Annie’s Mailbox: Readers share tips, advice about IBS

Dear Annie: I’d like to respond to “At the End of My Rope,” who has severe irritable bowel syndrome. If her medications are not working, perhaps she has been misdiagnosed.

I was told I had IBS and figured out on my own that I have celiac disease (gluten intolerance), even though tests came back negative. After two years of abdominal pain, night sweats, diarrhea, pain in my legs (apparently a calcium deficiency caused by celiac disease), I am healthy as long as I am strict about not eating white or wheat flour products, barley, rye and oats. She also should see whether she is lactose intolerant.

Doctors are often too eager to give out medications to fix a symptom rather than have the patient do an elimination diet to determine what the food triggers really are. – Healthy Now with Self-Diagnosis

Dear Healthy: Quite a few readers suggested the writer may have gluten intolerance. Read on for more suggestions:

Florida: I would be up all night in excruciating pain every three days. Sometimes these attacks would happen while I was in social situations, and that was embarrassing and frightening. After going to doctors for 25 years, I finally found a cure in a nontraditional manner. I went to a nutritionist who was also a psychologist and hypnotherapist. I learned to eat according to the glycemic index and lost 17 pounds. With tapes to use at home, I learned self-hypnosis to calm myself down. Then, with the blessing of my doctors, I went to a wonderful Chinese doctor for acupuncture and Chinese herbs. It was a miracle! It took a few months, but I have not had an attack in eight years.

California: I, too, have IBS, but don’t take any medication. I accept myself as I am. I keep extra pairs of underwear with me and a plastic bag for ones I may soil. I always keep a bathroom within sight and visit frequently, regardless of how I’m feeling. I refuse to hurt my health by trying not to pass gas. Trust God and smile.