I just need advice and suggestions.
First, let me say that this is my first post. I’m really not sure what to do about all my problems. I should know what to do by now but sometimes it’s just all so confusing. I’ll start by saying that I am a type 2 diabetic and was diagnosed in 1963. I most never stuck to any program and only tried to do right within a month of a dr appt. Probably 20-25 yrs later I ended up on insulin shots taking 4 shots every day. Did that for about 20-25 yrs then lost a lot of weight and my dr kept lowering my insulin till she finally took me off shots altogether. I still never really paid any attention to what I ate. I have a history of diabetes and heart problems in both sides of my family. Fast forward to Christmas Eve, 2007. I had been having some heart signs for a couple of months in which my heart would beat very hard but not faster. That day I answered the phone after running most of the way from the basement to my son asking what was wrong. Told him I had run up the stairs to answer & I was very out of breath and my chest hurt a little. My son is a paramedic so he went right into EMT mode. Insisted that I go to the ER so I did. Fast forward to Jan 3 as I was too sick to go home & not sick enough for emergency surgery. Most drs had been enjoying their Christmas parties and bowl games so they were a bit short handed. They had scheduled my surgery for Jan 7 for probably a triple bypass. After severe pains and 3 nitroglycerin tablets they did another heart cath and said I couldn’t wait till the 7th. They had to do it on Jan 4. I ended up having 5 bypasses!! Had been having some stomach problems but just thought with everything going on all the time it was just stress. For the past several years after having major diarrhea problems and talking to my drs though I’ve never had any tests run to determine for sure, I am pretty sure I have IBS-D. With the different problems I have to deal with it seems that whatever I eat is fine for one thing and bad for another. I can eat something one time & it may not bother me but the next time I may just about have to completely take up residence in the bathroom. There are also other things that cause problems but I just want to know what it best for me right now. Let me also say that my son and grandson also live with my husband and myself. So I am cooking for 4 people who need and like different things. My husband is an 18 yr tongue and throat cancer survivor who has been on a feeding tube for 19 yrs. So he is not really a problem to cook for. He makes his own breakfast blend and has a prescribed formula for lunch. He eats whatever I cook for dinner as he blends it up in his blender. But something’s don’t blend as well such as cheese, rice etc & he along with myself has acid reflux. My son & grandson are somewhat picky about some things. They don’t complain about what I cook, if they don’t like it they just don’t eat much of it. The main thing is veggies. Can anyone offer me any suggestions? I do have another question, can I substitute Egg Beaters anytime a recipe calls for only egg whites? I do have the “Eating for IBS” book to help now. Thank you all. I know this was long and hopefully further posts won’t take up so much time and space.
Hi
and welcome to our community. First of all, I'm so sorry that you went through so much! Figuring out the right diet is always very hard when dealing with multiple illnesses, let alone multiple people with different needs. It sounds like you're doing so well and your family is so lucky to have you.
Now, since you never had any tests done, I'd probably suggest asking for some just to be sure. Sometimes, digestive issues can be misdiagnosed as IBS when they're actually due to an infection, an allergy, or another illness, for example. If your problems occurred after spending time at the hospital, they could possibly be due to something like C. diff.? I'm obviously not an expert, but I would personally ask for some tests to rule that out.
As for the cooking: unfortunately, diet is very individual, so something that's safe for one person might be a trigger for someone else. Many of us have the same issue you do, that a food is fine one day and not so great the next time. We have an overview of common triggers here: (https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/diet-management). Common safe foods for people with IBS-D are rice, chicken, steamed carrots, broths, bananas, toast and bread if you tolerate gluten. However, this might not work for your husband since you mentioned that rice doesn't blend well...Have you ever tried the Low FODMAP diet? If not, it might be worth a try: (https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/ibs-diet.) You could also make an appointment with a dietitian and get some help for you and your husband that way. They'll probably have the knowledge to combine your different needs and help you create a diet that works for you.
What I personally do for my family of 4 is cooking different versions of meals (for example, gluten-free pasta for me and normal pasta for my husband and kids), or adding sauces and less safe ingredients on the side so that I can eat less and avoid upsetting my IBS.
I hope this helps a little and that other community members will chime in with their advice soon. All the best, Karina (team member)where can I find the recipe book "Eating for IBS"? I already have the FODMAP cooking book. I bought the book on Amazon a while back. I also got it on my kindle. The other book I have is “The First Year IBS”. It has been helpful also. The author of both is Heather Van Vorous. Thank you for sharing! Karina (team member)
You are very welcome. I hope it helps you. It has really helped me!
