Hard having IBS in Australia
#369060 - 01/18/13 07:27 AM
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I have had endoscopy and colonoscopy. They found nothing. Apparently I am not coeliac, only sensitive to gluten. I have found only plain white sourdough/fresh bagels and white rice/pasta plain and plain chicken breasts or banana I can tolerate.
I am exhausted...my tummy is so sensitive. I have been diagnosed with IBS-D and have had it since I was a child I am now 33.
I know there is a link here to see foods in your country that can help but there are some that are discontinued and not very many safe options for ready made foods here in OZ.
I cannot tolerate fibre supplements I tried even in small doses and it made me very ill.
I am almost always having severe and sensitive tummy trouble and I miss eating all the normal foods. I LOVE COFFEE and CHOCOLATE and miss it so much. 
I have been to Dr after Dr they only want to put me on weird pills and I went that route before-never again.
I get terrible anxiety and cfs/fibroymalgia aswell and yet although these things are somnehow linked no Dr knows anything at all about it.
I am not absorbing nutrients in my gut yet multi vs upset me. I am exercising more and losing some weight but NOT putting muscle on as I am not absporbing protein etc...
I can tolerate buckwheat pancakes with some maple syrup and banana-plain chick breasts in small doeses and fresh sourdough-that is it.
I recently saw a naturopath whp recommended the Specific Carbohydrate Diet-and I took one look at it and went NO WAY!
Naturopaths did tests and said I had Candida Albicans but their elimination diet is insane! I can not stop eating bread I will die! I also am so tired all the time and think racing thoughts all the time.
The worst is that everyone else I know has no dietary issues. We go out together, often to places where I just have no options at all. The other day I TRIED to eat a cheeseless pizza and still got sick. I am just so fed up I am scared I am getting to the point where I cannot eat anything anymore.
Everything seems to make my tummy sore. Do I bite the bullet and try and struggle through a SCD diet or a FODMAP diet or CANDIDA diet??
Long ago I got Heather's book and she seemed to say all the things I slowly had worked out. DOn't eat chocolate, dairy, fats, egg yolks etc...
Every time I go out I need to find an Italian restaurant and eat plain spaghetti with some plain tomato sauce or a Chinese place and ask for chicken fried rice with NO oil or fat at all.
It is so limiting. And alienating...
But the worst part is I just got a job reviewing restaurants and bars. It is a dream opportunity but I am required to eat out a LOT and I am scared if my employers find out I am simply sampling some stuff in very very very small doses hey will fire me and I am not even getting paid yet it is kinda like an unpaid internship but very few get selected.
Naturopaths seem to think that what we all suffer is NOT normal and should be curable. They say I need to heal my gut first...but all that yoghurty stuff which I LOVE gives me the most intense stomach cramps and diarrhea.
I have tried King Land Soy Yoghurt but it is gross and still upsets me. Almond milk-no good. I tolerate a bit of Rice Milk but that's it.
Is there anyone who knows of any other Aussie foods that I can eat or any way we can cure this dreaded condition. And once my tummy has been exposed to something I have to go home RIGHT NOW as it is so sensitive I almost "talk" my timmy into exploding.
Also...most of my pain is high up. Very painful but relieved when I pass something and always brought on by foods like dairy/fat/meat etc...
All my pain is high in tummy.
I am on a pension so funds are limited. I just don;t know what to do this seems like IBS and they have found nothing else but it is so hard.
What can I do/eat? I am so tired I feel like I may need to just cook all the time but I also am a musician and if we go away on tour I am scared of what to do!
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Have you followed Heather's Eating for IBS diet closely for a few weeks?
Also Australia has some GI doctors and RD who are pioneers in the development of new dietary approach to managing functional bowel disorder like IBS. Drs Gibson and Muir and Dr Dr. Shepherd,a registered dietitian, developed this dietary approach called the FODMAP approach. This approach give 60-80% relief of IBS symptoms. You can read more about it in the first two links in my signature.
From the description of foods you are having problems with it sounds like the FODMAP diet might be worth considering. If you live close to Monash you could contact Gibson or Muir office or perhaps contact Dr. Shepherd.
Candida has been shown conclusively not be involved in IBS. You can read more about it this posting.
I eat a small piece of 80-90% coco containing dark chocolate every day to stave off my chocolate cravings. Heather says "I eat solid chocolate almost every day in this manner. (Of course, this may just be sheer willpower because as God is my witness I will not go through life without chocolate, but I think this is probably the less likely explanation.) "
I and others on the board have been following Heather's EFI diet combined with the FODMAP diet for a number of years with very good results. You might give a try 
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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 so much for that. So...if FODMAPS says that certain dairy is ok but I know it will make me ill I just avoid altogether? The dietician I saw was very adamant that if I went off everything that eventually I;d be able to eat it again. I am skeptical at that..
ALso what about meat and Fodmap?
I also tolerate buckwheat pancakes (orgran) ok but I cannot find a butter substitute. I was hoping Nuttelex might be ok but not sure.
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Yes - EFI says avoid all dairy. FODMAP says hard cheese and yogurt is okay. So what I do is avoid all dairy.
FODMAPs are not found in meat. However some meats are high in fat and high fat foods should be avoided. The EFI say remove all red meat. I removed all red meat but with the FODMAP diet I find I can eat a low fat red meat meal once a week with out any problems.
Was your dietitian a naturopathic dietitian? You might call Shepherds office and ask for the name of a dietitian in your area who knows the FODMAP approach. Australian institutions have been training dietitian with this knowledge recently.
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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 will contact them.
Also, is it ok to have bread? I find that Fodmaps seem to want you to give up all wheat and even buckwheat but sourdough and plain bagels aswell as buckwheat pancakes form a major part of my diet I doubt Id be able to tolerate any veggies at all without it.
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It is a good idea to remove wheat and rye products from your diet for 2-3 weeks and then add little bit back to find out if the fructans in these foods are causing gas, bloating and pain.
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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 guess for me it is hard to eat any kind of meat without bread.
If I eat meat with just vegies I get really sick but if I eat some plain bread rolls first and with it...it isn't as bad. It's scary stuff to know exactly what to do to balance it all.
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It might be best to find a dietitian trained in the FODMAP approach to guide you. Good luck
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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!
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Can you find some gluten free bread/crackers? This has been a life saver for me because I too NEED some kind of bread. Udi's has some good bread and delicious rolls...if not available in your stores, you can order directly. Here is their website: Udi's Gluten Free
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IBS-D. Eating gluten and dairy free.
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Can you eat oranges/sastumas/any sort of citrus fruit? I also love chocolate but I can't tolerate any lactose at all and dark chocolate contains all sorts of IBS unfriendly ingredients where I live. But I cook my rolled oats in water with cocoa powder (that has nothing added) into porridge, even a tiny bit of it will make it v chocolate-y. As cocoa powder has no sugar in it, it can be a slightly bitter, but I eat my porridge with some sort of sweet citrus fruit on top and it tastes wonderful.
I live in Britain and here we have lots of gluten free breads available. Hope that's also the case with Australia.
Since the FODMAPs were worked out in Oz, you have the advantage of being fairly sure that their advice really applies to you. Fruits and veggies contain different amounts of say fructose depending on where they are grown. Grapes are supposed to be OK, yet all the varieties I've had here in Europe bother me. Same with some other fruit and veg. I hope that you can at least trust their results better, their data is Australia-specific in the strictest sense of the word after all!
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now: stable through EFI+FODMAP dieting (no lactose/no fructose/some fructans and some polyols)
before: IBS-D(pseudo-diarrhoea), bloating, often unbearable pain esp from too much fat: Apr 2007- Dec 2010
FODMAPs: http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/072710p30.shtml
[I've tried VSL#3 -> I could tolerate v good amounts of IF (even with less SF), it worked great (but overall I find it too expensive)]
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Have you had a look at high coco chocolate bars such as
Sainsbury's Belgian Fairtrade Dark Chocolate - Cocoa Mass, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Vanilla
Green & Black's Organic 70% Dark Chocolate - Organic Cocoa Mass†, Organic Raw Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter, Soya Lecithin, Organic Vanilla Extract
Lindt Excellence Dark Chocolate 85% Cocoa - Cocoa Mass, Reduced Fat Cocoa Powder, Cocoa Butter, Demerara Sugar, Pod Vanilla, Soya Lecithin
These are available a Sainsbury's as well as other stores.
I only need one small square per day - usually after supper - to satisfy by chocolate craving
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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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