Newbie- need help! Long post sorry..
#286588 - 10/15/06 07:34 PM
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Hi, I've been dealing with IBS for the past few years (I'm 20) and it is pretty much an everyday constant thing. I'm mainly bloated with instense stomach pains and have C, though sometimes I have D (i've been reading through the message boards..I think this si the right lingo?) I've tried to do everything that I can, but I seem to be in pain everyday. Any tips you can give me? I also have a questio about my dinner- I had a sweet potatoe, steamed brocolli, and about 2 oz of grilled chicken. Almost right after I had majo stomach pains, but shouldnt this be a safe thing to eat? How long can it take something to irritate your stomach (like could it be from something I ate early?). This is all confusing to me, because one day something will be okay with my stomach, and the next it will cause a lot of pain. Thanks for any help!!!
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hi there, I'm 20 too  and I know what it's like to have the pain like everyday  I've been a lot better since starting Heather's diet, although it has taken a long time to work -I started in feb this year. are you on that at the moment? give it a try if you're not.
yeah it is very frustrating when you eat something one day and you're fine then the next time you have it , you're in pain.
all I can think of is that you don't handle broccoli very well. also, maybe you need more soluble fiber in the meal as a base so you can then eat the broccoli safely. But yes it is quite possible that you had a delayed reaction to something else you ate earlier.
there are also other factors that can effect ibs like stress, tiredness, hormones etc so take these into account aswell. Make sure you have enough rest and also take exercise cos this helps in general, it's also a great stress reliever.
Hope things work out soon
xxx
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Hi. What about the rest of the day? I too know how it can be ok oneday and not the next but maybe its a back up. Have you talked to your doc? Maybe what your drinking?
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I used to have pains every day and every meal, until I got to the point that I was actually afraid to eat. Then I went on Heather's diet until I was tired of rice, after a while I added some chicken and a few other things. I can eat broccoli if it is cooked and I have no other "trigger" foods, but I only eat a few pieces. I actually love veggies so this is hard for me not to eat.
I have also went through eating something and 20 minutes later in the bathroom. Feels like it goes right through you.
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Broccoli and other sulphur contianing vegetables such as cabbage, brussels sprouts, onions, artichokes, and asparagus can cause gas resulting in pain. See gas in the digestive tract for more information.
The sweet potatoes and chicken are fine.
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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Are you sure about the artichokes containing sulphur? The link didn't mention them and neither did Heather in her list.
"Sulfur-containing foods (garlic, onions, leeks, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, asparagus, and Brussels sprouts), in addition to their high amounts of insoluble fiber, also produce significant gas in the GI tract and this can trigger attacks. As with all other fruits and veggies, however, these are extremely nutritious foods with significant health benefits, so they need to be treated with caution but definitely not eliminated from your diet".
Thanks Syl!
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IBS-C with pain and bloat
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Both Jerusaleum artichokes and globe artichokes contain sulphur but not as much as contained in cabbage, broccoli, beans, etc. See Tablle III. They are also high in IF.
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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Syl
#286616 - 10/16/06 07:48 AM
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Jordy
Reged: 08/12/06
Posts: 2095
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Not to change the subject, but I was wondering how you manage your IBS. I never hear you mention any meds or supplements, etc.
How do you do it?  You seem pretty stable, right?
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IBS-C with pain and bloat
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Thanks for everyones input! I've tried talking to different doctors about it, but all they seem to do is give me medicine samples (my sister also as IBS, and takes quite a few pills, and I really want to try conrolling mine through diet first, and then medicine if I have to) My problem is that I love vegetables and whole grains and beans, but I think my stomache needs a break from things like that. Heather's diet makes a lot of sense to me..how long did it take for you to start seeing improvements?
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I have learned to manage my IBS without meds or supplements. I rely heavily on resistant starch - a type of starch that acts like an SF. Resistant starch is rarely if ever discussed on this board. It is found in rice, potatoes, pasta, etc and its concentration is much higher if these foods are allowed to cool after they are cooked.
Over the years I have tried many meds. None of them worked. I have used SFS from time to time but I preferred to figure out a diet that I can use without supplements. It took me a long time to figure out that the conventional knowledge about SF was inadequate. Eventually I found resistant starch and its ability to act like a conventional SF. It has provided me with a key to handling my IBS without meds or supplements. My diet is strict and narrow. It excludes foods containing more than 10% fat (I prefer mono-unsaturated fats), more IF than SF, lactose and high fructose (i.e more fructose than glucose). Every meal contains a strong base of SF and resistant starch.
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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Thanks
#286633 - 10/16/06 08:36 AM
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Jordy
Reged: 08/12/06
Posts: 2095
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I am definitely interested in this. Did you have a book recommendation or any other sources of information on how to eat this form of fiber? And what types of IF are allowed and low fructose foods are good?
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IBS-C with pain and bloat
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Also you may be able to just not have certain veg or fruit. I know heathers diet doesn't work for me I feel it helps more for people who are d then c. I also am not big on the meds for this. I think it is so frustrating because there isn't a concrete answer for everyone also other website and docs I have seen say the opposite of some of the things here. Hang in there
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Re: Thanks
#286640 - 10/16/06 08:51 AM
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Syl
Reged: 03/13/05
Posts: 5499
Loc: SK, CANADA
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I don't know of any books. However, Heather's diet is very close to the diet I use.
I have made some change to the EFI to suit my needs. I stay away from honey and most fruits and fruit juices because they contain too much fructose for me. I eat some dark meat (bison and pork tenderloin). And I eat small amounts of dairy but I take lactase. AND although I dread to mention it because of the trouble it seems to cause on this board I use the Finelli and USDA nutrient database to help me figure out which foods are high in fructose and IF. Unfortunately there isn't a database that gives information about resistant starch content.
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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I think this diet can be combined with Heather's diet quite nicely.
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IBS-C with pain and bloat
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Any group of foods by itself (excluding obvious trigger foods) may be okay for IBS - that's why a meal is okay one day and produces cramps or D the next. Seggy had the key suggestion, I think. That is, start every meal with a "serving" of soluble fiber (is that SF?). I love Heather's Acacia fiber, but if you don't have it on hand, get Benefiber, which is all guar gum, or a fiber supplement that is all inulin. If you know what your fiber intake has been every day, and you are not on any laxatives, divide your daily fiber intake into as many meals as you usually have. Then take that fiber dose for every meal, before you start to eat, and before you drink anything.
If you don't know how much fiber you have been getting every day, get Equalactin (also over the counter), and take two tablets four or five times a day, for a week or so.
Don't drink anything before you take the Equalactin; drink water that is room temperature or only as cold as water from the cold water tap, after you take the Equalactin. Then eat.
If you have been taking laxatives regularly, don't stop all at once and switch to these/Heather's dietary recommendations. Somewhere on the boards here is a regimen for gradually substituting the soluble fibers I've mentioned for laxatives. Follow that.
Pay attention to what you drink, also. Substitute soy milk for dairy; get soy cheese, rather than dairy cheese. Also, look for citric acid on drinks. Coffee is going to double you over. Tea can be brewed so it doesn't; an herbal tea with a little bit of soy milk is okay.
Heather's diet, as others on this thread have said, is better for D, and for people who are skinny because of D. I've lived a life of pain with IBS before discovering Heather's website, but I've also lived a life of eating to dispel the pain (go figure--goes back to infancy, I think). That means I'm overweight, and am now losing weight on my modified diet.
People will try to scare you about soy; don't let them. Most of the world lives on soy, and some of the most long-lived people eat soy every day.
Of Heather's products, do get the Acacia fiber when you can, and get her Fennel tea. It does wonders for cramps. I am still prone to cramps first thing in the morning--until I have a cup of fennel tea. You can substitute Anise tea, even made with Anise from the spice rack, or fennel seeds. Ordering from Heather's website is super fast; you can also order from Amazon.com--for example, if someone gives you a gift certificate for a birthday, or Thanksgiving, or the holidays.
Last, but probably first in causing cramps, is the gastrocolic reflex. Heather enlightened me about this one; it means that food or drink doesn't have to work its way through your digestive system to the colon before causing pain or gas or bloating. Certain things will trigger this reflex, particularly on an empty stomach, and suddenly, there you are, doubled over. Dairy, caffeine, citric acid (for me, at least), iced or even cold drinks, and perhaps broccoli.
Much success in dieting away your IBS.
Tummyblogger
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Tummyblogger, http://www.formytummy.com
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Quote:
It has provided me with a key to handling my IBS without meds or supplements.
This always amazes me when people can manage without the meds or supplements. I think I have it drilled into my brain that I need them to be "okay"...or at least not worse. I'm so scared I won't go at all without them.
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IBS-C with pain and bloat
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Quote:
Heather's diet, as others on this thread have said, is better for D, and for people who are skinny because of D.
Heather's approach may or may not work better for D than C - I certainly grant you that it's trickier for Cs to balance SF and IF - but I'm living proof that Heather's approach works great for people who aren't the slightest bit skinny. 
Quote:
If you have been taking laxatives regularly, don't stop all at once and switch to these/Heather's dietary recommendations. Somewhere on the boards here is a regimen for gradually substituting the soluble fibers I've mentioned for laxatives. Follow that.
I think this may be what you were referring to.
Welcome (belatedly) to the Boards.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Do you just eat anything you want? Do you have any kind of pattern or system or regiment that has helped you?
Just curious.
Do you take any meds or supplements at all? Are you feeling good? Or better?
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IBS-C with pain and bloat
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