Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Sorry for redundancy, but i feel like i'm reading in circles.... (i'm new.)

you poor thing you...

let's see, here...

this will be a lengthy reply. sorry, but it hope it helps! let me preface this by saying i'm going to give you a few lists 'cause you are right-- there's a lot to read here and it seems like you are feeling a little lost. However, I strongly urge you to go buy the book Eating for IBS, ASAP. Then get The First Year: IBS. they are really important, and it's good to have them on-hand for easy reference. Eating For IBS has great recipes, too, but mostly i like it best because of the easy-to-read and very comprehensive explanation of the diet. that's why i recommend getting it before the other book. but you need both!

OK, back to the task at hand...

first off, you're not just limited to rice and yams. check this out:

rice
Pasta and noodles
Oatmeal
Barley
Fresh white breads such as French or sourdough (NOT
whole wheat or whole grain)*
Rice cereals
Flour tortillas
Soy
Quinoa
Corn meal
Potatoes
Carrots
Yams
Sweet potatoes
Turnips
Rutabagas
Parsnips
Beets
Squash and pumpkins
Mushrooms
Chestnuts
Avocados (though they do have some fat)
Bananas
Applesauce
Mangoes
Papayas (also digestive aids that relieve gas and indigestion)

that's the list Heather provides (here) for us. these are soluble fiber foods. these should be the base of each meal and snack you have.

that's not too limiting, really. Didja notice????
carrots are on that list!

Once you're stable (not having attacks too much) you need to - no MUST! - add other foods (chicken, fish, some fats - but not too much!) and your insoluble fiber foods (other veggies, especially!) example: eggplant, cooked and seeded, can be eaten with pasta and some sauce that doesn't bother your tummy (i can do tomato sauce, some can't). or broil the eggplant and have it with rice and fish. Apples: peel 'em, eat 'em with or after soluble fiber (stuff on the 1st list). if you still can't tolerate apples, try chopping them up. when it comes to insolubles, eat 'em with solubles and cut 'em, dice 'em, purree 'em, blend 'em... whatever it takes, but you NEED to eat 'em!

now, if you're really flaring up, you want to stick with all the stuff that's ok "when you can't eat anything."

ok, here goes:

White breads (such as French or sourdough), not whole wheat or multi-grain
Toasted plain bagels
Toasted plain English muffins
Cream of Rice cereal
Pretzels (salted or unsalted)
Fat-free Saltines
Fat-free fortune cookies
Plain angel food cake, homemade or from a mix
Plain baked potatoes (without the skin)
Plain white rice
Arrowroot crackers
Cold fat-free cereal such as Corn Chex, Kix, Rice Chex, Rice Krispies, Honeycomb, or Corn Pops, eaten dry. At all costs avoid bran, granola, and whole wheat choices, as well as cereals with raisins, other dried fruits, or nuts
Homemade dried or fresh bananas
Plain cooked pasta (not egg), sprinkled with a little salt
Lots and lots of strong hot peppermint, fennel, chamomile, or ginger tea

Now there's the list, but listen: this is only for when you're really sick and you just need to give your tummy a break! it's not for long term. when i was young, if i had a tummy ache, my mom always made jello and gave me broth and saltines to give my stomach (and colon!) a break. same idea here, but with special parameters for us IBSers 'cause of the sensitivites we have.

OK, as for your last few questions...
how long do you have to do the diet? depends. have you followed instructions and started taking a soluble fiber supplement? i put that off for awhile (not sure why) then had a trial and error period with some different brands. i finally ordered Heather's acacia and added it slowly to my life. once i got the right supplement (acaia) and the right pacing, it was like a miracle! it wasn't more than a week before i noticed i wasn't bloaty (fit in the correct size jeans! YAY!) and then by the next week i realized i didn't have pains and hadn't had D for a while... WAHOO!

i am doing the hypno right now and love it. go to the hypno boards and read up. you'll see all the raves!

colonic irrigation-- i haven't tried this. don't intend to, 'cause i'm weird about who sticks what, where, and why!

that's about all i can say (surely it's a lot!

). i'm sorry you're frustrated. we've all been there, and it's enough to make you want to cry! but really, i can't emphasize enough:

get the book(s) and read it(them) cover-to-cover, repeatedly until you feel like you "know" your enemy and how you're going to battle it!
start on a soluble fiber supplement. if you're on one and still miserable, lower the dose, raise the dose, or change the brand. you WILL find one that works for you...
follow the diet: start with the second list if you're really ill, add in foods that are safe (from the first list above) slowly, then add in other foods (chicken, fish) and insoluble fiber foods (like your eggplant and apples).
DON'T CHEAT ON THE DIET! you will get sick again if you lose your head and down a pint of Ben & Jerry's. sorry. but consider yourself warned! take it from those of us who felt better and slooooowly let the rules go: the rules are the rules for a reason!

good luck...

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