Living with IBS

pomegranatemint

Hello, I have IBS-C although in the past it was more like IBS-D.

Strangely I no longer have no wind, or pains in my stomach, but I did for many years and then it stopped in the last year or so. Don't ask me why. Well actually I know what some of the trigger foods were for that, rich dairy...so I have cut that out for a good few years. Always causes pains and gas if I decide to try them.

Now I just get severe nausea for days at a time when I eat something that triggers me. I have also become very intollerent to a lot of foods and seems to be getting worse.Something happened about 4 months ago and since then it has gone down hill.

I noticed some really strange things happening, like my appetite increased ten fold, all of a sudden I had to eat like every 20 minutes because my stomach would just feel so empty, after a big meal and would grumble heaps. That stressed me like no tomorrow, but lucky after a good month it went away, then I got bone pain in my ribs (bones felt like they were pushing out of my rib cage) and just became really bloated. But has settled down.

I always have had IBS, but things would go back to normal for long periods of time. I would have a few weeks of bad patches and then normal eating could continue, but not anymore, for a good 3 months anything I touch I have to be so careful with.

I also notice strong scents like outside smells are getting to me. Cigarette smoke is the worst. I just want to dry wretch all the time when outside in the city.

However, when this occurred I wanted to get on top of it, so went to a new gastroenteroligst and a dietitian. The dietitian put me on the FODMAP diet and has really helped. Although, if for some reason I eat something that triggers me (which I don't know always what) I am back to nausea. I find the restriction quite hard, but at the same time I am slowly getting many days without nausea so it's worth it to me, for the most past.

I too have had lots of test and everything seems to come back negative, apart from low vitamin D, which I have read can make IBS worse.

Anyway, it might be a good idea to investigate the FODMAP diet, it was created specifically for IBS sufferers by Monash University in Australia.