# I am new to all this and need some help, 12.13



## Sean 197600 (Dec 12, 2003)

I think I have had IBS for a couple of years now but it has not been too bad until the last month and a half. Since that time I have come down with a bad flu and after the flu the diarrhea started. I have been on again off again with the diarrhea for a month now and I have lost at least 10 pounds. I feel very week and not like myself at all.Trigger foods... milk definitly. Ice creame. I can eat a little yogurt (not a good idea) and can eat cheese (preferably feta cheese). Rice seems okay. Weirdly white meat and fish are pretty good. Red meat feels kinda weird however. Too much bread seems like a real bad idea. Potatos are alright. Sugar and chocolate are bad. Honey seems okay. Too much oil is bad. beans and lentils are just only so so. Chick peas are alright but too much beans lentils and chickpeas cause problems... like weird over consipation followed by diarrhea. Is that normal?What is all this stuff about fiber pills? When I had my first out break of IBS-D I took some fiber with bad results.Fruits... whick are good? Don't want to over do it with bananas and sometimes I feel like can eat a lot of them but if eat too much it is like the effect of the banana wears off.Why does it seem like I am lactos intolarant?Another really big annoying symptom... My feet and hands sometimes hurt. Is this normal for some people? If walk a short distance my feet often hurt. If revert the digestion problems will my feet and hands lessen in pain.How much does environmental factors of humidity and cold effect IBS?thanks for your answers... sorry for asking so many questions...-Sean


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## Heather Van Vorous (Oct 2, 2001)

Hi Sean - It's a lot easier to manage IBS through diet if you can think of foods in terms of categories. That way you can learn categories of foods that are helpful or hurtful, instead of trying to identify every single food in existence, which will drive you crazy. The main categories you need to learn are soluble fiber, insoluble fiber, fats, and triggers. There is a wealth of information about all of these categories that will really help you, and you can start here ../diet/ then just walk your way through all those diet pages.Your hand and foot pain is not a symptom of IBS. It may be fibromyalgia, which can include IBS as a part of that disorder. Or it may be something totally unrelated. This is a question for your doctor.The weather, heat, and humidity are stressors that directly affect IBS. There's info about that here ../books/1stibs/stress1.asp Best,Heather


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