IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) sufferers

learntolovetheburn15 wrote: »

jdawson002 wrote: »

IBS-D sufferer here too!

I don't really get the pain and discomfort associated with IBS very often, it affects me with "urgency"....when I feel the need to go I really have to find somewhere and go!!

Strangely I don't find that any particular foods make my IBS worse however I do have the condition pretty much under control now with daily medication...Codeine Phosphate to bung me up and Sertraline as a anti-anxiety to stop me stressing about being "cut short"! I've only been exercising a few months but already my confidence has grown and instead of IBS being in the front of my mind, I have now put it to the back and don't let it interfere.

If anyone else has the same conditions as me, I suggest they look into CBT....it really does help.

How has cbt helped?

Its just about teaching your brain how to view thing differently.

I used to have an intense fear of being far away from a loo in case I had the onset of urgency. This panic often caused the IBS to flair up so ended up in an horrendous circle of the IBS and anxiety. The CBT makes you think about things differently.....my profile pic is me walking down the local beach, I would never have dreamt of that a year or so ago!

I have crohn's disease. I just had to learn my trigger foods and stay away from them. I cannot eat anything cooked on a smoker, no alcohol, no fried foods at all, no romaine lettuce, no citrus fruits, no raw celery or carrots, and I have to cook my veggies until they are soft. I'm preparing for weight loss surgery, and I've managed to lose 5 pounds in 15 days. Unfortunately, I know that I will be unable to sustain that weight loss, which is why I've decided to go with gastric sleeve surgery.

I have IBS-D, no FODMAP. I have spent a lot of time trying to refine what my triggers are. For a long time I thought it was pretty much all raw vegetables. However, a couple years ago I went through an elimination diet which removed all junk from my diet. I discovered it wasn't the vegetables causing the issue it was a combination of stress and all the other stuff I was eating. Now, I eat a diet filled with veggies and try to limit things like: super sugary foods, foods heavy with butter, fried things, any super greasy food and too much caffeine. I also found that I have a mild egg sensitivity (only whole eggs) and am allergic to peanuts (all with reactions in the gut). I find if I can avoid most of that stuff (which, lets face it - I am trying to lose weight, so, really shouldn't be eating any of that anyway!) and am able to manage my stress I wind up dealing with very few flare ups. Basically, the cleaner I eat the better I am able to manage my IBS. When I do have a flare up it is an immediate dose of Immodium AD and some hot peppermint tea. Good to have so many people here discussion this. I think so many of us suffer in silence. People who don't struggle with IBS truly don't understand.

Hamsibian wrote: »

I have Crohn's Disease, and I am on the autoimmune paleo protocol to see which foods trigger my symptoms. I have never felt better, but this weekend I ate way too many carbs. I paid for it last night. I just hope my intestines calm down by the time I have my colonoscopy on Friday for more accurate results.

The answer is everything trigger=food lol. But seriously for me I am low fiber, low residue so restricted veggies and fruit, no while wheat just white carbs, no nuts, seeds, legumes, red meat, garlic, lactose, alcohol and probably other stuff I am forgetting. I have Crohn's too. Let me know how aip works. @Hamsibian

AshleyBelieve120 wrote: »

Hello I'm looking for new friends to join me on my new journey of success for ibs? Any one trying to get in shape, fix their nutrition and or struggle with ibs symptoms and finding foods that you can eat? I follow the fodmap diet as well and would love for others with ibs to watch my journey and how I get over my symptoms. We all know we have good days and bad days but I'm having way more good then bad and I'll help you find your balance as well add me as a friend and I can help you

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I have had IBS on and off for years. My SIL just told me about balancing my calcium. I take the generic of 600 +D3 and minerals twice a day. I also take some Benefiber type stuff ...about 1 tsp once a day. I get the diarrhea type IBS. These things seem to help me. I also had my gallbladder out years ago and I hear that is in the mix as well. I do better when not eating fatty foods.

Raptor2763 wrote: »

Please - what's a fodmap or GAPS diet? I've had IBS for a while and have tried any number of remedies. None worked

I don't completely understand what GAPS diet is. I think it might be a variation on the low fodmap diet. I think GAPS is also sometimes called The Special Carbohydrate Diet. I just stick with understanding fodmaps, which is backed by scientists and GI specialists. Monash University has the best and most up-to-date information about fodmaps. They also have an app which makes it much easier because you can consult that when trying to figure things out (even at a restaurant, grocery store, social activity). Fodmaps is an acronym for short chain carbohydrates and sugar alcohols that are naturally occurring in food (many healthy foods). They are malabsorbed and ferment in the gut. For most people this is fine and even healthy for them by feeding probiotic bacteria. But, for others it can become problematic. Fodmaps stands for: fructose (when in excess of glucose), fructans, galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), lactose and polyols (eg. sorbitol and mannitol). The diet is supposed to be temporary. That by limiting fodmaps you begin to get better and you can slowly re-add small portions. Going low fodmap too long isn't considered healthy. But, it really depends on the person. Some people need to be careful longer because they have a condition that isn't getting better or is taking longer to improve. Foods are labeled green light, yellow light, red light. So, you can eat the safe serving sizes of green light and yellow light foods in moderation. Probably eliminate red light foods until able to start adding them in moderation. I also have to avoid grains for the same reason. And starch, especially resistant starch like rice and potatoes (a lot of grains are resistant for some people). Resistant means not digested in the small intestines, so they ferment in the colon. Which is healthy for some people and very problematic for others.

After suffering with IBS for 20 years, mine is gone since quit eating, nuts ( very rarely ), all dairy, all meat and minimal oils. I do eat a lot of plant fiber, beans and whole grains. NO issues since.

Stress plays a huge part into it for me. I can literally stress myself into a flare up, and I'm working hard to try and not get worked up (which sometimes stresses me out more). I've contemplated trying out anxiety medication, but I want to see if I can manage without as I haven't previously considered myself a very anxious person.

Oh yeah. I forgot to say in my info about the low fodmap diet that you need to make sure you are getting enough soluble fiber. Soluble fiber is much easier on our GI tract and feeds good bacteria. Insoluble fiber is harder on our GI tracts. So, try to choose fruits and veggies that have a higher soluble to insoluble fiber ratio. And cooking the veggies helps a ton to make them more digestible and bioavailable! Also eating fermented foods if you can tolerate them. Such as good quality kefir and raw sauerkraut. Fermented veggies like sauerkraut are also easier to digest than just raw cabbage.