# I'm a newbie - what foods work for IBS-D



## 13595 (Sep 19, 2006)

I recently was told by my doctor that I "may" have a touch of IBS... Normally, I have a attack approx. once a week / every two weeks (usually following weekend & evening meals that are higher in calories / fat than normal).I regularly eat red meat, lots of whole grains and veggies and decaf coffee (twice daily) and alcohol (every 2/3 days a few drinks of wine). For the most part, my symptoms are IBS - D with the loose stool and cramping. I drink very cold water all the time, eat cheese and milk, use sweet & low daily, eat lots of whole grains, and overall a very low fat, high fiber diet.... No real problems Mon-Fri as I follow a slightly higher calorie intake version of the weight watchers diet Mon-Thur (lost 110 lbs). and Fri-Sun (mainly Sat. & Sun is when the problems if any happen) Problems usually only once a week / or every two weeks. IBS-DI eat nearly double my daily calorie intake on Sat. and Sundays. This results in not gaining any weight but, still enjoying food on the weekend when I'm not working...I was wondering, for about 1.5 weeks now, I have eliminated coffee of any kind, artificial sweeteners, hard chocolate, & really watch the insoluble fiber intake as I normally eat this the most daily as my base. My normal symptoms are cramping, bloating, and immediate loose bowel movements (following the first BM being solid & 2 or 3 following BMs that are loose/watery in nature with mucous in the stool). This usually happens within an hour of overeating but, is not very patterned. Usually, just when the calorie intake is higer / fat intake is higher than normal for me... 99.9% weekend evenings following a big meal that I normally don't have during the week...I've taken the diet diaries (5/6 months), colon scope, fecal tests for fat and ova / parasites... All clean. Doc said I had what looked like some irritation before but, it had healed (must have looked like pink / fresh healed tissue in there...)Doc said to simply take Immodium when needed on weekends and to stay away from all caffeine, carbonation & watch my sugar intake. He said sugar was the problem for me??? He is a GE doc (Gastro Ent. specialist)... Anybody have any comments on this / suggestions? Sound familiar?1) I am simply wondering if a person that only has a "touch" of IBS ... (my doctor's official diagnosis after I asked if I had it following eliminating carbonated beverages, caffeine, & sugar - following my colonoscopy - following a new diet without caffeine, no carbonation and low sugar & three months of diet journals - colonoscopy, which was clean / nothing negative found besides a chance of previous irritation)...like me, starts following just the basics of the IBS diet (lowering the insoluble fiber, taking a soluble fiber supplement 12/15 grams daily, taking a calcium supplement with Vit. D, eliminating coffee, almost entirely eliminating dairy (using some), limiting but not completely getting rid of alcohol, eliminating red meat (but maybe once a month) along with my already elimination of caffeine, carbonation, and very low sugar diet...2) Will this work? I know nobody knows exactly but, having heard stories, does this seem feasible? I know it would be best to eliminate everything but, as I am not a severe and at best a very mild IBS-D sufferer, I am hoping to fix the problem yet be able to have the occasional dairy (cheese), alcohol and red meat.3) Have you ever heard of a diet suggested by a Gastro Enterologist (GE) doctor saying simply to eliminate caffeine, carbonation & lower the sugar intake heavily but not all & not to take any advil? This is all he ever suggested...Help!Thank God for this site!Nick


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

One thing to remember is after a meal, any meal, the colon becomes more active. Bigger meals with more calories that are higher in fat cause more activity than small light meals. You may not have to cut out the foods you want to eat, just make sure that they are included in a meal that overall is small enough and low enough in fat to not trigger a reaction. You might do 4 meals on weekends rather than 3 bigger ones so you can have more food if that works for you.Sounds like the GI doc gave fairly standard dietary and NSAID info.K.


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## 13595 (Sep 19, 2006)

Kathleen-Thanks for such a quick response!I totally understand that. Questions...-Is it possible for some to have IBS-D that is very light and only reacts by overstimulation (ie too much of any one thing while being able to eat everything in moderation)?-Why did he say to watch the sugar? He said to almost cut it out / watch it very much. Every time he read my diet journal/diary & saw a candy bar/cake/ice cream/donut it'd be "that was the problem" or "I'm surprised you didn't have a problem there"-Why no nsaids (advil)?I know coffee is bad for stomach lining and acid production & I get carbonation (gas/bloating).I plan to keep taking a fiber supplement, limit my insoluble fiber from skins and whole grains for a couple weeks to sooth the colon & balance it in the future / not eat whole grains on an empty stomach, give up coffee all together, cut down the dairy to a very rare/light usage, cut the red meat down to once/twice a month, cut out caffeine totally, no more artifical sweeteners, no carbonation, keeping the sugar level low especially on larger meals, and continue my Vit. D & Calcium supplement. Hopefully this along with smaller and more often meals will help.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

IBS can range from very mild and occasional to all the time. I think when you are occasional sometimes you can find some things that overstimulate it. When it is bad all the time I think the differnece between very very bad and very very very bad may not be enough to make dietary things help. It can depend on how bad it is under the best situation. Sometime you can't make it any worse.Well most of those sweets are also high in fat and that would make me think they are a problem.High fructose corn syrup which is in most processed baked goods is usually more of a problem then sucrose. Some people think sugar is more of a problem than others. Some people really do well watching sugar, but I think that is not the case for everyone.Caffiene is bad for some IBS-D types no matter what it comes in. It stimulates the gut which causes problems that have nothing to do with the stomach lining.I think there are some studies that I can't put my hands on right now showing a relationship that using NSAIDS may trigger IBS, so it makes sense to avoid them unless you really need them. Use tylenol instead.K.


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## 13595 (Sep 19, 2006)

Wow,I had a back surgery about 8 years ago. Since then (specifically over the past 3 years) I have been using Advil, Vioxx, Bextra and other Nsaids. Sometimes, up to 12 reg (3 perscription) pills daily. Haven't taken any in about 3 months but still have some symptoms. I wonder if this has helped cause the slight IBS I have?I also had about 3 or 4 perscriptions for anti-biotics over the winter for sinus infections... Is it possible for one's IBS to all but go away over time?Finally, I've been reading alot about pre and pro biotics. I've been taking a pre (benefiber) and am looking to take a pro-biotic. Any suggestions?Also, the benefiber (been using for about 10 days now) gives me some gas. I hear probiotics help produce the proper enzymes to take care of this. I was also thinking of switching to fiberchoice (inulin) if it doesn't get better. Any knowledge of whether inulin causes IBS-D side effects?I truly appreciate all this!Nick


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