Possibly new to this
My PCP gave me an IBS diagnosis in a portal message. I can't see a gastro... until next month so I've been looking for help from Dr. Google. I have CKD as well as T2D and the foods suggested for IBS are not good for someone with CKD and I have to be careful of my A1c. I'm looking for any suggestions on what I can do over the next thirty days to help alleviate the issue. BTW, I'm not having any pain or cramping, just the leakage and alternating bouts of D and C. Suggestions would be helpful to get to my appointment in 30 days. Thanks.
Short-term solution? Try to concentrate on meal-spacing (3 meals a day, 4-5 hours apart) - this is always healthy and you may want to read up on FODMAPs.
I personally find that simple meals without too many ingredients, spices or sauces, avoiding heavily processed foods and eating smaller meals helps a lot. It's also important to focus on what works for you personally. Sometimes, a food may be recommended as 'safe' but it might not be for you, and you might be fine with other, usually 'unsafe' foods. A food diary can really help figure out a personalized diet: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/food-journal-download. Wishing you all the best, Karina (team member) Thanks for the replies. I have looked up the FODMAPS and the foods that are recommended would be the death of my kidneys. When I was diagnosed with CKD, I lost a significant amount of weight. With the diagnosis of CKD, I met with a Renal Dietitian and found that the foods I had switched to lose weight would kill my kidneys faster than anything else. I don't smoke or drink and the RD gave me a list of foods, portion control ideas, and meal plans to follow. I began a kidney-friendly meal plan. This was almost six years ago. The foods now suggested helping with the possible diagnosis of IBS would go back to harming my kidneys. I'm already eating safe foods and no snacks or dark colas. Water mainly. I avoid red meat, processed foods, and most grains. If the gastro... does concur with the diagnosis of IBS then I'm between a rock and a hard place. I can either suffer through life with IBS and the problems that come with that and slowly kill my kidneys or save my kidneys and deal with all of the negative issues of IBS. There must be others who have to deal with this either-or situation and I'm hoping that I will find someone here who can offer some ideas that allow me to deal with both health issues.
You're definitely not alone with this problem. Just recently, one of our advocates posted this article about the diet issue with multiple illnesses: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/other-health-conditions. However, I also wanted to make clear that the Low FODMAP diet isn't something you need to follow and it definitely doesn't work for everyone. It's just an elimination diet that can be helpful when figuring out your trigger foods when you have no idea where to start, because foods high in FODMAPs can (but certainly don't always) trigger IBS symptoms. Many people, including myself, eat a personalized diet that doesn't align with the FODMAP diet and just takes into account personal triggers and safe foods. Please don't feel like there's no way to get better if Low FODMAP isn't for you. It's by no means the only way to figure out triggers! Keeping a food diary, like I suggested in my last comment, might be a better choice for you. You could also work with a dietitian again, I know that many community members found this to be helpful. There are also completely different ways to manage IBS, like stress management, hypnotherapy, probiotics and supplements, medication. For me personally, stress management is more important than diet for example. I really hope this helps. Wishing you all the best, Karina (team member)
I did buy a probiotic and I had to go with an all-natural one as many of the others were too high in either potassium or sodium. I can't do anything about the medications until I see a gastro... next month if he recommends one. I've called dietitians and none of them could provide insight into IBS/CKD/T2D. They spoke about portion control, which I've done for 6 years, and eliminating red meats and processed foods, which I've also been doing for six years. That is on my list of questions for the gastro... when I finally get to that appointment. Trigger foods are also on my list to ask about, but I'm not sure how to determine which ones are triggers since I don't eat one only as a stand-alone. If they are part of a meal how can I know which one is causing the issue? Again, another question for the gastro...
I do weekly menus and I know what is in each meal. I also do an intermittent fast and I only have two meals a day. I've done that for many years and it has helped my kidney disease and diabetes. The new problem has only happened over the last 5 weeks so I'm at a loss to know where the problem lies.
Do you have knowledge of anyone in this forum who has CKD as well as Diabetes and now IBS?
Thanks for your help. My list for the doctor is growing by the week.
The problem is this: I'm still super annoyed by how unclear these experiments are. Yesterday I tried eating 3 broccoli heads for example and I swear, my lower intestines already started rumbling 5 minutes in which should be impossible.
Shouldn't symptoms come at least 4 hours later, when the food gets transferred into my small intestines?!
It's super bizzare how these things work.I often get symptoms right after eating, too, but I don't think it's necessarily related to the food I just ate. It feels more like my body is making space for the new food... It's the same when I start to feel anxious and my body just wants to get rid of everything I ate in the last 24 hours, even if the food itself was safe. I agree that the appearance of symptoms feels super inconsistent sometimes, especially when the same foods can be safe some days and trigger IBS on other days. Karina (team member)
