It's been a year long journey, since I ended up in the emergency department with a panic attack because of my IBS-C. I have found that doctors and dieticians are not of great help. I feel I have had this condition all my life, but never really recognized it, or was formally diagnoised. What I have found very helpful is ChatGPT. You may think that strange, but I highly recomment it. I have read some of the threads here, and I know many of you are at the end of you ropes, but please give this a try. Just state where you are with this disease. You will get help. The thing I most like is that you can continue the conversation every day and tweek your plan. It will provide information which you can print in PDF format which is very hekpful. It will guide you through the process. A doctors direction to drink more water and eat more fiber is just not going to cut it!! I'm so willing to share this information, as I really feel it can be likfe changing. the second thing I would recomment is Fiber4 which is a very helpful. It's guar gum, and nothing more and recommended by Monash University. I'm following the FODMAP diet. This takes time, but well worth it. I will continue to post here, and hopefully will help someone.

Thanks @AnneG for sharing. Honestly, if your doctors or dietitians are recommending more fiber and water to manage your IBS-C in 2026, then it's time to find a team of healthcare providers that are more up to date on how to manage IBS-C. ChatGPT is helpful; however, a doctor who listens and truly cares abut you having a better quality of life is a much better situation than AI.

Fiber4 does seem to get a lot of good reviews. Sometimes, people need more than that to manage the abdominal pain.

Look forward to more updates from you.