Anyone Here Restricted by IBS?

ccm1912
ccm1912 Posts: 39 Member
So, I take medication for my IBS and it has done wonders in the past 6 months, i can eat fairly normally. But i still cannot eat salads, or most veggies and fruits without serious problems. Granted, all of those things get people "moving" normally, but times that by 10 when you have IBS and throw in seriously painful stomach aches while you're at it. It's VERY frustrating, because i LOVE salads. I'd be more apt to eat them for lunch and help lower calorie count and just get greens in me if i could. But sometimes it is not worth the pain.

Anyone else restricted by their IBS? Is there a way you get around it? Do you find there are other foods that work instead? Just curious.

Replies

  • Mof3wc
    Mof3wc Posts: 126 Member
    No IBS, but I have IBD (Crohn's), so I get it. Endless bathroom trips, nausea, stomach pain etc. I can actually eat small salads once in awhile, and fruits though. No gluten/oats at all, limited dairy, limited grains, limited nuts/seeds, no meat, eggs are ok sometimes, nothing greasy/oily, no corn...I have a list of about 10 safe things, and that's what I eat every day.

    Can you juice? When I was really sick and couldn't eat anything, I juiced everyday to at least get the nutrients, it's not like we need the fiber lol.
  • ccm1912
    ccm1912 Posts: 39 Member
    I can juice pretty well, I did a juice cleanse a few weeks back, but of course by day 3 the green juices were causing problems! I had to skip one on day 3 just so I could function! Everything else was fine.
  • I've had IBS that leans toward the diarrhea side since I was a child and it got progressively worse up until a couple of years ago when it was unbearable. It was affecting my life negatively in every aspect. I withdrew from eating out, social events, eating all day long for fear of bathroom trips etc.. I was taking more anti diarheal medication than I had ever before but still was having major issues. Desperate and depressed I found some meditation/hypnosis CD's online. I did the whole program once through (It takes daily work for about three months) and I found an improvement. Then the IBS was worsening again and I pulled out those CDS and did them again. I truly believe they have had a huge impact on my IBS and where it stands today. I"m actually living now. ;) Now mind you over the last year and a half I've lost 65lbs and eat much healthier..but I can now eat many of the foods that used to cause me issues, I eat out etc... It's not cured but it's manageable. I eat every 2-3hrs during the day (something I would NEVER have done before because fear of the runs) and I seldom worry about my bowels anymore. There are a few tricks in addition to the CD's that have helped. I for the most part do not drink fluids with meals, but if i do I will just have small sips of water. NO POP with meals! or carbonated drinks(that's a guaranteed trip to the bathroom. I keep my portions small. Around 4oz of protein, a healthy carb and maybe a small bit of fat at each meal. Too much fat equals trips to the bathroom. In fact I allow myself to go off my food plan around once a week and that usually involves fatty foods like big burgers, ice-cream etc..and often I pay for it. I think it's worth the extra bathroom trips at that time because it keeps me from falling off plan daily. But it's predictable so i can plan for it. There are some foods that I choose to stay away from all together because I have found no matter how i eat them it's never good..eg...corn on the cob, excessive chocolate are just a few. You can also experiment with a kinda elimination diet. Stop eating a suspected trigger food for around a month and then re introduce it slowly. That way if you start have worsening symptom you'll know exactly what has caused it. Also, IBS has both physiological and psychological properties to it..you have to address both. I don't deny anyone's symptoms..I experience them too..BUT>.it's how handle those feelings that would often send me to the bathroom or not. Once you change your thought process it's amazing how the body responds. I'm not here to tell anyone that what they are experiencing isn't real because i know all to well it most certainly is. I am here to say there is hope and I'm an example of that. It's not perfect, but if i compare myself to where i was 2years ago it's unbelievable. My relationship with food and my IBS is so much better. I still struggle with being spontaneous because I wonder if there will be a toliet nearby..but at those times I go back to what the cd's taught me and it's getting better. In fact today I had a huge green salad with chicken today while out on the road. The rumbly tummy feeling started and for a moment I stopped and thought to myself, "oh no!"..but i was able to quiet my gutt with the things i learned on the CD and the sensation went away. I really don't want to post the names of the CD;s here because you are not suppose to promote products in the forums but if anyone is interested in the name of it just inbox me and i'll send it to you.
  • LauraBest2013
    LauraBest2013 Posts: 50 Member
    I've just recently had trouble with IBS and suspected gluten/wheat intolerance so right now eating is quite unpleasant for me as I try to work out what will set me off and what is safe. Even worse when it seems to change on a daily basis! :(
  • patsypooter
    patsypooter Posts: 175 Member
    I suffer from IBS and have been trying strict diet for managing it. I found some major trigger foods and eliminiating them has helped a lot. It has been working quite well but I'm nowhere near 100% better. I still get painful attacks that leave me in such pain I want to go to the hospital. I have been doing FODMAPS and SCD diet mashup. I went off plan a little bit, was trying to add a moderate amount of sugar back into my life and my symptoms started getting worse again.

    I've been doing some research on something called Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth, or SIBO. I am altering my diet to now include sugar free as well (including fruits) to see if I can get any relief as that is what is recommended for SIBO.

    It's hard going without sugars, but I'm sick of feeling so terrible and uncomfortable all the time. Apparently it takes 1-3 years on a strict diet for SIBO before I can start eating more normally again. At this point I am willing to try anything.
  • jerilynconn
    jerilynconn Posts: 524 Member
    I don't have ibs (i don't think) but lots of food causes tummy issues (gluten, dairy, beans, red meat) so I just avoid and eat what I know is safe.