Does anyone here deal with IBS?

[shadon]

I'm having a bout of this now...it rots! I want to ride this weekend!

How do you pursue your life as a cyclist and deal with this? For me, it only acts up once in a great while but when it does, it really does a number on my gut! I want to ride this weekend, and tommorow looks like it's out unless I feel a *lot* better tommorow....grrrrrrrrr!

[RoadRaven]

IBS???


*tries not to look thick*
What is IBS?

[mikki]

Wow!!! I don't deal with that, but what about cutting back non-soluble fiber and increasing soluble fiber. That's supposed to slow things down a bit. Sorry, that's the best I can do.

[DeniseGoldberg]

IBS???

*tries not to look thick*
What is IBS?

I just Googled IBS and came up with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Don't know if that's what Shadon is referring to, but I assume that it is...

[moo bean]

Wow!!! I don't deal with that, but what about cutting back non-soluble fiber and increasing soluble fiber. That's supposed to slow things down a bit. Sorry, that's the best I can do.

Depends what your IBS triggers are: sometimes soluble fibre can do more harm than good. Seems to be very much an individual thing, unfortunately

[snapdragen]

shadon, do you know what triggers it? I finally figured out I shouldn't eat lunch off the catering truck at work That really should have been a no brainer for me, but it took a year before I figured it out!

[Sleek]

I don't have IBS anymore, but I used to find prilosec to work wonders at stopping that over-working-tummy kind of stomach ache. If it is an acid sort, try one of the acid-blockers, such as zantac(?)(ranitidine). Both are available otc now I believe.
If it's a long-term problem you might consider re-balancing the flora in your gut by taking a probiotic. It's basically like the live culture you find in some yogurts, so you can eat that instead. The idea is to take a little every day for awhile. A fluid probiotic I've used is called Nature's Life, and just a slug of that a day works. Tastes like kefir, a sweetish fluidic form of yogurt.
Hope it gets better soon.

[Deborajen]

I'm having a bout of this now...it rots! I want to ride this weekend!

How do you pursue your life as a cyclist and deal with this? For me, it only acts up once in a great while but when it does, it really does a number on my gut! I want to ride this weekend, and tommorow looks like it's out unless I feel a *lot* better tommorow....grrrrrrrrr!

I did battle with that when I was in my 30's. I'm in my 40's now and it isn't quite so bad. Seemed to get better with hormonal changes.

For me, activity helped. I never had an episode begin after I started a bike ride or went running - I just had to get moving right away! However, my doctor suggested that lactose intolerance could be the culprit. He said the easy way to find out is to eat a lot of dairy products at once and see if it causes a flare-up. If it does, just hold back on dairy or try Lactaid or something similar. He also suggested fiber supplements to keep things even (less cramping). Those helped me a little, but not enough. I still have a few flare-ups occasionally and I've found that since taking calcium has an otherwise unpleasant side effect (it "plugs you up," to put it politely), I take calcium supplements during those spells.

Also, for some reason, dark liquid such as tea or cola within about an hour of a meal, especially a meal with any dairy, used to cause problems. It might have been the caffeine, but Mountain Dew never bothered me and decaf tea wasn't better - ?

You might want to check out Nancy Clark's "Sports Nutrition Guidebook." It's a good reference which was recommended to me by a dietitian, and it has a chapter about dealing with GI upset which might be helpful.

Deb

[shadon]

I think I need to just wait for this bout to resolve itself ...ugghhh.... The calcium is an interesting idea. I'm starting fiber pills tonight. Man...I wanna feel better so that I can ride tommorow!

[Dogmama]

I have it. I hate it. Hormones play a big part. Here's what I found that works: (Warning - this is a tad graphic)

Avoid coffee, (even decaf), carbonated beverages and fatty foods. They trigger spasms in the bowel. You want the bowel to be calm.

Take a fiber supplement at night. I found one by Jarrow that tastes terrible but works. Citrucel, et. al, have artificial colors & flavors that I'd rather avoid. Fiber gives the bowel something to hang onto and helps train it to act normally.

If you have primarily constipation, avoid laxatives that stimulate the bowel. They may work at first, but eventually you'll get dependent on them. Better choices are "stool softeners" that draw water into the bowel. Even then, you need to use these sparingly.

Wheat, dairy, soy foods may all be triggers. Remember that it takes ~ 2 days for anything to get all the way through your system. So, that bagel you ate two days ago might be causing you problems now.

Exercise does help. Just plan your rides so that you will be next to a bathroom

[shadon]

..for letting me know this isn't gonna get in the way of the bike! I had this in college, it didnt bother me for *years* after that, but seems to have reared it's ugly head in the last 6 months. Middle age stinks...

[RoadRaven]

I just Googled IBS and came up with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Don't know if that's what Shadon is referring to, but I assume that it is...

Um... sounds like that is what it is from the subsequent posts since ours... thanks Denise

[Dogmama]

..for letting me know this isn't gonna get in the way of the bike! I had this in college, it didnt bother me for *years* after that, but seems to have reared it's ugly head in the last 6 months. Middle age stinks...

IBS is often exacerbated by stress. Good thing we don't have any of that!

[betagirl]

I don't have IBS but I have crohn's disease, which has similar symptoms of running to the can and such If I have a flare up it's really hard for me to not want to get on the bike anyway. I try to avoid the trigger foods if I know I'm going to go on an organized ride. Thankfully stuff like carbs doesn't set me off Otherwise, if I get hit with pain on a ride I slow down and take deep breaths til it passes. If I find I need to "go" I have no qualms of using a corn field or stopping at someone's house. I have this card from the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America that says I really really really really need to use the bathroom, in so many words.

GI issues are fun aren't they?

I have found I feel better if I exercise though, so it's more a matter of figuring out what I can do and when I should take it easy. But never *too* easy.

[yellow]

GI problems are VERY common for women...we just don't talk about it that much because it can be rather personal and embarrasing...but then when you do open your mouth you find out just how many others suffer along with you.

I also have Crohn's but have not had a really really bad bout in almost 5 years. It's miserable: it dictates your life, what you eat, where you go...which in turn can really mess with your head. I have minor symptoms pretty much monthly (yep, directly related to hormones in my case) but nothing like I used to. I'll never forget the day I found out the woman that sits 2 doors down from me at work has colitis...we were both so relieved as we each thought we were the only one with what we've come to joking call "poop issues"!

I think you get the picture that you have to figure out what it is that makes it the worst...and know that if you indulge/experience, you will pay. And it may get better with time. It's your opportunity to get to know your body, which is something that most folks don't bother with.

Good luck, hang in there, and don't get angry like I used to...it just makes it worse!

y