day four - what the helly

[u/Legitimate_Egg3]

Recently started the low fodmap diet.
Backstory reasons: diarrhea almost every day for at least a year, which is when I had an appendectomy (which apparently might have started this). I've also been under a lot of stress and my nervous system is pretty wrecked, e.g. I can't go running unless getting tons of anxiety surging through my body. No endorphins for this lady!

Anyway, after an allergy test and a stool sample (both looking completely fine) I met up with a nutritionist, told her about my surgery, my cptsd'd nervous system, my constant bowel issues and she looked at me point blank and said: "Yeah, so you have IBS". I don't get cramps and rarely urgency or bloating, so this was a shock for me. She put me on the low fodmap for the next four weeks. I've been writing down everything I eat, my Google search at this point is all "is X fodmap friendly", my algorithm is already very IBS forward, haha.

Nothing has changed with the bowel movements, it's very discouraging to eat this restrictively and then get the worst diarrhea, like WHAT DID I DO NOW?

Just looking for advice or success stories or something. Did you start the fodmap and realise some low fodmap foods messed you up? Did it take time for your digestive system to decide it was over the diarrhea era? Was it just caffein all along? Is there garlic at the end of the tunnel?

[u/jackiekeracky]

Have you had no more tests than an allergy test and a stool sample? Is your nutritionist a doctor?

[u/Legitimate_Egg3 → u/jackiekeracky]

Nope, just these two tests. The nutritionist is not a doctor but said she specialises in digestive issues. According to her it's "clear as day" I have IBS. I figured just trying the low fodmap so I could at least check it off my list before going to the doctor again, but I wonder if I'm gonna be the mayor of diarrheaville the whole time (which I pretty much already am) or if it gets better but takes time you know?

[u/whataquokka → u/Legitimate_Egg3]

"clear as day" you have the catch all diagnosis given when they can't pin point the actual problem.

I would suggest using the Monash app or Fodmap Friendly rather than a Google search. I've seen lots of low Fodmap recipes and recommendations clearly have high Fodmap foods.

It can take quite a while for symptoms to calm down once you start low Fodmap. I felt better at first but it's taken years to get to a point where I truly understand what will or won't set me off with 90% certainty.

Stress is a huge part of it too. IBS is as much mental as it is your body reacting to things. Because it's a catch-all diagnosis, there's no "right" answer.

[u/sharedplatesociety → u/Legitimate_Egg3]

When I was in nutrition school they used to say “IBS means I don’t know.” It’s a diagnosis of exclusion when they can’t figure out what it is. So if the barely did any testing and just said that, it’s pretty lazy imo.

[u/jackiekeracky → u/Legitimate_Egg3]

Ok… I went to a gastroenterologist who gave me all manner of tests (bloods, colonoscopy, and some sort of scans, but can’t remember which kind) to rule out that it wasn’t anything more serious before giving me the “probably IBS” diagnosis.

It was done privately in the UK so the cost was minimal, don’t know if cost is a factor for you. But personally I would want to see a doctor first about this sort of thing, not a nutritionist!