# What to eat...ahhhh!



## Guest (Dec 3, 2010)

Hi everyone. I wanted to see if anyone has any ideas or suggestions.I suffer from constipation, which doctors are saying is most likely caused by colonic inertia.For years I've had to be so careful about when/how/what/how much I eat. In the last year or two it has become even worse. I was eating the same exact few foods for several months and my routine was not making me better, but it didn't make me feel worse. Lately though, no routine of eating the same foods seems to work. I spend hours every day agonizing over what to eat, like it is the most important decision of my life and it is driving me crazy. Some days I just want to give in and eat a regular meal like pizza, or pasta, or a sandwich, or even just a microwave "Lean Cuisine". Anything to give my tastebuds some variety. But I always seem to pay for it! The other day I tried something a little different and ended up with terrible reflux where I was burping up stuff for a couple of hours (this doesn't usually happen to me)I absolutely never eat before 5pm. I just can't function if I do. When I do finally begin grazing in the evenings, my "safe foods" are usually things like: very lean meats or fish cut up into baby-size amounts, very finely chopped and cooked spinach, grilled potatoes, quinoa, baked lays, greek yogurt, baked tortilla chips, or small flour tortillas to make a small wrap with (I can only eat 1/2 the wrap). These are pretty much the only things I could eat in the evening that would ensure the least amount of discomfort at night and bloating the next day. But lately none of it really makes a difference, and I was wondering...what do YOU guys eat? What are your safe foods, and how do you prepare and eat them?I am going to try to add some variety to my food tonight but I am always afraid about how far is too far...I miss the old days when I could eat whatever my family ate, or I could go out to dinner and not stress out about it for days before. This just sucks and it's getting to the point where I dread eating. I get hungry eventually, and I know I have to eat, and I LOVE food (and I hate missing out on so many of my favorites)...but sometimes I almost feel like I'm eating poison, because I know I am just going to feel bad within 20 minutes of eating something. So I am always thinking, "is it worth it?"Anyways...I'd love to hear about other people's foods and eating habits, maybe I will try something new if you guys have any suggestions.


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## em_t (Jun 8, 2010)

Hey AliKaye,Your story really resonates with me ... I'm stuck in the same cycle of eating exactly the same foods everyday. And then every few weeks I get really sick of eating the same things so try something different and I ALWAYS suffer for it.My safe foods are Parma ham (not any other kind of ham, only Parma for some reason), smoked salmon, roasted peppers, shallots, courgettes, vegetable soup, Ministrone soup and oatcakes, like crackers made from oats. Sometimes a few squares of dark chocolate is ok but never milk chocolate. Probiotic yogurts like Activia used to be ok but stopped eating them for a few weeks when I was so ill I could bring myself to eat very little but now everytime I eat them I have awful cramps and horrible diarrhoea, its like a bomb has gone off (sorry probably TMI!)I always think I'd feel better if I have a huge attack of D but sometimes I feel even worse because I know after a few days of eating I'll be hideously constipated again. Just wondering AliKaye if you get a lot nausea with the chronic constipation?Sorry to hear you've been having such a rough time of it of late!


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## HopefulG235 (Sep 16, 2010)

Hi Alikaye, I know how you feel, and like you said, food becomes some sort of an obsession! Thats all that i worry about. My diet is limited. I have ibs-c but i dont get constipated that often. It seems as if my acid reflux is the worst for me. I suffer from very low appetite and nausea which makes it hard to gain weight and very scared of what i eat. My safe foods are Chex Rice cereal, toast, rice, chicken, veggies, baked chips, tortillas, sandwiches, egg whites, and lots of soups. I have a bit of lactose intolerance. I cannot drink milk at all, but i can eat some cheeses.


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## HopefulG235 (Sep 16, 2010)

em_t said:


> Hey AliKaye,Your story really resonates with me ... I'm stuck in the same cycle of eating exactly the same foods everyday. And then every few weeks I get really sick of eating the same things so try something different and I ALWAYS suffer for it.My safe foods are Parma ham (not any other kind of ham, only Parma for some reason), smoked salmon, roasted peppers, shallots, courgettes, vegetable soup, Ministrone soup and oatcakes, like crackers made from oats. Sometimes a few squares of dark chocolate is ok but never milk chocolate. Probiotic yogurts like Activia used to be ok but stopped eating them for a few weeks when I was so ill I could bring myself to eat very little but now everytime I eat them I have awful cramps and horrible diarrhoea, its like a bomb has gone off (sorry probably TMI!)I always think I'd feel better if I have a huge attack of D but sometimes I feel even worse because I know after a few days of eating I'll be hideously constipated again. Just wondering AliKaye if you get a lot nausea with the chronic constipation?Sorry to hear you've been having such a rough time of it of late!


What kind of ibs do you have? you mention a lot of d* i have ibs c and i do experience a lot of nausea =/


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## spingrl518 (Nov 9, 2010)

I can relate totally...except, i dont have any "safe" foods...everything i eat makes me bloated and uncomfortable. I usually eat the same things everyday but nothing really makes a difference...i like sweet potatoes, soup, popcorn, oatmeal, apples w/peanut butter, lean cuisine for dinner, lean turkey, frozen veggies, hot teas, trail nut mix....nothing that exciting..as a rule, i do avoid any dairy just cuz i know it will make me so much more bloated..even though i love cheese..since everything makes me feel like a bloated cow, i just eat whatever..


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## em_t (Jun 8, 2010)

I have IBS - C or more like chronic constipation or colonic inertia. I have to take sodium picosulphate, a very powerful stimulant laxative everyday to have a bowel movement and always have the feeling of more left behind (sorry probably TMI!) I only have diarrhoea after a long period of being severely constipated where I have to do a bowel clearout regime which involves taking 8 sachets of Movicol (similar to Miralax in the US) each day for 3 days - its horrific, just like taking the colonoscopy prep all over again. I can definitely assure that I'm IBS C as I have ended up with a bowel obstuction on many occasions But the nausea I find the hardest part to deal with, it leaves you exhausted and sometimes find it really hard to function in work. I have noticed that my nausea is always worst when I'm extremely constipated but its a pretty ongoing thing for me ... I'm on anti nausea medication everyday called Domperidone and its been the best IBS drug I've taken, reduces the nausea and increase the rate at which food moves through the intestines. Its not a cure but made it a bit more bearable!


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## HopefulG235 (Sep 16, 2010)

em-t,that is horrible =/, you go from being severely constipated to having bad D*. Yea i seriously HATE being n*, i usually get it 2 hours after i ate and will go on anywhere from 3-6 hours. That is why im terrified of eating. Oh i havent heard of that pill, i should look that up, i would love to have something to ease the symptom.We all have to keep looking for ways to make IBS more tolerable and hope that one day some genious will find a cure!


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## Guest (Dec 4, 2010)

Hey everyone, thanks for the replies. It really helps ease my mind to know I'm not crazy and there are other people feeling this way.It seems we all struggle with what foods to eat, and being tired of eating the same things. Though I do have what I consider "safe foods", I still feel badly after eating them, just not AS bad as if I were to eat pizza or a bowl of spaghetti or tacos or something. Last night I had some egg whites with lean turkey and cooked spinach...and I still felt crappy.It scares me to say this, because this didn't used to happen to me but like many of you, lately I have been dealing with quite a bit of nausea, mainly within 20-30 minutes after eating. And it usually lasts all evening until I go to sleep. I feel headache-y and nauseous, and just bad. Add that to the bloating and it's no wonder I have no life! It's very hard for me to study for school because it's impossible for me to actually sit at my desk when I feel this way, and during the day I am exhausted as it is.And when I'm talking about my bloating - is everyone else's as bad as mine? I almost feel like I could deal with being constipated and nauseous if I weren't this bloated...but when I'm talking about bloating, I mean MEGA bloat. I seriously could pass (and have passed) as being pregnant. I have had friends who were in their 8th month of pregnancy and I am telling you, I would bet my life that you couldn't tell which one of us was actually the pregnant one. I wear big sweatshirts and pj bottoms in the evening before I eat to help camouflage it, so my mom used to say things like, Oh you can't tell. You look fine.But then I showed her a few times and made her press on my stomach to see that I was NOT pushing it out AT ALL. I can suck it in but not for more than a minute or two and it gets painful, like after doing a bunch of situps. I don't even like to walk around or sit up straight when I am bloated, it is so uncomfortable. Some days I'm worried if it keeps going like this I'm going to end up with stretchmarks.The holidays have always been difficult but this year it seems the worst I've cried about this almost daily - and it's especially hard with all of my family members asking things like, "So do you have a boyfriend now" or "Where are you going after you graduate?" or, "I bet college is so great!"I actually had a very embarrassing Thanksgiving...I never drink anymore and I had one too many cocktails, my cousin was there and we're the same age and silly me kept thinking I could still drink the same amount as she does...but she goes out every week, and I haven't had a drink in ages. Needless to say, the family questions and comments became overwhelming and I spent the end of the evening crying in the bathroom. The next day I was so sick I had to take Phenergan, because I was so nauseous I couldn't even talk. Alcohol is definitely not one of my "safe foods"...lesson learned.


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## Yarm (Sep 18, 2010)

I also get nauseated when my stomach is acting up (like right now). I also feel shaky and weak. It doesnt happen often thankfully.I eat lots of veggie soups, very lean chicken, fish and eggs. Lots of veggies (cooked though), breads and cereals and certain fruit. I take probiotics which help.


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## nowandthen (Jun 17, 2010)

What's so crazy about IBS is that we're all so different. Allikaye - I can't wait till you go to the doctors in Januaryso you can find out what's going on. I think those tests willreveal a lot. You're different than me in that you've hadproblems since birth.I used to wonder why, in my early 20's, I suddenly started havingdigestive issues. Then I read that IBS usually starts in the early20's, especially for women.


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## spingrl518 (Nov 9, 2010)

I have posted this before...Yes, I too, get extremely bloated, to the point of looking pregnant. its soooo uncomfortable and stresses me out daily...i get this way right after lunch till i go to sleep, regardless of what i eat. just started about a year ago. i used to actually like my stomach...i didnt have abs but it was semi-flat!...now, i look pregnant while the rest of me is "normal"...i hear ya, i could deal w/the constipation but the bloating is the most frustrating....i started to think, maybe i just have belly fat now (im 32)???...i feel your pain...its aweful...my husband rubs my big stomach lovingly but i still feel ashamed of it.


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## mherron (Dec 9, 2010)

spingrl518 said:


> I have posted this before...Yes, I too, get extremely bloated, to the point of looking pregnant. its soooo uncomfortable and stresses me out daily...i get this way right after lunch till i go to sleep, regardless of what i eat. just started about a year ago. i used to actually like my stomach...i didnt have abs but it was semi-flat!...now, i look pregnant while the rest of me is "normal"...i hear ya, i could deal w/the constipation but the bloating is the most frustrating....i started to think, maybe i just have belly fat now (im 32)???...i feel your pain...its aweful...my husband rubs my big stomach lovingly but i still feel ashamed of it.


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## mherron (Dec 9, 2010)

You know, I logged in thinking I might find some helpful tips, but find I'm fighting tears because (tho I wouldn't wish my problems on anyone) it is SOOO comforting to be understood. I have not been diagnosed - I'm afraid of doctors because my brother has Chron's and Collitis so I've seen the invasive tests they do - and therefore stupidly avoid dealing with it. I do, however, invest a lot of time into paying attention to what I eat. Earlier this year I cut out all food and went to strictly rice (I prefer coconut rice tho, as it's much less bland. Try it! 2 cups jasmine/basmati rice, 1 can coconut milk, 1 1/2 cups of water, 2 tsp sugar ... boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. I make giant pots and freeze in serving size containers.) After going symptom-free for a while (WHAT a relief!) I would slowly incorporate other foods, to find out what hurt the most. To this day, when I'm exhausted with fighting, I'll go on "rice breaks" and avoid all other food for a while. I'm reprimanded by my boyfriend for not getting protein, but I sometimes lose the will to care.Same as many of you, by late afternoon my stomach starts cramping.... by evening I am often crippled in pain. I drink a TON of water (so important when fighting constipation) and start the day with a big glass of lemon water -- citrus fruits really wake up the digestive system. As informed by my brother (who has done a lot of research) I avoid green vegetables, which are high in fibre and abrasive on the intestines... ESPECIALLY raw. I also avoid all dairy (and like you all, love cheese!) ... tho Lactaid milk is perfectly fine and I see no reason to go without a good latte! On the note of fibre, I'm sure you all know this, but for IBS-C sufferers it has the opposite effect on most- intensifying the problem. Until you figure that out, you over-indulge in the stuff and pay for it brutally. The worst part for me is the effect I have on other people. I have seen the look too many times on my boyfriend's face, while I lay in the fetal position on the floor and he lays beside me holding my hand, deeply concerned. I am so lucky to have such concern, but hate to make them worry. We recently met for a holiday in Malaysia and I (coming from 2 months in India... and their complicated food!) spent the first 3 days in bed in horrible pain, only getting up when he threatened to take me to the hospital. 2 years ago, on a business trip to India I was constipated so long I did go to the hospital for an enema and some funky Indian medication... horrible experience, and my merciless intro to this problem.Not sure any of that helps.... i'm still experimenting, but it feels endless, frustrating, discouraging, hopeless. I wish I had the willpower to quit eating altogether sometimes. Tonite: I try quinoa!


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## victoria123 (Dec 22, 2010)

wow, you guys sound just like me. i'm new here, and i am sooooooooooooo happy to have found somewhere where people understand. currently i am eating peeled fruit that is juiced (so it presses out the hard yucky figer that hurts me) and just do the juice which have great vitamins. otherwise, a little of this and that.... I already cannot eat gluten and dairy..... my husband makes the food i can eat in the most interesting ways he can. i started bloating up like i was 9 months pg with twins as soon as i was diagnosed with sleep apnea and started sleeping with the cpap. i think the air that pushes into me from the machine just goes right thru to my intestinal area. since my area there got all blown up like a balloon, it's like it loosened things, stretched them out, so now my stomach area is distended. NOT PRETTY. I am so sad for all of us as it seems like doctors all look at me- and it sounds like you guys too- and just really cannot relate, nor be bothered with it. it's too hard for them. they like to write a script for a symptom, but not HEAL you...... OK, well this is only my first post and i have gone on way too long. i'll try to introduce myself soon. this is the first online community i have joined since i was pg with my first baby 14 years ago, lol. xoxoxooxoxoxoxo to everyone, victoria


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## redrachel76 (Jun 28, 2009)

A long time has passed but I have only just found this thread. It's the difference between all the people with IBS-C that gets me here.There are so many things I can't eat that it is easier to list what I am able to eat.:courgette/squash, pumpkin, tomato, cucmber, almond butter paste (easier to digest than almonds which constipate me), dates, prunes, walnuts, meat (usually boiled not roasted because oven cooked is harder to digest.) Sheep/goat yoghurt and sheep feta cheese when I can find it.Everything else hurts my digestive system.I get bored to death on this diet.I eat no cows milk products, it is so bad that I get symptoms similar to a stomach virus with spastic muscles after eating cow dairy. I take sheep and goat yoghurt dairy products instead. I read somewhere that there is fructose intolerance in some IBS people. I heard that there is something called a "fructose intolerance test" and someone once told me she had it done in a hospital.No doctor offered me this fructose intolerace test and I do not know if doctors are very aware of it. Since the only fruit that does no constipate or hurt me are dates or prunes I don't see any point in hunting out the test, but I thought I should mention it in case others here find it useful.


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