[jeanne2]

How did you determine what foods or substances give you diarrhea?I know there have been lengthy threads on this BB about how long it takes food to go through your system, etc. I don't think doctors even know, in those with our condition.I think when I eat something that disagrees with me, it is within 30 minutes or so of eating it, that I get severe urges and several bouts in the bathroom. Then, I'm done (and usually C for a a couple of days)Unfortunately they only time I've had the experience with the same food twice is when I've eaten Chinese. (yet, I've had it dozens of times in my life with no problem)What are your symptoms-are they sudden, or do you know the next day? HOw many times do you notice it before you really know what is the trigger food or drink?Jeanne

 

[legbuh]

If you got sick that quick from chinese, I could see it being food poisoning (hard to tell for those of use with D)For me my worst trigger food is Dairy. But I am lactose intollerant. That will trigger terriby D in about 1-2 hours.Other trigger foods are fruits and veggies. They usually trigger in a few hours (like if for supper, the next morning I will be flowing good)I do eat chinese often... Rice seems good to me. But I always get things like mongolian beef and I don't eat the veggies (I do eat the bean sprouts, though, just not the onions). I have very little problems with chinese if I don't eat the veggies (even one egg roll and s&s chicken or pork goes well, with the sauce)If I eat chinese and I get D from it, I just don't get it from that restaurant anymore. I figure it's something in the sauce they use or the meat wasn't cooked enough and it was something that would have put the hurt on anyone.

 

[christine]

Sometimes, for me, it is a rich food. I might go out to dinner and eat a meal and then an hour later the cramps start. But a few weeks later I can go and have that very same meal and it won't bother me.I have figured out that apples and pears are triggers for me. If I have an apple or pear after dinner, I will have VERY loose stools the next morning with moderate cramping.But a large meal at a restaurant will usually cause severe cramping. And then I will go months and be fine. So are those foods really triggers when I can eat them, say, 70% of time. Or is it those foods in combination with stress?

 

[jeanne2]

Sounds like me. I guess the reason I wrote yesterday was my husband called and asked if I wanted him to bring home Chinese.Since it was last July when I had my "chineseepisode"....I thought why not...it'd be dinner at home,etc.Well, I was fine last night and am today. Had 2 rangoons, vegetable fried rice..my favorite, and a small serving of cashew chicken.I told him not to get it at the same place as last time..and it is kind of a little hole in the wall.That's always my question..when I get really violent D that happens so soon after eating..is it food poisoning?Oh well, I am still interested in other's replies.ThanksJeanne

 

[alycat9947]

Hello, I am new to this site. I am 21 year old female who has severe ibs but i get severe d and suffer from constipation too. I don't go for days then i get bad d. My trigger foods are:fruits, vegetables, italian food, sauces, dressings, seasonings, mexican, pizza, spagetti, lettuce. I dont always get sick from these foods though. Chineese is ok but i can tell if my stomach is week that I need to stay away from it.

 

[KCTony7]

My biggest trigger is stress rather than food. On days where I'm really stressed I can go through the day eating nothing but a few saltines and water and still have bad diarrhea they entire day. Other days when I'm more relaxed I can even have a little pizza and still feel okay.I know though milk and soft cheeses (especially cottage cheese) and any drink with caffeine in it gives me diarrhea though.

 

[Blossom1234]

You know I could have made your post! I have had Chinese food hundreds of times and no problem but then ever so often it sets me off and yes within about 30 mins or sometimes less. I still have to watch eating out even though my symptoms are pretty much under control with my med.

 

[autobunny]

I actually went to a food allergist. This was during a really bad period where no one could help me out and before they diagnosed me with irritable bowel syndrome. The food allergist helped me out SO much. What they do is put different chemicals on your arm which each represent like a food group or an allergen and then they prick ur skin. If you're allergic you'll get a bump on the particular spot in which they placed the substance. So, for example, if you got a bump where they put "carrot", you've had an allergic reaction. I reacted to a few things, but cinnamon was by far the strongest. So the allergist explained everything thoroughly to me. For example, cinnamon is in a certain bundle along with other foods, so by avoiding those foods i should find osme reief, and I did..so I highly suggest going to a food allergist. It could be highly beneficial

 

[mportney]

I found out that caffeine is a trigger for me. I dont drink coffee but I realized it when I drank soda. But if I drink sprite or 7-up, it doesnt happen. Chocolate the same thing. Chinese, Japanese habachi, mexican, heavy sauces and sometimes tomato sauce do it to me. I have been using a product Esdifan that I take 6 capsules with food that I believe might trigger an episode, and I have not had a problem since. The only exception to that rule is chocolate, the symptoms are less with Esdifan, but it still throws me for a nasty episode to the bathroom.

 

[jeanne2]

D-freeSo, how do you know they are triggers? Do you react immediately with diarrhea? Is it later in the day-next day?That's my quandry....I don't know when I have a bad episode..WHAT actually caused it. It almost always happens shortly after I eat something, but that could just be getting my GI tract stirred up, and not be the real cause of the D?? The "newest" food could be just giving the GI tract a nudge to expel the bad stuff that has not been digested right and has been hanging around the colon , so to speak.Jeanne

 

[mportney]

you make a valid point. However, I have been paying attention for years, trying to find a connection. You have to assume that if you get D everytime you eat chocolate, it has to be a trigger. Once you start seeing a connection, you can try it eating it and see what happens. I can get away with a small piece of chocolate as long as my system is calm, but if it is already sensitive, it will cause D. If I have a second peice, even if I have been feeling fine, I get D. It usually happens within an hour, but sometimes you can just tell because you get that clammy feeling where your body just does not feel right. That is the best way I can describe it. It is not like I just get D and can go about my business afterwards. I can feel my body out of balance, clammy skin, rumbling stomach, gas, feeling like I have to go to the bathroom all the time, tired, cloudy feeling, aches in my body. As we all know, IBS is more than just D or C, it takes over your whole body and you feel lousy.

 

[lisa_webby]

Hi Jeanne,Interesting thread. Like KCTony, my main trigger is stress. That kicks in almost right away - for example, smack in the middle of any kind of confrontation or high-pressure situation, like an interview, I'll have to RUN to the bathroom.My food triggers are carbonated drinks, alcoholic beverages (so it's fun finding something to drink at cocktail parties..."Can you just sprinkle some of that sour mix into this glass of tap water?"), raw garlic, and anything oily/greasy, including most Chinese food, pizza, and fast foods. Rich cream sauces get me, too. With my food triggers, I usually get a crampy stomachache before I even finish the drink/meal, which doesn't let up until I have D later that day or the next day. So I do have a reaction right away, like you, the D is just postponed a bit.Lots of IBSers seem to have trouble with oily/greasy/rich/fatty foods. Do you think it could be the oil in the Chinese that's doing you in? Have you tried sticking to the less-greasy options like steamed dumplings?No one else has mentioned raw garlic yet. Anyone... anyone... Bueller?

 

[lisa_webby]

Of course, if you REALLY want to know, you could just try an addition diet. You know, just eat really plain stuff like saltines for a day, then try adding stuff that you think might be a trigger. You should probably check with a doc though, to make sure you wouldn't be starving yourself - that wouldn't be helpful at all!

 

[lionala17]

Triggers....yes, they can be hard to detect. I know some that I absolutely have to avoid anything heavy with fat and I feel cramping an hour later. Milk is not great but sometimes I can tolerate skim. If I eat a bowl of cereal with milk at night, I pay for it the next morning almost without fail. I love the days when I don't feel like I have that dull abdominal ache, I wonder if this is what normal G.I. tract people feel, even though I take Lotronex, I still have problems. Mine are usually always in the morning.

 

[cs]

All of my triggers are the next day! Never the same day! And anything with PORK is a no-no....cabbage causes way too much gas.... Chinese food is hit and miss... I think its the MSG.... I have had too many bad experiences lately, I will stay away... Garlic causes huge gas pains and horrible D the next day... I avoid overabundance of citric acid...hmmmm... I drink coffee and a coke everyday... but don't have D everyday... and one of my other triggers is anxiety.... I wish I could take something when I want to eat some pork ribs.... I have been taking caltrate for at least a year... but got lazy and now have spent the last 3 weeks trying to get things back on track, but I haven't been too successful.. I thought I would try the metamucil pills, but the warnings on them scared me ;-)....

 

[jlrscoop]

jeanne2...... I probably missed your post after your doc visit back in Nov. - I think you were going to a teaching hospital, with hopes of learning something new. I looked for your post for quite a while - but with so many threads on here I'm sure I missed it :< So, what happened and what the new doc say? Anxious to hear!!