icnmgrjill
07-10-2008, 08:29 AM
(reprint - January 2005)
Many newly diagnosed patients mistakenly associate drinking water with bladder discomfort. Drink less water and, hopefully, that will reduce frequency and urgency. The problem with that strategy is that it concentrates your urine, thus making it more irritable to the bladder. It can also cause constipation. Throw in the many medications prescribed for IC that cause constipation (i.e. Elavil), as well as the Irritable Bowel Syndrome that many of us struggle with, bowel regularity is a constant issue. Maintaining bowel health and regularity is essential.
Here are some easy, quick suggestions that might help.
Drink plenty of fluid, preferably water, each day. How much? Usually 1/2 ounce for every pound of body weight. If you weigh 150 pounds, that's 75 ounces or, roughly, 7 large glasses of water a day. Check the ICN Shop for brand new, reusable polycarbonate and stainless steel water bottles that reduce that horrible plastic taste!
Fiber is essential. A diet with enough fiber (20 to 35 grams each day) helps form soft, bulky stool. High-fiber foods include beans, whole grains and bran cereals, fresh fruits, and vegetables such as asparagus, brussels sprouts, cabbage, and carrots. Try limiting foods that have little or no fiber, such as ice cream, cheese, meat, and processed foods.
Try the fiber rich breads made by the Food For Life baking company. You can find them in the frozen food aisles of many major supermarket chains, including Whole Foods & Safeway. Their Ezekiel 4:9 breads are 100% flourless, organic sprouted 7 grain bread and gaining popularity among IC patients. Because I don't tolerate white bread well, I tried a number of different grain breads. This is the winner! It's the best whole wheat flavor I've found. There is none of that icky frozen food taste that you would expect in a frozen food. It causes none of the gas or bloating that regular white bread does. It is the only bread I eat and the perfect way to start the day. I find that 2 pieces, toasted, each morning, combined with a mug of hot water and honey, works wonders for the bowels! It also makes great French toast!
A fiber supplement can help but can be tricky for IC patients. With IBS, we often don't tolerate insoluble fibers well because they provoke the nerves in the gut that cause constipation or diarrhea. It's the "soluble" fibers that provide the answer. Acacia fiber, for example, is ideal in that it provides bul active ingredient in most over the counter fiber supplements, such as Metamucil, is composed both both insulble and soluble fibers making it more difficult for sensitive patients to tolerate. Throw in the many flavorings and preservatives found in mass market products like Metamucil, IC patients often find that they irritate the bladder. We suggest Heathers' Tummy Care Acacia Fiber which you can purchase in the ICN Shop at: http://www.icnsales.com. It's preservative free, flavorless and easily dissolves in a cup of mint tea. For more information on IBS, please read Heather Van Vorous's lecture on IBS at: http://www.2006icpatientconference.com. It's a superb resource for patients struggling with bowel issues. We also carry all of Heather's products in the ICN Mail Order Center.
Try Power Pudding. B.J. Czarapeta, a Urology Nurse Practitioner, gave the following recipe when she appeared in the ICN Guest Lecture series back in 1999. It still works today!
1 cup crushed 100% bran flakes, crushed
1 & 1/2 cups of canned pears in their own juice
Blend in blender
In the morning, start your day with a large 8 ounce glass of hot water. Then take 1 tablespoon of power pudding a day for the first week, two tablespoons a day for the second week. Increase by one tablespoon each week until you reach three or you get adequate relief. The maximum is five.
Walk more and lay around less! We don't understand why exercise is so important to bowel regularity, but it is. Patients who stay confined to bed often become more constipated. So, walk when you can. If you can't walk, at least do some chair exercises and arm lifts. One of the great benefits of belonging to a neighborhood gym is that they do have restrooms on site. You can walk on the treadmill and then run to the bathroom whenever you need to! Try the rowing machine if walking is too hard on your bladder. Rowing burns more calories and is a great aerobic workout for both your upper and lower extremities.
Don't expect to have a bowel movement each day. Remember, we’re all unique. If your bowel movements are natural, painless and regular (whether 2 times a day or 3 times a week), you're doing great!
Don't ignore your natural urge to have a bowel movement. Yes, it's more comfortable to have a bowel movement at home in your own bathroom. But, if you're regularly holding in bowel movements, this can cause constipation too!
Rule out food sensitivities and/or allergies. When I was in my late 20's, I developed food allergies and sensitivities. Out of the blue, just like my father, I became allergic to some foods and had horrible episodes of bowel cramping and pain. Chocolate, for example, provokes horrible discomfort. Coke drinks caused problems. Foods treated with MSG, such as the old McDonalds Fajitas or chinese food, would have me in the bathroom within an hour with horrible cramping. Even eating out became a huge chore. I found that I was very allergic to foods treated with sulfites, such as salads and salad bars.
After visiting a allergist and learning more about food sensitivities, I finally found a book which taught me how to do an elimination diet (thanks Jan!). This saved me years of pain and suffering. Even though I had eliminated what I thought were the worst foods, I was still have trouble every day. The elimination diet found the culprit. Oatmeal. The one food that everyone said that I should eat each day to help my bowels was the worst food that I, personally, could have eaten. No wonder I was in so much pain. I am horribly sensitive to oatmeal. Ironically, I "then" remembered making oatmeal cookies as a child and getting very sick!
If you're still struggling with bowel issues, talk with your doctor! It might be wise to consult with a gastroenterologist. You could have another issue going on. Some people have nerve disorders which affect the muscles and nerves responsible for normal bowel movements. A doctor can perform tests to see if this is a contributing factor. The great news is that these can often be treated!
Many newly diagnosed patients mistakenly associate drinking water with bladder discomfort. Drink less water and, hopefully, that will reduce frequency and urgency. The problem with that strategy is that it concentrates your urine, thus making it more irritable to the bladder. It can also cause constipation. Throw in the many medications prescribed for IC that cause constipation (i.e. Elavil), as well as the Irritable Bowel Syndrome that many of us struggle with, bowel regularity is a constant issue. Maintaining bowel health and regularity is essential.
Here are some easy, quick suggestions that might help.
Drink plenty of fluid, preferably water, each day. How much? Usually 1/2 ounce for every pound of body weight. If you weigh 150 pounds, that's 75 ounces or, roughly, 7 large glasses of water a day. Check the ICN Shop for brand new, reusable polycarbonate and stainless steel water bottles that reduce that horrible plastic taste!
Fiber is essential. A diet with enough fiber (20 to 35 grams each day) helps form soft, bulky stool. High-fiber foods include beans, whole grains and bran cereals, fresh fruits, and vegetables such as asparagus, brussels sprouts, cabbage, and carrots. Try limiting foods that have little or no fiber, such as ice cream, cheese, meat, and processed foods.
Try the fiber rich breads made by the Food For Life baking company. You can find them in the frozen food aisles of many major supermarket chains, including Whole Foods & Safeway. Their Ezekiel 4:9 breads are 100% flourless, organic sprouted 7 grain bread and gaining popularity among IC patients. Because I don't tolerate white bread well, I tried a number of different grain breads. This is the winner! It's the best whole wheat flavor I've found. There is none of that icky frozen food taste that you would expect in a frozen food. It causes none of the gas or bloating that regular white bread does. It is the only bread I eat and the perfect way to start the day. I find that 2 pieces, toasted, each morning, combined with a mug of hot water and honey, works wonders for the bowels! It also makes great French toast!
A fiber supplement can help but can be tricky for IC patients. With IBS, we often don't tolerate insoluble fibers well because they provoke the nerves in the gut that cause constipation or diarrhea. It's the "soluble" fibers that provide the answer. Acacia fiber, for example, is ideal in that it provides bul active ingredient in most over the counter fiber supplements, such as Metamucil, is composed both both insulble and soluble fibers making it more difficult for sensitive patients to tolerate. Throw in the many flavorings and preservatives found in mass market products like Metamucil, IC patients often find that they irritate the bladder. We suggest Heathers' Tummy Care Acacia Fiber which you can purchase in the ICN Shop at: http://www.icnsales.com. It's preservative free, flavorless and easily dissolves in a cup of mint tea. For more information on IBS, please read Heather Van Vorous's lecture on IBS at: http://www.2006icpatientconference.com. It's a superb resource for patients struggling with bowel issues. We also carry all of Heather's products in the ICN Mail Order Center.
Try Power Pudding. B.J. Czarapeta, a Urology Nurse Practitioner, gave the following recipe when she appeared in the ICN Guest Lecture series back in 1999. It still works today!
1 cup crushed 100% bran flakes, crushed
1 & 1/2 cups of canned pears in their own juice
Blend in blender
In the morning, start your day with a large 8 ounce glass of hot water. Then take 1 tablespoon of power pudding a day for the first week, two tablespoons a day for the second week. Increase by one tablespoon each week until you reach three or you get adequate relief. The maximum is five.
Walk more and lay around less! We don't understand why exercise is so important to bowel regularity, but it is. Patients who stay confined to bed often become more constipated. So, walk when you can. If you can't walk, at least do some chair exercises and arm lifts. One of the great benefits of belonging to a neighborhood gym is that they do have restrooms on site. You can walk on the treadmill and then run to the bathroom whenever you need to! Try the rowing machine if walking is too hard on your bladder. Rowing burns more calories and is a great aerobic workout for both your upper and lower extremities.
Don't expect to have a bowel movement each day. Remember, we’re all unique. If your bowel movements are natural, painless and regular (whether 2 times a day or 3 times a week), you're doing great!
Don't ignore your natural urge to have a bowel movement. Yes, it's more comfortable to have a bowel movement at home in your own bathroom. But, if you're regularly holding in bowel movements, this can cause constipation too!
Rule out food sensitivities and/or allergies. When I was in my late 20's, I developed food allergies and sensitivities. Out of the blue, just like my father, I became allergic to some foods and had horrible episodes of bowel cramping and pain. Chocolate, for example, provokes horrible discomfort. Coke drinks caused problems. Foods treated with MSG, such as the old McDonalds Fajitas or chinese food, would have me in the bathroom within an hour with horrible cramping. Even eating out became a huge chore. I found that I was very allergic to foods treated with sulfites, such as salads and salad bars.
After visiting a allergist and learning more about food sensitivities, I finally found a book which taught me how to do an elimination diet (thanks Jan!). This saved me years of pain and suffering. Even though I had eliminated what I thought were the worst foods, I was still have trouble every day. The elimination diet found the culprit. Oatmeal. The one food that everyone said that I should eat each day to help my bowels was the worst food that I, personally, could have eaten. No wonder I was in so much pain. I am horribly sensitive to oatmeal. Ironically, I "then" remembered making oatmeal cookies as a child and getting very sick!
If you're still struggling with bowel issues, talk with your doctor! It might be wise to consult with a gastroenterologist. You could have another issue going on. Some people have nerve disorders which affect the muscles and nerves responsible for normal bowel movements. A doctor can perform tests to see if this is a contributing factor. The great news is that these can often be treated!