IBS and Multiple Other Ailments: What Can I Eat?

By Amy Dodd Pilkington

3 min read

It seems I keep adding to the list of ailments I have. Since many of them are affected by diet, the struggle to eat as I should is more difficult. I honestly feel like there is nothing I can eat that will not adversely affect one thing or the other.

I really do try to eat healthier now, but it seems pointless when eating a diet that works for all of my illnesses seems impossible. What might be okay with one illness is not okay for another, and I can usually find something on my list that is agitated by whatever I try to eat.

Pancreatitis and gallbladder removal

Because I had a bout of pancreatitis and had my gallbladder removed, I am supposed to eat a low-fat diet. I was quite recently reminded of why I need to stick to this diet. I had given up on eating healthy and consumed lots of fat on a daily basis. This started causing pain, which I ignored until the pain became something I couldn’t ignore.

I decided to go back to eating a low-fat diet. The problem is that much of what I can eat on a low-fat diet agitates my IBS. All the healthy options send me running for the bathroom. What do I do?

High cholesterol, hypothyroidism, and a possible autoimmune disease

I also have an issue with high cholesterol. Also, after being diagnosed with hypothyroidism I learned that it is likely caused by an autoimmune disease. On a return visit, I will be asking my doctor to confirm this is the case. However, it seems the only treatment for this is, you guessed it, dietary changes.

Many have said an autoimmune or anti-inflammatory diet helps. I would really like to do something to try to better control it and keep it from completely nuking my thyroid in the near future, but how in the world would I further restrict a very restricted diet?

Vitamin deficiencies, restrictive diets, and supplements

Oh, did I mention that I tend to have a number of vitamin deficiencies? I do take supplements to help with that because it’s truly impossible to get all I need from food with all of these restrictions. I would really like to be able to get all the vitamin B12 I need from food so I can stop taking that supplement for good.

Despite being told it was impossible to overdose on vitamin B12 because your body does not absorb and rids itself of excess, I discovered my ridiculously bothersome bouts of nausea, headaches, and dizziness were indeed caused by an ongoing overdose of B12. I have been unable to get enough from food to prevent bouts of anemia and severe fatigue, but I cannot find a suitable dose.

Struggling to find a suitable menu

Now, between an issue with pancreatitis, high cholesterol, a possible autoimmune disease, vitamin deficiencies, and IBS, what in the world am I supposed to eat? For the moment, as I am trying to avoid another bout of pancreatitis and pain, I have resorted to eating toast, plain mashed potatoes, and plain tuna. This is what I have been eating for 3 days now, and I am over it.

If you have IBS and have had to restrict your diet, I don’t have to tell you how quickly a very restricted diet becomes unbearable. The problem is that I am terrified to eat and afraid to not eat. I know I am not getting what I need and that has a huge effect on my mobility issues and quality of life. I know if I eat the wrong thing it can also have dire effects on my health and quality of life.

Is it possible to eat right with multiple diet restrictions?

It seems I am stuck in a no-win situation as I have no clue how to eat a healthy diet that provides everything I need without agitating one of my illnesses. Is it possible? I really don’t think it is. Pretty much everything healthy agitates my IBS, and what doesn’t agitate IBS agitates something else.

Do you have trouble trying to balance your diet with multiple illnesses? How do you handle restricted diets? What does your menu look like? I would love to hear about your experience.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The IrritableBowelSyndrome.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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Swimfan Member
 Yeah, I feel you, I experience the exact same thing. Thanks to my IBS/SIBO I have to start fresh whenever I have a new flare-up (which now tend to last for over a month - hopefully the current one will also dissapear soon because my ongoing fear is that one day I'll not get better). After my last flare-ups I've gotten used to not re-introducing healthy vegetables which limits me even more (and may help with symptoms in the short run but damage my body long term). This is why - eventhough I currently have a flare-up - I keep on eating healthy/less risky foods like spinach and broccoli again and again in REALLY short dosages (like 2-3 small heads of broccoli or 2-3 little cubes of frozen spinach). Frozen vegetables are really helpful in that regard because you can easily add a tiny amount per meal without wasting too much AND frozen veggies are more nutriton-packed. This should theoretically help my body build up on the needed enzymes to digest these foods because cutting them entirely for a long time (like me with broccoli for something like a year now out of fear) will also result in "fake symptoms" because your body is just not able to digest them anymore because of missing enzymes. All in all, foods might very well be my main problem no. 1. Thankfully the foods that count as my "safe" options are all pretty healthy overall (aside from white basmati rice) and my own promise to re-introduce make me feel better. 
1. Karina Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="Swimfan" user-id="6641984"/> Eating vegetables in small doses is a great idea! Focusing on eating a big variety of foods whenever I'm not in a flare really helps me, too. I used to try so hard to adhere to what I though was a healthy diet until I realized that it just doesn't work for me. Now, I just try balancing my meals, eating lots of different protein sources and avoiding anything heavily processed and it's working so much better, especially since I can continue eating almost normally when I'm in a (mild) flare. I can't imagine having to balance multiple illnesses though, that would make this so much harder. Karina (team member)
sbbeau Member
I know the problem you face. I find it difficult to balance all my dietary needs for the variety of conditions I have. I have to meet the needs for interstitial cystitis (avoid high acid foods like citrus fruits and tomato). Then there is the alpha-gal allergy (which is caused by a tick bite) where I can't have anything derived from a mammal. It is amazing how many items have mammal in them besides the obvious beef, pork, lamb, venison. Giving up milk chocolate was hard. Vitamin D3 is usually from mammal and added to many foods and vitamins. Gelatin is used in most medicine and vitamin capsules and even in marshmallows. Most alcoholic beverages are clarified with mammal products. Pills usually have lactose in them or perhaps a magnesium stearate from mammal. Even liquid medicines can be a problem if the glycerin is from mammals instead of plants. Mammal glycerides are used to preserve baked goods like bread. Most toothpaste, lotions, shampoo and soap have mammal unless labeled vegan. And not even all vegan products are safe as the seaweed carrageenan contains alpha-gal. It is frequently added as a thickener to products like dairy-free ice cream. Even sugar might not be safe as some is filtered through bone char to make it white. That can also make some bottled water unsafe. Now add IBS to the mix. Need to be on a low FODMAP diet which for me takes away wheat, onion, garlic, beans, fructose and dairy which I already had to avoid for alpha-gal allergy. At least I can eat birds, fish, shrimp as long as it is prepared safely. Oats, rice and corn can sub for the wheat. I am going on a cruise soon (first since AG diagnosis 10 years ago) and hope I don't starve to death (probably will be the first to ever lose weight on a cruise).
1. Karina Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="sbbeau" user-id="2329924"/> Wow, that sounds so incredibly hard to manage. To you have help from a dietitian to find enough foods to eat and make sure that your body get enough nutrients? I imagine you must be cooking at home most of the time. Is there any way to contact the cruise company in advance to see what kind of foods there will be? Wishing you all the best, Karina (team member)
desertswan Member
I can identify! I had my IBS under quite good control for about 3 years until several months ago. A couple of years before than, I'd been diagnosed with osteoporosis and had started a medication for that. So far, so good. But then, several months ago, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease (which is autoimmune-caused hypothyroidism). For that I take levothyroxine, which I have to take first thing in the morning on an empty stomach; I can't have anything high fiber (plus a few other restrictions) for 4 hours after taking it, so there went the high-fiber cereal I had credited with playing a role in the good control of IBS I'd been experiencing. Even more recently, I've had to start taking lisinopril for high blood pressure. IBS-D symptoms reemerged with the addition of the levothyroxine, and even more with the addition of lisinopril. I'm not sure if it's a side effect one of the meds, or a combination thereof, or a result of changing diet due to having to eat more calcium-rich foods for the osteoporosis combined with consuming less fiber, or the fact that the hypothyroidism actually helped me so far as the IBS was concerned by slowing down my digestive system. (That last one is my own theory as a medical layperson!) So frustrating.
1. desertswan Member
 <inline-mention username="Karina" user-id="2303467"/> Yes, we think diet changes due to the use of levothyroxine (you can't eat high fiber food within 4 hours of taking it, and previously I had relied on a high fiber breakfast cereal but had had to drop that), resulting in my not having enough fiber, is the cause. So I am out to "bulk up" more at other times of the day and see if that helps. Plus I will try a probiotic.
2. Karina Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="desertswan" user-id="2291107"/> That sounds great, I hope you'll be able to find a new balance and get enough fiber by doing that. Please keep us updated on that! Have you started the new probiotic already? Karina (team member)
Penney Member
I came across a book called “Good For Your Gut” by Desiree Neilson, RD. It is a plant based digestive health guide. It has a lot of information and a ton of recipes divided into three categories: Soothing, Healing, and Maintenance. Certainly worth a look to annyone suffering from IBS with a diet trigger, especially to the person who can’t eat anything derived from a mammal.<img src="/content/images/2024/10/01/ff969329cb2af4d9aa7a5beb5831266c_medium.jpeg" alt="" class="uploaded-image"/>
1. Karina Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="Penney" user-id="9785825"/> Thank you so much for sharing this book! Have you been feeling better since you started implementing the advice from the book? Karina (team member)
Penney Member
The recipes I have tried have helped, yes. I recommended it to a friend who then tried it. She said for her it has been a game changer. I like the fact it is not just recipes, but really good info on your gut. 
1. Karina Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="Penney" user-id="9785825"/> I'm happy to hear that it has helped so much. 😀 Thanks again for sharing it with the community! Karina (team member)