Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | I'd second everything Gerikat says...

there are very few black and white aspects to IBS, and it just doesn't work to try and solve it like a math problem.

Have you tried gut-directed hypnotherapy? You do need something that will break the cycle of worry/anxiety about IBS that is surely going to trigger or worsen your symptoms.

Diet is a great help but it's going to involve many shades of gray, that will vary not just from person to person but even for one individual, depending on other factors in their life at different times. How you eat affects things, not just what you eat. And if you're stable you'll have more flexibility than if you're stressed, sleep deprived, sick with some other problem, etc.

I don't use the FODMAP approach. It wouldn't work for me, as it excludes foods I have no trouble with and it includes foods that make me violently ill. But it clearly helps some other people with IBS, so take that into consideration. It might help you, it might not. It's not the focus of this board, but there is a ton of info about it all over the internet and links to it from these boards as well.

It's up to you to choose the weapons in your IBS arsenal. I can't make this decision for you, you have to evaluate all IBS treatment options and decide which ones (all of them? a select few? trying them in some kind of order?) you want to use. This is the case for everyone. All I can do is give you the information and options, and as much details about them as possible (research, personal stories, citations to sources for further evaluation, etc.) Then you can decide what sounds like the best options for you and your life and move forward.

You need to start with a baseline, and go from there. And stress about IBS can counteract all other helpful measures, so please make addressing that issue your main focus for ow.

XXOO
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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