Bland Diet Preparation Questions
#370324 - 09/29/13 01:45 PM
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My 15 year old son was just released from the hospital due to an impacted bowel. The impaction had to be surgically removed. This is about the 9th hospitalization for this problem. I have decided to take the bull by the horns and try to treat his IBS-C with the diet/info on this website rather than the regimen of Ducolax and Miralax which keep him in constant major abdominal pain. My questions...he will be eating the bland diet for a few days. Is it okay to cook no-yolk noodles in veggie broth or non-fat chicken broth? Can a little brown sugar or honey be added to the plain oatmeal? I think he will be more eager to follow the diet if a little "taste" can be added. I have ordered the Acacia Tummy Fiber and Peppermint Oil Capsules and will gradually wean him off the laxatives.
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and check here Five Constipation Frustrations as well as here Getting Off Laxatives for good help.
He has had 9 surgeries for impactions? That is truly awful - I am so sorry. I haven't ever heard of something like that from IBS. Please be sure he's been checked for celiac and other disorders that can mimic IBS.
He could also have strictures, or narrow spots in his colon, as a result of scarring from past surgeries. That can make impactions more likely in the future. Have his docs said anything about this?
Feel free to use herbs and spices and seasonings with abandon - safe foods for IBS do not have to be bland.
He'll likely need to work up to the max end of the dose of the Tummy Fiber - 4 to 5 tablespoons per day. But it might take weeks or even a few months to get up that high, and that's okay. Slow and steady is best.
He's also going to have to try - carefully - to incorporate as many insoluble fiber foods as possible, following the guidelines. This is critical for constipation. Again, slow and steady And lots of water - you can't really drink too much for constipation.
Please keep me posted.
Best,
Heather
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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I have been preparing soluble fiber foods for my son for the past two weeks and have incorporated 1 tsp per day of Acadia Fiber. He continues to have abdominal pain but is having BM's!  He expressed concern that he is going so much...as in daily... but I told him that this is normal. I hope to keep him "moving", now...if the pain would just go away. Peppermint oil and tea don't seem to make much of a difference but I keep giving them to him thinking that he will get relief over time.
As far as bowel diseases/disorders, all have been ruled out. Believe me when I say that this child has had every test, biopsy, scope (upper and lower) available.
I know this is a slow journey but we'll keep plodding along and hope that someday he will experience life without pain.
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and on the right track. I'd gradually increase his Tummy Fiber by an extra 1/2 tsp per day, every 4-5 days or so. Alternate the increase so you adjust his morning dose, then 4 days later adjust his evening dose, etc.
As the dose gradually increases it should keep his gut a lot more stable and start preventing the painful spasms. He may end up on 2-3 tablespoons per day total - if he stabilizes at a lower dose, have him stay there. If he needs to go up to 4-5 T per day, that is okay too.
You could also really up his peppermint intake - as long as he isn't getting heartburn he can't really have too much. Sometimes it helps to "overwhelm" the gut with peppermint or fennel for a few days to force the bowel to stop spasming, and stop pain and bloating.
Please keep me posted!
XOXO
Heather
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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