Poor nutrition as a result of IBS and don't know how to help myself

Posted , 4 users are following.

Hi everyone,

I wasn't sure whether to put this in IBS or nutrition so apologies if it's in the wrong place.

Basically, I have been suffering with presumed IBS symptoms since April. I am a 24 year old female. The course of my illness in terms of pain and discomfort has changed but over the last few months I would say has become worse and I cannot do much. I feel cramps after bowel movements (when they occur, because I struggle with constipation) that can last all day and I generally few really ill in myself - hot flashes and chills, bad nausea, bloating and soreness in my tummy generally. I wake up feeling like I have fifty rocks stuffed in my tummy even when I do manage to go to the toilet several days in a row.

My biggest worry at the moment though is my nutrition. I believe I am undernourished. I eat probably no more than about 700kcal a day (and that is on a good day) and that comes from snacky foods mostly because I have no clue what to eat as nothing in particular gives me immediate symptoms yet I still have IBS so i am wondering if something affects me later but I am struggling to know. Because I feel like this all the time, I don't think it's as cut and dry as a straight food intolerance though there may be something that bloats/constipates me.

I am just so worried because I am now at a weight of 6st13 (in June I was 8st4) and I have basically not eaten proper meals since that time (so it's no surprise I have lost weight).

I don't know what to do to get myself back into proper eating. I don't feel I can eat proper meals but I need to put some weight back on. I also want to do it gradually but is it true I will need to eat say 1500kcal a day or it won't be useful in me gaining weight? I just feel so so ill, am lacking an appetite and feel sick a lot. Do you think malnutrition could cause all these symptoms? Not IBS itself necessarily but could it cause all the chills, nausea, bloating etc? I have got myself into a total state as well as using laxatives most days over the summer to try to help with constipation. I know when I first started getting pain in April and May, I ate normally for the duration and the pain was not enough to interfere with my life - now it is. I barely leave the house.

Any help would be massively appreciated as I am totally at a desperate loss.

Thank you.

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • Posted

    Try keeping a food diary to see if any intolerance shows up.  You could also look at the Fodmap diet.
  • Posted

    I agree with Pippa. You can have nutrtious, well balanced foods and "proper meals" on the Low FODMAP diet and if you're one of the lucky 70% to respond to this eating plan, it will significantly help your IBS symptoms. It is immemsely helpful in identifying trigger foods. In my case, trigger foods often have a delayed, rather than immediate, effect. 

    Incidentally, I also experienced many of the symptoms you have mentioned, bloating, nausea, hot flashes, chills, but my pain was just a fairly constant dull ache in my left side. Since  following the Low Fodmap diet I have been 90%+ better. I do still get the ocassional flare up, but they are usually short-lived. 

    Good luck. 

    Jan

  • Posted

    Hello Emma,

    As a 63 year old man with IBS I live a radically different lifestyle from you. And my old body probably responds to foods very differently.  But as a father of 5 and grandpa to 3 (almost 4) I feel very sad for your situation and want to encourage you to get help as soon as possible.  From what you have said you could be heading for serious trouble.  

    A nutritionist can help you understand what kinds of foods your body needs and that's a good start.  Knowledge is an important tool.  But willpower is the real key to changing your condition.  That's why you need to work with someone you trust to talk through any emotional barriers you might have toward changing your habits. 

    My personal belief in God has been a resource for me through my hardest struggles and continues to give me hope when everything and everyone seems to be letting me down. Letting go of my resentments, anger and bitterness have been key to my recovery as much as the changes I have made in my eating patterns.

    So I wish you the very best dear.  There is help out there. People do care. And you have more control than you currently feel.

    Best wishes. I will keep you in my prayers.

    warm regards.

  • Posted

    Many thanks everyone. Sorry, I tried to reply last nigh and got locked out as a forgot my password.

    Thank you for your suggestions. I've found a FODMAP diet and will be giving it a good go. Can I ask, when you follow this diet, do you have to completely eliminate high fodmaps or can you just drastically reduce them? Also if you do completely eliminate, is there a chance you could retintroduce at a later stage and find that it may not be causing you problems anymore?

    • Posted

      Yes, it's best to completely eliminate all high Fodmaps for 2 to 4 weeks, and then reintroduce them, one at a time each week. If at the end of the elimination phase your symptoms have improved, you'll know that High Fodmaps are a trigger for you then you can start to figure out exactly which ones cause you problems. I learned however that you need to be ultra vigilant and check the ingredients of everything you eat. For example, I identified onions as a major trigger for me, but then discovered that some supermarket own brand tomato ketchup contains onion!!

      The good thing about This eating plan is that you can find Low Fodmap substitutes for most of your trigger foods - chives, or the green part of leeks are very acceptable substitutes for onions. 

      Best of luck, and I hope Low Fodmap works for you. 

      Jan

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