I'm trying to do everything right, so why is nothing helping?
#359290 - 06/15/10 04:06 PM
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ELF
Reged: 06/05/10
Posts: 17
Loc: Kansas City, MO
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I have been trying to stick to the EFI diet as much as possible. I've been eating white rice, shrimp, sliced turkey (natural, no preservatives) on plain sourdough bread, egg whites and English muffins, a banana and some applesauce everyday for over two months and I still have symptoms. I started taking the Acacia and fennel tea, but nothing seems to make any difference.
I finally broke down over the weekend and had some things I probably shouldn't have, but took the SF and a bentyl before. I'm so desperate for an actual meal and not just food to keep me from starving! That was Sunday and I'm still paying for it two days later, which has never happened before.
My question is, is this normal? How long does it usually take to stabilize? And is it normal that I can't seem to eat foods that the EFI diet says I should (ex. chicken)?
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IBS-D since 12/2009
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It would be helpful if you told us if are IBS-C, IBS-D or IBS-A?
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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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Sorry, I'm mostly IBS-D. Although, I have noticed when I take bentyl regularly I occasionally feel constipated.
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IBS-D since 12/2009
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It would be helpful if you listed all of the meals and snacks you have eaten in the past 2-3 days and give us a sense of the type of symptoms you are experiencing. What tests have you had to diagnosis IBS? And have you been tested for fructose malabsorption?
Constipation is a known side effect of Bentyl.
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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 have an English muffin w/egg whites every morning, then another 1/2 English muffing (plain) for a snack. I divide my lunch and have 1/2 of a plain turkey sandwich on sourdough, then two hours later have the other half with some applesauce (but haven't had that for 2 days). In the afternoon I have 1/2 of an English muffin and a banana. I made some of Heather's zucchini bread, so have a slice or two of that when I get home from work. Monday I had a small piece of salmon with white rice for dinner. Last night I had shrimp and white rice. I had another English muffin with a little apple butter as a snack because I was starving.
Sunday, the day I "cheated", I had a baked potato with a little Smart Balance light, a white meat turkey fillet (grilled, plain), a few bites of pasta salad with light dressing, a few bites of a marshmallow pineapple salad (had a few nuts), a plain angel food cupcake and one light beer. I know it sounds like a lot, but they truly were only a few bites. I've had bloating, gas and the usual intestinal sounds that I always have, ever since.
I have had my gall bladder tested, an EDG, colonoscopy, small intestine scan and blood tests for food allergies. The only thing that showed anything was the small intestine scan, which showed increased motility (the barium was already in my colon within 10 min.). I have not been tested for fructose malabsorption that I know of.
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IBS-D since 12/2009
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Are you taking a soluble fiber supplement? You might try eliminating applesauce and anything with apples, pears, melons and their juices for a week or so and see if the excess fructose (i.e foods that contain more of the sugar fructose than the sugar glucose) in those foods are exacerbating your IBS symptoms. If they are then you might ask your doctor for a fructose malabsorption test which is a breath test. Up to 50% of individuals with IBS can have fructose malabsorption problems.
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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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Yes, I've been taking the Acacia for over a week and am finally up to 2 tsp. per day. I'm afraid to increase it more because of all the bloating and gas I've been having though.
Another thing I just thought of is my period. I was supposed to start last week, but because I just started a new job I decided to "skip" it by starting a new pack of birth control when I would normally have taken the placebo pills. Like most people, my IBS always gets worse during this time so I was trying to avoid it. Is it possible I'm still having symptoms anyway?
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IBS-D since 12/2009
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So you were tested for gluten intolerance? I think your diet sounds right on for IBS-D and needing to break the cycle. As long as the english muffins are the right kind.
To me only the beer was a problem on your cheating night.
Try the fiber for a couple weeks and see if you start to get better. Truly you should be feeling better with the diet you have been doing unless there is something else underlying.
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IBS-A for 20 years with terrible bloating and gas. On the diet since April 2004. Remember this from Heather's information pages:
"You absolutely must eat insoluble fiber foods, and as much as safely possible, but within the IBS dietary guidelines. Treat insoluble fiber foods with suitable caution, and you'll be able to enjoy a wide variety of them, in very healthy quantities, without problem." Please eat IF foods!
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Thanks Minnie. Yes, I've had a blood test and also a biopsy during my colonoscopy for gluten intolerance and both were negative.
The english muffins are Thomas' and I alternate between the original and 100 cal. but neither are whole wheat. I've also started trying gluten-free which are much higher in calories in the hopes they would satiate me longer since I'm constantly hungry.
I plan to continue to slowly increase the fiber and have thought about giving the peppermint caps a try since I haven't had much luck with the fennel. I'm prone to heartburn though, so is that a good idea or not?
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IBS-D since 12/2009
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Problem areas
#359373 - 06/21/10 09:34 AM
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belinda
Reged: 10/09/03
Posts: 474
Loc: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Hello Elf:
I'm an "old timer" on this site. I've had IBS all of my life (more than 50 years!) and I now have it under excellent control! I had IBS-C for the first 30 years followed by IBS-A for about five years and then IBS-D for the past 17 years.
So ... the food you ate ... what was wrong ...
1. What were the ingredients in the English muffin? An English muffin isn't necessarily "safe" just because it's an English muffin. It depends what the ingredients are.
2. Same question for the sourdough bread. Just because you are eating sourdough bread doesn't make it safe. Again, it depends on the ingredients. You may have to try various brands until you find one that you can tolerate.
3. Salmon ... even though fish is generally safe, certain types of fish are very fatty and can trigger IBS symptoms. Salmon is one of those "iffy" fatty fishes and so it can be difficult to digest. I get diarrhea about 75 per cent of the time when I eat salmon. In fact, I consider it to be a great laxative when needed!
4. White rice ... the safest white rice that I've found is white Basmati rice. It's even safer if you buy organic white Basmati rice. Others on this message board have also found Basmati rice to be great for IBS. I get sick if I eat regular white rice.
5. Apple butter ... what were the ingredients? Same comments as above ... it depends on the ingredients.
6. Smart Balance butter ... I'm not familiar with this type of butter. I would, however, highly recommend you try organic Earth Balance buttery spread. It tastes great, contains no chemicals and it never bothers my IBS. It's available at places like WholeFoods and other health food stores.
7. Grilled turkey fillet ... what, if any oil, did you grill the turkey in? Depending on what you used, it could irritate your IBS. Also, by "grilled" do you mean on a BBQ or fried? It's better if you could make it on a BBQ or bake or boil it to reduce the fat content.
8. Pasta salad with light dressing. Pasta can be problematic for IBS. I can't tolerate any type of pasta, especially not made from semolina. It's too difficult to digest. Light dressing is also a no-no. Any type of salad dressing or mayonnaise is potentially unsafe.
9. Marshmellow pineapple salad (with nuts). If you have an IBS death wish, then this is a good salad to eat! None of the ingredients -- marshmellows, pineapples and nuts -- are safe!
10. Angel food cake -- again, it depends on the ingredients.
11. Beer -- this is absolutely the worst thing you can have! Alcohol of any kind is one of the biggest triggers of IBS attacks. Stay away from it at all costs. A year ago I took a teaspoonful of anti-histamine that contained alcohol. I was sick as a dog for two days and I thought I was going to die!
12. Even a "few bites" of something unsafe or iffy can cause a major IBS attack, as it did when I took the anti-histamine.
As you can see, you haven't actually followed the IBS diet ... so your continued symptoms are probably very easy to explain (assuming you have IBS).
If you correctly follow Heather's diet, your symptoms should ease. Heather's diet changed my life about seven years ago when I discovered her website.
If you want help to get onto a better diet in which you will never be hungry again, e-mail me offline at [Email]belinda958@yahoo.ca and I will be happy to provide assistance.
Please feel better soon.
Belinda
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