Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: My Reservations About The Diet (please comment!)

My heart goes out to you, because you sound just like me! I am an 18-year-old college freshman, and I have IBS-C as well. I have been dealing with my symptoms for over four years now, and it all started with food poisoning from Chinese take-out. Since then, I've been on hundreds of medications, seen hundreds of doctors all over the U.S., undergone several surgical procedures, and tried numerous diets. I also have endometriosis, fibromyalgia, symptoms of Celiac Disease, and have experienced severe weight loss due to my inability to eat because of all the bloating, cramping, nausea, and constipation. I have found that following the celiac diet has helped me immensely in terms of gas and bloating. I also avoid dairy (I have eggs, though), refined sugars, processed foods, and high amounts of oils (canola oil is the easiest oil for me to tolerate and cooking with PAM canola spray is fine, too). Packaged foods are always dangerous for me because of all the mixed ingredients. I find doing my own baking is safe (websites for Celiac patients are very helpful, and I substitute honey and soy milk for sugar and skim milk - I know soy milk would bother you, though, so maybe you could try rice milk). I live on fresh meats, fish, veggies, fruits, rice, and rice/gluten-free flour mixes. Since chicken upsets you, I would suggest turkey breast and maybe tofu. As for veggies, raw veggies do not bother me as long as I don't eat too many. I love baked acorn squash, but if I have too much of it, I'm miserable. It's a lot of trial and error (heavy on the error side). Apples, I have found, bother me as well as high insoluble fiber fruits like raspberries (if eaten in large quantities). Applesauce or apples without their peels are easier to digest and for me to handle (the peel is the part with insoluble fiber). Bananas and grapes, as they are high in sugar, bother me as well. But, raisins seem to be alright if I have them in moderation. I have four tablespoons of ground flaxseed meal a day, and I just received Heather's Acacia Tummy Fiber today (I just had 1/2 tsp and will have another later in the day...I am hopeful it will improve my IBS-C). The flaxseed keeps me "moving," thank goodness, otherwise I have to use phosphosoda (what they use to clean you out for surgical procedures). I HIGHLY recommend flaxseed. DO NOT try rice bran, as it expanded in my colon and caused even more horrible constipation. Even though brown rice is better for you, white rice is lower in insoluble fiber, which is easier for me to tolerate. Are there any veggies, cooked or uncooked, and fruits that don't bother you? You could try vegetable supplement (capsule form) - I tried one and it did cause less constipation. I don't remember the name of the supplement, but it had 12 essential vitamins/extracts or something to that effect of vegetables for people who are missing them from their diets. I hope this information is helpful to you. Please be encouraged that there are others out there, like me, who understand what you are going through. IBS-C is MISERABLE. I've had episodes where I can't breathe because I'm so compacted. The trick is to get "cleaned out" when that happens and to find a regiment to stay consistent after being cleaned out. I've found that with 4 Tablespoons of flaxseed, and now with the acacia fiber, hopefully I'll be on the road to even more regularity. I wish you all the best.

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