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I think I have IBS any tips?

Hello, I am booked in with a gp but my following symptoms seem textbook IBS

-gassy
-loose stools up to 3times a day
-bloated all the time
-urge to go to the toilet and feeling like I haven't fully went.

Any tips for where to start diet wise? Do i need more fibre in my diet cause of diarrhoea? I generally eat quite healthy, I have kept a food diary to show gp.

Any advice for a newbie would be helpful

Thanks

  1. It's difficult to say until you've seen your GP and other possible conditions have been ruled out. Unfortunately IBS cannot be diagnosed. That sounds weird but it's true. IBS is what's left when the other possibilities HAVEN'T been diagnosed.
    There are a lot of symptoms that might seem like IBS but could be other things.
    Your doctor initially might run some stool testing and a blood test to see if there are any red flags or need for more testing. That's what he or she should do anyway, and you should change doctors if your GP diagnoses IBS just from what you say about your symptoms. To "suspect" it's IBS is different.

    Anyway, I have heard that fibre is recommended for IBS with loose stool or diarrhea. But personally fibre definitely makes me worse, and so did all the "healthy" foods we are supposed to eat five or more of per day!. I have IBS D. I found eating lower fibre helped me much more. But that's just me, and it's a simplistic view because that wouldn't be right for everyone. Plus many fibre rich foods contain essential vitamins and minerals, and fibre is also important for a healthy gut microbiome, so it has to be very carefully managed.

    But for me, eating fibre while in the middle of a D flare up would be the last thing I could do!

    Anyway, good luck at the doctor's and I hope you get an answer and some help

    1. Hi and welcome to our community. I'm so sorry you've been dealing with all that.
      The first thing that helped me was the Low FODMAP diet: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/ibs-diet, even though I don't follow it anymore. Cutting out gluten and dairy are also easy ways to see if these are triggers for you, as they're quite common triggers. For me personally, avoiding raw veggies and eating mostly cooked root veggies works best as they're easier to digest, but that might be different for you. Avoiding processed foods can also help, as these contain additives that can trigger symptoms (artificial sweeteners are a very common trigger, for example) but it can be difficult to figure these out.
      I would personally avoid supplements, probiotics or anything like that before seeing your GP and doing any tests, as these can do more harm than good when you take the wrong ones.
      I hope you'll be able to get all the tests done soon so you can get a proper diagnosis! When is your appointment?
      Wishing you all the best, Karina (team member)

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