Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Hi Kate, and welcome to the board! One of our moderators, TessLouise, is a college student, and she is chock full of fabulous quick, easy, and cheap eating ideas for IBS. Check the recipe exchange board for lots of her posts.

One thing you said jumped out at me - that your intestines appeared red to your surgeon. Any sign of inflammation like that would normally rule out IBS, so I'd make sure that you've had the diagnostic tests necessary for inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's and ulcerative colitis, and also that you've been checked for celiac. Do a board search under "Rome criteria" for the past 1 month or so and you should find posts with diagnostic tests necessary for IBS. You may well have been misdiagnosed.

If you do "just" have IBS, one of the easiest, cheapest ways to really control symptoms is a soluble fiber supplement. There's info at web page. Also, buying herbs like peppermint or fennel in bulk to brew as teas with a little dorm tea kettle is cheap and easy, and really very soothing. Helps prevent and stop symptoms - drink as many cups each day as you like, or cool the tea and pour it in an empty water bottle to drink from in class. Chewing Altoids can help too.

And you can also make a lot of easy food choices (at restaurants, campus dining, and cooking) that will help keep symptoms at bay too. The guidelines are at web page

This should get you started. Ask any other questions you have!

Best,
Heather

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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!

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