Bowel & IBS

[Batwoman]

3 years ago I became very unwell, after going to a restaurant for dinner. I was sick up to 10 times per day for a whole year and a half afterwards, I would just eat the food then a couple of minutes later it would come straight back up. My bowel movements would go from diarrhoea to constipation. During this time my weight fluctuated, I would lose a stone then gain half a stone, then lose it again. I have been in and out of hospital getting various tests done from endoscopy, colonoscopy, barium meal and various blood tests to test for helicobacter pylori and celiac disease. They have all came back clear.
I can become very bloated and look about 5 months pregnant. I faint. When I am unwell, it floors me and I have to take time off my work, I can't get out of bed. At times I feel like my body is failing me and I don't see a solution to my suffering. It has affected me socially, where I have had to cancel my plans to go out.
The sickness has eased in the past year, I am only sick now when I eat chocolate, short crust pastry, cakes, egg and certain foods I am unfamiliar with. I am currently seeing a dietician, she put me on an elimination diet. During this diet when I started to add in certain foods everything began making me sick, egg, full fat milk etc... At the moment I am sticking to semi-skimmed milk, but I still feel my diet is limited and I am still very bloated. I don't feel the diet has been beneficial, at the beginning it made me worse.
I also suffer from Migraines.

[Dr Nick Read]

it sounds as if the meal stirred things up in your bowel quite a lot. Do you know why? Did you have food poisoning? Was the context of the meal upsetting? Was there a particular food that was off or upset you? Sometimes symptoms of food poisoning can continue even though the cause has gone. Research suggests that an emotional upset, depression or anxiety occurring at the time of the meal may keep the symptoms and the reaction to specific foods going. This is often associated with an increase in bowel sensitivity. One of your major symptoms is bloating. Have you tried eliminating or cutting down on those foods that are fermented releasing gas. These include many fruits, especally those containing stones, apples and pairs, milk, wheat, pulses, brassica (sprouts, cauliflowers etc), in other words FODMAP foods. if you have a sensitive bowel you will tend to react to those foods. Just look at your diet and see if you are taking quite a lot of any of these foods. if you are, cut them down..For more information go to The IBS Network website and look up the self care plan .(www.theibsnetwork.org/the-self-care-plan/diet)