I used to have IBS C with pain and managed the condition with no problem at all. I had food poisoning back in November and since then I've had IBS D and nausea as well as indigestion at times. After clear tests results from Colonoscopy, Ultrasound and Endoscopy plus bloods I was no better.
I saw a Nutritionist on 17 July as I was so fed up and she tested me and said I had a high sensitivity to gluten, yeast, rye, barley and formalin (don't know what that is). I used up all my bread and stopped eating any gluten or yeast a week later although I did have a little slip up on 17 August and had sourdough bread at lunch but that's the only gluten I've had.
I thought I was getting better as I've been doing well with the exercise the past couple of weeks and then bang as last night severe nausea and diarrhoea which finally stopped at around 02:00. I've only drunk 2 cups of coffee today and some water but no food but I still had to go to the toilet again around 18:00.
I'm absolutely fed up with this now as it's impacting not only on my physical but mental health also.
Has anyone else experienced this and eaten themselves better with diet?
Hi darling, what is IBS I know, but what does the C stand for. Really hope you feeling better very soon. Are you able to eat bananas??? As they give you some strength back. Thinking of you xxx
Thank you for your concern, really appreciate it. I've had a little soup, homemade, tonight and am now going to have a raw fruit bar. Not feeling as bad now, just tired.
This is what I wrote for someone else. It might help. (Btw I had C & D all the time. The FODMAP diet has really helped).
I'm on the FODMAP diet myself and was diagnosed with IBS years ago. It's a pain, I totally understand but you have got to meet your GP/ Health professional and most importantly your own body at least part way for now or you won't begin to get better. I've been through uni and had to leave for a year, and still suffered when I went back. As a result I didn't get the grade everyone expected of me (I'm referring to my lecturers here) due to being in too much pain to study and revise. Don't let the difficulties and inconvenience stop you as in the long run, the sooner you are fixed, the sooner you can do everything you want again. The FODMAP diet restrictions are for 6-8 weeks, then you start the reintroduction period, which will take about 2 months for you to try out all the foods you missed out. So is doing some home cooking and doing a diet for 4months really THAT impossible. June-Oct would be the most convenient time around your study as you will be on holiday. Alternatively you can start now and be sorted well in advance of this years exams. Random question... I wonder what you are studying? Ok, that was the general motivational info now for the nitty gritty.
Please note, I am NOT a doctor or dietitian. I am just trying to help how I can. I'm sure you know of some things you must avoid so don't start having them just because I suggest it. I hope you read this all, it'll be packed full of ideas...
First things first. What is the actual problem and how long has it been going on for? Are you happy to try herbal remedies, or alternative remedies. Are your pains worse at certain times of the day or with certain foods. Or can you not tell at the moment and it seems like everything you eat/ drink makes things worse?
Here's the possible solutions. Note these won't work for everyone and maybe some ideas are not going to be considered sustainable. But give it a go, they help me...
and 1 banana (you can put the husk into a sliced banana so it doesn't stick to your mouth
2. Dioralyte (if things are extreme and going beserk and you can't eat anything) Note... you shouldn't be drinking this if you are able to eat and this is only for 1-2 weeks.
3. Drink plenty of water, ...your body is telling you it needs to flush itself out
4. Paracetamol for pain, herbal option - peppermint tea/ ginger tea (after meals) and chamomile tea when feeling the tension
5. Do not skip meals/ do not eat big meals, 3 regular meals (or 6 small - 3 of which are snacks) during the day.
N.B. Use tablets sparingly; they are not a solution, just a temporary fix. The more you use them the less effective they become.
2. Eat less bread and pasta, eat more fibre foods and fruit, e.g. apple/ pear (including the peel - that's the fibre part) If you do the FODMAP diet (and therefore cannot have apple or pear, make sure to add mixed grains and seeds to your diet as fibre alternatives. Chia seeds and linseeds are good and are available at most stores (go to ASDA/ Morrisons if you can't find them), nuts (not cashews/ pistachios, but you can have almonds, walnuts, peanuts) and raspberries)
3 Drink plenty of water, (seriously, I mean water... not alcohol, not pop, pure water. If you struggle with pure water, drink dilution juice as a last resort). Carry a bottle of water with you at all times.
4. Paracetamol for pain, herbal option - peppermint tea/ ginger tea (after meals) and chamomile tea when feeling the tension
5. Do not skip meals/ do not eat big meals, 3 regular meals (or 6 small - 3 of which are snacks) during the day.
N.B. Use tablets sparingly; they are not a solution, just a temporary fix. The more you use them the less effective they become.
Remedy: Exercise/ dancing, peppermint tea (its for the cramps)/ lansoprazole/ buscopan - use sparingly. Reduce your portion size (especially FODMAP items).
Go to the toilet regularly and do not delay. If you notice you haven't gone for a couple of days make sure you have been drinking plenty of water. You can also have the following: Mix fruit with sugar, yoghurt and a little water. It's like a dilute milkshake but will help your system. Just do NOT have this as an alternative to water, it won't work as an alternative.
Problem: Pain induced by eating certain known foods.
Remedy: Do not eat said foods/ or if you can't help yourself reduce portion sizes for said foods and have an alternative stomach filler near by to ensure you have a decent meal. And avoid having said foods more than twice a week. E.g. Both potatoes and rice are allowed on the FODMAP diet and so are all meats. So when you go out, have more of these items and less of the bread/ cheese etc.
The FODMAP diet helpful advice.
1. You can get the FODMAP app - it allows you to scan/ look for low-FODMAP foods and it tells you the ingredients in the items too.
2. Get gluten free bread. find one you like, and live on that for all your bread needs (I eat a tonne of the stuff cause I pretty much live on bread myself).There is also GF pitta bread. The gluten free aisle has expanded but just be careful, just cause it's gluten free doesn't make it milk free!)
3. There are recipes on youtube for FODMAP/ vegan food. (It's amazing/ ironic that its the vegan stuff we can have on this diet, and yet the diet itself allows you to have any meat you like, lol!).
4. To tie you over until your appointment:
Campus food - have vege's, fries and meat. Alt. to sandwich/ pasty = brown bread sandwich/ pasty (this will be easier on your tummy even if it doesn't completely solve the issue(s). Jacket potato with salad (and keep some dairy free cheese in your bag).
5. You said you can't cook 100% from scratch. These meal ideas might help, they aren't completely from scratch, but nor are they pre-made. Please note that this lot is low-FODMAP friendly to the best of my knowledge.
5a. Breakfast options:
Buy 2 min oats and oat milk. It won't taste bad as you have matched the meal with the milk.
Gluten Free (GF) toast and jam/ GF cheesy toast (dairy free cheese alternatives do exist)
GF Toast and egg (boiled/ fried/ pouched/ omelette - add green part of spring onions, chives, chilli powder, salt, spinach, paprika, tomato).
GF pancakes
Jordan's Country Crisp + alternative milk, e.g. oat/ almond
Corn flakes/ Frosties/ Rice Krispies + alternative milk.
5b. Lunch/ Dinner options:
Mixed salad and grilled/ fried: chicken/ fish/ beef/ lamb (flavoured with some of the spices as written below) and potatoes/ mash/ chips and rice (white/ brown/ risotto rice). Rice only takes 10mins to cook. - For flavours - go to ASDA/ Sainsbury's/ Morrisons/ ALDI/ LIDL/ indian/ Pakistani shops and grab herbs and seasonings; paprika/ oregano/ parsley/ mint/ cinnamon/ salt/ pepper/ cumin/ curcumin/ basil and ras el hanout is a good one. Chilli sauce is a must in your cupboard.
5c. Desserts:
You can get dairy free/ GF cakes from the main stores/ Jelly/ Dairy free custard and fruit - strawberries and blueberries are allowed. Dairy free coconut yoghurt
6. Italian Sauce: grab passata and mix in basil/ oregano/ parsley/ salt/ chilli sauce/ flakes, let simmer for 5min in a frying pan - quick 5min pasta sauce
A different mix of spices will give you totally different flavours
Moroccan sauce - add the ras el hanout, simmer for 5 min.
Chilli sauce from the chippy + ketchup
Yoghurt sauce - sweet: Soya yoghurt, sugar/ honey (honey is not allowed on the FODMAP diet), fruit; e.g. strawberry, blueberry, banana, pineapple jam/ marmalade.
7. stress - Get organised and forget about/ avoid annoying people. Complete all work as soon as you can and do not leave it to the last minute. Ask for help whenever you need it. Make a list of everything you need to do and aim to complete 1 item per day. Prioritise work over play.
Ok, that's it, I'm outta ideas. Good luck and I hope your health improves fast.
Thank you so much Saraia for all that information, you really have done a lot of research.
I've been talking to my doctor about the Fodmap diet and was hoping he'd refer me to a Dietician (I'm in the UK) but sadly not so I'm going to have to follow it on my own.
I find yiur tips very good and helpful so will be saving your reply.
Once again, thank you for your very helpful and comprehensive reply.
Your very welcome. One other thing I thought of was to eat as many low-FODMAP foods as you can safely incorporate into your diet. The more low-FODMAP that is in you, the less high-FODMAP you will have room in your stomach to eat. It will automatically reduce your high-FODMAP intake without you even starting to restrict yourself. This start means you shouldn't become deficient in any essential nutrients because you have reduced some foods, not yet eliminated them. Make sure to speak to your doctor regularly to ensure you do not become deficient in any essential nutrients. That's the main reason for seeing a dietitian. Keep a food diary. Remember, this is YOUR body, and you know what is effecting you and how.
Having started the low-FODMAP, I would suggest to anyone thinking about it to do the above stage before the elimination stage. It might not be as dramatically effective, ..but it is effective and ensures a greater likelihood of sticking to the diet in the first place. I tried it on my own and failed. The second time, I did it this way and I'm still on the diet, ...3 months later, I'm on the reintroduction stage now.
Stay in touch. Maybe we can advise and help each other out!
Wow, thank you for that and it makes so much sense, I never even thought to do that.
You are very knowledgeable and are to be commended on how you've done this, well done.
I had a Gut Biome test and am waiting for the results, can't wait to find out what state my gut is in. I'm going to report back on here on what my results are.
I'm going away very soon and will be looking at the Fodmap diet when I return.
Anytime! I know I am not the only one suffering. Imho if I can help someone else in any way, I sure do want to. The sooner we pool together with advice and info, the sooner we all get better. IA.
I'm starting to believe that gluten may be one of the food groups as in the past week I've not had any incidences.
The Nutritionist I saw said that I had a high sensitivity to gluten, yeast, barley, rye and Formalin (not sure what that is) and a medium sensitivity to peas. I'm not eating any of the above. I gave up gluten on 24 July but did have one slip up a couple of weeks later as I didn't think it was working. Looks like I've been having withdrawal symptoms although I wasn't informed that could happen. A Nutritionist on Facebook didn't believe you could get withdrawal symptoms.
I still have a rash but have noticed the past couple of days that the itching is decreasing so I'm really pleased about that.
I've had an email from Chuckling Goat who I bought the Gut Biome Test through and they said the results are in. I've got an hour's consultation on the telephone on Monday 23 September, that is when I'll get the results and be given advice on what to do to heal my gut, I can't wait.
I'm going to share my results on here and keep everyone updated whilst I'm going through the healing stage. I'm very positive that by following advice to heal my gut I will get rid of my IBS.
Aww thank you. I'm so much better and am going to share on here what I've done but I need to makes sense of my gut biome test results before listing what's helped.
Hope you are feeling better. IBS is tough. I also feel fed up from time to time. Especially when I am having a bad night. Having one right now. Can’t sleep. Have used the loo once only still. But very uncomfortable feeling in stomach. I don’t suffer from any pain fortunately only bms and gas. My gas also has improved with rifaximin antibiotic. My doctor put me on a course for ten days thrice. You can ask you doctor about it.
Thank you Laxmik , people on here are so caring which is lovely.
I'm much better at the moment, I think it might be me stupidly drinking low calorie fizz, I rarely drink it as I know it's bad for you I won't be buying any more that's for sure.
I'm so sorry that you had a bad night night before last, it's awful when it's night time as it's dark and you're basically on your own.
I've now had a Gut Biome test and am waiting for the results. I'm looking forward to finding out what state my gut is in.
Thanks Feeling so much better today. In the last three months or so my IBS has vastly improved due the antibiotic course my doctor put me on. My gas was almost become negligent. After suffering from almost a year and a half with gas and bloating after every meal I am in a much better place today thanks to my doctor. Hopefully there will be more good days then bad. My BM also have reduced to only two a day and only normally give me trouble in the morning.all looks good for now. And also I love that you are incorporating work outs in your day. I never used to work out before I got diagnosed with IBS but my doctor told me to start. I very reluctantly agreed. To a year and half later I feel so much better. Walking is one of the safest exercises for IBS. It’s keeps your mind calm. I have a deep belief that IBS is as much related to our brain gut connection as it is to food. Exercise really helps in that case.
I'm so glad you are feeling so much better and pleased that the medication you've been on has worked, relieved for you.
The good thing is if your BM is only a problem in the morning then it gives you the rest of the day to enjoy.
I do seem to be getting better, not so many nausea and diarrhoea episodes as before, it's the nausea I struggle with as I can't exercise then. Giving up gluten does seem to be helping although it's very difficult thinking about what to have at lunchtime.
Exercise helps a great deal, it gives yiur mind the opportunity to think of other things, exercise is so good for the brain i.e.if your suffering with low mood etc. J swear by exercise and have always enjoyed walking a cycling, I cycled around 30 miles yesterday😀
Have you had any food intolerance test done? My major triggers are diary and egg. I got a food intolerance test then and most definitely it showed an intolerance to diary and egg. It’s one of the reasons I chose to be 80 % plant based.
I saw a Nutritionist in July and she found I had a high sensitivity to Gluten, Rye, Barley, Yeast, Formalin (not sure what that is) and milk (I'm Vegan so the milk didn't bother me). I have a medium sensitivity to peas.
I'm now trying out various recipes for gluten and yeast free bread as I love bread. I've come across a recipe which uses just Buckwheat Seeds but I need to refine it a little as it doesn't have much flavour so is quite bland.
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Advice please- I’m fed up!! 
Fed up!
Fed up
Fed up
