Hi
I'm glad you have that appointment next week. Let's see how I can help you until then.
I found this information on a site for Irritable bowel syndrome.
Even if you don't have IBS (and the gastro doc will narrow it down for you), the IBS diet is also beneficial for inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis, plus diverticulosis and diverticulitis.
The problem is, it isn't a single food that causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms. It's ANY food that is high in fat, insoluble fiber, caffeine, coffee (even decaf), carbonation, or alcohol. Why? Because all of these food categories are either GI stimulants or irritants, and can cause violent reactions of your gastrocolic reflex. This directly affects the muscles in your colon and can lead to pain, constipation AND diarrhea, gas, and bloating.
How can I break the cycle of attacks?
Diarrhea and pain should resolve in just a few days. Constipation, especially if it's been chronic, can take several weeks. Please hang in there.
The best thing to do to break the cycle is to really restrict your diet for a few days (and only a few days - this is a short-term diet only) to nothing but soluble fiber foods and soluble fiber supplements, and lots of strong hot peppermint tea (if you're prone to acid reflux, try fennel or chamomile or anise instead of the mint). Peppermint is a powerful muscle relaxant and a painkiller. Fennel is the best for bloating and gas - it can really help. Try to be mildly active, even if just around the house, as gentle exercise will work the muscles of the bowels and help get them back into a pattern of normal contractions. Walking or stretching or an easy yoga practice is ideal. Exercise is especially crucial for constipation.
The soluble fiber will stabilize the GI contractions that are going haywire with IBS and causing pain, and will normalize bowel function from either extreme (diarrhea/constipation) as well. So stick to foods like plain white rice, plain instant oatmeal, cream of rice cereal, dry corn or oat or rice cereals, pasta, white breads or toast, peeled potatoes, etc. Boring, I know, but it's just a few days. Make sure you've added in a soluble fiber supplement like AcaciaTummy Fiber, too - this is crucial. Start with 1/2 level teaspoon twice a day, and then gradually increase until you stabilize. Have plenty of fresh water or the herbal teas. For soluble fiber to normalize your bowel function you must drink enough water - aim for at least 128 ounces of water each day.
After a few days, you should be feeling much better, and your gut will have stabilized. Start carefully expanding your diet - the recipes for zucchini, banana, pumpkin breads work well here, and so does the jok rice porridge soup. Begin to incorporate insoluble fiber foods - carefully! - by blending fresh fruit with soy or rice milk into smoothies, and blending cooked veggies into soups or pasta sauces. Have the smoothie with rice cereal or oatmeal, and the soup with rice or polenta. Try a bit of grilled fish or skinless chicken breast with your pasta/rice. Safe treats are the recipes for vanilla or chocolate puddings, peppermint fudge cake, banana cream pie. Keep your fat content very low and be extra careful with insoluble fiber. As you stay stable, you can expand to all the other IBS recipes, and just follow the general guidelines (still low fat, no triggers, careful with insoluble fiber) but you'll be back to a healthy diet overall and not just plain soluble fiber. You should always continue to make soluble fiber the basis of your diet, though, and have those foods as the foundation of your meals and snacks.
This web site has a huge amount of good information I hope will help you:
http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/
Please let me know if you have more questions.
Kerry
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Kerry, RN
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