Comment by wnolens | Hacker News Reader

Comment by wnolens | Hacker News Reader

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Hmm.. same/similar. Maybe I should go outside the western playbook a little further. Thanks.

An episode of extreme stress during the pandemic has left me with IBS-C.

Apologize for TMI.

Before: I ate anything, whenever, in whatever quantity body requested and was consistent 2-3x/day.

Now: my body just does not pass stool on its own anymore and I require a prescription for Linzess (highest dosage). Without it, I will bloat to the point of a visibly distended stomach and pass rock hard stool once every 3ish days. Being so bloated causes me to eat less and I shed 15lbs (145lb@6ft). Tried no fodmap diet, heavy on fermented foods for a while, xifaxan (in case of SIBO), prebiotics previously mentioned on HN. I've settled on Linzess daily + a heavy meat diet, with oats for breakfast. Too many vegetables and I get bloated. Most breads as well. Carbonated beverages make me into a balloon.

> Apologize for TMI.

Thanks for sharing! Here comes mine.

> pass rock hard stool once every 3ish days.

I go once every 3 days, sometimes even 4, without any drama. I quite like the schedule and think it saves me a lot of time. I believe what makes it work is that I drink ~1.5 liters of tea every day, on top of the water I get from one meal per day plus some snacks here and there.

I used to be constantly bloated and extremely gassy. But no longer since I stopped going to restaurants and started eating home-cooked meals made from fresh ingredients. Turns out my stomach is just allergic to crappy ingredients restaurants like to put into our food.

I take zero medication.

Hope you find your way soon to better gut health!

I might have tried Linzess if it had been offered to me. Most of the doctors I saw probably wouldn't have even prescribed it if I had asked. They seemed set on not helping me.

My symptoms were similar to yours. I discovered on my own that digestive enzymes blends with every meal kept things flowing for me. Abdominal massage helped too. But I didn't make real progress until I started working with functional medicine doctors and trying different regimens of supplements with their direction.

Glad you got some relief. It is truly puzzling. My doc stopped at Linzess, of course. Ultimately I don't want to take a pill every day for the rest of my life. Have a pointer to the folks that helped you?

I had one doctor in Boulder who I worked with remotely, and one in Cape Town. I'd say just Google "functional medicine doctors" in your area. Unfortunately, you'll have to evaluate their trustworthiness on your own because most of them are not licensed and a lot of them are full of bullshit.

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