Irritable Bowel Syndrome & Riding?

[Velocivixen]

I hesitate to even post this, but I want to know how others cope. I won't go into great detail, except to say that I have irritable bowel syndrome and my morning "routine" takes awhile and is unpredictable. If I plan on doing any early morning rides or events, I literally have to get up hours earlier to ensure that my bowels are done before I leave. It would be very embarrassing to have a bowel mishap while out riding. Some might suggest a simple solution of simply going to be earlier the night before, getting up extra early, and do the typical morning routine, however with IBS things can be unpredictable and bathrooms aren't always available spur of the moment when you might desperately need one. Also, if you have ever tried to go to sleep hours prior to your usual time you know that you can't always fall asleep.

This issue has kept me from doing a lot of morning group and event rides.

Ideas?

[Biciclista]

funny you call this IBS. We are like this too. One or the other of us will say "Not done yet"
and the other will putter around the house. We both wake up at ungodly hours anyway so we always manage to get to where we are going on time!

[feral1]

I pretty much keep Pepto in business :( I have to be very careful what I eat since everything tends to upset it. Stress is just as bad. I guess I tend to do what you do.....get up a little early and hope for the best :o and take plenty of Pepto.....

[Kubla]

I feel your pain. Sometimes there is no problem at all; other days I wonder why I even try to plan anything that will take me away from the house. DBF is afflicted as well, so orchestrating a day trip can be a chore for us. Sticking with a weekend schedule/routine that mirrors his workday schedule seems to help him.

For me, the only thing that seems to make it more predictable/livable is avoiding my trigger foods and eating sensibly the night before and the day of a planned ride. No huge meals, no rich foods.

[KnottedYet]

Don't have IBS, but I do have celiac disease. (40% of "IBS" sufferers in one study turned out to have undiagnosed celiac disease, another found 35% of "IBS" had blood markers of celiac http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016508501252378 )

Similar issues, by and large.

Fiber is my friend. Metamucil to the rescue, every night for about a week after I accidentally get glutened. It slows things down and thickens liquids, and prevents those socially embarrassing events that necessitate a change of clothes. Doesn't have any effect on the other auto-immune stuff, but does help with the gut. I do the same Metamucil before bed routine if I have something important coming up and I just don't want the worry.

BTW - anyone with "IBS" who has a family history of auto-immune diseases or who is of Irish ancestry (the celiac mutation is strong in the Irish population) should really consider a celiac disease screening. It might also be worth checking to see if your "IBS" is one that responds to antibiotics http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110105194836.htm If you have $910, you can be cured http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/01/10/132702599/antibiotic-shows-promise-as-treatment-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome Insurance isn't likely to touch it for a few years.

[KatzPajamas]

While I was never officially diagnosed with IBS, I have had years at a time with the same problems that you are describing. My 60 yr old sister has had even worse problems. That is until about 5 years ago. She had her routine colonoscopy and got some priceless advice fro the new doctor. We both now take 2-Vitamin Shoppe "Ultimate 10 Probiotics" capsules before going to bed and avoid any milk products and sugary carbs after dinner. To quote my sister, "I poop like a little kid again". In the morning, the morning constitutional is like clockwork and forgotten for the rest of the day! We always get to enjoy Happy Trails!
:D


I don't want to sound like a know it all, but I also lived on Pepto. When I had my colonoscopy (lost my dad, his mom and 3 of his brothers to colon cancer), the doctor said ABSOLUTELY NO PEPTO! Immodium only. It works just as well as far as I am concerned, but I follow the doctors orders. I truly hope that you all can come to a great solution to your similar difficulties. It is a real pain in the arse for sure.:cool:

[ny biker]

I know someone with ulcerative colitis who has found Align probiotics to be a life-saver.

[KatzPajamas]

I know someone with ulcerative colitis who has found Align probiotics to be a life-saver.


Doesn't surprise me at all. The probiotic is just reinforcement of the "good" bacteria that is essential to our intestinal tract working properly. Sugar tends to kill our troops (good bacteria) and allow the proliferation of any bad bacteria. So when the probiotic is send into the digestive tract, it is as if the general has sent more men to the front to fight the enemy (bad bacteria). We are naturally made to win the war, just need to supply the troops properly and definitely not sabotage them with the junk that we eat!:D

[Crankin]

No diagnosis (been tested for both IBS and celiac, the whole shebang), but similar symptoms. I always get up early, it doesn't matter. This issue wreaks havoc with me when on a tour, as I just finished. I have to have one cup of coffee (or the headache appears), so I have to make sure it's very early, before a ride. Sometimes I have tea, which is a bit less strong. My morning "routine" is very regular, but since I started cycling, my motto has been "go early, go often." Some of it is nerves about starting any ride, but I also have an emergency supply of Pepto in my seat bag, or take a Zantac, to decrease acid.
I might try the probiotics, but it seems like I get a weird reaction every time I try some new mineral/vitamin.

[jlnc]

I don't want to sound like a know it all, but I also lived on Pepto. When I had my colonoscopy (lost my dad, his mom and 3 of his brothers to colon cancer), the doctor said ABSOLUTELY NO PEPTO! Immodium only.:cool:

Katz, do you remember why the doc said no Pepto? Just curious, thanks!

[KatzPajamas]

Katz, do you remember why the doc said no Pepto? Just curious, thanks!

Sorry, I don't remember. Like I said, they both work the same for me. Just wanted to follow doc's orders this time. :o

[Velocivixen]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I often think that my 2 obligatory cups of coffee in the morning "rev things up". The initial time that I "go" is very normal consistency. A little later on in the morning I often feel a sudden & urgent need to "go" and have diarrhea. It's that second part that is very unpredictable. Recently I went for a walk in the park behind my house and did a brief jog during the walk. There are port-a-potties in the park just during the summer (for the disc golfers) and I felt a very slight urge to go, but thought I could make it home (I just thought it was gas). Well, as I approached home I had to pick up my pace and take a short cut. Needless to say I had the mother of all "accidents" and was absolutely horrified! That had not happened to me since I was about 8 years old! I had a huge mess to clean up that included major laundry. Thank goodness I was near my house. I can never take for granted that what I think might be gas could easily be more than that. I can never take that chance if I'm out somewhere.
I'm sorry if this is all too much information, but I am certain that I'm not the only person with this issue. Typically I am finished after the twice per morning "events" so that's a blessing I guess.

[pll]

I don't have IBS, but a sensitivity to sugars (from fruit, milk...). Coffee with milk is the "perfect" trigger: pair something that will go fast through my system with a diuretic. Anyway, a nutritionist suggested to pair any sugar with a little bit of protein or anything that will slow things down. e.g. if I eat an apple as a snack, add a dab of peanut butter. Or have a piece of biscotti. I have restricted my coffee intake to just one cup in the morning. In my case, some fruits are particularly evil (e.g. cantaloupe, melon), others are friendlier (berries, pineapple). And I take Align every night, which has helped.

[Velocivixen]

I guess I could play with my diet a little. You know what's really funny? I don't even like the taste of coffee, but drink it. I love the smell of good coffee. I drink it. I don't hate it, but I still drink it. I've tried tea, but something about coffee....I do think that caffeine overstimulates my intestines, but primarily just in the morning. I often have a cup of coffee late afternoon with splenda & about 2 tbsp ff milk and have no issues whatsoever.

[pll]

Well, diets can make a difference. A couple of years ago, I was trying to lose weight and, for lunch at the office, I would grab a cup of fresh fruit (mostly cantaloupe and grapes). Then I would indulge on a skim milk latte. The result: death never seemed so imminent! I eventually landed in the gastroenterologist and nutritionist offices.

[nscrbug]

Yup...fellow IBS sufferer, here. Had a colonoscopy to rule out other issues...came back clean. Had a celiac blood panel...came back negative. GI doc labeled my problem as "IBS" and told me to up my intake of fiber (I was already eating a LOT of fiber in my diet). I bought some Citrucel and tried that for a few days...it was only a slight improvement. I do tend to have certain trigger foods, which I try to avoid or consume sparingly. I drink lactose-free milk and take Lactaid tablets before consuming other dairy products. Needless to say, I still have bowel issues...not everyday, but often enough for it to affect certain activities (like riding). On most weekday mornings, my bowel "routine" generally happens right when I arrive at the gym. I have no idea why, but it's usually like clockwork. As soon as I pull my car into the parking lot, I get the urge "to go"...and sometimes the urge is so strong, that I find myself literally jogging from the car to the door. On days when I'm not at the gym early in the AM...I'm usually out riding, and guess when the urge hits? Yup...about 10 - 15 miles into a ride. Which is exactly what happened this morning. :o

Don't really have any suggestions or ideas...just wanted to chime in to say that I feel your pain.

Linda

[KatzPajamas]

nscrbug~It really is nice to know that others have similar issues (not nice that anyone has these issues tho :o) I had problems for so long that my kids and hubby all knew way to much about me. Hubby was always saying "what is wrong with you?!" Not that I blame him, but wow, it sounds like it these are common problems for women. Just asking, are any of you mothers?

[emily_in_nc]

I don't have IBS that I know of, but on the morning before a ride, I am always in and out of the bathroom several times. I drink coffee, which does trigger it, but even before coffee, it seems to be triggered by just thinking about riding! I don't have this issue on work days or non-riding weekend days, other than rarely; but it's like clockwork on riding days. Because of that, I do think it's in large part psychological in my case. It's actually a good thing in that once I am all "cleaned out" I never have to think about my bowels during a ride. :D

DH has this same issue on riding days...we are like two peas in a pod. Fortunately, we rarely do group rides/events where there is a set start time, so we can just trade turns in the bathroom until we're both completely done. Sometimes that means leaving later for a ride than we'd planned, but so be it.

[Velocivixen]

I saw a GI doctor and he took a very lengthy and involved history. As a young child I recall having very painful stomach aches, being very constipated with rock hard stools and vomiting a lot. I lived in a very stressful household (alcoholic lived there) and it was like walking on egg shells. Seemed to manifest in my stomach. Now I have the opposite problem as I described above. Life now is extremely calm, low key and relaxed. I used to work in a job where a co-worker was harassing me (boss knew but nobody did anything) and it got to the point in the morning prior to work I would vomit or have terrible diarrhea because of the thought of having to work in that dysfunctional environment.
So my GI doc did both a colonoscopy then an upper/lower GI (EGD) and ruled out a bunch of stuff. The culture for H-Pylori was negative, despite him finding two tiny ulcers. He put me on Protonix which I took for a couple of years. I finally quit taking it. However because of the two ulcers he couldn't say for certain if the ulcers caused the problems or if it was IBS. My ulcers went away and I still had a lot of symptoms, so I believe it's IBS.

[DarcyInOregon]

Velo, I had IBS for quite a few years, was diagnosed with it after a lot of testing, and I managed to reverse the condition. For the years I suffered from it, my intestines would spasm and the pain was awful. The bowel movements would either be flat as a pancake or be diarrhea. And yes, I had the same accidents that you did, mistaking something more critical for gas.

I reversed the conditoin by 1)learned to control stress, 2)eliminated food chemicals and caffeine from the diet, 3)went totally heart healthy with the nutrition, along with the increase of fiber from fresh fruit, veggies, whole grains, legumes, etc. as already mentioned and eliminated processed foods from the diet, 4)swallowed the probiotics every day for over a year as already mentioned, and 5)put daily exercise as a priority over other things.

Because I eat so much fiber, I have to get up extra early before the morning rides to make sure I've had enough trips to the bathroom. If the starting point requires a drive, I make sure I get there early enough to avail myself of the toilet facilities if needed.

[Velocivixen]

Hi Darcy, thanks for sharing that. I've lost 116 lbs., exercise almost daily, eat whole foods, prepare most of my foods at home, and have extremely little stress. I do drink coffee every morning though. I typically also eat Nancy's Organic non fat yogurt, so I wonder if I have a sensitivity to milk. Yogurt has so many natural probiotics though. I eat a lot of veges & fruits, whole grains, beans & legumes and drink plenty of plain water.

[gbunker]

A friend of mine takes a low dose of amytriptaline for IBS. It's an old-school tricyclic antidepressant, and is taken in a miniscule amount for this purpose. She says it works very well.

She also takes a fiber supplement called Konsul that is supposed to be more effective than Metamucil. I thought that fiber supplements were just for constipation, but apparently they work for either extreme.

[grey]

I am shocked to see how many of us have stomach issues!
Velo, I have several odd things going on, not all like your issue, but I have had one of those embarassing "I thought it was gas" incidents. At work, 10 years ago. Thankfully nobody was in the bathroom, and my office was right next to it. I had worn stockings as well as undies and thankfully it didn't go past the stockings (hiding that in the office trash???? OY!) :eek: and I found a way to get home ASAP. Horrifying.

I worked from home for many years, and the stress and late nights of my old occupation were killing my stomach, much like you describe. Who would have thought graphic design and marketing could be so brutal? Just try having a printer screw up a 200K job sometime. For those years, everything I saw online for IBS symptoms, I had.

Stress is huge for me. I've managed to reduce most of it to a very manageable level, but still have a few things that set off my stomach. No coffee. Ever. When I have it, my stomach knots up into a ROCK, it swells, it hurts from start to finish, I get reflux, and it takes 24 hours for everything to relax again. An unrelated issue for me with coffee is arrythmia, mix that with exercise and you get a very scary experience. For whatever reason, for me coffee is poison. Shame, because I love it so. I have decaf once in a great while, but it still gives me some of the above symptoms. I think it's the acid.

Stress, or going on vacation/visiting family means extra precautions. I bottle up. So I pack carrot juice and extra fruit, am super careful about what I eat, and get up early to relax enough to encourage movement. I have to do this "getting up early thing" anytime my routine is disturbed by something (company, added stress, a morning bike ride). Should all this prove ineffective, prune juice becomes my friend, but it also tears me apart along the way.

I'm still sorting out what my trigger foods are, because I also experience a lot of bloating. There are times you'd swear I was five months pregnant! It seems I may have a little gluten intolerance - barley and kasha are the worst, but pasta seems to be fine. I bake our bread & grind my own wheat, so I've been opting for amaranth and oats and making rice and bean flours instead. It's interesting and fun to experiment.

I'm vegetarian, I'm very careful to eat lots of fresh fruit and veggies, legumes, etc. I avoid dairy save for about three "cheats" I allow myself per month (cheese = lockdown. Dairy also causes several "female" issues for me, and at only 27, I had arthritis so bad some days I couldn't lift a pan. Got rid of cheese, I'm all good now - no arthritis and no doctors trying to diagnose endometriosis when it isn't there).

I've knocked out a lot of sugar, opting for stevia instead, and drink a lot of home-made herbal tea. I subsititute Teechino for coffee - it satisfies that craving and is alkalizing instead of acidic. Like Darcy, exercise is paramount. I've also started including a probiotic, but haven't been good about taking it every day. Noticing improvement though. :)

[Velocivixen]

Thanks everyone for sharing on such an intimate and personal topic.

[ny biker]

Am I the only one who finds that a surprising number of club rides start someplace where there are no bathroom facilities anywhere nearby? Not just no toilets at the ride start (like a school or park and ride lot), but no gas stations, fast food, convience stores, etc. within miles. I learned years ago to check in advance and I won't do a ride if there are no nearby restrooms. And I don't even have the severe problems that many of you have. But I still want to pee before and after the ride regardless of any other needs that sometimes arise at the last minute. The only thing I can figure is that the rides are planned by guys who figure they'll just find a nearby tree.

Anyway, </rant>.

I typed my earlier post on my phone, which kinda limits my ability to type long messages. So to elaborate a bit, my friend with ulcerative colitis told me she had reached the point where she could only run errands one at a time to minimize the amount of time she spent away from home. Her diet was extremely limited and she was losing weight. Since she started to take Align, she no longer has to plan her activities around proximity to a bathroom, and she's been able to go back to eating some foods that had previously caused major problems. And her weight is back to where it was before. She said it's the only thing that has really helped with her symptoms.

[Biciclista]

Am I the only one who finds that a surprising number of club rides start someplace where there are no bathroom facilities anywhere nearby? Not just no toilets at the ride start (like a school or park and ride lot), but no gas stations, fast food, convience stores, etc. within miles. I learned years ago to check in advance and I won't do a ride if there are no nearby restrooms. And I don't even have the severe problems that many of you have. But I still want to pee before and after the ride regardless of any other needs that sometimes arise at the last minute. The only thing I can figure is that the rides are planned by guys who figure they'll just find a nearby tree.

Anyway, </rant>.
.

whenever that happens, I complain long and loud. IF they want riders who are over 50, there has to be a bathroom near the start and finish of the ride!!!.


As I read this, i see a pattern. sure some of you have IBS, celiac disease, other stuff, but I think your BODY says, oh i remember this, we did this before
We expended a HUGE amount of energy on our last ride, and well, that's almost like "flight" response, so I'm dumping the tubes (intestines) now so we don't have to deal with it later, when we CANNOT stop... or carry that extra baggage...

I say this because i don't believe my DH and I have celiac or IBS AND because this does not happen to me on non-ride days.

[gbunker]

Have any of you tried mindfulness meditation for stress? Here's a link to the wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness_(psychology)

It's been shown to be clinically effective at treating pain, stress, anxiety, and depression. It comes from a Zen tradition, but is a non-religious form of meditation. It was developed by a physician at UMass named John Kabat Zinn, and it's becoming quite widely used. My doctor suggested it for me becasue of blood pressure and arythmia issues.

I signed up for a mindfulness meditation class a few weeks ago, and it's actually helping with a variety of stress-related medical annoyances. I think it would help with any athletic pursuit, too. I am very non-woo woo, and quite skeptical by nature, but I quite like this class. The only down side is that you have to actually DO the meditation to make it work, and it's always hard to find the time. The class I'm taking works in some gentle yoga, too. I think you can find classes in most metro areas.

Thought I would throw this out there, since IBS can be exacerbated so much by stress.

Gillian

[Crankin]

A couple of comments. I also took Amyltriptaline (10 mg... a minuscule dose) for my fibromyalgia symptoms, of which GI stuff was a part. It really worked and I only took it for 3 months. It can cause weight gain, so I was really vigilant with my eating and exercise. I also took the mindfulness meditation course at the same time and continue to practice some of it; I use it extensively with my clients. It really works.
But, I think there are 2 issues here. I do have the IBS symptoms, but they wax and wane according to my diet and stress. I now know what sets it off and sometimes I am willing to pay the price. I can have one cup of coffee with no issues, but sometimes I just want two! I don't eat much dairy except cheese, but I do love spicy food. I don't eat onions... that's an automatic set off.
However, I also have the same thing Emily and Mimi describe and so does my DH. We call it "the dreads." It's a feeling of dread or nervousness, accompanied by at least one trip to the bathroom before a ride, but for me, it often is 2-3 trips, before a ride. Even if the ride starts in the PM and I have gone in the morning, i have to go. My older son described the same exact thing happening to him before a ride, too! I am fine once I am on the bike.

[emily_in_nc]

However, I also have the same thing Emily and Mimi describe and so does my DH. We call it "the dreads." It's a feeling of dread or nervousness, accompanied by at least one trip to the bathroom before a ride, but for me, it often is 2-3 trips, before a ride. Even if the ride starts in the PM and I have gone in the morning, i have to go. My older son described the same exact thing happening to him before a ride, too! I am fine once I am on the bike.

Yep, that's it. Although I don't tend to have any issues with it if I ride at lunchtime or later. It's strictly a morning thing for me, so I think it's partially the anticipation of the ride (even though it's not usually dread, just a mix of anxiety/excitement) and partially the caffeine in my morning coffee that gets me going. And it's almost always at least 2x, often 3x, also!

I don't remember this happening when I was younger, but it sure has been consistent since about age 44-45.

[Biciclista]

Do runners NOT have this problem???

[pll]

Do runners NOT have this problem???

Apparently, many do during or after their run. It's called the "runner's trots" and it is attributed in part to the motion of running.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I'm going to second what Knotted said- take soluble fiber supplements about twice a day in a modest amount. Metamusil is the somewhat expensive brand name of the psyllium grain husk soluble fiber. This type of fiber, as Knot said, tends to 'normalize' your bowels- in other words if you are too constipated it helps move things along gently, and if you have IBS with unpredictable diarrhea attacks, it really helps solidify and normalize that too.

Here's what I take, 2 capsules, twice a day:
http://www.allstarhealth.com/f/yerba_prima-psyllium_husk.htm
It's the same thing as Metamusil but way cheaper. It's gentle and natural and simply helps normalize everything. It can help a LOT if you take a modest dose routinely.

Other than that, I'd say you ought to forget the coffee in the morning- it's obviously triggering a morning attack for you. You state you have a normal event when you get up and then a loose attack after your coffee.
Try some herbal tea (no caffiene) in the morning with a small amount of toast or something, along with a couple of fiber capsules. Take your fiber as well before going to bed, or with evening meal. I bet if you do this you will see a huge improvement.
Definitely avoid fruits or veggies with hard-to-digest skins- like tomato, peppers, apple skins, grapes, eggplant, and also mushrooms. Lettuce can be bad troublesome too.

[Biciclista]

I don't have the morning coffee but I still have the "attack" if that's what you want to call it.

[Velocivixen]

@Mimi, yes I can have this same problem before a run or during. That's why I try to wait to very late morning to run to ensure that I'm "running on empty" ;) For me this is strictly a morning issue. It varies also. Today I have had my typical 2 cups of coffee with no problems. I'm actually also sort of "revved up" because I've got an atypical day with lots of running around & errands. So I like how one poster called it the "dreads" as emotion can definitely affect it, although with me seems to be unpredictable. Because it's only in the morning for me I think it is influenced by what I eat the night before AND the caffeine in the morning. Seems to be the combination. Then when you add on emotional stress or whatever it can trigger.
Happy riding.

[badger]

I haven't read it all, but I was watching a show the other day on Discovery, and apparently a lot of people are infected with giardia parasite without knowing it. They are often erroniously diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome.

Thougtht I'd throw it out there, in case you guys are actually still talking about the original post.

[pll]

Hmm. I had giardiasis and it is exceedingly unpleasant (not just the runs, but nausea/vomiting, whether you eat or not, and quick weight loss) , and it is easily detected. A friend also got it a few years ago and his case was more severe, needing IV fluids.

[Bike Chick]

Well I had to look that one up and apparently giardiasis is also known as beaver fever. I have never heard of this but it is quite a nasty little parasite. How horrible.

My morning urge to go to the bathroom will hit by just putting bike shorts on. I kid you not. I don't care if it's 4 am or 6 am, if I haven't made my morning bathroom trip yet, it will hit when the bike shorts go on. I am also late to work most mornings because I wait to go to the bathroom before I leave on my run. If I don't, it will hit when I'm a mile or more from home. A friend of mine calls it "prairie dogging."

I've had stomach problems for years and never have been regular. I was diagnosed with diverticulitis after spending 5 days in the hospital several years ago. I never thought I would be so up close and personal with my bowel functions but I have to really watch my diet and pay close attention to my colon. Being regular is a must and I've been thru fiber supplements, stool softeners, etc. trying to find the right combination. I am doing well with magnesium and Align at night before bed, daily exercise, proper diet and lots of water. If I get off my schedule or don't eat right, then I'm in trouble. The doctor said they would need to remove a portion of my colon if my colon flared up again so I have to be careful. Does it seem women have these problems more than men? You could set a clock by DH and DS!

[nscrbug]

I've noticed through reading this thread, that those of you who are taking probiotics...often take them at night. Is this how they should be taken? I use probiotics too, but I have always taken them during the daytime...usually with my lunch time meal. Is it better to take them at bedtime? And if so, does anyone know why?

Linda

[pll]

In the case of Align, it does not matter. It is once per day, so I do it at night out of convenience.

[Bike Chick]

I take Align and took them in my lunch everyday but kept forgetting. If I take it at night, I don't forget. It didn't seem to matter when I took it. It's just a matter of convenience.

[KatzPajamas]

I've noticed through reading this thread, that those of you who are taking probiotics...often take them at night. Is this how they should be taken? I use probiotics too, but I have always taken them during the daytime...usually with my lunch time meal. Is it better to take them at bedtime? And if so, does anyone know why?

Linda

I started taking @ night in the beginning because I wasn't sure what was going to happen. So just got into that habit. If I waited until sometime during the day, I would never remember. I have a very busy stressful job working long hours so my probiotic is my little binky-nitecap!:D

[meganm]

I've had some issues in this department as well. I don't know if it's IBS, but for me, adding fiber to my diet has changed everything. I take Metamucuil (Benefiber didn't work), and that has helped so much!

[Velocivixen]

I eat enough fiber naturally each and every day without a supplement. It is not giardiasis because this ONLY happens to me in the mornings. Once I go that second time (which is the unpredictable part) then I'm good.
Interesting, though, to see that it seems somewhat common.

[Aggie_Ama]

My husband has Crohn's and he pretty much needs a bathroom before every ride. He takes a therapy called Remicade and immediately after his treatment it is much worse, when it is near treatment it gets bad again but he usually ends up constipated so urge but no relief.

His GI doctor has recommended Align, gave him a prescription to ease spasms, of course my husband doesn't remember to take them. :rolleyes: A nutritionist or a good GI doctor might be worth a visit if you would like more relief. Bottom line, you are far from alone.

[TrekTheKaty]

As usual, what Knotted said!

I also caution those who've ruled out celiac with a blood test, that the blood test is terribly unreliable--a lot of false negatives. You shouldn't rule out celiac based on the blood test alone. In my family, gluten-free for less than 48 hours improved symptoms.

[BC2COCyclist]

My DH has terrible gut problems, oscilates between irregularity, then diarrhea, then anal fissures etc. He found an large increase in protein in his diet helped a lot - it was accidental, he was on a weight training regimen and found that his vegetarian diet wasn't providing enough protein for what he was doing, so he got protein powder.

He started taking it and noticed he had to take less of the OTC med he takes twice a day, it has a purple label and it comes in powder format...I forget the name.

Anyway, his diarrhea/anal fissure problems have drastically decreased.

Me, I'm pretty regular, but I did have some anal fissure problems after my C section which were awful! I'm VERY careful to go the minute I feel the urge now. Sometimes, I barely get to finish my morning Cheerios before I have to go poo...it used to annoy me but my DH said that's regularity and it's a good thing.

eta: I was just yapping at DH about this and he said his symptoms are nearly gone, with the protein powder supplementation.

[badger]

I'm going to revive this thread because I finally found an answer to something that might be plaguing others.

A chance browse at Costco led me to a paleo diet book which mentioned FODMAPs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/) ( Fermentable, Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides and Polyols) which led me to Patsy Catsos' IBS - Free At Last. I never had the diarrhea that is associated with IBS so I never thought my problems were that (and granted, it may not be as I've not been tested). But I had severe rumbling/bloating/gas every night. I was okay during the day but after dinner I was so uncomfortable. It never made any sense to me why I'd be fine during the day and not after dinner, so I just assumed it was just the way I was made. But reading how FODMAP malabsorption works it totally makes sense, how it's like a bucket and it's all cumulative. By the time dinner rolled around I over filled my bucket with FODMAPs.

Anyways, I started the elimination diet, and while I was skeptical the first few days because I was still rumbly and gassy, the past couple of days have been great. No bloating, no discomfort, just...peace (for the lack of better word, honestly). I'm hoping that I'll eventually find out what it is I'm not properly digesting and be able to eat stuff I love like apples and bread again.

[shootingstar]

What is the elimination diet? Anyway, for myself, I'm regular to a point if I don't have a b-movement at least once a day, usually in the morning, I wonder-- then later worry. Cycling does help me be quite regular...and "clear". :)

I don't get gas/rumblings or any of these problems yet.

But I have to say getting older, means needing to paying attention to b-movements, etc. At least some of us know what to do to help ourselves. I can't imagine people who don't exercise and don't have a healthy diet long term for bowel motility.

[badger]

What is the elimination diet? Anyway, for myself, I'm regular to a point if I don't have a b-movement at least once a day, usually in the morning, I wonder-- then later worry. Cycling does help me be quite regular...and "clear". :)

I don't get gas/rumblings or any of these problems yet.

But I have to say getting older, means needing to paying attention to b-movements, etc. At least some of us know what to do to help ourselves. I can't imagine people who don't exercise and don't have a healthy diet long term for bowel motility.

um... elimination diet has nothing to do with bowel movements. It's eliminating troublesome foods and eventually re-introducing them into my diet to see which foods are the triggers for my problem.

I can appreciate that you don't have the rumbling and gas, you're lucky. But some people like me have trouble digesting certain foods and rumbling and gas is a symptom of that.

[Irulan]

Elimination diets can also be used for allergy symptons, behavior issues and other things. You can eliminate lots of foods and add them back in one at a time, or eliminate one thing at a time and see what happens.

I have periodic bouts of IBS but fortunately for me it's been very easy to identify the culprits, most of the time. I quit eating fast food of any sort, period. Also, anything that is heavy on cooked tomatoes (which are very acrid) , or a tomato cheese combination, are off the plate permanently, like lasagne, or more than one slice of pizza. I know for some people it can take a lot of trial and error to find the culprits. One of my best friends has a lot of triggers, and she was very helpful in pointing me in the right direction. There's a lot of good info out in internet land with likely trigger food lists and so on.

[badger]

I've avoided some of the foods on the list already without knowing it, like garlic and inulin (pre-biotic, that thing is in a lot of granola bars, yogurt and even pasta and it's murder on my gut). The surprises for me was onion and pit-containing fruits. I used onion in most of my dishes, and onion and garlic powder's in pretty much every sauce out there, including ketchup and miracle whip, even hot sauces that I love so much :( Not surprising are the cruciferous vegetables and beans, but another surprise was the bagged salad greens that contain endives and escarole which explained why I was rumbly after I started the elimination diet. I've had a couple of meals that didn't follow the elimination diet and I've gone through it very well and I'm beginning to clue in that my triggers seem to be vegetables in general, which makes me sad because I'm more vegetarian than not. This also makes sense because when my boyfriend moved in and I started cooking a lot more meat dishes, my stomach wasn't as bad as when I was eating mostly vegetable-based dishes. Trial and error...