Fellow IBS sufferer here, I'm thinking about building a tool to help us manage better. What would actually be useful?
Hey everyone,
I've been dealing with IBS for years now, and like many of you, it impacts pretty much every aspect of my daily life.
Eating/drinking is something we do all day so it gets tiring trying to figure out what is going to be a problem and what isn't, I also enjoy working out so it's difficult trying to put on weight with so many restrictions.
The worst part is having to manage going to work in a quiet office and planning everything I eat the day before and on the day, as well as the constant questions at work over what I'm eating/why I'm not eating "normal" food.
I'm a software developer, and I've been thinking about channeling my frustration into something potentially helpful. Before I dive into building anything though, I really want to understand what would actually make a difference for people in this community.
I know there are already apps out there for tracking trigger foods, but I'm wondering:
What tools or features do you wish existed but can't find anywhere?
What's the most frustrating part of managing IBS that tech might actually be able to help with?
For those who've tried IBS apps - what made you stop using them?
Would you pay for something that genuinely helped? What would make it worth it?
Some initial thoughts I've had:
Quick ingredient/FODMAP checking (though this exists)
Symptom pattern analysis that actually accounts for individual variation
Supplement tracking and effectiveness logging
Maybe something around meal planning that doesn't feel restrictive?
Stress/symptom correlation tracking?
But honestly, everyone's symptoms are so different that I don't want to assume what would help. I'd rather hear from you all about what gaps you're experiencing.
Not trying to sell anything here, genuinely just in research mode and want to build something that would actually be useful for people like us. Would love to hear your thoughts, frustrations, and ideas.
Thanks!
Joe
