Hi Mates.

Contracting I.B.S (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) at anytime in your life is NOT one of life's experiences ANYONE should have to experience and if there are any of my Brothers/Sisters-In-Iron experiencing it right now, this posting is aimed DIRECTLY at you.

I, myself, first contracted I.B.S almost twenty years ago. I had just started my own haulage company in the UK and I was working every hour the good Lord sent to make it a success. My diet, as you can imagine, was atrocious. Road side diners. Bacon sandwiches for lunch, dinner and snack times, whenever I could spare five minutes to stop to eat and GALLONS of Coke. (The soda). I'd ALWAYS have a 2-ltr bottle of it down the side of the drivers seat, in easy reach so I could just swig from the bottle as I drove the highways and byways from delivery to collection.

Now the ugly bit: My I.B.S came on one morning with a stomach ache. Not the usual, 'OOO. I'm hungry', kind of ache. No. This was just a heavy, dull feeling in the upper part of the stomach, just under the rib cage. Then came a burp. "OHHH. SWEET LORD. DAMN. I STINK", kind of burp. Just think of the smell of REALLY rotten eggs and you'll understand. For the first week or so I just put it down to a bad burger and just put up with it. I got some antacid tablets from the local chemist/pharmacy and kept chewing on them to try and disperse the feelings of the heavy indigestion. They'd work, up to a point. But, of course, they NEVER addressed the issue.

After putting up with the bad breath, the uncontrollable breaking wind, (Which had no odour to them whatsoever), for 3-4 weeks, it was becoming an embarrassing issue whenever I came into contact with other people. When the burps came up, they were coming out whether I wanted them to or not and they'd clear the rooms at times. I'd blame it all on food poisoning, make my apologies and leave them to deal with the lingering smell of my Death-Breath, (As I'd started calling it).

I HAD to go to the doctor to find out what was going on. As soon as I walked into the doctors room a burp came out and the first thing the doctor told me was, (BEFORE I EVEN SAT DOWN), "Wow. You certainly have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, don't you?" As soon as he said that I thought I was dying. I'd never heard of the infliction before. "Is it cancer?" I asked him. (My father had passed away about 2 years prior from cancer, so I was still questioning everything whenever I got sick). And that's when he told me about how my body was building up the gases in my intestines and how it releases the bloating effects through the breaking of wind and the burps etc. He didn't have to run any tests on me. I.B.S is a symptomatic diagnosis issue. And unfortunately, there is NO-KNOWN CURE.

My doctor diagnosed that I'd contracted the I.B.S through stress I'd been having with me starting my new business up and stuff and he recommended that I changed my diet from all of the carbohydrates I was digesting on the road to a more gentle, healthy approach. He recommended natural yogurts, fruit, fish, chicken, (More protein foods) and a regular supply of breath mints to address the bad breath. And that was the diagnosis and recommendations to address it, in one simple doctor's appointment. The initial bout for me lasted about 5 months before the symptoms disappeared and everything returned to normal. I've had it several times since and it will usually disperse after a few months of room emptying or being kicked out of the master bedroom by the Mrs because a burp had escaped while I'm sleeping and she who must be obeyed breaths it in (LOLOL I shouldn't laugh. But it does make me laugh at times LOLOL)

And now, almost twenty years later, my I.B.S returned FOR NO REASON. I can't say I'm stressed out, for any reason. I'm currently having tests carried out over the next few weeks because of me coming up to my 1st year anniversary of being diagnosed with my lung cancer. But as I've already had my surgery, to me, I feel like I'm cancer free and kicking life in the butt again. Yes, I am currently on a 16 week bulking cycle. But nothing too heavy. I'm lifting good at the gym, which is a MUST for me. My diet consists mainly of high protein intake from fish, chicken etc and I ONLY allow myself red meats 3 times a week. So why the Death-Breath has returned, I have NO IDEA.

SIDE NOTE: Being on a bulking cycle, FOR ME, brings along some bloat in the abdomen and along with the heavy gases accumulating in the stomach from the I.B.S itself, the pains and cramps involved can be a b**ch to deal with at times.

I have heard of individuals finding SOME relief from digesting the Pro-Biotic yoghurts available from the supermarkets. They supposedly have something to do with the bacterias contained within the yoghurts, aiding the bacteria in the digestive system, but I haven't spoken/conversed with any individual who has themselves used such products to aide their I.B.S.

MAYBE someone here on Eroids, who also suffers from I.B.S at times have themselves used such Pro-Biotic products themselves and have found relief/no-effects from their consumption who can comment on them?

Every piece of advice/remedy/solution will help to bring relief to the victims of the dreaded, 'Death-Breath'.