DC diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrom

[Anonymous]

Anyone else have a child with irritable bowel syndrome? I'm have trouble figuring out how to feed him. We have checked for everything under the sun, and did a colonoscopy/endoscopy that ruled out Crohns and celiac. Have removed every common allergen (wheat, dairy, eggs, nuts, soy) for a month with no marked improvement. Have now added back in all but dairy with no marked worsening. We can't find food triggers at all. Son simply seems to cycle through well periods and bad periods that last a few days, always with diarrhea. I am reading books about IBS, and then all assume you'll find trigger foods. We've also tried drastically reducing fructose and other sugars (hard to eliminate entirely) and we couldn't tell if it helped or not...maybe a little.

Any advice? DS is five, if that makes any difference.

[Anonymous]

Is he anxious or stressed kid? Is there conflict or unhappiness or stress in the home? Recent changes in his life? Stress is a major source of IBS.

Is he eating lots of fruit / veggies? Getting lots of fiber?

What about high fat foods - they were one of my worst triggers - I couldn't eat any sauce, oil, butter or anything with fat. I pretty much lived on plain pasta, plain bread and fruits and veggies for a couple years.

At 5 I would make sure you send him to school with a change of pants and underwear and wipes just in case he ever has an accident.

[Anonymous]

I have suggestions....we've battled chronic gut problems in our home and we've completely changed the situation with only a few minor supplements.


1. Digestive enzymes. Get a broad spectrum digestive enzyme and have him take it with every meal. We've been using this one since DS was 3, so it is safe for his age. You can also empty out the capsule shake it with juice if your DC doesn't take pills yet....that's what we still have to do for our 7 YO DS.

http://kirkmanlabs.com/ProductKirkman/283/1/Enzym-Complete-DPP-IVand/

2. GSE - Grapefruit seed extract. It will help combat yeast/fungus in the gut that has destroyed the lining of the gut wall. You can also find this in liquid form if need be. Only a couple drops per day is needed.

http://www.amazon.com/Grapefruit-Seed-Extract-Maximum-Strength-250mg/dp/B002QP9FAS

3. Some form of supergreens....ie., bluegreen algae, spirulina, wheat grass, barley grass. You need something here to help raise his Ph levels so that the body can be in balance again. Here is what I would suggest. Put a scoop of Green Vibrance in juice once per day and ask him to drink it. It's not that bad.

http://www.amazon.com/Green-Vibrance-Kilo-35-27-Ounces/dp/B0054RQDCS/ref=sr_1_6?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1323785793&sr=1-6

After making these changes in my children's diets, we've eliminated any/all gut problems. I hope this helps. Good luck, op!!

[Anonymous]

Thanks, PPs!

As for stress - I don't think so. He is a pretty happy, goofy kid. And DH and I haven't had any changes or stresses. Family life is good. So I don't think that is it. Plus it came on suddenly this summer after a really intense flu, that unfortunately he was given antibiotics for, even though it was a virus. Thanks for the tip on fat. He does eat quite a bit, mostly because he is so darn skinny and I want to get calories in, so we do a good deal of peanut butter and high-fat dairy substitutes, like coconut milk.

We'll try the enzymes, GSE, and supergreens. We've been doing garden variety probiotics, but I think its time to step it up...

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Adding raw milk into his diet will help with IBS.

[Anonymous]

Just making sure he was checked for c. diff. Your note about him getting sick after getting antibiotics made me think of it.

[Anonymous]

Yes, rules out c diff and parasites. Thanks for checking. We were really, really hoping it was some infectious thing that could be kicked.

Am thinking of raw milk, since I've done it in the past and have a source I trust. Would just drink a glass myself and wait a day before giving to the kid. But he seems to be lactose intolerant, so am a hesitant to mess with any stability we get to.

[Anonymous]

When you removed wheat did you remove all gluten or just wheat? For us gluten free, probiotics and low sugar low yeast diet made the difference.

[Anonymous]

When you removed wheat did you remove all gluten or just wheat? For us gluten free, probiotics and low sugar low yeast diet made the difference.

[Anonymous]

9:19 here again.

Here is a great site for reading up on the gut. Read about Leaky Gut....it would be my guess that the antibiotics caused the yeast/fungus to flare in his gut (because it killed off all the beneficial gut flora that keeps yeast/fungus in check). When that happens, the lining of the gut becomes thin and permeable to undigested food particles. A whole host of problems can then occur.

[Anonymous]

http://www.enzymestuff.com/conditionleakygut.htm

Oooops.....forgot to post the link.

[Anonymous]

what is c diff?

[Anonymous]

Did he get tested for SIBO (http://www.medicinenet.com/small_intestinal_bacterial_overgrowth/article.htm)? It's a breath test--no pain involved at all. If he tests positive, a special antibiotic is used to treat it, so it's not a scary prospect.

[Anonymous]

OP here. We took all gluten out, so pretty sure gluten isn't a trigger. c diff is a bacteria, c difficile, which is a nasty, nasty bug that takes special antibiotics to kick. Usually hospital-aquired, but more and more people get it after another infection.

We didn't do the breath test for SIBO, but the gastro said that wasn't the problem, but I am not sure why she said that. Maybe we'll ask about that one again.

Started doing alot of reading, and realized I hadn't known the difference between soluble and insoluble fiber, and have been giving kiddo lots of both. Just started putting glops of cooked oatmeal into his morning shake, and the kid is solid for the first time in months. Will take him off whole nuts and whole wheat bread, both of which we've been pushing.

[Anonymous]

"Plus it came on suddenly this summer after a really intense flu, that unfortunately he was given antibiotics for, even though it was a virus."

This makes me think that it's not IBS, but because the antibiotics killed off the good bugs in his gut. Have you done a serious try with probiotics - kefir, various yogurts, powdered live probiotics (sold in the refrigerator section at WF and health food stores)?