Blog > Find Relief from IBS-D with These Five Tips

Find Relief from IBS-D with These Five Tips

April is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) awareness month. Your loved one may not always feel comfortable talking about his IBS, but April is a good time to search for remedies for your loved one. IBS cannot be cured, but symptoms can often be managed with diet and lifestyle changes. Having personal care at home providers can help to follow through with some of these tips.

There are two types of Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea (IBS-D) and Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Constipation (IBS-C). Symptoms for both often include pain and cramping in the abdomen that usually goes away after defecation. It can make a person miserable for several minutes to several hours and can happen at any time.

If your loved one suffers from IBS-D, here are five remedies he might be interested in trying to find relief.

Make dietary changes

Certain foods trigger IBS-D more than others and it can be different for each person. To find out which foods make symptoms worse, your loved one should keep a food diary that includes how his bowels feel during the day as well to discover if there are any patterns. If he finds a particular food seems to be followed up with diarrhea each time, he should work with his personal care at home team to eliminate that food from his diet as much as possible. Letting his personal care at home team know about these trigger foods can help them when meal planning with your loved one. Common trigger foods include sugar, processed foods, and alcohol.

Chew food completely

Taking the time to slowly chew food can help the gut digest the food better and prevent an outbreak of IBS-D. Having the teeth and saliva break down the food is better than washing down larger pieces of food with water or soda. This might take some mindfulness for your loved one. He might find that counting how much he chews will help him focus on the task.

Watch fiber intake

While some fiber is important, make sure your loved one isn’t eating foods high in insoluble fiber, like bread and vegetables. They can cause pain and bloating. Soluble fiber found in fruits, beans, and oat products is often more gentle on the digestive system for those with IBS-D.

Reduce stress

Stress often triggers more IBS-D symptoms. It’s a cycle that can be hard to break as your loved one worries about the unpredictable symptoms of IBS-D and then has more symptoms because he’s worried about them. Finding a good stress-reducing activity may help him reduce his overall symptoms. It doesn’t matter what the stress-reducing activity is, so long as it is something that helps him relax and put aside his worries.

Personal Care at Home Columbia TN – Find Relief from IBS-D with These Five Tips

Use meds when needed

Work with your loved one’s doctor and personal care at home team to determine which medications – whether prescribed or over-the-counter (like Pepto Bismo) can and should be used to help manage symptoms, especially if your loved one is traveling or going to be someplace where the symptoms will not be easily dealt with (such as a long plane ride).

Being proactive can help your loved one find relief and calm his symptoms.