I appreciate the link, Syl, and have read every reply listed. After reading them, I feel much more comfortable with my IBS diagnosis. For me, I have days without pain and days without bad BM's, but it is rare (and short-lived) to be totally symptom-free.
The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Given that IBS affects 15-20% of all Americans, if all those with IBS had severe symptoms all the time, well, that would be pretty noticeable.
For me, I go about my daily life without much interference. Of course I'm saying this after waking up and running to the bathroom last night, but in general I consider my symptoms to be pretty manageable.
I don't, however, follow any specific diet, and wonder if I should. Again using 0 as symptom free and 100 as severe attack, I am generally between 20-30. My diet is pretty well-rounded, I consume a good amount of fiber (especially soluble), and avoid/limit many trigger foods.
Specifically though, I really don't limit my diet *that* much. If I feel like a cheeseburger, I get one. If I feel like a soda, I drink one. I'm guilty of consuming packaged foods like frozen meals.
To top it all off, my favorite food in the world is buffalo wings. High fat + fried + hot sauce + butter = HUGE trigger. Being completely honest, I do not know if I could live without an order of buffalo wings once a week. Which is why I don't know if I could limit my diet any further.
Which brings the eternal question: stay between 20-30 with a moderate diet or limit my diet further and get between 0-10? I honestly don't know the answer to this...
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