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IBS Diet

Anonymous

Okay, so I've been diagnosed with both GERD and IBS, and am wondering what diet to try. So far I've found two options--a low FODMAP diet or the diet found at http://www.helpforibs.com. These two diets don't have the same "avoid" foods, so I don't know which to try first. I'm thinking of trying the simpler one first before trying the low FODMAP diet, simply because the low FODMAP diet includes acidic foods that I was told to avoid for GERD.

Does anyone else have this problem?

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17 replies

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SandyG

Veteran

Yup. Don't feel alone. I have a diagnosis of Fructose Maltolerance with the resulting rigorous food lists for FODMAP. One doctor tested me for GERD 3 times because he 'believed' that's what I had in spite of my insistence that I had none of those symptoms; it was just expensive medical crap to wade through, a weary time in my life. I saw 7 doctors with no progress and felt terribly misunderstood and a little crazy until I found a good gastro dr. Finally got a lab slip for a breath test and started on the journey to knowledge and recovery. I wasn't crazy but I was malnourished and deficient in many vitamins and minerals due to the malabsorption, so my brain had been under siege.

Everyone has individual tolerance levels, so I'd suggest trying one new food (small serving) every 3 days and keep a food and symptom journal. My fallback meal is plain chicken or fish with white rice, pretty 'naked' food when I'm doing a new food challenge. The only good thing about fructose maltolerance is that, like gravity, the symptoms are repeatable, so a problem food is going to become clear when you do the tests. And then you know It's detective work that pays off in feeling nearly normal physically and mentally. Wishing you wellness!

Anonymous

Thanks. I'm not totally sure what to do, but I need to do something. I've already cut out dairy. Next will be gluten, I imagine, and I need a new shopping list.

Laurinda

Veteran

There are some very interesting links between GERD/IBS and low stomach acid and bacterial overgrowth. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating so to speak, and SandyG has good suggestions of starting with a very plain diet, and adding back foods while keeping a food/symptom journal. It can be a challenge, boring even, but worth it in the long run if you find out what is giving you troubles.

In my case, by eliminating it then adding it back I found that wheat gives me issues, even though I am negative on all the standard tests for celiac including genetic markers. Since I am not publishing a scientific article on myself (yet all that really matters is that wheat is a problem for me, so I avoid it.

People find their optimal health through many different methods, here's hoping you find relief!

Anonymous

Thanks. In reading online information about IBS, I find different information about which foods to eat and which to avoid. For this reason, I'm not sure which path to take. The FODMAP diet seems logical to me.

Nebraskim

Veteran

Good luck. I hope you find answers to your issues. Do not let people bully you about your food choices. Like Laurinda above, while I test negative for wheat issues, when I eat it, I get sick. So I avoid it (and it's hard) and I cannot believe the judgmental commentary about it. Why other people care what i eat baffles me. I do not expect others to cater to me. I no longer accept dinner invitations and I either don't eat or bring my own food if possible.

Anonymous

Thanks, Nebraskim. I'm sure I'll get some comments, but you're right. Why should anyone care what I eat?

Anonymous

Well, I'm on acid reflux medication and am also battling IBS. Ugh! Still trying to figure out which foods are bothering me.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

You might try the elimination diet.

Anonymous

I'm kind of reluctant to try an elimination diet, as that is so extreme. I may have to do that, but hope it won't come to that.

Anonymous

I'm not sure what to do just yet. My PCP has me taking Prilosec for 6-8 weeks and then stop. My symptoms are under control now, but I'm also taking a probiotic plus digestive enzymes and simethicone (generic Gas X).

Anonymous

I'm already dairy free. Now I'm also going gluten free (starting today) to see if I can get rid of this awful crud. I had a very bad day yesterday.

Marmee

Veteran

You might want to check your probiotic to see if it contains the prebiotic FOS. Some people, myself included can't tolerate the FOS.

I gave up gluten several years ago, and although I totally miss glutenous baked goods, I feel so much better now! I'm not sure if it's the fodmaps in wheat, or something else, but I'm just going with the results!

Good luck!

Anonymous

Thanks, Marmee.

Joy

Veteran

Betty, I hope that you are feeling better.

shiny

Veteran

Betty, I was dx'ed with GERD well over a decade ago. I am on the lifetime Nexium plan now, as I have Barrett's esophagus. More recently they've added Zantac on top of the Nexium, as I've been having some heavy duty gastritis.

I was also dx'ed with IBS by my GP -- but the GI doc isn't sure it's that, since I do not respond to Bentyl (it makes things way worse, not better). SIBO and Celiac have been ruled out. I can tell you that boosting my Vitamin D to 5000 daily does make a difference, so that is definitely worth a try.

I recently was in the ER with a ruptured ovarian cyst, so now my personal suspicion is that my "IBS" symptoms have been related to PCOS, which I was dx'ed with by ultrasound years ago... around same time the IBS symptoms all started. If your symptoms are at all correlated with a monthly cycle, this is something to consider.

I've tried every possible diet out there.. including FODMAP. I've never found any correlation whatsoever to diet. Your mileage may vary; it is a good place to start, as it cannot hurt. I will say I felt best eating a daily dose of plain yogurt (as in 1-2 cups of yogurt). But even then, I was still having problems, just a little less.

shiny

Veteran

Also if you are on PPI's, please take B12. My doc insists they aren't the reason I have a B12 deficiency and that I have autoimmune gastritis. All I am saying is that if you have gastritis -- PPIs or no-- you may not be absorbing B12, and if your B12 is consistently below 400, you can have a whole pile of other problems. I'm hoping to get the all clear from the doctor next week that the nerve damage in my feet and hands has healed.

Anonymous

Thanks, shiny. I've had all of my vitamin levels checked, including all the B's. Nothing seems to be amiss. I just added kefir to my diet, just to see if it will help. My PCP says my next step is to see a GI doctor. I already went through that 4 years ago, so I'm really not in the mood to do it again. I might have to, though.