I Hve Just Been Diagnosed With Ibs

[Dee Sa]

its like a horrible nightmare, can anyone give me any pointers and advice on diet, so far for the last three days I have lived on one banana per day & water, but today I had the yolk of a hard boiled egg and half a slice of brown bread without any spread/butter & a cup of tea, so far so good but I am too scared to eat in case it flares up again.

[shaneystar2]

I've had it for years Dee.
Could be something that doesn't agree such as lactose in my case .It's a case of eliminating foods that you know upset you .
Try peppermint tea to ease the cramps or Buscopan .I get it in spasms ..alright for a while and then up it flares again. Too much fibre isn't good either .My GP told me you can eat too much of it and there I was thinking I was eating all the right foods .I dare not look at an orange these days :)
Have a look here
http://www.patient.co.uk/health/irritable-bowel-syndrome-diet-sheet
Hope you soon feel better .It's very common,you're not alone .

[Mamyalynne]

Dee Sa, I feel for you it's horrid durin g flare ups - you need to discover what your own triggers are and adapt accordingly.

One tip from me is that good old fashioned Gripe Water is very soothing during the painful spasms.

[Fusion5]

Meberverine tablets from your gp are good for the cramps.

I also find that brown bread or any whole wheat makes it worse.

[Dee Sa]

thanks both, its the embarrassment of the flare ups and I have sooo much trial and error ahead and to make it worse I am off to Vegas beg of November and for almost a year I have been dreaming of all that lovely buffet food at Planet Hollywood inc all my fav Arabic food which will now be a no no, why me lord why me ? I had to go to GP first time {I forced myself to go] for 18months I hate doctors & surgeries, GP suggested a camera examination I got so hysterical she asked to calm down and said they can do a non intrusive CAT scan but God knows how long the wait is !

[shaneystar2]

We all get things Dee unfortunately .I never dreamt I'd be limping along with a walking stick..lol ...try and stay calm .Your anxiety won't help the situation.
Don't starve yourself either .Just try eating bland stuff for a while and see how you go .Try chicken ,fish ,rice ,bananas are good,jacket spud,pasta,soup.
Avoid spicy things ,onions,greens,salad etc for a while and see what happens.
If you can ,keep a food diary .Write down every day what you eat .You'll soon see what foods irritate you.

[Bathsheba]

Oh poor you Dee Sa,....I hadn't seen this when I replied to you on the Good Evening thread.

Don't know much about IBS I'm afraid, but the food diary + trial + error elimination suggestions sound sensible.

x x

[Dee Sa]

hello again Bathsheba, I was just replying to you when a nasty pop up came along and I had to out it ! thanks for sympathy, its really a very unpleasant illness indeed and so embarrassing when you get flare ups with out without any warning its all new to me, though looking back garlic has made me ill for a number of years now & raw onion.
Can you eat chocolate I wonder in small amounts I suppose and what about my fav Vodka & sprite ? Life get tedious dont it.
Time for bed, goodnight everyone.

[Bathsheba]

Nitey nite Dee,.....wishing you a peaceful + pain-free sleep

x x

[lady-janine]

sorry to hear this dee. goodness only knows what triggers it. when I find out i'll avoid that food or drink. it seems to change at times so that's no help. anyway hope you sleep well.

[Sqad]

Dee Sa.

Just a word.....IBS is diagnosed by exclusion and this does require a camera up the backside (Colonoscopy) as many intestinal disorders mimic IBS.
In my opinion a CAT scan is not sufficient.
Please reconsider.

Advice given here is based on the fact that you have IBS which at this moment is uncertain.

[Jennykenny]

I had it for years, and then I discovered that if I excluded cream, milk and butter it stopped, almost overnight.
So, yes, as others have suggested, keep a note of what you eat and hopefully you'll be able to work out what triggers it.

[Daffy6543]

These are foods that work for many IBS sufferers;
http://www.ibsdiets.org/fodmap-diet/fodmap-food-list/

Try gluten free bread too.

[Eve]

Hospital dieticians may be able to help. The cameras aren't pleasant but you can be sedated and it's often the anticipation that can be the worst. Best to get it checked out to exclude anything else so you can get more help with the IBS.

I've had it for years, along with another gastro issue, and it can be up and down for me. I've had to exclude all sorts in the past from time to time. I can only tolerate a little cow's milk (though not lactose intolerant) and have to avoid things like whole-wheat. I try to avoid onions and too much spice and have cut down on things like tomatoes and garlic.

It can be quite personal though. I have issues with antibiotics which can really upset my stomach and too much fat too and can't eat too much protein in one go. My gentle foods when building back up tend to be soups (without lots of cream or spice like chicken simmer soup), spaghetti hoops, tinned salmon sandwiches then pasta with tuna.

I've found having a pro-biotic yoghurt in the morning has helped me, especially with awful bloating. I'm not really keen on yoghurt but have a Danone one which is lovely with fruit for breakfast on workdays.

[Dee Sa]

thank you everyone for your help and advice,it helps to know you are not the only one with this horrible complaint.Looking back its a number of years since I have been able to eat anything with garlic that gave me terrible stomach cramps but not diarrohae. Now at the moment I am back to being constipated.I am even embarassed to talk about these things.

[Buenchico]

It costs £24 to join the IBS Network (which is the UK charity supporting IBS sufferers) bujt you might think it worthwhile to get full access to their resources. Even if you don't, there's some useful free stuff available:
http://www.theibsnetwork.org/

[Bathsheba]

Hiys Dee Sa......was wondering how you were ;)

Chris......£24? I know where I'd tell 'em to stick that, lol! What a nerve! There's loads of free info + advice knocking about ;)

x x

[bunkmoreland]

Dont be embarrassed D,none of us can help our bodies' weird happenings. My sister has bowel problems and uses Alpro milk to make a porridge in the morning that suits her. I have on going "wind" problems that can make or break my day,and i don't seem to have much control over it. Good luck and hugs x

[Bathsheba]

Hey bunkmoreland.....chatting about wind on 2 threads, I see.....lol ;)

x x

[bunkmoreland]

very bad B but good knowledge;-) You're good

[Bathsheba]

Off to bed now, g'night bunk ;)
x x