Non Gassy Foods
Sometime you just want to play it safe. Perhaps you have a hot date or an important business presentation. The last thing you want to deal with is excessive intestinal gas. For those times, you will want to have a copy of the following list close at hand:
These are your safe go-to foods when you absolutely need to be gas-free. I like to tell the story about a patient who used my list with great success. He was finally having a first date with a woman that he had been talking with after connecting through an online dating service. Although not conventional, he ate a little rice for breakfast. Before the date, he practiced his relaxation exercises. He met the woman for lunch and ordered a turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato. He was pleased and relieved to find that his system stayed nice and quiet. More importantly, he really liked the girl! In fact, he was feeling so comfortable on the date that he told her he suffered from IBS. And get this, her response was, "So do I!" They both had a good laugh and agreed they could eat a little more freely on their next date!
More from Dr. Bolen, your IBS Guide:
- Top Six Gassy Foods
- What Causes Intestinal Gas?
- What to Do for Gas and Bloating
- Bloating and Distension in IBS
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Chronic Illness in Kids & Teens: IBS
Dealing with a chronic illness at any age is quite challenging. No one likes to be in pain or have to deal with invasive tests and miss out on nice opportunities - all things are go hand-in-hand with a chronic health problem. Chronic health problems seem especially heart-breaking when the person who is ill is a child. Amber Tresca, About.com Guide to Inflammatory Bowel Disease is hosting a blog carnival, urging bloggers to address the specific challenges that kids and teens have to face when dealing with a chronic illness (Join My Blog Carnival: Chronic Illness in Kids & Teens).
No one likes to see a child in pain. Yet, parents of IBS sufferers have to do just that on a regular basis. A parent's worries may be soothed somewhat when the cause of the pain is known and being addressed. The fact that IBS is a functional gastrointestinal disorder means that parents are not given that little bit of comfort. In addition to trying to soothe their child, they are left with worries as to whether or not a correct diagnosis has been made. Are the doctors missing something? Should they be putting their child through more tests?
Having IBS as a teenager presents its own unique sets of challenges. All most teenagers want to be is "normal." But that is hard to do when your colon is not normal. It can be excruciatingly humiliating to deal with intestinal symptoms when all you want to be doing is hanging out with your friends. Adolescence is also a time when one is looking for love and to be loved. At a time when dating is oh-so-new, IBS can make a kid feel like no one will ever want to be with them.
Another area that IBS makes quite complicated is that of diet. As a parent of teenage boys, I know first-hand that what kids like to eat and what they should be eating are vastly different things. Come to my house at lunchtime and you will see me eating lentil-kale soup, while my boys munch on Pizza Rolls. The IBS intestine is not so forgiving of junk food. Kids with IBS cannot eat what their friends are eating without paying a price later. This issue also puts extra stress on the parent-child relationship - it can become just one more thing to fight about.
One of the things that kids and teens both have to deal with, that adult IBS sufferers are generally spared of, is dealing with teasing. Growing up in an Irish-American home, I learned quickly (for survival reasons) that if an adult is teasing you that means they like you. Teasing from kids is a whole different story. Kids will tease to be mean. And, some kids are relentless. Teasing is no small matter - it is part of bullying - and the effects of being bullied can be serious and life-long. Kids may not be so sensitive if they are teased about having asthma or diabetes, but being teased about "bathroom issues" can be torturous.
If you know or love a kid with IBS, make sure to let them know how much you love and value them. Reassure them that although they are stuck with IBS that it does not have to define them. Tell them that one good thing that will come out of their experience with IBS is that they will learn which people really matter and which people are not worth their time and effort. Let them know how much you admire the strength and resilience that they display in dealing with the challenges of a life with IBS. Give them a hug!
This blog is being written as part of Amber Tresca's blog carnival:
More from Dr. Bolen, your IBS Guide:
- Book Review: Sick and Tired of Feeling Sick and Tired
- Functional Abdominal Pain in Children: When to Call the Doctor
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Valentine's Day with IBS
Happy Valentine's Day! In my house, Valentine's Day is sorely overlooked as it comes in the midst of a bunch of birthdays. But I know from listening to my psychotherapy patients that Valentine's Day is a big deal for many, and for others just a nice excuse to share some love. So I will take the opportunity of the holiday based on love to say how much I love writing for all of you, even though I am sorry that you all have to deal with IBS.
For those of you who have a hot date tonight, but are worried about IBS ruining it all, I point you in the direction of some helpful articles:
And as a reminder that you are not alone in terms of dating with IBS:
- Best and Worst Dating with IBS Stories (Feel free to add your own!)
- Book Review: Romance, Riches, and Restrooms
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IBS and Type D Personality
It was news to me that there are apparently more personality types than the "Type A" personality we are all familiar with - ambitious, competitive and highly stressed. In contrast, "Type B" is the personality type that many of us would love to be - mellow and easy-going. The newest kid on the block is the "Type D" personality. The Type D personality is a construct used by health researchers who are looking for connections between personality types and health problems. Apparently Type D personalities are people who tend to experience a high degree of negative emotions and to feel inhibited and stressed when interacting with others. Research in this area has been primarily done on men who have coronary heart disease, but having a this type of personality has been associated with poorer health and quality of life in patients with a wide variety of health ailments. A new study has taken a look at a relationship between IBS, Quality of Life and the Type D personality.
Close to 200 IBS patients participated in the study and filled out surveys relating to Type D personality traits, severity of IBS symptoms, and Quality of Life. Study findings revealed a rate of 40% of Type D personalities. This is in contrast to an estimated 20-something percent of the general population. The study participants who were identified as being Type D suffered from a lower quality of life than the others.
Always remember that the results of one study only offer a glimpse at reality as more studies will need to be performed before any conclusions can be made on the subject. However, if you see yourself as perhaps being a Type D personality, you may want to try a round of psychotherapy to work on reducing your low mood/anxiety state and increase your comfort level with others. Anything that can help improve your quality of life is definitely a good thing!
Related Reading from Dr. Bolen, your IBS Guide:
Source:
Sararoudi,R., et.al. "Type D personality and quality of life in patients with irritable bowel syndrome" Journal of Research in Medical Sciences 2011 16:985-982.
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PPIs and C.Diff. Diarrhea Risk
The FDA has issued a safety report regarding a possible increased risk of developing diarrhea from Clostridium difficile (C.diff) for those taking proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). PPIs are medications used to reduce stomach acid for the treatment of digestive conditions like GERD and peptic ulcers. PPIs are available by prescription and over-the-counter.
The FDA recommends that if you are taking a PPI and you develop ongoing diarrhea with watery stool, abdominal pain and/or fever, you should immediately contact your doctor. In addition, if you taking a prescription or an over-the-counter PPI, the FDA recommends minimal use to address your symptoms to avoid increasing your risk of C. diff. diarrhea. You can find a list of common PPIs here:
I bring this to your attention due to the fact that some of you may deal with GERD alongside your IBS. Certainly the last thing you would want to do is to increase your risk for an acute digestive tract infection. If you are taking a PPI, I would recommend that you speak with your doctor as to the risks involved and to explore alternative medications.
Source:
"Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) - Drug Safety Communication: Clostridium Difficile-Associated Diarrhea (CDAD) Can be Associated With Stomach Acid Drugs" FDA Website February 12, 2012.
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Is Your Doctor Right for You?
You will see that one of the questions has to do with physician bias against functional disorders. To me, this is a make or break issue. Stop me if you have heard this before, but I was once absolutely stunned by feedback that I got from a nurse working in a GI office that performed clinical trials on IBS. She told me that she was so glad that she read my book, because she finally had a sense of how awful IBS can be. Prior to reading the book, she always thought "What is their problem? Its not like they have cancer." I was horrified. Here is a nurse, who is getting paid to work with IBS patients, displaying such an utter lack of compassion. My eternal optimism hopes that she is in the minority. My practical side isn't so sure.
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Digestive Enzyme Supplements
It seems like you cannot visit any online IBS support group without someone recommending the use of digestive enzyme supplements. If you have been considering trying this option, it is important to be educated about the pros and cons. The following article will offer you an overview of the most common types of digestive enzyme supplements available over-the-counter:
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Helpful Digestive Health Articles
Time for another round-up of some of the great articles my colleagues here at About.com have written. I have hand-picked each article so as to offer information that I think may be of use to all of you in terms of your overall digestive health. There are quite of few of them, so you may want to bookmark this page as a reference as you won't want to miss any of them. Enjoy!
From Amber Tresca, Guide to Inflammatory Bowel Disease:
From Jane Anderson, Guide to Celiac Disease:
From Sharon Gillson, Guide to Heartburn/GERD:
From Julie Wilkinson, Guide to Colon Cancer:
- Symptoms of Colon Cancer: What to Watch For and Why
- Advice About Bright Red Blood in Stool
- Pros and Cons of Virtual Colonoscopy
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IBS and the Appendix: Part Two
Quite a while ago I discussed an interesting theoretical article about a relationship between the appendix and IBS symptoms: "IBS and the Appendix: A Unique Theory". Many years later, a person who claims to be the author of that article found my blog and left an thought-provoking comment:
"Very good, that Dr Bolen mentioned the issue. Remember: it regards pain in some millions of people! A heavy responsability. As the writer of the article I have a right to answer. Being retired I cannot do any trials anymore. The only thing I can do is saying : THINK. F.i. about the definition of 'unnecessary surgery', in our case: unnecessary appendectomy. Generally accepted is the definition: 'removing a noninflamed appendix'. In my view it should be: 'surgery that does not resolve the problems of the patient'. Both are with hind sight. In my expierience, and in literature, (laparoscopically) removing an non inflamed appendix in a patient, having painful attacks in the RU quadrant for months or years, has 80% chance of success! In these few comments the results are devided. Proper selection is mandatory, especially in cases of possible IBS."
Since IBS is such a complex problem, I am always reluctant to disparage any new perspective on the disorder. This doctor feels so strongly about this that it is a shame that he or she is retired! Judging by the other comments on that post, the relationship between IBS symptoms and appendectomies appears to be quite murky. Perhaps some researcher will be inspired by this discussion and work toward finding some definitive answers.
More from Dr. Bolen, your IBS Guide:
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Digestive Enzymes
I have finally tackled a long overdue series on digestive enzymes. I know that many of you have heard the term bandied about as possibly being helpful for IBS. My first article in the series, offers you basic (okay, maybe a little boring) information about what these enzymes are and why they are important for the process of digestion:
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