I was wondering if dairy products cause IBS "flare ups"? I seem to eat a lot of dairy products and I think that I have IBS. How do you "know"...is there anyone who knows the symptoms or a webpage that I could check out about this. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!
Cindy

I believe ibs is a term they give when they don;t know why the patient is having problems. I know for me I would have stomach problems constantly, dr.'s didn't know why, so they said I had ibs. Of course now I know it is totally anxiety related. If you are lactose intolerant then consuming dairy will set you off. Usually with diahrea and cramping. Go off dairy and see how you do. I would have some other form of calcium to take in its place. ANxiety can cause all kinds of problems. I'll name a few of mine stomach symptoms. Cramps, diahrea, constipation, pain anywhere in my abdomen, nausea, instant attacks, etc. Ok, a bit of a yucky subject but someone has to talk about it. I hope you feel betTer. Reena

Hi Cindy,

I have also been diagnosed with IBS. Mine is brought on by stress and being lactose intolerant. There is a good source of information on IBS from WebMD at the following link:

http://my.webmd.com/condition_center/ibs

I hope that this helps!

Wolf67

Thank you guys for the info, I will check out the link. This is a yucky topic, but like Lucinda say's, if somebody needs to talk about it, then somebody needs to talk about it Thank you and take care!
Cindy

Just wanted to mention that I site I used to frequent, highly reccommends carafate for panic that includes frequent intestinal symptoms. It works on bile instead of acid and his theory is that the bile is pushing up the acid..this causes sinus trouble, IBS, etc. I don't totally understand the whole thing, but many people on that site swear by the use of carafate and even notice a great reduction in all panic symptoms while taking it. It is by prescription.

This is the link describing it....
http://www.algy.com/pdi/FAQ//carafate.html

I'm soooo glad this topic is here! I started having problems with this about 8 months ago. Mine would vary from constipation to diahrrea and my doctor told me it's probably due to stress (I have PTSD, anxiety among other things). Anyway, I worked in a particularly stressful environment for about 3 months before all of this began. It's now to the point where I have diahrrea almost immediately after eating. Now I'm afraid to go out to eat! This has become progressively worse and now I only eat one small meal a day because I so dread this! Even eating the smallest thing sets me off. Since I've quit that stress-filled job I'm under added pressure of suing the employer and this stress is almost worse than when I worked there! I've complained numerous times to my doctor and two different doctors told me to take Metamucil. I questioned that, but one said it helps to regulate you regardless if it's constipation or diahrrea. After an extremely horrible attack today, I got the metamucil and will try it. I'll let you all know how it works! My prayer is that this program will help me to learn to be free from all of this internal worrying and stressing that made me sick in the first place (I'm on week 2 of the program). By the way Wolf67, thanks for the great link! I learned a lot and I suppose I'd better cut down on my coffee now!

You are so welcome for the link Brie. I also have the exact same issues that you do regarding IBS. I had gotten myself down to one meal a day too, but now, instead of eating three big meals a day, I eat smaller portions throughout the day. It does help. My doctor also suggested adding fiber to my diet, but quite honestly, I couldn't stomach it (the taste was awful!). They do have it in tablet form now, so I may try that. I thought the same thing, how could adding fiber to my diet take care of my problem? Wouldn't it make me worse? But believe it or not, it does help. I personally think that my IBS is caused from me internalizing stress. I just started doing yoga. This has helped me with my anxiety as well. For me, it was cutting down on chocolate!

[This message has been edited by wolf67 (edited 11-18-2001).]