New to this IBS

[Dolphin86]

Hi, I have only recently been diagnosed with IBS and I am finding it very hard to come to terms with it all and its making me very depressed and weepy most days. Trying to work out which foods from FODMAP upset my tum is a nightmare - I'm listing everything I eat and drink but then deciding which one has caused the diarrhoea and pain the following day is 'a minefield' - how does anyone else cope?

[Gardenlover2020]

Hi ,

I’m sorry to hear you’re struggling with IBS , it is a shock to suddenly have to deal with it & all the problems that come with it .

Mine started 18months ago with a bout of constipation , which has never gone away & I’ve felt in total despair with it many a time & sat & cried on the loo more times than I can remember , so I know how you feel .

The FODMAP diet has also been challenging for me , as well & like you I find it difficult to determine which foods have caused the problems .

I’ve found this group a huge comfort as people are so kind & helpful and

With time , I’ve found I’ve become more accepting of the complete change in lifestyle & diet that IBS has forced me to make .

I understand how you feel , it’s a debilitating condition & it’s really a case of managing it as best as you can & getting as much help from the doctor or gastroenterologist as to the best way to deal with it .

[Dolphin86 in reply to Gardenlover2020]

Hi, thank you so much for your kind reply and helpful tips. I guess I will eventually come to terms with it all but Ì am so pleased to be able to "chat" with other sufferers, I know its going to help.Thanks again, take care x

[Gardenlover2020 in reply to Dolphin86]

You’re very welcome to any help , always ask , it definitely helps talking to other people who are in the same boat .

It does take a while to get adjusted to it , I’m still working my way through it , some days are easier than others 🙄

Take too & speak soon x

[Dolphin86 in reply to Gardenlover2020]

Thank you x

[Maureen1958]

Sometimes it's not what you eat at all.

[Dolphin86 in reply to Maureen1958]

Thank you, luckily I don't have any stress, worry or anxiety in my life so for me I definitely think its food related but hopefully I will eventually find what the 'triggers' are. Thank you for replying, nice to know there are folk out there who care.

[Hidden in reply to Dolphin86]

What you just mentioned, suggests the condition of constipation is aggravated by stress to a greater degree. i.e; the more we worry about it the worse it gets and our understanding of the body's anatomy of the abs may be distorted from the truth. I don't believe we can accurately describe the bowel as a pipe or a conveyor of waste, although this is true. It's a much more complex organ and full of discovery. With this kind of approach, would it not make sense to concentrate on dealing with those stressors differently than we did before IBS started? If my thought is anxious, I know it will not help my bowels (brain). North American society has not invested as much as other eastern cultures in this kind of education to change how we react to stress so collectively, we suffer.

[Dolphin86 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for that info.

[Stethetree]

Hello and good morning.I think a lot of people can relate to your post.

Finding out you have ibs is quite a shock, and their have certainly been some dark days because of it. It’s taken me nearly 2 years to really accept it and also find some understanding of it all. For me my main triggers are stress/anxiety, large consumptions of alcohol. And anything deep fried / fatty.

This has meant quite a few changes to my lifestyle. I also try to stick to the low FODMAP diet as best as possible. All of these things combined are starting to help, and I am slowly noticing improvements.

Be patient, don’t be hard on yourself, talk openly to people you trust about it all…… friends and family. Hopefully in time you will learn to accept it and move forward.

All the best and good luck.

[Dolphin86 in reply to Stethetree]

Hi there, thank you so much for replying and your kind, helpful advice, much appreciated and great to know there are folk out there in a similar situation and who care, its so good to share, thank you, take care x

[avenue-2021]

I’m fairly new to IBS too and am still working on my trigger food, green leafy vegetables, salad leaves and sweet corn. I had no idea you could experience such bad lower abdominal cramps/pains without there being anything life threatening. My flare ups last around 48 hours and I manage them with the max dose of buscopan. I also take fybogel because I have diverticula disease, I had CT scan last year after going privately. After reading posts here I realise I’m not as bad as many people.

Good luck in finding your way forward x

[Dolphin86 in reply to avenue-2021]

Thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement, very much appreciated. Take care.

[Suecoo66]

Have you tried using the FODMAP app? You need to initially eliminate them all then after a certain period slowly reintroduce foods 1 at a time. Doing it this way you mean you can tell which foods affect you. However the FODMAP diet doesn't suit everyone or help them. I found a low residue diet helps if your main symptom is diarrhoea. Hopefully soon your symptoms will become manageable. Enterosgel is a very good drug free treatment for diarrhoea. You need to do a 4wk course then either take a maintenance dose or take it as and when needed

[Dolphin86 in reply to Suecoo66]

I very much appreciate your kind advice, thank you, take care x

[Suecoo66 in reply to Dolphin86]

You're welcomeI often buy the Enterosgel from ebay but sometimes the company have a buy 1 get 1 free offer. I have you'll need 4 tubes for the initial 4wk course

[Dolphin86 in reply to Suecoo66]

Thank you for that information about Enterosgel, appreciate your help.

[Carol-Ann27]

I feel your pain, keep the diary going and stay positive xx

[Dolphin86 in reply to Carol-Ann27]

Thanks for your reply, I will try to stay positive, you take care as well and sorry for not replying sooner I have been away for a few days. Keep in touch.

[Kazzacrazy]

Hi you're definitely not alone unfortunately there's no quick fix the fodmap can help a lot of people but it's a long tiresome process. I found it easier to google the foods I normally eat to see if they're low or hi. I've now got a pretty good idea of my triggers (hopefully) my diet is very boring but boring is better than the alternative 😌 just take one day at a time x

[Dolphin86 in reply to Kazzacrazy]

Hi there, thank you so much for replying, much appreciate your kind words, keep in touch and take care x

[mizzkazz]

I’ve had IBS for over 20 years and for some reassurance it does get better. IBS can be triggered by food, stress and hormones. When I was younger we didn’t have FODMAP and I didn’t have the internet to look up anything (yes I’m that old), the only thing I could do was keep a diary of food I ate and what my stomach was feeling like and try and work out what was causing my pain. Meditation also helps, as stress can make symptoms worse. My IBS has changed over the years, some years I’ve been symptom free and some years worse. Something that I do which helps is regular colonics (sounds horrible, but very therapeutic). I get them every three months and take regular probiotics. Every persons IBS symptoms will be different and you will find something that works for you. X

[Dolphin86 in reply to mizzkazz]

Hi there, very many thanks for replying, good to hear other folks stories, it helps put things in perspective. Keep in touch and take care.

[Boxroad]

It does get easier to work with and it also throws curve balls at you, i was diagnosed about 30 years ago, my biggest trigger is tap water, do your research into fibre all fibre comes from plants but there are two types of fibre soluble and insoluble, to much insoluble fibre makes diarrhoea a lot lot worse whereas soluble fibre soaks up the water in your colon and slows the movement of the stool down. Look at your stools when you go to the toilet as well then look at the Bristol stool chart, keep a daily meal drink and snack diary is very important, also what you are passing today might have taken from one day to three or four days to pass through you so if you have loose stools today look back at what you had three/four days ago, make a note of it and you will soon start to see a pattern, when mine flares up big time I revert back to just boiled whole grain rice and bottled spring water making sure all my food is cooked with spring water as well, after about three days my stomach feels a bit better then I introduce one thing for about three days if I am still ok introduce another, if one of the introduced foods causes discomfort you have found a trigger food. Over the years I have had trigger foods come and go, I can go a couple of years eating tomato’s then one day they will affect me so I have to leave them alone but I will try them again a few months later, tomato’s apples pears ect can affect you from supplier to supplier depending where they have been grown and what they have taken out the soil as nutrients and water, and you don’t know what chemicals the farmer put on the plants to make them fruit. It’s a mine field but you will find your way through it and find your own safe foods, but it will always be waiting for you to be a bad and have a piece of the forbidden food but you will soon learn to leave the forbidden food alone. Take care it will get better if you work at it . All the best Lewis

[Dolphin86 in reply to Boxroad]

Thank you so much for your very informative reply Lewis, I really appreciate the time you took to write to me and I will take on board all the things that you talked about, thank you so much, do take care.

[Boxroad in reply to Dolphin86]

If I can be of any help please contact me again I will follow you on this web site

[Dolphin86 in reply to Boxroad]

I am in the UK so that is ok.

[Tomuch]

I was diagnosed last year a d been on low fodmap. I use 2apps which are very good 1 is monash University the other King's college. With the King's college one you can scan bar codes to see if suitable.I am currently having a flare up when tried onion

[Dolphin86 in reply to Tomuch]

So sorry to hear you are going through a 'flare up' because of onion, that is something that I can't tolerate at all, also garlic, but funnily enough garlic infused oil is ok, weird, isn't it? Hope things quickly improve for you, take care, thanks again for replying, it is appreciated.

[Tomuch]

Thank you Dolphin 86. Garlic infused oil is fine I haven't tried garlic yet. After this latest reaction not planning to try yet.I was surprised how easy it was to eliminate garlic and onion from home cooking but eating out is very tricky. Not that we have done a lot of that recently

[Dolphin86 in reply to Tomuch]

I know what you mean about eating out, its not easy is it but we've found that some places are very willing to help and try to adapt the meal.Take care.

[Tomuch in reply to Dolphin86]

I found its worth asking, I feel everytime we ask we raise awareness. There are a lot of us

[IBSNetwork Partner IBS Network]

Do you know what your triggers are? First step would be to find out what they are by keeping a wellness diary this will help to identify what your triggers are and learning what works for you have a read about the dairy here theibsnetwork.org/blog/how-...

There may be other factors that are linked to your symptoms that have nothing to do with food, ie stress, anxiety life style factors, work. Taking medications, may well not be the answer.

Taking medications and diet, lifestyle changes ect will help but once you have discovered your triggers, there may be something causing them that you are not aware of and then you can start to look at what works for you diet or medication and self-management. A healthy diet isn’t always the solution some parts of that healthy diet may be a trigger food for you. Have a look at this factsheet here IBS (bda.uk.com)

Have you downloaded our take control booklet? theibsnetwork.org/blog/down...