HI

I have read IBS for Dummies. Any other good suggestions on IBS books. Or if you care to share what works to control your IBS if you have or are suffering from it.                                              

Fred - I have suffered from IBS in the past, and it seems linked to particular foods for me.   I have noticed that since I now fast a couple of non-consecutive days a week, and stay lower carb, my symptoms have all but disappeared.

I was just diagnosed this week. I'd be happy to hear any tips as well. Right now I am on a very restricted diet until a GI doc can run some tests and I have to see a GYN as well to rule out other causes of my symptoms.

I have suffered with IBS since 1992.  Some things that have helped me:

Figure out which foods, if any, trigger your symptoms and avoid them.  Coffee is known to aggravate IBS, so if you're a coffee drinker try to cut back or quit.  It's not the caffeine, it's something in the coffee bean itself.

Talk to your doctor about medications to help with the symptoms.  I currently take dicyclomine (brand name is Bentyl), and it helps immensely.

I also try to eat at roughly the same time every day.  I found that my body adjusted, and I was better able to control my IBS symptoms and predict problems.

Probiotics every day!  I used to get the tiniest bit upset and have to run to the restroom.  I've been taking therapeutic doses of acidophilus and bifidus and blue green algae for about a year and no more IBS.  You can't just get great results from eating yogurt tho, you have to take the supplements. 

There are tons of articles about it--just Google IBS and probiotics.

I quit eating meat, milk, eggs, artificial sweeteners and red dye and my symptoms have diminished 70%. The advice in the books made me feel worse. I have recently been rediagnosed, but the original diagnoses was in 2000. I feel like it has gone on forever. I wasn't sure IBS was a good diagnoses, but I think they use it when they don't know what else to say.