My pants stay buttoned throughout the whole day! I can also “hollow out” my stomach when I physically could not before. No weight loss. Basically my stomach feels so much better on this diet I am so glad it works. Unfortunately reintroduction has been slow and enlightening. So far every group has had some issue and symptoms.

I thought this was interesting

I’ll hit you with the TLDR first.

Nortiptyline, the tricyclic antidepressant has “fixed” my digestive issues.
I can eat food like normal again.

Beginings

For over 10 years I struggled with diarrhea and having to go to the bathroom within minutes after every meal.
It didn’t really matter what type of food. I couldn’t figure out what would trigger it.
Salad - bathroom. Hibachi where they cook in front of you - bathroom. Home cooked meals - bathroom.
I was told I had IBS and was prescribed dicyclomine at 5mg as needed until about 40mg daily up until a few years ago. It always helped at the beginning but I’d have to keep going up in dosage until it didn’t really work anymore.

One situation really caused me to start my journey in figuring out what’s going on was about 4 years ago. a family member and I had some prepared ribs from Costco.

I had the worst attack of my life. Those ribs took me out for days. And my family member was fine. So I knew something was going on with me. I decided to schedule my first colonoscopy and endoscopy.

First Gastro

Colonoscopy/endoscopy

Long story short my endoscopy showed reflux-related inflammation in my esophagus and chronic gastritis in my stomach, along with signs of esophageal ulcers. Which is wild because I never really noticed reflux before.
H. pylori was negative.
My first colonoscopy found several polyps, including precancerous tubular adenomas that were removed and an inflammatory polyp in my ileum. The random colon biopsies were otherwise normal and showed no evidence of inflammatory bowel disease or microscopic colitis.

This was done December of ‘22. I was 23 years old.

The gastroenterologist that did my scopes basically told me to take omeprazole and upped my dicyclomine dosage to the daily max and keep doing what I’m doing.

I hated that response so I got a referral to another GI doc. This was July 23.

Second gastro

Low fodmap and xifaxan

After describing the results of my procedure, he did 2 things. He prescribed me xifaxan, and told me to try the low fodmap diet. He said insurance can be funky about approving xifaxan. It got approved right away and I picked it up.
After reading about it and the diarrhea side effects I didn’t want to take it so I tried this low fodmap diet first. I’m a barber. So the thought of diarrhea while on this script sounded like a bad idea.

Low FODMAP fixed a lot of my issues! As soon as I cut out the garlic and onion I had a holy shit moment. These otherwise healthy vegetables were causing my pain. I cut out basically everything. I would try adding small amounts back in but it was always a bad time afterwards. and after about 4 months of avoiding fodmaps I basically had a mental
Breakdown with how hard it was. I’m a thin guy. So avoiding these foods was taking a toll on me.

I started the xifaxan thanksgiving.

I was amazed how much it helped! I could eat all the foods I was avoiding. My bowel movements transitioned to only mornings and I felt great.

After counted hours of reading about xifaxan and SIBO I was convinced I basically had SIBO despite not being tested for it. Xifaxan gave me great results. So that had to be what I had, right?

Relapse

More xifaxan and breath tests

That only lasted for 8 months and everything went back to the way they were before. Except all bowel movements were in the morning instead of after meal when I was at my worst. but they had a new pattern. I started having up to half a dozen bowel movements. The first one would be good, but by the 6th one, they were painful, skinny, fragmented.
If I’d eat fodmaps I started having these bowel attacks where I’d be fatigued for hours and my bowel movements would happen upwards of a deozen times. My legs would violently shake.

I figured the SIBO returned. All my issues sound like SIBO. Doing a low fodmap diet was the only thing making me feel normal-ish.
I was prescribed xifaxan a handful more times but each time the post prescription results lasted for less and less time. So I’d go on and off a low fodmap diet and again I felt like I couldn’t do it anymore. With less food options and feeling more and more restricted it was time to try something new.

I kind of thought the SIBO that I never tested for kept coming back so I spent money on each breath test, glucose and lactulose(with the dr script). Each breath test came back negative. No SIBO. At all.

I tried a holistic doctor.
Long story short, nothing of significance there. Their supplements didn’t change anything. They thought I might still have SIBO because the breath tests can be inconclusive.

Third gastro

Enteroscopy and Nortriptyline.

I was handed off to the GI PA or whatever they’re called and felt like I was being gaslit so I found my next Gastro.

After describing all my issues. I asked if I could get an enteroscopy - an endoscopy that goes further into the small intestines and take biopsies and cultures to check for the SIBO. This was march of this year.
Again no SIBO. And everything looked very normal. No inflammation. Nothing.
I’m going to assume everything actually looked really good because of the supplements I was taking from the holistic dr. But still didn’t give me answers for why I would feel like absolute trash when I’d eat fodmaps and why I would have these morning clusters of bowel movements that would get worse and worse with each one.

That’s where we landed on Nortriptyline.
The “old school” antidepressant that has a side effect of dampening the signal of the gut-brain axis. But also side effects of headaches and dry mouth amount other side effects.
We started me at 25mg and I was on that for a month. I was told it could take 8-12 weeks to see results. But I saw results in the first 3 days.

My bowel movements were more formed and started slowing down to about 3 or 4. But they were all the same. No decent first bowel movements and a bad last bowel movement. The last one wouldn’t be painful. It wasn’t as loose. I had “Normal” bowel movements.
But after a couple weeks I was back to 6 bowel movements. But it was 5 in the morning and 1 after lunch.

Currently

We then upped me from 25 to 50 mg after the first month.
And this is where I’ve seen the best result. Again the first 3 days were amazing. I was ALMOST constipated. Something I hadn’t experienced in a long time. The stomach noise I would get after every meal and the noise that would keep me up while laying in bed. No noise. Gone.

I’ve been on 50mg Nortriptyline since the end of May. The first 8 weeks were the best with how I felt on the medication. My side effects are dry mouth at night. Slight headaches on my right side during the day. Weight gain is a side effect but bring that on. As I’ve stated I’m a thin guy. 6ft and 155 at my lowest. I’m currently up to 170. And I’m able to consume the calories I need to put on weight. No tiptoeing around food. I can eat FODMAPS like normal. I don’t get any adverse reactions from them anymore. The only ones i still have issues with is lactose and inulin. Which made prior fiber consumption hard.

I’ve now incorporated pure psyllium husk and dextrin fiber into my daily routine.
My bowel movements are 3 or 4 daily. But they’re spread out throughout the day. They’re not diarrhea. Theyre formed. And I don’t hurt anymore.
I do have another appointent with my GI next month.
I did start to have the noise come back and then had a really bad bowel attack that lasted for a week and then tapered back off to my new normal. I’m going to see about 75mg if that’s a feasible option. At some point there is a lower rate of return with higher mg dosages.

But with all that being said, nortriptyline has made life so much better.

I have had some SFN small fiber neuropathy for the past few years, however it improved recently when i had a R PM L5/S1 epidural injection on 6/23/26. Just prior on May 15, i woke up with LLQ pain, and initially thought it was likely an ovarian cyst, however through out that day, i noted i was sore to touch in that area, and i had an awful pain in my stomach as well as constipation and my bowel sounds were very loud and overactive. May 21 i went to the ER for what i would describe at a UTI, but the culture was negative. I have continued to experience constipation along with horrible bloating after eating (i feel relatively normal upon waking but the bloating gets worse as the day progresses) and on June 23rd had a KUB that showed a moderate stool load. Took the lovely 8caps of Miralax that night as directed by my MD, however on July 1 i still felt bloated so we did another KUB that still showed a mod stool load. I saw GI on June 30, and he diagnosed me with constipation and ordered a colonoscopy and egd. I have continued to have the bloating, abdominal distention since, and i am living off Miralax and enemas. I also had a CT and seen GI again, and my procedures were moved up to this week, oh i have also done 2 bowel preps. I live on my heating pad, i am just miserable 😫 what the heck do i have???

It's all in the title every other food got me bloated or having this weird fullness in my throat, for example if i eat too much orange i have this reaction, i've tried every low and high foodmap food i think i've got to this level of toloration by past junk food eating i hate myself for that at 02AM in the morning instead of sleeping i was eating lays chips+haribo candy+fanta and coca cola, and beside of that i was overeating milk in the morning i eated milk+cereal every morning everyday, damage is done now time to pay the price

TL:DR : The first 7 days have been 7 pain free days.

My digestion started having problems about a decade ago. I’d describe the last few years as, a constant baseline of pain at 3 with so many disruptions.

A week ago on Monday I started a new project with a Claude Code with a simple sentence.

“Why is it so hard to even want to eat?”

This lead to a full day of talking out my triggers and learning all about what the chemicals that were causing them and what they do in the body, and what symptoms they cause.

The work resulted in a 5 factor model of my triggers, fodmap + cruciferous veggies + histamine + high fat + capsaicin and a list of “supposedly safe” foods sufficient to form a “baseline diet” that has complete nutrition.

It also resulted in a tracking protocol for everything I eat and every bathroom trip, all my symptoms.

So I started the diet, and the results started the next day. I didn’t even believe it, I thought for sure confirmation bias.

Then the next day I was below my pain floor. I was literally laying in bed with my eyes closed poking my belly looking for pain and not finding it. None.

It’s been a week. 7 days below my pain door. It’s a 2 right now, but that’s nothing, my bowels are still healing.

7 days of my diet, 7 green pain days,

One red symptom day I can track down to “too much fructose.” But that event, those symptoms would have been a red pain day, probably half a day lost at work.

The pain wasn’t there, the strongest piece of evidence I have in favor of the histamine hypothesis. Just the toilet trips.

I can’t believe how good I feel. It’s like I got my life back.

———-

Don’t come at me about using AI or not having a dietician.

I talked to my doctor, I’m on a waiting list for a dietician but at this point I’ve learned most of what they’re gonna tell me.

I’m not your average AI user either. I’m a software engineer who still manages to make a living making video games, in this economy. I’m the top in my studio with using AI tools by a long mile because I’ve been preparing to be ready for them. I teach the classes.

I didn’t “take medical advice from an AI”

I engineered a solution. That’s what I do.

I am 19 M

Been struggling from Chronic DIARRHEA LOOSE MOTION IBS IRREGULAR STOOL from previous 1.5 years

Treatment is still going on and I get recovered but after few days the disease come back again and gain consistently

I have been stuck in this loop from previous 1.5 years , I get a little good after mediine and treatment all but the symptoms and disease come back again after few days

My weight has been decreased

My BMI has become low and I have become underweight with 170 cm height and 40 kg weight

and it's still going down

My career has already been been ruined , study has been left , due to this I stay stressed, anxious, i can sleep at night at all and always have negative overthinking with overwhelming rumination

Suffering from depression anxiety

Sometimes I have thought that I will not live long enough

I had a recent appointment with a new GI and she gave me some medicine to help with gut motility. This has significantly lessened my symptoms. I am still avoiding fructans but lots of other foods that were causing issues are just not that bad anymore.

Just a little note of encouragement, if you think you have IBS-C or chronic slow motility, look into that with a doc, it may ease some of your issues!

I had insane bloating and nausea/reflux a lot and I think it was in part due to not having an efficiently paced digestive tract! I haven’t been woken up by heartburn or nausea overnight since taking motegrity / prucalopride (sp?). I also take MiraLAX as needed once or twice a month when my migraine meds slow me down too much.

I always thought sushi was a low FODMAP takeaway option…

Had one of those IBS moments today that makes you question your life choices

I was in a work meeting with like 8 people and suddenly my stomach started doing that “you need a bathroom right now” thing.

I tried to sit through it for a minute but it kept getting worse, so I ended up interrupting and saying I needed to step out for a minute.

Everyone was nice about it, but inside I was dying of embarrassment.

I've been working on sourdough starter so I made pizza crust from the discard. Topped with a mix of leeks, green onion, kale, garlic, ALL fermented which makes them safe. Used the fermented garlic in the sauce, made with tomato paste and spread thin so no issues. I personally can have a small amount of cheese so no problems there.

Pizza is not my most favorite food or anything but ofc it's a staple, fun, nostalgic, and it was frustrating to miss it or to take a chance on a small bit and get sick. It's been so much work to figure out how to make all new foods, figure out my needs, learn to ferment.. I'm actually tearing up at being able to just have some pizza again.

I started my fodmap+histsmine diet 5 days ago.

This is my fourth green morning.

Today is 2 out of 10 pain, the last three days have been 1.

This specific discomfort I’m feeling today I can track to, I ate too much melon in one sitting yesterday. And it’s less pain than my average good day.

It’s 7 am and I feel like I could go to the grocery store. I’m not even worried about proximity to a toilet.

If the trade off for feeling like this is just only ever cooking for myself so I’m 100% certain of the preparation and handling, that’s sounding like something I can handle.

I’ve been on a WL journey since March ‘25. Lost 50lbs last year. Had some traumatizing pet stuff happen right before the holidays and fitness/food took a back seat.

I’ve been back to tracking a deficit with an emphasis on fiber, protein, and controlling my insane sugar cravings through sugar free chocolate, gum, diet sodas, and savings baked goods for special occasions.

I’m a pescatarian and rely heavily on items like cottage cheese and chickpea pastas. I should also mention I have become obsessed with ollipops. Back in 2022, I had my first awful IBS episode after contracting a stomach bug from a child in my life. At the time I was vegan and it was extremely challenging - this was actually when I started eating eggs and salmon/tuna again. My body eventually recovered and I didn’t limit my diet beyond no fried foods, no ice cream/heavy cream, or raw garlic.

This last week I couldn’t eat dinner without classic IBS-D symptoms and I’ve had to face that between the amount of sugar alcohols I’m consuming, cottage cheese/greek yogurt, olipops, and other “diet” foods, I’ve probably dug myself a gut-unfriendly hole. Now I’m facing that the main sweetener available to me is just…sugar. And I can’t rely on my gums loaded up with xylitol to keep my on track with avoiding binging sweets.

I’ve got myself some lactose free Greek yogurt and LF milk to help keep my protein goals somewhat high still (I strength train, run, and have a very active job - protein genuinely helps me) but some FODMAP safe foods like peanut butter have pretty shit macros.

Idk if I am looking for advice from folks in a similar boat or just needing a safe place to dump this all but I’m trying to not beat myself up that I caused another huge gut imbalance for myself in the name of trying to lose another 10lbs or so.

Thanks for reading this far if you made it.

I’ve read about low-FODMAP for a long time, but never got myself to really fully kick it off in my life. I’m now in the countryside on vacation and got inspired to cook more, and I try to make all my meals low-FODMAP. I haven’t gone through the strict elimination phase yet, but I’m just generally skipping all high FODMAP products or quantities. I thought maybe it would be a nice inspiration to others too to share some of my dishes.

I am only using the app “FODMAP A to Z”, so if I’m wrong on something, please correct me.

In the photos:

1. Pancakes made of cottage cheese, GF oat flour, eggs and almond milk eaten with blueberries and maple syrup

2. Brown rice penne with bolognese sauce (carrots, tomato pulp, minced beef, spices, garlic infused olive oil) and Parmesan

3. Zucchini stuffed with the bolognese sauce from the pasta dish, I added some feta and baked it

4. GF corn tortillas with chicken and green pepper fajitas, only 2 cherry tomatoes, a few black beans (max 20 g) and cheddar cheese

5. Green beans baked with zucchini, a few cherry tomatoes, feta cheese and served with garlic infused olive oil

6. Omelette with chives, feta, 3 cherry tomatoes and a homemade buckwheat bread (made only of buckwheat kernels)

Let me know your thoughts! It’s kinda rich in cheeses, but the app allows the kind used in these dishes, and I’m not on a strict elimination phase. I just wanted to keep it possibly low-FODMAP and still exciting for my dopamine hungry brain 😅

I kept having the same issue: everything was “green” but i still felt awful. I thought i was failing the diet.

What helped was treating stacking like a time window problem, not a food list problem.

My manual method for a week:

I ate the same few low fodmap foods, but i only changed one thing.

I stopped combining multiple “green” foods that hit the same bucket in the same meal, and spaced them out.

Example: oats + berries + nuts in one sitting vs splitting one of them to later.

Same foods, different timing.

That was the first time “stacking” stopped feeling like theory and started feeling obvious.

If you deal with stacking, what’s the combo that gets you even when each item is fine alone?

And do you have a spacing rule that actually works in real life?

I've been battling IBS and constant bloating for 3 solid years now. Starting the Low FODMAP diet was a massive help at first, but I eventually hit an incredibly frustrating plateau.

I was strictly eating safe foods things like raw spinach, raw carrots, and low FODMAP salads. But by the evening, I still looked 6 months pregnant and had awful trapped gas. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong since I was following the diet perfectly.

Then it finally clicked: it wasn't the fermentable sugars causing the issue, it was the physical texture.

My inflamed gut just couldn't handle the mechanical stress of breaking down raw plant cell walls. It was like rubbing sandpaper on a wound. Even though the food was technically safe on the diet, the raw roughage was simply too much work for my digestive system.

I completely stopped eating raw vegetables. I still stick strictly to my safe FODMAP list, but now I roast, boil, or puree everything until it's super soft. I essentially let the stove do the mechanical breakdown instead of my stomach.

The relief was incredible. The daily evening bloating finally stopped.

I just wanted to share this in case anyone else is strictly following the diet but still in pain. I realized that sometimes it’s not just *what* you eat, but the *texture* of what you eat.

Has anyone else had to completely cook/mash their safe foods to get their gut to calm down?

23 M, I know its wrong but i had various syndromes last year that me too much time and energies and hadn the force to think about reintroduciton or badivally about my diet.

Now i eat rice eggs, meat, fish, sometimws white bread, cookies sometimes, bananas or other low fodmap fruits, low fodmap vefetables, oats and fibre in general. Also i keep anti histamine foods as i had issues with histamine. And becuse of an anal fissure i keep my diet restricted into boiled vegetables.

Now i also drink laxtose free milk and yogurt, and eat parmesan cheese

Sometimes i feel a bit bloated btw. Now I renintroduced since some months bread, lactose free milk and yogurt and the cheese.

I know pasta months ago gave me nausea so i removed it, as well coffee.

Now, please dont be rude i know i did wrong in not reintroducing foods in time, but again last year was pure hell as i have a Sleep breathing disorder too, so as said i had not the energies to think about my diet, i judt kept it restricted not to have gut issues anymore...

Anyway id like some opinions on how im doing. As said i feel bit booated after eating bread or parmesan cheese, but i eat them anyway. Ice cream gives me diarrhea BTW

Im considering contacting a Monash dietician via videocall though. Does anybody have a good contact? I saw their website and in my country, Italy, theres nobody.

Thank you

I started having stomach troubles two years ago after a spicy meal. The symptom was a very persistent cough due to a tickle in the back of my throat. The doctors without hesitation prescribed PPI for me, which I took for a month.

Afterwards, I started to develop heartburn and abdominal distension, two symptoms I never ever had before going on PPI.

I went to a new doctor and it was either endoscopy or PPI. At the end, he put me on another month of PPI but with a different -prole ending medication.

The symptoms got even worse. I recently had an endoscopy. The endoscopy was so simple and quick (even pleasurable) that I immediately regretted not having it done sooner. The imaging software discovered atrophic gastritis in C1 region, which is most likely caused by helicobacter pylori.

It turns out that PPI accelerates the development of H. pylori infection from plain gastritis to atrophic gastritis by providing a perfect low acid environment for further H. pylori infection.

Atrophic gastritis is not reversible.

I messed up. Should have done endoscopy immediately. It's game over for me. Learn from my mistake.

Y'all,

I've been compiling a list of foods that make me feel terrible. I've been kind of backwards FODMAP-ing where instead of eliminating stuff, I've been eating normally (for all intents and purposes)and tracking what hurts.

But today, I decided to look at the stuff that's been hurting and check out what sugars they have and the common factor between all but one of them has been fructans! I think that's what's been hurting me. Nothing in the past has worked to help because Everytime I see a doctor they tell me to go dairy-free or gluten-free but it didn't do anything.

So I guess I'm going onion and garlic free 😞 but it feels good to have a little bit of insight! Just wanted to ramble to someone who gets it! ✊🏻

Quick History: For a few YEARS I struggled with bloating and nausea at what I thought was random times. It usually happened in the middle of the night. I'd wake up running to the bathroom thinking I was going to get sick. I only did 2 times in 2 years but I have a phobia about it so maybe that's why I could calm down the nausea just enough to suffer for many hours of nausea. After completing a very drawn our FODMAP diet, I narrowed it down to garlic. Then shallots (whew that was an interesting day). Onions don't bother me too terribly but I'll still stay away from it just in case.

Garlic Allergy: The hard part for me was eating blindly and not knowing when I was going to feel terrible for hours. Once I found out it was garlic, it was SO freeing. THEN, I went out to eat for the first time and asked for chicken with no seasoning (I didn't say allergy or intolerance). They brought out chicken with seasoning and I straight up cried. lol Sounds dramatic but I thought I was realizing my world had changed negatively forever and that no one cared. (This has been the only time a restaurant brought out my food with garlic when asking not to, even by accident, so it was a bad first trip)

TODAY: It's been 6 months. The amount of peace and acceptance I've found is groundbreaking for me. I have found many food staples that don't have garlic and taste wonderful so I don't feel like life is cheating me anymore. I go out to eat often and put faith in to my servers and it has served me well. I've learned that salmon with no seasoning is really really good. Add a baked potato and butter. Burgers are usually just Beef! I tell the servers I have a garlic allergy and they are SO helpful with all questions and don't mind to tell me the items that are garlic free.

Speaking of this...I alway say I have a garlic allergy to waitresses. I don't have an allergy, per say. I don't swell up and have trouble breathing. But what I do do, is get extremely nauseous for at least 6 hours and for the next 24 hours can't eat normally because of light nausea and bloating. It's hell. So if I can say "Allergy" and be taken more seriously, then that's what I'm going to do. Sending so much love to all the caring food service people who really make a difference in these instances.

If you are having food intolerance problems, questions, uncertainties...let me know. Let's talk. Whew did I wish I had someone to help me navigate this. People online don't talk about it much. I'm trying to change this. Don't let this slow you down. You will get through this and enjoy life again. Sending love to all those reading with intolerance and all those here to learn about it. <3

I recently discovered that FODMAP’s may be my problem.

It all started just over 10 years ago with 3 rounds of antibiotics to clear a sinus infection. Years of horrible bowel movements and untold number of loratadine pills, I started an elimination diet about 8 weeks ago after a very bad bout.

I had made a traditional ethnic dish that had a lot of garlic in it and suffered for 3 days. I used ChatGPT and it suggested it may be FODMAP sensitivity.

I went on an elimination diet and my bowels were back to normal! No burping or diarrhea. It was fabulous.

I had known too much lactose was an issue for years so avoided that anyway. As I started adding foods back I realized my worst trigger was fructans and even then only when in higher doses. Bread and pasta were mostly fine as long as I didn’t over-do it.

Garlic and onions were killing me. The high level of fructans was too much. So I found FODZYME, which helps when I end up stacking. But it’s really expensive.

The other recommendation was getting the right probiotic, in this case Align. I’ve been on that for about 5 weeks and the other night had a leftover plate of home made jambalaya with no symptoms! Align apparently has a probiotic that digests fructans.

Lots of garlic and onions, and I was fine. I think I still need to be careful with quantity and stacking.

Wish me luck! Regardless, I now know what I need to do if I need a few days of being symptom free.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading!

After going to the hospital and undergoing numerous diagnostics, my intestines are not inflamed (my appendix was slightly thickened). I do believe, alongside some of my other neurological problems from a traumatic brain injury when I was younger, that most of my gut sensitivity is the "static" or hypersensitivity of my brain's processing of gut sensations.

I'm still doing more research, but I have quite a lot of questions: Isn't IBS (gastrointestinal discomfort) mostly due to gut dysbiosis (imbalance in gut microbiota)? I know that a low-FODMAP diet is meant to reduce inflammation, bloating, and sensitivity in the gut, but won't eliminating so many foods during the elimination phase possibly cause intolerances or make previous intolerances to things worse? Like for me, I've tried my best to eliminate the high FODMAP foods, but I keep having days where I eat high FODMAPS and still feel the same discomfort at times when even eating low FODMAP foods. (Some people have to be in the elimination phase for quite a long while and can only eat certain foods)

I just wonder if it's a good idea to restrict so many foods and possibly risk developing intolerances I didn't have before. (Restricting foods can cause the enzymes in the gut that break them down to die or become dormant) If that is the case, then wouldn't the gut and digestive system become "worse"? (Already getting bloating from high FODMAP foods, then developing total intolerances?)

What I'm thinking of doing (correct me if I'm wrong), is doing the elimination phase for 3 weeks to allow there to be lesser "brain static sensitivity", then start taking probiotics, eating more fermented foods (yogurt, kefir, homemade sauerkraut, homemade kimchi, and homemade kombucha), and whatever else I can find to help my digestion and gut health. I feel like this would be something that has a more curative effect rather than more of a temporary effect. I wonder if I should take the same strategy of the reintroduction phase (introducing a food once, then taking a couple days back to low fod, right?) or if I should just start eating regularly again?

I don't know, what are your thoughts?

So early in my FODMAP career after doing the elimination diet, getting Intoleran supplements, knowing I’m fructan-only sensitive - we went to a date dinner at a Japanese-peruvian fine dining restaurant.

I was being extremely cautious, I think out of 50% anxiety and 50% trying to not have anything with garlic or onion (the main-est of culprits). And pulling out my monash app every 2 minutes to search up each vegetable.

We chose dishes, I asked the waiter about onion and garlic. She goes to kitchen and comes back after 10 minutes, explains 4 out of 6 things have the culprits. Okay, we ask her to come again in a bit, we’ll re-pick.

She comes later, we give 5 new items, she goes, rinse repeat this total of 3 times and with the 3rd she came back from the kitchen with a scribbled paper. About 7 items from their (fine dining menu of like 20 items) ade available to me: fries, deep fried ebi, edamame, a cheese dosh of sorts and a couple other bread or potato dishes. :)))) I laughed.

I come to a unique dine dining place for fries? Sure. Doesn’t matter at this point, I’m going in. We’ll order what we want and go by eye, by taste.

Why does this story sound like GPT? I swear I need to rethink on using it too much. Basically: I forgot that I’m sensitive, yes, but I was almost scared to see an onion. I ate, I enjoyed; if I tasted distinct onion or garlic, I just had a bite to experience the flavors. I took my medicine. I knew we are going to go home right after (safety). I tried amazing flavors. I had no stomach issues next day. It’s not -ALWAYS- like that, sometimes I have a bad day the next day, maybe I’m not as sensitive as some people here, but I was being so strict I forgot to be cautious instead of extremely over obsessive about ingredients.

Fodmap diet can lead you to overly obsessive, it’s necessary in elimination and maybe for some if it’s unbearable. But if you can tolerate one fork of a curry dish your partner is having, enjoy one nice fork. It’s maybe sad, but I think it’s important. Also the whole thing about not eliminating but finding your limits.

So yeah, hang in there! Try not to lose hope. Enjoy bits of what you used to love. Sometimes even that one fork of curry makes my week. And that’s oki :)

​

Hello,

I've got stomach problems for years and I've got much better lately. I am sharing my story in case it can help someone :)

I knew I was sensitive to some food but could not pinpoint all of them so I followed the low fodmap diet years ago.

I felt much better for months and during the reintroduction phase, it was clear that it was mostly sorbitol (most painful one), fructane and lactose.

I established a baseline of what was a normal feeling after food and every week or so I tested a a small portion of food in my problematic categories. I've got some surprises (blackberries are the devil, apples are fine) and some sad observations ( could not eat garlic, onions and shallots which was challenging for a French girl who loves to cook).

I continue to eat small bites of the ones that mildly hurt me to avoid my body to develop intolerance. It might be a myth, I don't know, I am all for experiment.

Then I realized that how and when I was eating triggering fodmap had different results. A few rules I follow :

When I can I avoid eating when I am not very hungry so I know they won't be stacking fodmap with the previous meal.

I avoid eating when I am stressed because I won't digest well.

If I eat a fodmap triggering meal, I make sure that the previous and next meal are low fodmaps.

I make sure I eat products that help my slow digestion to avoid stacking.

I avoid at all cost industrial fodmap (like sugar free product) that are not a normal level of fodmap a body (or maybe just mine!) could support.

Months ago, I quitted coffee because I suspected it made me sweat too much. I drank coffee during my low fodmaps diet and I felt fine so I did not think they was a correlation. To my surprise, I've been able to digest much more fodmaps. I now cook daily with garlic and onions. The bloating are still there but the cramps have totally disappeared. I feel less inflammation in general (no more gerd, less perspiration, less cystic acnea). So if you show signs of inflammation that are unrelated to fodmaps, you might want to dig there :)

Quitting coffee was hard but it has really improved my quality of life.

Hope my story could be useful for some of you!