# Help, not sure about this advise Ive been given



## laura_jane25 (Sep 11, 2010)

Last year I was diagnosed with IBS after ruling out Coeliacs disease using a blood test (my mother sufferes from coeliacs). I was left to it and given peppermint oil to ease things which worked for a while. Ive gone back to my doctor today as the pain is becomming more frequent and its happening at inconvinient times such as at work (im a student paramedic) or when I was on holiday and therefore not stressed, but it totally ruined half a day of my 5 day mini break. I do work hard and wonder if its more down to stress when i get symptoms as Im at uni, on placement working both day and night shifts, have a part time job and I work on summer camps for the majority of my summers. My doctor today sent me off with Colofac/mebeverine hydrochloride and said to try eliminating things from my diet by going back to rice and veg and then increasingly adding extra foods. This is all she said, I got the feeling she didnt care and too much as it was saturday and she was at work. I have come home to check out what to do with this diet and all details I can find online sugggest I should have been sent to a dietician to do this and not just left to it. I am wondering now what to do, I dont feel happy just eliminating everything from my diet except rice and veg (partly as Im not a huge rice fan, im willing to try it but I dont like the texture). Its also made so much harder by my placement as I eat at ridiculous times, for example this week I start work at 6.30 finish at 18.30 and could get my break of 45mins anytime after 10.30 however it could be 3 by the time breaktime is announced. Im confused as to what to do and contemplating going back and requesting specifically to see the doctor who diagnosed me, as he was far more sympathetic and didnt just dismiss everything. Im particularly fed up as I have a foot injury which Ive been suffering with for nearly a year, x rays are clear and therefore i was given 3 sessions of physio, this helped a little but again its just been left and 3-4 months after the physio Im still in pain, and told to just do the exercises (stretch calf muscles, thats it!). Ive never been one to keep going back and forth to the doctor but Im lost with what to do and dont seem to be getting much help with how to handle this, and with my placement etc being crippled with cramp of having to find a toilet almost immediatley just isnt always possible when your at an RTC on a road in the middle of no where, and I just dont know where to start with the whole diet thing.ThanksLaura


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Rice is usually picked as it is the least likely grain to set off IBS (low in resistant starch) and most people are not allergic to it.The purpose of and extreme elimination diet (only eat a few foods) is to do that for a few days to a couple of weeks and see if it eliminates symptoms.If it does nothing, go back to however you ate before. Rice is pretty easy around here these days as they have lots of packets of already cooked rice and it takes just 90 seconds in the microwave, not sure if they have these where you are. But if you have a microwave at work you should be OK.If it does work then you add back the foods you want to eat the most first (as well as what will balance out the diet) and as soon as you find other things to eat you can stop eating the small number of foods you started with (but if they limit the symptoms you may go back to that if you eat something that really triggers you off).If you are fairly picky about what foods you eat you could to the more standard, less restricted diet.Avoid fried, greasy, fatty, rich, or processed foods (as they usually add a lot of fat)Limit the amount of starch (if you tend to diarrhea or fart a lot)See if limiting dairy or foods with added sorbitol/high fructose corn syrup help.that gets rid of most of the triggers without doing the eat three foods then spend a year or two adding back every other food one at a time to see what you react tften for IBS how you eat is more important than what you eat. Smaller frequent meals are better than large irregular meals where you skip meals or just avoid eating until the end of the day. I know when have a hectic schedule it is harder to eat regularly but some people will set up all their meals for the week over the weekend and then you just toss the containers in a cooler at the start of the day and you have everything you need to eat every 3-4 hours in small amounts you can handle.


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