Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Newbie

I don't think being healthy, active, and 29 means you can't have IBS. However, you do need to be sure you get tested for all the other conditions that can mimic IBS.

My IBS definitely got worse over time - it went from a minor annoyance to a major problem. Again, however, if your symptoms are changing it's crucial to get a firm diagnosis, backed up by extensive testing. Since IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion, your doctor has to actually do the testing to exclude other conditions. So, yes, you should be concerned about your symptoms being something else until those something elses have been ruled out by your doctor.

While you're waiting for a firm diagnosis, though, you can certainly give Heather's approach a try. That way, once you're actually diagnosed with IBS, you'll be ahead of the game.

Your questions about tomatoes, eggs, and pasta really go to the heart of how Heather's diet works. It isn't enough to just know that soluble fiber is good - you have to understand trigger foods (like egg yolks); the importance of eating insoluble fiber (like tomatoes) but doing so carefully (after soluble fiber); and how to read the ingredients on packaged foods like pasta and figure out whether what's in there is okay (wheat pasta is fine as long as it doesn't contain trigger foods, like egg yolks or dairy).

As far as stress goes, I haven't heard of a case where alleviating stress equals the end of IBS. It can certainly means less severe symptoms, less frequent attacks, and so on, but as I understand it, once an IBSer always an IBSer.

The best way for you to get a handle on Heather's approach is to read her books:
"The First Year - IBS" has a full explanation of what IBS is, the tests you should have before being diagnosed with it, and a step by step guide to learning to live with IBS: diet, stress management, medication, exercise, alternative treatments.
"Eating For IBS" is mostly recipes, but it has an excellent summary of Heather's diet.

You may be able to find one or both of these books at your local library. You can also buy them from this Website or from Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. In addition, sections of both books are available free on this Website:

Click here to read "The First Year"
Click here to read "Eating For IBS"

HTH.

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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]

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