How Am I Supposed To Get Better?

[jasonD2]

Ok the gluten has been addressed and eliminated from my diet, as well as dairy soy and eggs. Now I am supposed to focus on healing my gut and getting my system back on track. the problem is that all of the supplements I am supposed to take for my recovery exacerbate my IBS.

I have IBS with constipation and a lazy bowel and have been struggling for years to find something to get me regular again. Im working closely with an integrative medical specialist and he really wants to get my thyroid numbers up as well as correct my flora and other GI imbalances. every single supplement he has given me only makes my constipation worse. he tried 2 different thyroid meds and they gave me severe constipation, various GI support formulas and probiotics...all made my constipation worse.

SO...how the hell am I supposed to recover if all these things make me feel lousy? I just dont know what to do. I can load up on laxatives so that i can at least take the supplements, but thats not good either.

any of u have similar issues? I hear about people with constipation all the time...family members, friends, etc...and they are all able to manage it with conventional treatments...however I am the freak and seem to have the worst kind of all.

[GFinDC]

Hi Jason,

Maybe this link to info about gastroparesis will help. Seems there is a link between gastroparesis and thyroid levels. I saw in one of your other threads that your doc thinks your thyroid levels are low The link talks about the vagus nerve and stomach emptying and gut motility.

Open Original Shared Link

[rinne]

Hi.

I sympathize. I have had issues with C for my entire life, unfortunately because it was the norm for me it really never occurred to me that I had a problem until I was thirty or so when taking laxatives occasionally became part of my life because it was becoming problematic.

When I became ill my digestion collapsed, I recall one week where nothing moved, it felt like a dead zone between my sternum and hips and this was when I was taking 4 or 5 laxatives a night.

Because of my symptoms and a history of Celiac in my family I went on a gluten and dairy free diet and that seemed to help some but I was still suffering from C. I had reached the point where I was beginning to accept that I was just going to have this problem for the rest of my life and then I discovered a diet that my body is happy with and suddenly I no longer have C.

Our digestive system is not just some food/fuel tube that we fill up at one end and if it doesn't come out the other then the answer is to put something else in to push it through. Constipation is not normal so how come so many people are?

Perhaps the answer is not adding something to your diet but taking away something that you are having difficulty digesting, what is your diet like?

[Gfresh404]

Ok the gluten has been addressed and eliminated from my diet, as well as dairy soy and eggs. Now I am supposed to focus on healing my gut and getting my system back on track. the problem is that all of the supplements I am supposed to take for my recovery exacerbate my IBS.

I have IBS with constipation and a lazy bowel and have been struggling for years to find something to get me regular again. Im working closely with an integrative medical specialist and he really wants to get my thyroid numbers up as well as correct my flora and other GI imbalances. every single supplement he has given me only makes my constipation worse. he tried 2 different thyroid meds and they gave me severe constipation, various GI support formulas and probiotics...all made my constipation worse.

SO...how the hell am I supposed to recover if all these things make me feel lousy? I just dont know what to do. I can load up on laxatives so that i can at least take the supplements, but thats not good either.

any of u have similar issues? I hear about people with constipation all the time...family members, friends, etc...and they are all able to manage it with conventional treatments...however I am the freak and seem to have the worst kind of all.

There must be some other food that is causing your constipation. I was constipated my entire life (only 19 years) but like other people did not realize since I always thought it was just the way I am. But ever since removing dairy and gluten from my diet I have not had a single problem.

Too many probiotics can also cause constipation and excess bloating.

I'm also curious as to what your diet is like. Fats and sugar help to stimulate the bowels. So I'd recommend some fruit and nuts. Nuts especially. Also, try some low fiber vegetables like lettuce. Avoid grains as much as possible as I have found these to be the most constipating. Also try to drink more fluids if you aren't already.

Good luck

[Fiddle-Faddle]

And don't forget exercise!! Yeah, I know it's hard to exercise when you feel lousy, but if YOU don't move, neither do your bowels.

Walk, swim, or (if you're up to it) run for 30 minutes a day. If you're walking, outside is best--being out in the sunlight (even if it's cloudy) will help you to synthesize vitamin D.

[jasonD2]

Ive been taking herbal supplements (to help me go) on and off for a while and am concerned that I may have damaged my colon. I actually took whole leaf aloe for a year but discontinued after i found out it contained stimulants. i take CleanseMore on occasion as well but just found out that it contains stimulants. can lazy bowel syndrome be reversed?