I'm starting this blog on the eve before I begin an 8 week FODMAP elimination diet that will (hopefully!) help me pinpoint which foods might be at fault for my years of tummy torment.
I was diagnosed with IBS around the age of 12 or so. The doctor at the time just told me to stay away from broccoli, other cruciferous vegetables, and very grainy whole wheat bread. And that was it! See ya!
I dealt with GI issues for a few years after that and then saw another doctor, who had me get a colonoscopy and endoscopy. They found no issues other than signs of mild irritation, again likely due to IBS. She had me take antibiotics to eradicate H-Pylori and to this day I can't remember if that's because I actually had H-Pylori or if it was just an inkling the doctor had??
For years after that, I dealt with stomach aches and bloating. I've always known I'm lactose intolerant so that I at least could pinpoint some of the issues to if I strayed and had ice cream or too much yogurt. But most days that wasn't the case.
I wasn't too frustrated with this early on in my life, but as I got older the discomfort, bloating, and gas became more and more bothersome and disruptive.
It got to the point where at 29 years old I began feeling depressed and hopeless about my issues. I have GI pain, bloating, and gas almost every single day and then a lot at night time. It prevents me from feeling comfortable in bed with my husband, and I usually have to wait until the main issues have passed to get into bed.
I FINALLY got some useful information on my last bout of treatments (antibiotic again..) and exams (colonoscopy, no issues again). The gastroenterologist said if after the antibiotic treatment I still had issues that I should do an elimination diet to pinpoint which foods might be to blame for my issues and that way I would know what to avoid.
I reached out to her office after the antibiotics had finished their work and I was still having the same issues.
This part frustrates me a lot...
Her secretary said she'd send information. I thought I was going to be consulted by her on this elimination diet, get some one-on-one chat going first and then have a good detailed write up of what to do. This could very well change my life! It would make sense to put some time and effort into it, right??
Instead I got a letter in the mail a few days later. It was just a list of FODMAP foods to avoid. It didn't explain anything... it didn't say for how long, why?, forever? what to eat instead, etc.
I looked up this FODMAP thing.. and READ EVERYTHING I COULD. Dear god, I have read so many blogs, articles, research papers, etc. about this thing now and I am SUPER excited to give it a go!
But, this doesn't take away from how disappointed I am about how my gastroenterologist dealt with this. It feels like the same way my doctor at age 12 just said to avoid a thing or two and sent me on my way. These doctors could very well help you change the whole trajectory of your life! The way they approach things, the way they encourage and educate.. this can all have a HUGE impact on someone's health when they walk out of the doctor's office. I'm just disappointed that she took zero time in helping me understand all of this. I wonder how long ago I could've had this figured out had my first doctor talked a bit more with me about doing something similar.
Either way, the good news is... now I know what I CAN do! I'm starting tomorrow, now that I've fully researched the specifics, printed out reminders, done all of my fridge/pantry clearing out and new grocery shopping, and made my meal plans.
I'm looking forward to hopefully having some relief for a while from these GI issues, and then pinpointing at least some of the culprits.
I decided to start this blog in case anyone else is going through the same thing. I'd like to document my experience on the FODMAP elimination diet so that it might give others some perspective on the process if they're planning to do the same!
hope it helps :)
Fodmap—-this is an unnecessarily complicated manipulation of certain carbohydrate foods that have specific molecular configurations. What I love about this one is they throw all of this theory at you & give you some guidelines & then say—‘everyone is different so you will need to experiment for yourself.’ Cool—-get your microscope ready.
ReplyDeleteThe nature of these conditions is that there is damage to the tissue. The esophagus-stomach or bowel wall become inflamed. There are no foods that can cause that. There are no foods that can cure that.
But———you can manage food in a way that will minimize the discomfort. Some foods can aggravate the problem—trigger an increase in symptoms. The main symptom that may be exacerbated by eating the wrong foods while combating IBS-colitis & crohn’s is diarrhea.
By following this one rule, you can decrease your symptoms by approximately 50%. This, however, does not mean you are 50% healed. All this means is that you have taken the first step in self-managing your condition. The second step is getting on track with the healing process.
well yes... exactly... managing food in a way to minimize discomfort. That's sort of what I've been finding to do on the elimination diet. I've had considerably less issues, with the exception of times when I strayed or included questionable things.
Deleteso what would this 'healing process' entail other than that? than finding out which foods aggravate it and avoiding those when possible?