ibs
Irritable bowel syndrome: my story ‘Kate’ is a patient suffering from IBS. Here she tells us about her symptoms and diagnosis and how, with the help of a dietitian, she has taken on the FODMAP diet. My name is Kate, aged 52 and I am a teacher working full time at an Infant school. My husband Dave is also a teacher and our two grown up ‘children’ are now at university. I was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) a couple of years ago and, at the time, tested to see if I had lactose intolerance and thankfully that was not the case. I have only seen a dietitian on two separate occasions in my life. My first experience was just after I had completed my training. My mum, who was a nurse, suddenly died and both my dad and I found that a very difficult time. As an only child, I wanted to be with Dad but he insisted that I took my exams and ‘make Mum proud’ and qualify as a teacher. My mum had always insisted that we ate a healthy diet and she was a great follower of highfibre foods. I well remember taking natural bran once or twice a day when I was in my early teenage years! However, after mum died and, whilst revising for my exams, I drank lots of strong coffee, smoked more cigarettes and only ate one meal per day. My weight dropped off me and my shocked dad made me go to see our doctor and immediately who told me that I must go and see a dietitian. She was a ‘Miss Jean Brodie’ in a white coat and I was encouraged and supported by her to revert back to the sensible eating principles. I gained weight and felt the benefit of that. My second experience with a dietitian occurred after I had been seen by a new doctor at the surgery. I have never been fond of going to the doctor’s and it has only been since the diagnosis of IBS and trying different approaches that I wondered if the FODMAP diet was worth trying. I considered that ‘you are what you eat’ and maybe I was not eating the right foods for me. I had read about the fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols which make up FODMAP and I had searched the in34
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ternet, but felt that I needed some support and monitoring to actually give it a go. I am delighted that my second dietitian did not disappoint me and my first appointment was well worth the wait. My symptoms seemed to have worsened over the years and I felt very bloated and uncomfortable on a daily basis. Sometimes I felt nauseous. My abdomen, to me, seemed to expand as the day progressed and it felt as if there was a process of fermentation going on in my gut. I was always gurgling and bubbling inside! I know it is normal for gas to be produced and we all pass flatus, but for me, it seemed to be getting more frequent, louder and smellier. It became increasingly embarrassing and a slow release was often replaced with a noisy explosion which made me cringe if it happened at school. Some years ago after watching the film Blazing Saddles, I had excluded beans and onions from my diet as I had noticed that such foods did not suit me. When I was diagnosed with IBS, I was told to avoid eating bread and not to drink fizzy drinks even though I ate little bread and only tended to drink fizzy water. I have always been a lover of fruit, vegetables and wholegrain cereals and tended to eat three meals per day, although often with long gaps between meals. I usually drink at least two litres of fluid per day. I enjoy cooking and entertaining. My weight is steady. My journey has now started on the FODMAP route. The dietitian increased
