Irritable Bowel Syndrome(IBS)

sarah sam said:
Hi @officerripley,


I hear you going 36 hours without food just to calm a flare is brutal, and no one can do that forever. A few things my gastro and dietitian suggested when a complete fast isn’t realistic:


• Tiny “micro-meals” instead of a full fast. On my worst days I nibble ¼ cup portions every couple of hours (plain rice congee, a boiled egg white, or a few sips of bone broth). It keeps blood sugar steady but still gives the gut long rest periods.


• Elemental or semi-elemental shake days. Swapping one or two solid meals for a pre-digested formula (amino acids + MCT oil) buys my intestines a breather without starving me. It isn’t gourmet, yet it cuts the cramping almost as well as total fasting.


• Track the “trigger stack.” I jot down sleep debt, stress spikes, and food load on the same page. Seeing how those three pile up lets me schedule a micro-meal day before the storm hits.


These tricks aren’t cures, just ways to dial the volume down when the old “nothing by mouth” rule feels impossible. If you experiment, maybe rate your pain/bloat every few hours so you’ll know fast whether it’s helping.
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Yeah, already tried all that, no relief unless I swallow nothing for many hours; thanks anyway.
 

Hi @officerripley,


I totally get the “tried it all” fatigue. When my own gut refused every food except water, my gastro dug a little deeper and found other culprits that can masquerade as plain IBS:


• Bile-acid run-off – extra bile in the colon can keep things in constant revolt. A simple trial of a binder powder can be a clue if tests aren’t handy.


• Lingering SIBO – sometimes the bugs bounce back after antibiotics, so my doc repeated a breath test and tweaked the plan.


• Pelvic-floor traffic jams – sounds odd, but a few sessions with a physio who treats bowel disorders cut my “pressure-cooker” pain in half.


• Gut-brain overdrive – ten-minute hypnotherapy audios (I was sceptical!) lowered my pain score more than most meds.


None of these are silver bullets, but tackling one sneaky trigger bought me enough comfort to eat small, real meals again. Maybe jot down which of these you’ve already ruled out, then ask your GI which puzzle piece might still be hiding. Cheering you on, nobody should have to pick between starvation and pain.
 
Totally get it. When fasting is the only thing that calms a flare, it can mean another driver, like bile-acid diarrhea or lingering SIBO, is still in play. Asking your GI about a quick trial of a bile-acid binder or a repeat breath test gave me enough wiggle room to eat tiny meals again. Nobody should have to choose between hunger and pain, hang in there.
 
I was diagnosed with SIBO ("your test result was off the charts"), they prescribed something that cost me $2,000 for 2 weeks' worth of an antibiotic which did nothing. As I saw another SIBO patient say on the Mayo Clinic site who had the same non-result from the antibiotics and someone was trying to convince her to try another course of the antibiotics, "They say they don't even know what causes SIBO and yet they want me to keep trying expensive antibiotics--which a lot of medical professionals think too many of can cause more harm than good--I don't think so!"

I agree with her; and as expensive as those antibiotics are, they should work right away; they also shouldn't cost as much as they do when since they keep saying they don't know what even causes it, they're obviously just throwing meds against the wall to see if one sticks. So phooey on trying any more of that stuff.
 
An alternative to antibiotics is Ampitrexyl.

It's cheap, more gentle on your good gut bacteria, no prescription needed. I've taken it for other reasons and I seemed to notice a small improvement.

I'm actually testing it just for Sibo symptoms right now. Day 3, nothing definitive yet. But my issues are caused by direct backflow, so any type of anti bacterial might be fruitless?
 
My wife takes a magnesium supplement and didn’t know that the one she started out using caused diarrhea.
She has normal BMs since she switched to a different type of magnesium.
Look for the one that doesn’t have diarrhea listed as a side effect or ask a doctor although doctors didn’t tell my wife about this for over a year.
She figured it out on her own.
I am just the opposite I have impacted bowels a lot and have to watch that I don’t go to long without a BM.
Otherwise I have to use Citrucel and Linzess and eat fruit.
Muskmellon works good for me when it’s in season.
It must have the right amount of fiber and everything.
 
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I get the frustration. Rifaximin cost me a fortune and did nothing too.
What finally nudged my gut forward was a cheap bile-acid binder (old cholestyramine powder) and a four-week herbal combo of oregano oil + berberine my GI okayed.
Both ran me under $40 and didn’t wreck the rest of my microbiome.
Might be worth asking your doctor for a quick trial before spending on another pricey antibiotic.
Hoping you land on something that sticks, nobody should have to choose between pain and an empty plate.
 
KSav said:
Wow, I had no idea there were so many side effects to Bentyl, @CaliS! Scary ones, too. I should have read the fine print more carefully. I didn't take it for long, fortunately.
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Yeah, it really boggles the mind that these medications get approved with so many side effects :(

I've heard advertisements where it says "may cause death" and thought - now WHAT ailment could possibly be worse than that?

I've been on a 2 week bout with IBS --- can't seem to get rid of it no matter what I do. I'm always looking for natural type remedies vs. more pharma crap! My doctor is big on prescribing pills --- all except something to help me sleep. :ROFLMAO:
 
Hi @officerripley,


IBS can be exhausting—I really get how draining it is to feel relief only when fasting. Maybe try one of these simpler, less common ideas:


  • Consider bile‑acid issues—sometimes a binder helps, even if tests aren’t available.
  • Check for lingering SIBO—it can come back, and another breath test might help guide treatment.
  • Try hypnotherapy or self-hypnosis—many people find relief from symptoms by “resetting” the gut‑brain connection
  • Explore pelvic-floor support—working with a physio can ease pressure and pain in unexpected ways.

You don’t have to choose between being in pain or not eating, small wins add up. Take care, I believe there’s a better path ahead.
 
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