IBS and making some changes to the way you eat. Flare ups? please HELP
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When was your last colonoscopy?0
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PammieSuzyQ wrote: »So I am eating more of the foods i SHOULD be eating anyway, and I am paid for this how? IBS flare ups. Apparently I now have the kind that leaves me constipated for a week or more, only to explode in a single day glorious day of pain and cramps that leaves me seeing stars, weak, shaky, and exhausted. Of course it always falls on one of my gym days. Oh, and my granddaughter is coming over for me to care for. not gonna cry not gonna cry not gonna cry...
I spend a week or more gaining and gaining and gaining weight, lose it all at once and want to die in the process. I can't take any immodium of course, I have GOT to eliminate it for god's sake.
OK, here's the part where I listen to your advice, and GO!
I have suffered from IBS my entire life until a year ago and a half ago. I read this amazing book called, "It Starts with Food". I follow the Whole30 meal plans and. do not suffer any longer. I learned that I have a strong sensitivity to dairy and grains. I have also completely cut out all processed sugars from diet as well. I have lost over 25 lbs recently. And the to mes that I don't follow rhe meal plan are times I pay with a bout of IBS. I am now strictly following the Whole30 meal plan and know I will mean my ultimate weight loss goal of 40 more pounds. It's easy-to-use and makes cooking and creating healthy meals fun again!
If you can't pronounce the ingredients, don't eat it!0 -
PammieSuzyQ wrote: »You are right of course. I'm not sure that VA hospitals offer dieticians to any patient that is not diabetic, but I can ask my doctor. I'm a veteran and the VA is my only coverage.
Yep, ask your doctor to refer you. The VA has excellent resources and pride themselves on taking good care of veterans. Here in California, the VA offers dietitians.0 -
Ask your doctor about taking a daily probiotic too. I don't have IBS but when I increased my protien I decreased my ability to poo. My doc suggested a probiotic. I take one now each morning and it's smooth sailing. lol0
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I know someone with a 25 year history of Colitis, another IBD similar to Crohns. In his case he insists that diet is nothing to do with it and between flare ups he can pretty much eat anything he wants without it affecting things. When it flares up though (usually triggered by stress he thinks) it doesn't matter what he eats, anything and everything will affect it, though at those times he tries to stay away from spicy food and very rich food. He also thinks that he feels worse when eating high fibre food and so in his case simple carbohydrates are better than complex.
The specialist he sees at the hospital (UK) tells him that food is not something that can cause or prevent flare ups so I think the key is that people have different experiences with this kind of problem and different opinions, even in the medical community.
If it was me and I suffered from this kind of thing I would try and elimination diet to see if I could find the triggers.
Re. Coeliac disease, I have two friends who suffer from this, one of them has severe allergic reactions to anything containing gluten and the other one gets cold like symptoms but can suffer the effects if necessary.
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CrankyBikerBabe wrote: »
I have suffered from IBS my entire life until a year ago and a half ago. I read this amazing book called, "It Starts with Food". I follow the Whole30 meal plans and. do not suffer any longer. I learned that I have a strong sensitivity to dairy and grains. I have also completely cut out all processed sugars from diet as well. I have lost over 25 lbs recently. And the to mes that I don't follow rhe meal plan are times I pay with a bout of IBS. I am now strictly following the Whole30 meal plan and know I will mean my ultimate weight loss goal of 40 more pounds. It's easy-to-use and makes cooking and creating healthy meals fun again!
If you can't pronounce the ingredients, don't eat it!
Thanks for that. I am going to check out one of their books from the library.
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I have IBS, diagnosed. It rarely rears its ugly head because I do this:
"The problem is, it isn't a single food that causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms. It's ANY food that is high in fat, insoluble fiber, caffeine, coffee (even decaf), carbonation, or alcohol. Why? Because all of these food categories are either GI stimulants or irritants, and can cause violent reactions of your gastrocolic reflex. This directly affects the muscles in your colon and can lead to IBS pain, constipation AND diarrhea, gas, and bloating. " quoted from website below.
Heather's website:
http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/
Triggers:
http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/trigger1.asp
Take methylcellulose or name brand Citrucel every day, even when you feel good.
Btw, fish oil is one of the very worst triggers for me. Best of luck to you.
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like zombie girl i get it during high stress times. why cant i hulk out, but regardless. as a Veteran is it possible it is stress related? dr put me on lexpro for the anxiety and that helped but the biggest change was getting a new job. i hated my previous job so much and the owners and management that it wasnt even funny, though nearly *kitten* myself a few days a week on the drive in probably was.0
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I have UC and all I can say from meeting many other people with a digestive issue is find what works for you. Everyone's different inside. I have found for myself that cutting out items with Sorbitol in them, reducing caffeine intake, not getting overly intoxicated, and working out on a consistent basis have all helped with my issues.
Milk makes me feel ill, but yogurt works great, fish oil helps.... but when I had probiotics it killed me and I'll never go back.
So find what works for you.0 -
I've been suffering with IBS for over 12 years now... it SUCKS! Mind you, I have found out what my trigger foods (for the most part) an done of them is alcohol. My stomach KILLS when I have alcohol. Now that you are logging what you're eating, keep track of what bothers you and what causes the constipation.
I know for a fact I can't eat anything with white flour or I can't go for days. It kills my stomach. If I have coffee, I can't stop going (most of the time). If I have pizza, it's like death because there's so much cheese, so I make cauliflower pizza at home with less cheese.
Broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower - I eat like crazy, makes me gassy and bloated.
Fried foods - HA! That's a fun one... I can't move my stomach hurts so much. But, chicken wings and sweet potato fries are something I have seldomly (once every 2-3 months) so I tollerate it.
I do have a little bit of a lactose intollerance, but milk and ice cream - forget it! I want to cry. I avoid that at all costs. However, greek yogurt (plain 0%) is fine and gives me a lot of energy as well as cottage cheese.
I found that making sure I eat all of my veggies and fruits everyday and not having so much dairy and bread and pasta (I only eat ww) has helped a lot. I still eat it, but next to never. I like my carbs being sweet potatoes and quinoa. I sub pasta with zucchini and bread with tortilla shells (ww again).
Another thing, drink A LOT of water! It flushes you out and it helps a lot. Also, try tea. I drink peppermint and/or green tea when my stomach is really upset. They say ginger tea helps (and it does, I've tried it) but I don't like the taste.
If you have any other questions, I'd be glad to answer them if you send me a private message. I've been doing this for a LONG TIME!
cheers
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OK, well today I am feeling better Thank You Jesus!!! My back still aches, my stomach muscles are sore, but there is no pain, and no more diarrhea. I even had a normal bowel movement this morning. I cannot tell you how much better I am feeling, oh god I spent yesterday crying off and on between the IBS and the pain in my thighs from Monday's workout at the gym. I'm still sore, but it's such a huge improvement over pain; I took a shower today and dressed.
Now to answer your messages...0 -
My sister is a chronic Ibs sufferer, she is now trying a liquid multivitamin supplement called Source of Life Gold and says she has never felt better. Google it - not cheap but if it works, worth it. I am now taking it myself and although it looks vile (a dark green liquid) it does seem to give you loads of energy and keeps you "moving". Some of the reviews are so glowing (some people even saying it is helping with things like memory) - just a idea for you to consider.0
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I was miss diagnosed with IBS for many years but have crohns
Found during bad weeks have to eat very clean fish chicken and root veg works best for me
No processed food in any way but diet seems bespoke to every one with this condition0 -
pinkteapot3 wrote: »Curveball thing - have you ever been tested for coeliac disease? The full-blown autoimmune disorder version of gluten intolerance.
Your comment about chills made me ask. My hubby has coeliac disease and if a restaurant accidentally glutens him, he gets stomach cramps, explosive rear, and shivers. The shivers that come with it are actually rapid muscle contractions in the gut, but they look like chills. His temperature stays normal.
Your comment about beer also struck me as beer contains gluten.
Just a thought, and as you've had gut troubles for a long term I'm sure it would have been diagnosed by now if you had it, but just checking.
I was tested for a couple things when this first began at the age of 26, (i'm 54). Perhaps because I was a 'Medi-Cal' patient, no real great work up was done. I was sent away with one of those "psycho-somatic" type of diagnosis's. You are stressed, relax.
Many years later I when I asked the VA for help, I got the same dx, it's stress, relax, take some Metamucil, eat this, not that, here's your pamphlets. As a long term psych patient, (PTSD), I expect nothing else from any doctor anymore. And to be fair, I am not suffering worst case scenario. It's horrible when I do have it, but most of the time I am fine.
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I have tried over the years eliminating and reintroducing every food in my diet. I've come up with nothing. My guess is, anything and everything can be a trigger at some point. FOOD is a trigger, LOL! But I am going to take a beer break for a few weeks and see how that goes.Whitezombiegirl wrote: »I have IBS- its' mostly stress related. I have identified trigger foods. For me it's coffee, bananas, potatoes, alcahol...... and since going paleo (more or less) back in 2008 I haven't been able to tolerate grains well (when I do fancy some). I ate 1/2 a cup of rolled oats last week and paid for it with excrusiating stomach pains and constipation for 2 days.
I can't take psyllium powder as it gives me major stomach cramps, but when I get constipated (which hurts so bad due to fibroids pressing on my bowel- caused by birth control pills) I find a stool softener like Movicol or Laxidol really helps and is mild on my system.
It has probably been mentioned but IBS needs chekcing out as it has the same symptoms of ovarian cancer- which is why OC is called the silent killer. My Mum passed from ovarian cancer (caused by HRT) so I have to be careful to watch for symptoms worsening.
From all that I have read, none of these diseases, IBS, UC, CD, are stress related; they ARE physical and not psychological diseases. Let me say that again. IBS is NOT stress related. Our guts don't work properly. That is all. Just because you happen to be under stress when it happens to you, does not mean stress caused it. Correlation is not causation. Don't let doctors talk down to you like that. Doctors tell us this because they like to put the blame squarely upon OUR shoulders, it releases them from any blame at all. I will definitely take blame when it is my due, but I very much hold my doctors to their job.
I am very careful about using fiber pills, they are part of my 1st Aid Kit, only for emergencies. I do know that some of the symptoms of this and ovarian cancer are the same, but since I see my GYN once a year I am not worried it would be missed.
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This. Stress may make things worse, but there are other factors like genetics as well, especially with CD.PammieSuzyQ wrote: »From all that I have read, none of these diseases, IBS, UC, CD, are stress related; they ARE physical and not psychological diseases. Let me say that again. IBS is NOT stress related. Our guts don't work properly. That is all. Just because you happen to be under stress when it happens to you, does not mean stress caused it. Correlation is not causation. Don't let doctors talk down to you like that. Doctors tell us this because they like to put the blame squarely upon OUR shoulders, it releases them from any blame at all. I will definitely take blame when it is my due, but I very much hold my doctors to their job.
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These don't improve me or make anything worse, but I really enjoy yogurt, it's a great source of protein, and greek yogurt is low in fat/calories, so it's always going to be part of my diet.ForecasterJason wrote: »I've struggled with on and off symptoms of IBS for several years and have seen improvement from probiotics and yogurt.
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Call me bad, I'm still avoiding it. My fecal occult card tests always come up normal and my doctor let's me slide as long as they do. I know exactly how a colonoscopy prep goes and to me that is far scarier than having 18 to 24 inches of metal tubing and scope jammed up my *kitten*. Plus I have absolutely no one I can count on to drive me to and from the hospital. The VA will not let you use either the bus or a taxi. Thank God.SwankyTomato wrote: »When was your last colonoscopy?
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This all began in 1986, so I have eliminated and reintroduced every food I eat and found no triggers. All I can guess is that food itself is a trigger. I'll check out your book though, nothing ventured, nothing gained! I'm glad you have found what works for you.CrankyBikerBabe wrote: »PammieSuzyQ wrote: »So I am eating more of the foods i SHOULD be eating anyway, and I am paid for this how? IBS flare ups. Apparently I now have the kind that leaves me constipated for a week or more, only to explode in a single day glorious day of pain and cramps that leaves me seeing stars, weak, shaky, and exhausted. Of course it always falls on one of my gym days. Oh, and my granddaughter is coming over for me to care for. not gonna cry not gonna cry not gonna cry...
I spend a week or more gaining and gaining and gaining weight, lose it all at once and want to die in the process. I can't take any immodium of course, I have GOT to eliminate it for god's sake.
OK, here's the part where I listen to your advice, and GO!
I have suffered from IBS my entire life until a year ago and a half ago. I read this amazing book called, "It Starts with Food". I follow the Whole30 meal plans and. do not suffer any longer. I learned that I have a strong sensitivity to dairy and grains. I have also completely cut out all processed sugars from diet as well. I have lost over 25 lbs recently. And the to mes that I don't follow rhe meal plan are times I pay with a bout of IBS. I am now strictly following the Whole30 meal plan and know I will mean my ultimate weight loss goal of 40 more pounds. It's easy-to-use and makes cooking and creating healthy meals fun again!
If you can't pronounce the ingredients, don't eat it!
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Good plan. I love eating yogurt, it IS live cultured and I have no problems eating more of it!enterdanger wrote: »Ask your doctor about taking a daily probiotic too. I don't have IBS but when I increased my protien I decreased my ability to poo. My doc suggested a probiotic. I take one now each morning and it's smooth sailing. lol
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Still more people to respond to. I really wish this place had a like button.0
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PammieSuzyQ wrote: »0
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