Down day

[Elbo]

My ibs has really flared up badly recently and it's been hard to deal with but today it's really getting me down constant belly ache and cramps are crap at least it's not triggering my anxiety too bad though!

Has any one ever tried drinking aloe juice before for ibs? Xx

[Hidden]

Hi Elbo,

On the strength of a post on this site, I've now been taking aloe juice for just over 2 weeks. Apparently, you have to take it for anything up to 8 weeks before you can say it isn't working, so I intend to carry on with it until I've got to that point. No result either way at present, but will post again in due course.

Do you know what your food triggers are and can you think of what might started you off today?

Pagan

[PatV in reply to Hidden]

how much, what brand, and when do you take the aloe juice? thanks!

[Hidden in reply to PatV]

Hi PatV,

I'm taking the same aloe juice as MarkBrennan - Pukka - (see post below) as it's the only one which meets all the right criteria, i.e. cold-pressed, organic, made from the inner leaf and the only additive it contains is 0.1% of citric acid, sourced from tapioca, as a preservative. At £20.99 a litre, it certainly isn't cheap, but it's essential to get the purest and best-produced product. All cheaper options have several additives and aren't produced to very high standards. I take 30ml of juice twice daily just before eating.

Pagan

[PatV in reply to Hidden]

thanks, will look for this here in US

[Elbo in reply to Hidden]

Yes I know most of my triggers but keep finding new ones particularly when my stomach is very sore because when I have an anxiety attack I wretch and am sick a lot so its partly still sore from that! I've tried fodmaps and I'm sticking to a very plain simple diet it's just been agony. I might try the aloe I've had it years ago but can't remember if it made a difference I've been on that many potions diets tablets tonics etc! Just keep going I suppose xx

[Hidden in reply to Elbo]

I do very well on FODMAPs ... mostly, but I find that a lot of its 'safe' foods are anything but safe for me, so I'm still eliminating bits and pieces here and there even 7 months after starting on the diet.

Know just what you mean about all the pills and potions; cleared out a kitchen cupboard shelf last week that was packed solid with 'remedies'. Hate to think how much money I've wasted, but you have to keep trying, don't you?

[wandg]

I can really sympathise, mine seems to be playing up too at the moment for no good reason which has reopened fissures.

All I can offer is to try to go back to those (usually few) foods which are quite safe for your ibs and start building up your variety again slowly as the flare up subsides. I take a good quality vitamin and probiotic tablet to try to help keep healthy on a limited diet and help stomach.

I find some meditation/time out really helps to calm me down too as well as a few yoga moves though I daren't go to yoga class when I have a flare up- it could get unpleasant for others and embarrassing for me!!!

Not tried aloe juice, Paganmoon I'd be really interested to hear if it helps!

Stay strong and good luck

Wandg

[MarkBrennan]

I started taking Pukka Aloe juice on Friday on the advice of my sister who says it has helped her and also her little boy's GERD. I had 3 not-bad days in a row.Only yesterday morning I was saying that I didn't know if it was the Aloe or coincidence that my gut was a lot calmer. An hour later it started up again and I had to visit the little room about 5 times over the course of a couple of hours - anyway, I am going to continue with it. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason, although I am wondering if dairy makes me flare up.

[Hidden in reply to MarkBrennan]

Hi Mark,

Just wondered how much and how often you're taking this, I'm taking 30ml twice a day, but don't know whether that's the right amount to be doing.

Pagan

[MarkBrennan]

Hi Pagan,

I have only been taking 45ml before dinner (around 8pm) as that is what the bottle says to do. I found it a bit odd that the dose isn't split. My sister takes hers just before bed - she only takes about 20ml but thinks it is enough for her.

Mark

[Hidden in reply to MarkBrennan]

Thanks for that Mark.

Yes, it's all a bit hit-and-miss I think. I split the dose thinking it would be better to ease my way into a new product rather than going at it full tilt from day one and I've gradually worked my way up from 10ml per dose. I'm sure dosage must be relevant to body weight as well, but I guess it's just trial and error.

As to your comment about dairy, there seems to be a lot of people who just can't tolerate it because of either the lactose or fat content - might be worth cutting it out for a couple of weeks and seeing how you get on.

Have you tried the low-FODMAP diet?

Pagan

[MarkBrennan]

I haven't tried it. I just had a quick glance and most of those foods I have already eliminated already - I don't eat any beans or pulses and I only eat bananas , although it looks like I might have to try cutting those out to - also I don't eat or drink anything with sweeteners, except when I take Fybogel, which I haven't had for a while anyway.

I will have a good look at it later.

Thanks

[Hidden in reply to MarkBrennan]

There's a lot of rubbish out there on the web about FODMAPs - most of it's also outdated. The best information is on the Monash University website where the diet was created and is still being developed - at least you know the info is both current and correct. If you have an iPhone there’s also a great app you can download from there. Best book on it is Patsy Catsos's 'IBS - Free at last' as it's much more informative than any of the FODMAP booklets the NHS dietitians are handing out, particularly with regard to product ingredients

A lot of people on this site, including me, do really well following this diet (with individual tweaks), but you really do have to follow it properly- there are no half-measures.

Pagan

[MarkBrennan]

Thanks Pagan,

I will look into those. I have been a bit jaded lately after trying literally hundreds of pills, potions and diets. I cut dairy out for a few weeks but there was no noticeable difference. I also tried lactase for dairy and alpha-d galactose for legumes, amongst many other things. Initially I thought wheat was the issue. but I usually find that if I have spaghetti for dinner, I am usually OK(ish) the next day.

The consultant told me to switch to a high fibre diet. When that didn't work, he told me to cut out all fibre, fruit and vegetables - he said that it only increased my chances of getting bowel cancer by about 3 or 4% but as I have a colonoscopy every year, they can nip any precancerous polyps in the bud (as they do anyway) - he didn't say what the lack f vitamins & minerals would do to me though!

[Hidden in reply to MarkBrennan]

Know just what you mean about being jaded. Each time I try something new, and it doesn't work, I promise myself it'll be my last foray into the realms of 'treatments'. Resolution never lasts though and yesterday I started on digestive enzymes alongside the aloe vera, so, if I suddenly find I can eat outside of the low-FODMAPs food groups, I won't know which product worked ... not holding my breath though!