Hi, I have had symtoms of IBS for few months before xmas and diagnosed quite soon after......all i can eat is lentils, rice, fish and some vegatables. I cant eat meat as my body struggles to process the food and causes pain sweats, cramping and diahrea. As does most man made sweetners, fizzy drinks, coffee,tea, gluten, most medication due to gelatin and dairy.
Does anyone suffer in this way or am i the only one?
I do feel quite alone in this illness as the doctors have said i can't see a dietician as in my case as i am not within some criteria or something.....which i think is nonsense!!
Basically i have to trial and era my own diet to see what works and what doesn't.
It would be interesting to find anyone in the same boat!
thanks for reading.
I was told to stick to white foods, rice, bread, fish, chicken. Fruit, veg, dairy products and red meat really set me off but I have to have them in my diet so I'm careful when I eat. I wouldn't eat before going out and keep red meat for a real treat. I know it'll set me off but every now and then I will eat it. I have to eat very plain food as any spices or sauces sets me off too. Sometimes I can eat and literally in minutes I have to run to the loo. The Dr's said that's impossible for food to go through so quickly but it happens
Hi, I was diagnosed with IBS 20 yrs ago but now I'm being investigated for Crohns disease as a stool sample showed high inflammation. I just had a hydrogen breath test which showed me to be lactose glucose and fructose intolerant. Maybe you would benefit from this test also. I basically live on white rice, Turkey and carrots. Anything else has me in agony and running to the toilet. Yesterday I went 8x but ate nothing out of the ordinary 
They're right about the trial and error thing unfortunately because some things might be a trigger for some people and for others it mightn't be. I am in the same boat as you and my diet was so limited that I actually fell sick. There are a lot of things the body needs and a limited diet is definitely not balanced. Instead, I eat the things you've cut out twice a week and when I'm done eating, I take charcoal tablets. They have been amazing for me so far so I'm definitely sticking with them. Someone on here also recommended Diatomaceous earth to me and I've been taking a tablespoon mixed with water before bed and my IBS has never been so calm. If you can, keep asking to see a dietician because its absurd what your G.P is saying.
Hi,
I too have recently been diagnosed via a hydrogen breath test as a fructose malabsorber. I have also been diagnosed with bile acid malabsorption which mimics ibs symptoms. ask your doc or consultant for a sehcat test which can determine if you have bile acid malabsorption. it involves taking a safe radioactive tracer capsule that mimics bile acid, then you have a gamma scan taken. 7days later you have another gamma scan; from this they can tell if too much "free bile acid" is leaving your body via your intestines-causing the same symptoms as ibs. I have read as many as 1 in 3 ibs sufferers are actually found to have bile acid malabsorption as the root of their problems. If found positive, it easily treated with daily meds in capsule or sachet(with water). I have only been on treatment for 8days, & am noticing improvement, no diarrhea for 3days now!!! hope this helps, good luck.
hi, i find my diet a little dull, i seem to be eating the same thing but as you extremely careful in what i eat.....do we have this thing for life? Do u know if it develops into something else?
hi, how do u cope with just eating turkey, rice and carrots? Its something to ask dr on next visit.I hope our diets become better in time
I cope because a. It's easier than the pain b. The Dr's don't care and c. I work 40hrs a week in nursery education and can't keep going to the toilet I would luv to eat normally but the vomiting and diarrhea dictate that that won't be happening any time soon x
when you put it like that i can see why? my dr isnt much help either i guess its just the way it is
According to the Monash University fodmap table, red meat shouldn't be bad for IBS, and certainly I can eat it. OTOH lentils are pulses which contain Galacto-oligosaccharides which IBS sufferers can have problems absorbing in the small intestine. But as we all know, each of us is individual and what we can handle will not be the same.
Unless you are gluten intolerant, it's not the gluten that's the problem, it's the Fructo-oligosaccharides (fructans) that are found in wheat, rye, garlic and onions (for example). Oats contain less of these, and there are other, more ancient, cereals that are worth trying, e.g. Spelt.
Lactose is a problem for most of us - you may be able to tolerate proper greek yoghurt, because the process removes most of the lactose. I use it as a substitute for cream whenever possible.
Trial and error is the only way, I fear.
thanks for your reply, i will try the greek yoghurt and spelt to see if i can tolerate it,could i ask the brand and what supermarket you buy the yoghurt from?
try the low fodmap diet.
yes your diet will be limited for life but you will find what works for you and what doesnt. the restriction is worth the reduction in symptoms, and after a bit you dont notice what youre not eating
My consultant wants me to begin treatment this week for my lactose/glucose/fructose intolerance. I have no idea what that will be. I live in the UK, I know it the USA it's treated with antibiotics. I shall let u know! If it's dietary change then it's of little use to me as I still have the same symptoms having made such changes myself many moons ago!!
Fage Total Greek Yoghurt from Sainsbury. Rachel's Greek Style seems OK too. But I have to stay away from Honey - it's one of the deadly sugars. The good news is that Maple Syrup is fine.
Interesting article in the ST today suggesting that modern antibiotics and cleanliness mean that we have greatly reduced the benevolent bacteria that aid food digestion (Scientists have been studying a recently discovered South American tribe that have not been subject to these). Sounds like a reasonable explanation to me. If so, further antibiotics is the last thing we need...
could i ask what the charcoal does and what effect does it have on you even how it helps? where do you get diatomaceous earth from?
i did start on the low fodmap diet it really did open my eyes how limiting food can be even the items on the diet did reak havoc, as most people on here say symtoms are life long and worth while to cut foods out that dont agree with you, what type of things do you eat?
let me know what happens, its interesting what p3t3r has said about antibiotics though!!
The charcoal absorbs all the gas that I get after eating so I'm not bloated, my stomach doesn't gurgle and I don't get anxious that I will pass wind in public. Because the charcoal's surface area expands in the guts, it basically coats it and attaches to all the toxins in your tummy and the gas (side effect, black faeces). DE has regulated my bowel movements. I can now actually go out without needing to use the bathroom. It supposedly gets rid of any parasites as well so as long as they both keep working, I'm happy! Its nice to feel a little confidence again PHEW!
Oh and I got it from Amazon, make sure to research it first to see if you want to try it and make sure its FOOD GRADE DE 