Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | I'm a newbie with a question!

Well, we have a Shell, a Shells, and now a Shelli! Cool.

Welcome to the Boards. You came to the right place.

I see you are a C person; I'm a D. But I think I can still help you out with some of your questions.

First of all, about how long it takes for an attack. I remember this being discussed last month (or the month before). You can get an attack instantly or it can be the next day or two, believe it or not. Whenever I eat spaghetti, I can never get through the entire meal without it hitting mid-fork-full. As I'm eating, it's through me! And it's IMMEDIATE -- BAM! I'm running to the toilet.

But then, last week (Thursday) I had turkey pepperoni for lunch. The next day, Friday, the cramps hit and lasted through the entire weekend, but the diarrhea didn't start until Sunday.

The only way I have been able to pinpoint the culprit is with a food journal. I've been keeping this sucker for 3 years now. I'm on volume 5. Tedious, yes, but it works!

Next, it wasn't the roll that caused your problem. Steak is a big no-no. You need to lose the red meat. Sorry.

I'm glad you know how to do a search. Look for psyllium, because I know it's been discussed in here, and as I recall it's really hard on the system. You need a good soluble fiber supplement. In my opinion, Heather's acacia is the best. Some folks here like Citrucel powder (the pills have only half the fiber in them that the powder has). You start out at a low dosage and work your way up to about 12-15 grams a day.

I think IBS has different levels of severity. At one time I could eat salads, but I can't now unless I have the soluble fiber beforehand and limit the salad to only a small serving. And of course, only fat-free dressing.

Whole wheat is hard for some folks to digest, so yes, it can be a trigger. Fortunately, it is not a trigger for me. See, everyone's different; what one can tolerate, another cannot. So I take advantage of it and eat ONLY whole wheat and substitute whole wheat flour for white whenever possible. Again, for most people, whole wheat is a no-no.

Yes, fiber IS good for IBS, that's right. If you can tolerate whole wheat, then by all means go for it. But if you think it's causing you a problem, then pass on it. It's pretty much a matter of trial-and-error on many foods.

Ah yes, dairy. Well, I don't know anyone with IBS who can tolerate the stuff. Dairy is such a trigger! I'm not at all surprised that it's "stirred up your IBS." I also used to be able to eat dairy, but now I can't go near the stuff. I have to check the ingredients on every single thing I buy -- as we all do -- and if there's any kind of dairy in it, I pass on it; otherwise, I can be guaranteed an attack.

How do you do with soy? Some people can't tolerate soy either, but most of us can. Again, it's trial and error. I gave up diary but replaced it with soy. I have soy milk, soy cheese, soy parmesan, soy "ice cream," soy burgers, soy sausage, soy cream cheese, soy sour cream, even soy butter. Have you ever tried Amy's frozen SOY CHEESE pizza? OMG! It's to die for.

Yes, you have to take an awful lot of Fibercon capsules to get enough fiber. I used to take it, then switched to Citrucel, and now I take Heather's acacia. I started out with only 1 teaspoon twice a day, and now, 4 months later, I'm up to 1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon twice a day. Again, everyone's different, but whatever fiber supplement you choose, you need to slowly begin increasing it until you get up to the 12-15 grams/day range.

Soy butter is fabulous stuff; I love Soy Garden. However, it is still a fat, so you have to use it sparingly. Remember, we have to limit the percentage of fat to less than 25% per meal.

On the carb issue: Shelli, you need to lose the belief that carbs are bad. They are not. This is quite an issue with all of us here, and we've discussed it ad nauseum, so I won't go into it again -- but you can do a search if you wish and read all the many posts. Heather explains it far better than I can.

You need to get Heather's book, "The First Year." It's our bible. If you like to cook, then by all means be sure to also get her fabulous, "Eating for IBS." The recipes in there are unbelievable. Also, check out our recipe board here. You'll be amazed at all the great IBS-safe dishes!

Shelli, I sympathize with you having to raise three young children with a hot pad on your tummy. When I have my heating pad on my tummy, I can't imagine having to also take care of anyone else at the same time. I give you a lot of credit, Girlfriend! But I know that will get better if you follow the program religiously and continue posting questions in here for everyone to help you. This is an incredible group of very knowledgeable people who have been there and know exactly what you're going through. I'm not a C person, but there are a LOT of them here, and they can definitely help you with that C problem!

Again, WELCOME!

Bev

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<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~letsrow/smily3481.gif">Bevvy

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