potentially discuss with your dietician and gastro doc: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/gas-yeast-fungus/. Finally, it seems that this practice may be helpful if you were to continue doing your writing exercises: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/reflect-successes-powerful-strategy/.

      I hope this information is helpful, and I hope you continue to keep us updated on your progress! Thanks again for taking the time to share this with us. - Chris, IrritableBowelSyndrome.net Team Member

  2. Chris,
    Thank you so much for the kind reply and the articles. I am going to read all of these.

    Thanks again, you rock!

    -Eric

    1. My pleasure, Eric! - Chris, IrritableBowelSyndrome.net Team Member

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