Lack of knowledge

[Lynnetod]

Hi all , I think most of us have not been referred to a Dietician. IBS is just too difficult to control without the help of an expert. I have limited knowledge but after walking out of my GPs room with FODMAP written on a piece of paper and told to follow the diet religiously for 4 weeks I felt elated. Only to discover that wasn't right 😱. GPs have limited knowledge on it and we in our position with the stress and anxiety it causes aren't in positive frame of mind to be able to cope. I can read by many of the comments on here that many like me were ill informed.

Diverticulitis is another thing all together, with its own range of foods to avoid. Hence the reason we all need a health care expert to get us in track.

I have said this before on replies, DO NOT use the FODMAP diet it has been produced for the Australian market. The UK diet is FoodMaestro available on an app. It has an extensive range of Uk produce that we can eat that won't cause the fermentation in the gut. All this info was supplied to my by my dietician. I am only 2 weeks into the 8 week exclusion zone , I don't have the searing pain, but I'm still on the loo. The symptoms subside during that 8 weeks and then you can reintroduce a new food every 3 days. That's about the time I had with my Dietician but next time I'm back I will pass on any more relevant Info.

I downloaded a recipe book yesterday for IBS sufferers, written by 2 professionals ,yeehaa 😩😩, 😩 First 2 recipies in the book had feta cheese and something else that isn't allowed .

[Montykat]

Iv been wondering about this. Everyones answer seems to be fodmap but i looked at it and immediately thought how difficult it looked. I was handed the diet sheet almost as an after thought on the way out of a gastroeneterology appointment at the hospital. He told me nothing he just handed me it and said here try this. Hence to say i never have as had planned to ask gp if i could possibly be referred to a dietician. When your ibs plays up it literally feels for me like im losing control and i really feel a fietocian would help me to regain that control over what im eating.

[Hidden]

Have you tried leaving one food group at a time, like dairy, out of your diet for at least 2/3 weeks keeping a food and symptom diary to monitor any changes there might be

[Lynnetod in reply to Hidden]

I have to get rid of all the FODMAPS for 8 weeks then start reintroducing. 6 weeks to go 😩

[maz61]

If you are not lactose intolerant (which can easily be tested for with a breath test) then feta cheese is fine on the low Fodmap diet, as are many other cheeses. The Monash app is fine for UK use in terms of basic ingredients if you do your own cooking from scratch. If you are looking for ready made foods then there is a booklet called 'Suitable products for the low Fodmap diet' which is UK-based and available from registered dietitians. 8 weeks for the elimination stage seems rather long, 4 weeks would normally be ample to determine whether the low Fodmap diet will help you. When you reach the reintroduction stage an excellent publication is 'Re-challenging and Reintroducing Fodmaps' written by Lee Martin, which will guide you clearly through the minefield of reintroduction. Hope this helps and good luck with the diet.

[Lynnetod in reply to maz61]

I'm not lactose intolerant really, it's just the sugars that irritate. The dietician said 8 weeks. That a lot of helpful info many thanks .