[betabite]

Well... I feel as if I'm way to much in contole of my diet. I can't have that.. or that... ooor that. And then there are foods on the "gray zone", food I haven't really figuret out if they tricker my IBS or not. I don't want to eat that, even though I could find out it does not tricker my IBS. And when ever I can't resist something or eat something by a mistake I panick. I want to make my self puke so I won't have to deal with an episode. I said before that I was way to much in controle of my diet... it's more like my diet is to much in controle of me. All I think about is what I'm gonna eat next, how it will effect me, how much of it I should eat (I eat very small porportions). I am losing weight, but it is not about that for me. It's all about not trickering my IBS and I'm obsessed with it!Am I the only one?

 

[Jillywindy]

No way are you the only one. I would think that nearly everyone who has IBS worries about what the food that they put in their mouth is going to affect them later on. In fact, quite possibly the fear has a worse effect on your gut than the actual food.If you don't have an allergy to foods (that is, that they cause an anaphylactic reaction) a small amount of something is not likely to have a very adverse effect, If you're worried about something, just try as small portion and see how it goes, and try not to worry so much that it has a bad effect on you.

 

[Kathleen M.]

While IBSers often don't end up with what are usually the more classic eating disorders (like anorexia or bulimia primarily driven by body image or other such issues) the anxiety a lot of IBSers have often gets focused on foods and some people develop some food phobias and these things can lead to disordered eating.If you are anxious, obsessed or phobic about foods (to where it is effecting thing, like unwanted weight loss or impacting your quality of life) I would talk to your doctor and see about treatment for the anxiety (or whatever else) may underlie that.Things like anxiety can often trigger IBS way more than any food will ever do, and often food gets all the blame even when a lot of people will have the same symptoms regardless of diet. (within reason...you eat enough grease or sorbitol containing fruit to give any healthy human diarrhea you probably will have symptoms).

 

[hasenfuss]

Just wanted to let you know that I developed a food phobia from IBS even thought I know some people have IBS worse than me. The anxiety is horrible and unfortunatly I can't take Klonopin (anti anxiety drug) every day because I might get dependent on it. My heart starts beating when people ask me to go out for dinner with them. It's crazy !

 

[Diana63]

I so know what you mean,i watch every bit of food that i eat,my diet is very plain,nothing at all exciting in it to eat!I've done this for years.It makes no difference to my IBS symptoms,but i dont want to take the chance and eat something different and then i might suffer more than i already do,if thats possible!!If i manage out to functions/party,i never eat anything from the buffet or sit down meal.

 

[chihuahua lover]

I'm the same,only eat chicken-turkey-pork hate going out for a meal if there's nothing on the menu i end up with chips,i also get palpitations when asked to go out anywhere,even if my daughter say's lets go out,i always imagine the worsed.

 

[OC Debbie]

I have a very limited diet that I stick to because I'm afraid to add things. I have had some very bad experiences trying to expand my diet and just feel safer eating the same things over and over. It has made it very hard for me to put any weight back on. I have lost 25 pounds this last year because of this IBS!! I developed so many food intolerances that I can't eat anything I love anymore.

 

[skoshland]

I think that this is an important aspect of the IBS. IBS is a learned behavior. We learn to develop aversions for foods. It is a natural response because we need to develop associations with good foods and harmful foods. Only thing is that we come to associate some foods with harmful activity even though they are not really. These foods can act as mental triggers. That anxiety helps initiate the IBS cycle causing the mind to affect the bowel which feedbacks to the mind.you can break this cycle. it is not the food, it is your fear of the food that you must treat. You can re train yourself to eat those foods and end the harmful associations. I would suggest looking into hypnosis or CBT to help treat the food aversions.

 

[riddick]

When my symptoms of extreme nausea and anxiety were at their worst back in november. I was eating nothing and i mean nothing...i was scared to eat because of how lousy i felt and how lousy eating would make me feel. So i developed anorexia (my weight dropped from 65kg to 56kg)......not anorexia nervosa. Anorexia is the medical terminology for not eating. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder associated with body image. The two are very separate conditions but unfortunately get mixed up. I'm fine now and weigh 73kgs! Mirtazapine worked wonders for me.

 

[~crisann~]

"disordered eating" really probably is the best description... i love food and i'll eat just about anything, atleast as far as taste goes. what i can eat without suffering... now that's a completely different story. i just got done telling my s/o that i'd probably be 100% fine if i didn't eat. not that that's the solution, but... well, you get what i'm saying.

 

[tjesspersen]

I'm goiing through the same thing. I definitely don't need to lose weight, in fact if I could pick up 10 lbs. it would be great. I used to be able to eat almost any thing I wanted. Also regular 3 meals a day, snack etc. Three weeks ago when all hell broke loose, I now have almost constant nausea, absolutely no appetite, and I have to force myself to eat. I don't know what has triggered this current episode because my diet hadn't changed. I think it is due to stress and anxiety. I know in the past sometimes if something or someone had upset me, I'd have to to the bathroom almost immediately, as well as right after meals. Not that big a deal, I learned to live with it. But now, the constant pain, incontinence and bloating is really getting to me. I went to the store the other day and got what I consider "safe" foods, but so far the only thing I can eat is yogurt. I tried some baked chicken and mashed potatoes last night......needless to say while it didn't give me diarrhea, I was up almost all night with abdominal pain and gas.