Re-fuelling and IBS

[Stradageek]

Hi Guys

Suggestions appreciated.

I'm a fairly classic IBS sufferer - fatty foods, fizzy drinks, caffeine, stress, tight trousers, meat, dried fruit, large meals, etc. all trigger violent and painful intestinal cramps and rapid trips to the loo. This often makes it very difficult to consume enough calories day to day and especially on the long bike rides that I love so much. I often just can't eat enough, before during or after a ride to balance my energy demands without triggering an attack.

The classic flapjack is ok-ish but not perfect and my go-to meal (pineapple and lentil curry) is difficult to pack in a saddle bag

Are there any IBS sufferers out there who have discovered the magic food that can be consumed in large quantities without upsetting the digestive system?

[horizon]

I'm not an IBS sufferer (and I accept you might reasonably rather hear from those who are) but I would like to know your views on that old staple: porridge. I was also thinking along the lines of taking a flask of hot porridge for a midday top-up. Porridge can be "laced" with sugar for energy but it is also a slow releaser. AIUI it should have no adverse effects. You've no doubt tried it: what was your experience with it? It's certainly a magic food but may not work for you.

[Debs]

I'm a fairly classic IBS sufferer -

You have my empathy.

I used to suffer it dreadfully, and had attacks of it over a 20year period in my mid 20s to mid-40s
My IBS condition quickly faded away and stopped shortly after i relocated to another part of the country to a new place of work, and a new home.
It would seem the primary cause of my IBS was stress in the workplace and a change of scenery was incidentally the cure. Throughout the 80s and 90s it caused me much concern, painful attacks, but after the move in my mid-forties it mysteriously went away. I didn't change my diet so i don't believe food had anything to do with it in my case. I went veggie in 1990 and that didn't stop it either, had it before and after.

Perhaps moving from a soft water area to a hard water area (?) no i don't believe that either. Food is food, it's necessary, it's natural to consume it we need it, especially if it's healthy food, and when you think about it there isn't much you can do if food is causing you IBS, starve to death?
Some people are sensitive to gluten, perhaps your diet has too much of it?
I tried gluten free but didn't make any difference at all, obviously not what i needed anyway.

So better to consider stress to be the culprit, it affects people in different ways, and can be caused by all kinds of things, circumstances.
The first thing to check out is how well you are sleeping, bad quality sleep and/or not enough of it can lead to anxiety which = stress. It's also possible to be stressed for so long it becomes the norm and you may not even realise you are stressed, this is not good.
Or it maybe something obvious, money worries, relationship, work colleagues or work stress?

But IMO if one is suffering from IBS it's a good idea to look over your life to see if you can improve things, and in the meantime go to your GP and request him/her to prescribe you some Diclovol 75mg tablets ( Diclofenac sodium ). The dose maybe one tablet twice daily for the course - but i used to keep the boxful handy to use one or two in a day if i felt the feeling coming on. It worked quickly on me anyway.

I found non-prescription IBS tablets to be completely useless and one made my IBS worse in my experience.

I wish you good luck in finding the cure!

[Stradageek]

Thanks for the comments so far guys.

Porridge I will try, was a regular breakfast as a child so lets do it again.

Stress, yup, really twigged this one over the last few years, amazing how an attack can be mitigated by just learning to relax. I'm now retired so work stress has disappeared but I perhaps ought to believe more strongly that I wont succumb to an attack rather than fearing the consequences of everything I eat.

More suggestions welcomed

Cheers

[LittleGreyCat]

Stress?
Yoga?
If you haven't already tried it.
There are some effective relaxation techniques.