A lot of people on this message board think they're "eating right," but I am sorry to say they are not. It's a long journey it seems to understanding just how careful you have to be when you have IBS and what you need to do in order to feel well most of the time.
I've had IBS all of my life (46 years) and I have a severe case of it. I follow a very strict, careful diet that enables me to lead a relatively normal life. I have a demanding job and busy personal life and my IBS rarely, if ever, interferes with this.
I follow Heather's diet, but I omit some things that I can't seem to tolerate. Not everyone with IBS can tolerate everything on Heather's diet. YOU HAVE TO FIND OUT WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN'T WORK FOR YOU.
I eat ONLY ORGANIC POULTRY AND PRODUCE and I am diligent about READING EVERY SINGLE INGREDIENT on every single packaged item I buy. Additives and chemicals are added by North American food manufacturers to virtually everything so you have to be very diligent in reading ingredients. A good example is flour. So far I've only found one flour that only contains just 100 per cent wheat and nothing else --Bob's Red Mill unbleached organic white flour available in both the U.S. and Canada. All other flour that I've seen contains a myriad of other, potentially IBS-unsafe ingredients. Don't buy any flour that says "enriched" because it contains tons of junk!
If you are following Heather's diet, but are not eating organic or are not scrutinizing ingredients, it could account for why you get the pain and other symptoms.
If I let down my guard for one minute and eat the slightest thing off my diet, I get sick. I still battle IBS-D, but I rarely if ever have pain anymore.
This is in contrast to the first 40 some years of my life in which I suffered frequent painful IBS attacks. That's why I say it's a long journey to fully understanding just how careful you need to be to control your IBS. I've come to accept how careful I need to be and I am fine most of the time. I've never taken any medication for IBS, nor am I taking any medication now.
I hope you will reach the wellness point that I have reached much quicker than I did in my life. Please feel better very soon.