IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and the FODMAP diet...

our_ayley
our_ayley Posts: 66 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone!

Not sure if I'm posting this in the right topic section but hopefully it will get picked up anyway :-)

I've been diagnosed with IBS since around 4 years ago, with alternating flare ups of IBS-C and IBS-D. Mostly, the flares come from when I've eaten something too stodgy like bread, pies, potatoes, etc. however more recently I've had a severe flare up caused by what I can only assume is stress. I had chronic pain across my stomach last week for 6 days, which meant I was doubled over in pain, struggling to sleep and generally just felt so drained and exhausted. The docs told me it was a severe flare up of my IBS that was stress induced and advised I should just take paracetamol, drink peppermint tea and take some over the counter Mebeverine (Colofac) however none of this seemed to help and after the 6th day I went to a walk in clinic to be checked out.

The nurse at the clinic agreed it could be a severe IBS flare up however as the pain had moved to the bottom right hand side of my stomach she had some concerns over my appendix and said I should keep an eye on it as it could be "Grumbling Appendix" which can lead to appendicitis. She suggested I try some Gaviscon and continue to take the meds. By Sunday I felt a million times better, despite not being completely right. I'd not eaten much through this process, as every time I ate anything it would be too painful and yesterday, after feeling better for another day, I tried some food however this has led to the pain coming back and me having chronic diarrhoea now.

So after a bit of Googling, I've decided it's time I tried to follow some "IBS-friendly" diets, to see if this is what is causing, or at least, contributing to my problems. I've come across the FODMAP diet and having initially seen it and thinking "OHMYGOD WHAT AM I GONNA EAT?!" I've calmed down a little and thought I'd ask on here if anyone else follows it, and how their meal plans look, etc.? I'm not too fussed about weight loss at the moment, if it's a happy side effect of the diet then brilliant but currently I'm more focused on trying to sort out my health and get some clarity on how I can remedy these pains on an ongoing basis.

I appreciate I've just written an essay, and apologies to anyone I've bored but if you do have any suggestions on how I can follow this diet I'd be super appreciative!

Thanks :-)

Hayley x

Replies

  • diddles19
    diddles19 Posts: 122 Member
    Hi, I have recently been diagnosed with IBS-C caused by stress. I haven't tried the FODMAP yet as I wanted to try and alter my own diet first.

    Like you I was given Colofac, which did take the edge off the pain but didn't make it go away. The thing thats helping me at the moment is ground flaxseed. I have 2 tablespoons on my breakfast everyday so it keep me regular and this seems to stop the flare ups. I think you are supposed to start with a teaspoon and build the amount up but it works for me. Make sure you buy ground flaxseed and not the seeds themselves as they can't be digested and might aggrivate your tummy. The upside to the flaxseed is that it helps with weightloss although thats not why I take it and it is supposed to be good for your skin and hair.

    I found that eating little and often helps but a friend of mine has IBS-D and swears by Colpermin
  • lazytolight
    lazytolight Posts: 38 Member
    I'm contemplating trying FODMAPS but like you I'm wondering what can I eat during the elimination process. I've been trying to do this on my own but since I was diagnosed in May I've had so many flare ups and I haven't been able to figure my triggers.
  • priteshaggarwal
    priteshaggarwal Posts: 1
    Hey buddy,

    I'm also suffering from IBS from past 6 years. I've experienced some relieve by changing my sleeping pattern, eating habits and practicing meditation. I used to smoke which made things worse, but its been 5 months since i've quit smoking.
    The diet is pretty hard to adjust with but you'll get used to it after some time. Its a very healthy diet though. One suggestion,boil 2 spoon Fennel seeds in 1 and 1/2 glass of water at night. Keep the water as it is for the night. Next day divide it into 3 portions and take it 3 times during the day(empty stomach in morning, afternoon and evening). Will give you a good amount of relief.

    www.ibssolution.wordpress.com
  • guidothecat
    guidothecat Posts: 141 Member
    I agree with the fennel, I drink it in a tea...I also get my fiber in daily (don't always log it?) but the old man grit (as I call it helps keeps things slowed down for me) old man orange Metamucil seems to work for me, the sugar free stuff is not good for me, so I get the 'leaded' sugared stuff. If I miss a few days of the fiber, it is not pretty. So the fiber and some tea are a daily thing for me.

    Like I said fennel tea (it takes a bit to adjust to the taste) works for me with the gas and bloating, which can be quite painful. The fennel is about the only thing that has helped along with the extra fiber (and I quit taking all the darn pills because it just seemed to make it worse) and I have used the crushed fennel seeds or fresh fennel both with pretty much the same results (the crushed seeds need to steep a bit longer than the fresh) and you can add the fresh shaved fennel bulb to salads and such, but the crushed seeds for tea seems to work the best for me
  • estelle74uk
    estelle74uk Posts: 465 Member
    Hey there

    Totally understand what your going through. Been diagnosed with IBS for years now. Just recently since May have had acid reflux which doesnt seem to want to go also.

    Getting fed up of it myself now so am going to try and do the diet thing 100%, which is what I can never stick to. Cutting out coffee is going to be the worse thing, but living with this is harder than stopping the coffee.

    Have just heard about this FODMAP recently myself so may think about doing it also. Im just going to try and eat bland foods for now, but sometimes too much fibre doesnt sit with me either. I was told to eat white stuff ie bread etc.!! not healthy but sometimes my stomch is ok with that. Its very frustrating and hope that you can sort yours out.
  • channi_c
    channi_c Posts: 47 Member
    Hi Ive had IBS for years mines more severe bloating from eating high fibre and too many carbs.

    Ive found eating as much fruit and veg in a day that I can and only having a small portion of carbs in a day helps, my weight loss is slow but its sure coming off!!

    I find if im having pasta for dinner il have something light for tea and visversa, when I have a real bad out burst I double up on my IBS tablets and still take 1 the following morning even if im better as im still abit delicate x
  • Subzeromambo
    Subzeromambo Posts: 27 Member
    I have been following the FODMAP diet for three weeks. It makes a big difference! I used the Kate Scarlata's 21-day menu. Sue Sheperd's book is the bible but I found her recipes to be labor intensive.
  • kaseynorris1
    kaseynorris1 Posts: 3 Member
    I was diagnosed with IBS-D about 8 or 9 years ago. Spent a week in the hospital, following a particularly rough "flare up." They ruled out Crohn's and called it IBS. Gave me some meds and said eat lots of rice, chicken and bland, bland, bland. About that...I'm addicted to spicy food! Anyway, fastforward til recently. Went to a new doc that would listen (so important!)...I want to diet control the IBS and have occasional meds for the flare ups. I would rather try the homeopathic route. It was recommended that I start the low-FODMAP diet. A few days ago, I decided to use MFP to track that and lose weight too (goal is 50 pounds to lose). I'm having a hard time hitting my caloric intake. I'm just not hungry now. I am full so much longer.
  • BellyCat01
    BellyCat01 Posts: 5 Member
    Been suffering with IBS for more years than I want to count. My hubby finally said about a week ago to check again and see if there is any kind of help with diet and I found the low FODMAP diet. I have been on it faithfully for six days now. It's hard because there are a lot of lists out there of what to eat and what not to eat. I used to look at the food labels for calories and now I have to check every item on the list of ingredients but it's working. This morning I actually feel like I am getting somewhere!! So I am going to keep going with it and I really think that it is worth the effort. Certainly is not going to hurt with the diet plan either because I'm finding it hard to even get in my daily calories so I've been upping my protein a bit just so I don't come in under the minimum. Add on my daily hour to two hour exercise routine and I am pretty sure this will do the trick. No more bloating at all!! If you are thinking of trying it I highly recommend it.
  • blpodetz
    blpodetz Posts: 1
    I am fortunate enough to be receiving care for my pain predominant IBS-C from the Mayo clinic. (Dr. Fox in particular). I spent a year bedridden 60% of the time and doped up on Oxycontin and Hydromorphone. It was miserable. I finally got to Dr. Fox and she put me on the FODMAP diet. I'm 22 days in to elimination, as she recommended 4 weeks. I had been following Heather Van Vorous' diet for IBS for 3 weeks prior to seeing Dr. Fox and that worked well also. FODMAP is hopefully going to allow me a less restricted diet after I get passed elimination. We eat pretty simple around here. I miss onions and garlic the most right now. I also take Linzess daily. That made a big change in my ability to go. The thing I struggle with is what to eat when I don't feel like cooking. So far, Hu Hot and Qdoba are my best options. I'm trying to learn how to cook gluten free. I hope I can continue to find some more recipies for cake, bars, quick breads, etc. My husband is used to having them around. If you think you want to try this diet, go to the mayo clini web site and search for IBS info. You can download a lot from there. Also, www.med.monash.edu/cecs/gastro/fodmap has a great book and an I-Phone app. They are in Australia and doing the most cutting edge science for IBS sufferers. Good Health!
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
    I actually did the low FODMAP diet on and off for the last 2 years (first the really restrictive version for 6 weeks and then slowly introducing some stuff), but I kept having flare-ups regardless and seemed to be caused by different foods all the time. I would go back to the restrictive one for 4-6 weeks and then try again, but I just couldn't really get on top of it for ay length of time. I was slowly resigning myself to the fact that I either had to have a really restrictive diet or be in chronically in pain.

    Anyway, 8 weeks ago it was really bad again so I just did a food diary just at home with a piece of paper (why I didn't do this before escapes me) and I actually realised that I had really bad flare-ups every time I ate chicken and red meat, less with pork, and almost none- existent with fish. So now I am a reluctant vegetarian, but I feel so much better. I still don't eat apples or pears, but wheat and dairy seem to not cause any issues now. I now log my food and symptoms here and I really really really hope that this is 'it' for me :-)

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