[kylieg]

Hi all,I am new to this forum as I came across it by accident when googling tips on dealing with IBS. I think this site is great and have already come across some very useful stuff. I am looking for any advice/tips/opinions.I was diagnosed with IBS about a year ago. I was tested for all manner of things including coeliac and crohns disease, but they all came back negative. My doctor wasn't terribly helpful and basically told me to do my own internet research and find out for myself what works for me. She did however give me a prescription for an antispasmodic for the cramps and immodium for the diarroea. I seem to alternate between diarroea and constipation, but whichever it is the awful stomach cramps and the bloating is always the same. I also can't remember the last time I had a 'normal' bowel movement. My bloating is actually so bad sometimes that more than once someone has offered me a seat on the train because they thought I was pregnant - a tad humiliating as I am only very slim yet even I think I could look pregnant sometimes (i'm definitely not). Also I have the most awful gas/wind that just never seems to go away. Sometimes when I eat I can bloat almost instantly - if I watch my stomach I can actually see it expanding. It feels like someone is blowing up a balloon inside me and my stomach just goes solid and round. It is so uncomfortable and I just feel gross and lethargic a lot of the time because of it.With a year of trying all manner of things and keeping track of what I eat I think I may have hit the nail on the head. It seems to be foods that are high in sulphur that bother me - onions (the worst offender so far), cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and eggs. Well, they are the things I have narrowed it down to at the moment. There are other things that have a high sulphur content but are things I don't eat often so it's hard to tell at the moment. But these are the things I eat regularly so I have identified them as troublesome.Has anyone else had any luck with a low sulphur diet? Is there anything such as a vitamin or supplement that helps to counteract the effects of the sulphur?Does anyone else a similar problem?ThanksKylie

 

[Jillywindy]

It may not be the sulphur content of the foods that is causing the problem. The vegetables you describe are high in galactans and/or fructans which means that they are not well digested and tend to be digested by your gut bacteria which may cause the gas which causes the bloating. Onions, in particular, are described as a pre-biotic for this reason. Eggs shouldn't do this though.

 

[kylieg]

I can't say I am familiar with galactans or fructans - what other foods are high in this? Eggs definitely have a bad effect on me, although not quite as bad as the others i mention.

 

[Kathleen M.]

Sulfur usually is about smell. Very smelly even at very small volumes.Carbohydrates are about volume. Most of the volume of gas (even when smelly) is about the carbs humans (either some or all of us) do not digest well.A lot of foods have more than one thing in them that can be the issue. Cabbage family veggies are known to contribute to gas volume, and usually pain and bloating is more about volume than smell.

 

[kylieg]

I seem to be OK with carbohydrates. I eat quite a bit of bread and pasta without any trouble and I did go wheat and gluten for for awhile to see if that had any effect - it didn't.Cabbage family veggies are a definite no no for me. Anything gas producing bloats my stomach to the point I look like I have a watermelon stuck up my shirt - I seem to always be bloated but some things make it worse. The bloating is then followed by the cramps, the uncontrollable wind and then me running to the bathroom every 5 mins. I spend a lot of time in the bathroom as it is but these certain foods make it worse. Onions are the worst offender but I am ok with garlic even though they are both in the allium family.Does anyone know of any kind of med or herbal remedy that helps with bloating/wind?

 

[Kathleen M.]

You could try probiotics (these bacteria do not produce gas when they digest carbs that get to the colon) or digestive enzymes with pancreatin in them (Creon is prescription but you can get them as dietary supplements). You want the ones with real pancreatin in them, those are the only ones that have any clinical evidence for bloating.For bad smelling gas from sulfur compounds Pepto Bismol (or other bismuth containing internal deodorants) will absorb those gases.

 

[kylieg]

Thanks Kathleen. Will give it a go.

 

[Jillywindy]

I also suggest that you look up information on the FODMAP diet for information on why those veggies are a problem for you and what other foods are likely to cause such problems. Given your symptoms it would also be worthwhile looking at whether fructose malabsorption could be a problem. Fennel and peppermint are the main herbs to help with gas. Some people find them helpful but really you need to work out what's causing it.