Ibs after eating

[Will1234]

Just a note to thank anyone who replied to my last post . I think some messages I tried to send in reply did not go .So if I missed getting back to you , this is to say thank you , all replies were of interest.

Best wishes

Will1234

[Luisa22]

I hope you are not so bad at the moment, Will? It was sweet of you to thank us. Take care

[Will1234 in reply to Luisa22]

Thanks Luisa,Things returned to my normal after our holiday and no travel stress . That was until last night , when my wife used Creme Fraiche to make a sauce with a chicken dish evening meal .

This resulted in stomach cramps , gas and D last night and again this morning after eating . I think this has happened before with Creme Fraiche and in fact most creams and ice cream . Certainly seems to have sparked off a bad episode.

Maybe I am a little intolerant to dairy or lactose .

Had IBS D for about 50 years now , yet still get caught out with some foods . My wife of all these years , does not really understand IBS ,says I manage to have alcohol and make it to play golf etc. So despite me regularly moaning about it. I think , she has decided it is just me . I often have to take Imodium to get out to golf and eat little. Possibly fed up with some things I can't go to etc.

If I could be bothered , I would have to cook for myself ,as I don't think she is likely to cook separately for me, or give up what she likes . She is not being awkward, or nasty , she just does not accept there is an issue here and fails to understand it. That in itself seems strange to me because she does not drive and depends on me a lot for driving her and if I have a flare up , it therefore affects her . This strange merry go round has gone on for years, so I don't think it will change now.

Normally I would not complain about this ,as I accept it is up to me not to eat things that will upset my system and probably just too lazy to do my own food if in doubt. I think that just lately , it has been getting me down a bit . Travelling and eating out every day seemed to highlight the difficulties presented by IBS .

Sorry if these seems like a moan about my wife , it was not meant to be , it sort of went that way as I started writing saying how I felt and probably feeling sorry for myself in this post meal flare up..

Anyway , maybe writhing it down somehow will help , I hope your well and don't mind reading my moans and groans.

Best Wishes

Will

[Luisa22 in reply to Will1234]

Maybe you are lactose intolerant? You could perhaps try LactAid, or some other similar thing which you could probably get from your doctor. I am not sure if it would be prescription only or not. You could ask a pharmacist.

Yes, I would say most people who have never had IBS in their life just don't understand it. I have a friend who often asks "how's your tummy?" (she knows I have a slightly dodgy tum and have to be careful what I eat.) Then she says "Hasn't it gone away yet? You've had that for a few years now. Have to been to see the doctor?" She doesn't understand that it comes and goes, or hasn't miraculously disappeared.

I don't think you are moaning, Will. It's guaranteed that someone who has never had IBS cannot really understand. Even another friend of mine who had diagnosed IBS herself for many years, and was very fortunate as hers went away (!) thinks I should be able to eat garlic, onions, potato skins, beetroot....etc. Sorry, but no. It's almost as if they want us to hurry up and get over it, or they have already forgotten how difficult it was when the wrong food was eaten.

It sounds awful, but it would probably be better if you fixed your own meals and snacks. It's sad, because I can imagine your wife is a really good cook, and makes some lovely dinners. She may even feel hurt in some way if you say you can't eat what she cooks. But you may be much better off eating a very plain bland diet and/or everything from the low Fodmap list (though not necessarily, as some high Fodmaps are some of my safe foods!) At least until things calm down a bit, then gradually try very tiny portions of other foods and see how you go.

The only thing that helps me during the very rough IBS times (I have the D too) is a very very plain bland diet, so plain it's the epitome of boredom, but calms my gut. Fortunately I can usually start to introduce some more of my normal foods within a few days, so it's not for too long. But I still have to be careful.

Actually it would be better if you could get to see a dietician who would be able to give you advice and support. Also, if you do, and especially if it's on doctor's advice, your wife might listen more to that. People generally are more inclined to take doctor's advice more seriously.

[Will1234 in reply to Luisa22]

hi Luisa22

Thank you for your reply . You describe the situation very well . I will give it all careful thought . I am probably my own worst enemy, as when I feel fine , I eat whatever I like . When I feel something has not agreed then I will say , — “ never going to eat that again”.

Funny thing is , sometimes certain foods seem fine , then another time cause havoc. One thing though seems certain , all creams , fresh cream, crème Fraiche , milk , ice creams etc are asking for trouble .

Thank you for your understanding reply , sometimes I find writing about it seems to help , maybe rationalises it for me , as does reading about others with similar issues .

[Luisa22 in reply to Will1234]

Yes I know. It took me absolutely ages to work out that I couldn't happily eat lentils and beans and potatoes with skins etc. I kept on eating them because that's what I'd always eaten. I couldn't imagine anything else! And yes, when we're hungry it's easy to think because something tastes nice and is happy in the stomach, that it will be happy a few hours later or next morning.

Yet sometimes I can eat chickpeas, and sometimes they are my worst enemy. I always peel every one now but even so....

I wait for a phase when I am really "normal" before trying a dessertspoonful with my veg. If I'm in a normal phase I'll be fine next day. If my belly is touchy, I won't

[Misspomfrey in reply to Will1234]

Hello Will

My husband doesn't understand it either. If I'm having a flare up he'll ask me the next morning, how's your tummy? As if ive just had a minor tummy upset, when I've been stuck to the toilet seat for days 🤨 I just humor him now as there's no point in going into detail. I'm sure he thinks it's all anxiety. With me, it's not just the upset tummy and diarrhea or constipation, it makes me feel ill, like a virus, headaches, lower back pain, nausea, wind, sweating, no sleep. One flare up can be mild, another can last for days.

I'm fortunate as I do all the cooking and I might add, my husband is in very good health, partly because of the food I give him to eat, which is based on low fat, low salt and sugar, no chocolate, plenty of fruit and veg, and no meat, just fish, no alcohol and plenty of porridge with various seeds which has kept his cholesterol down. I'm healthy too for my age, apart from this problem which rules my life at times.

I find that I am a little lactose intolerant and only eat small amounts of lactose free cheese. Also wheat I have to watch and don't eat cereals, only porridge. I bake my own bread. I haven't had a drop of alcohol for over 20 years and don't smoke. It might sound like a boring lifestyle to so e, but it works 😉

If we look at it another way, IBS isn't all doom and gloom, because we all have to stick to a certain regime, it cuts out all the rubbish and in my case , I have been much healthier than if id been eating and drinking anything I liked and keeps weight down. It's as if my body just knows if something goes into it that's rubbish and it lets me know about it good style 😁

Keep everything as simple as you can, but make sure you get the necessary vitamins, it's the only way. It's not worth too many experiments with this or that foods, just stick with what you feel comfortable with. To be honest, over the years, I began to look at food differently and I don't really eat for pleasure, just because I have to and it keeps me alive. I love life, and anything I can do to make myself last a bit longer, I'll do it. I never eat in restaurants or eat anything out these days, because I dont know what's gone into it, at home, you can keep control. When we go out walking for the day, I take a flask and sandwich. The more you can be in control, the better things will be.

Take care now x