New to all this and feeling a little overwhelmed

[Cbrlass]

Hi all,

I am hoping for some advice and possibly reassurance.

I have been having lots of pains in my stomach for the last 3 months, the Dr has done loads of tests and come to the conclusion that it is IBS and recommended a low FODMAP diet.

I have looked at this and it will basically stop me eating everything (pretty much) that I eat now....barring a couple of exceptions.

The pains I have can only be likened to Quickening, when you are pregnant and start to feel the baby move, there doesn't seem to be anything that makes it worse or better, and I am currently in an not very good place, mentally, with the whole situation.

I know everyone is different, but I would be grateful for any advice you can offer! Thanks in advance!

[Futuremrsmillzy]

Hi I was told to follow the fodmap diet when I was first diagnosed with Ibs (about 4 years ago) but had been suffering long before that. I personally found it didn't work for me and I lost quite a lot of weight. But ibs is pretty much like being a human guinea pig and experimenting with foods on yourself to monitor which you can have and what you really need to avoid and each person is different but the low fodmap diet says to avoid the high fodmap list the majority but that you can still have them just not all the time (as far as I've been told) I'd say maybe keep a diary or an ibs app (I use Bowelle) to track what I eat and my flare up and stress level daily and I'm finding I can track my flare ups and causes a lot easier. I hope this helps xx

[Hidden]

Have you had a Colonoscopy/Endoscopy at all? Also, a low FODMAP diet works for quite a few people but not all but it is certainly worth keeping a food diary as this way you will be able to locate your trigger foods. Unfortunately there quite a few healthy foods i.e. broccoli, cauliflower, raw onions, raw carrots and sweetcorn that I cannot eat; I also peel fruit and I find this very hard but have to go with it as if I go anywhere near raw onions, raw carrots or sweetcorn (these are the worse ones for me) I am in agony.

I would also have a look at Alison's 'blogs sickofibs.com/', it's a very interesting site. Alison is also a member of this forum.

Best of luck.

[Cbrlass]

Thanks for the replies.

I haven't had any investigation other that bloods and stool samples.

The agreement with my GP is that I try low FODMAP for 1 month and if there is no change, then she will refer for further investigation.

My biggest problem at the moment is that it never seems to be better or worse, juat a constant discomfort...so I can't really see how cutting out certain foods will help. I have tried agitating it and tried cutting out easy groups like dairy and wheat to see if there was any improvement - which there wasn't.

I really appreciate your advice, as I feel like I am in a bit of a black hole at the moment....

[Lynnetod in reply to Cbrlass]

Many unsuspecting foods contain the little buggers. It's not just wheat and dairy, they are everywhere I'm afraid 😩

[Lynnetod in reply to Cbrlass]

I was the same as you, trust me following the diet does help, it certainly for me helped greatly and I could once again function. It's difficult to get your head around that's for sure, the constant burning /gnawing/ gurgling from your bowel is draining. Keep it up and even your anxiety levels will decrease 👍🏼