Can not chewing food well enough make IBS-D worse?

[DiaperedTeddyBear]

Lately I've been having some very bad IBS-D episodes. Today I've had to run to the toilet at least twice an hour, and over the past week I've had several close calls where I almost didn't make it.

After a few of these episodes I've looked into to toilet and saw some food that was almost completely undigested. I often rush when I eat and don't chew my food as much as I should. Could that be causing intestinal irritation and making the diarrhea worse or is the undigested food just a side effect of the IBS? Does anyone have any experience with this? I'm curious if anyone has noticed a correlation between the severity of their IBS-D and how well they chew their food.

 

[Edgewater]

Not well experienced with IBS-d, but your rapid eating is likely causing several problems.

Our digestive system does much better when the food enters it well chewed! It is why we have cutters across the front and crusher in the back and have twice the number of crushers.

Clearly, speak with your MD, but at the same time, slow down the eating. Enjoy what does in, develop a joy of tasting what your eating. By the way, how much do you drink while eating, like are you washing down the food?

Once again, not well experienced with IBS-d.
With hope someone that is will provide more detail!

 

[detectiveblutomindpretzel]

Don't know much about IBS-D, but I have had some issues with gastroparesis in the past. Making sure your food is properly chewed is important in terms of preventing issues because it just causes your stomach to work more.

 

[DiaperedTeddyBear]

Clearly, speak with your MD, but at the same time, slow down the eating. Enjoy what does in, develop a joy of tasting what your eating. By the way, how much do you drink while eating, like are you washing down the food?

I take my time when I'm eating something like dessert that I really want to enjoy, but I've always had the habit of eating quickly. I drink a lot while I eat, which is probably why I'm able to swallow after only chewing 3 or 4 times since I usually take a drink after every bite to wash it down.

I've mentioned my IBS to my doctor in the past, but he didn't seem too concerned. I've thought about going to see a GI doc about it but I think there might be nothing they could do and I hate talking to doctors about poop issues.

 

[chamberpot]

there are some things that just do not break down , sliced mushrooms, or corn come to mind

 

[Edgewater]

I take my time when I'm eating something like dessert that I really want to enjoy, but I've always had the habit of eating quickly. I drink a lot while I eat, which is probably why I'm able to swallow after only chewing 3 or 4 times since I usually take a drink after every bite to wash it down.

I've mentioned my IBS to my doctor in the past, but he didn't seem too concerned. I've thought about going to see a GI doc about it but I think there might be nothing they could do and I hate talking to doctors about poop issues.

Your eating habits are not helping your ISS-d issues at all! Most doctors assume that most people eat with a bit more involvement than you are applying! Your current method is assuring the results you are seeing.

Work at finding foods that you enjoy as much as dessert.

Short term you will see the results you are seeing now! If you choose to continue on this road, you are looking a have a bag placed to intercept the waste! Changing that bag multiple times a day has zero fun connected to it!

 

[ltaluv]

Drinking during meals causes your digestive tract to move things along faster, and can lead to diarrhea. If you're having IBD-D issues, try limiting your fluids around meal times. You can still take in the same amount of fluids, but try to drink them at least half an hour before or half an hour after you eat. You

 

[DiaperedTeddyBear]

there are some things that just do not break down , sliced mushrooms, or corn come to mind

True, but normally those are just part of the poop and not separate chunks of food. When I have really bad IBS I can eat an apple and then poop it out again an hour or two later and it looks like a chewed up apple with some mucus like I had vomited it up right after eating. (In that case I don't think chewing is the problem because I like apples and I chew them into very tiny pieces before swallowing.)

 

[DiaperedTeddyBear]

Your eating habits are not helping your ISS-d issues at all! Most doctors assume that most people eat with a bit more involvement than you are applying! Your current method is assuring the results you are seeing.

Work at finding foods that you enjoy as much as dessert.

Short term you will see the results you are seeing now! If you choose to continue on this road, you are looking a have a bag placed to intercept the waste! Changing that bag multiple times a day has zero fun connected to it!

Way to scare me @Edgewater. One of my worst fears is needing a colostomy, and the thought of having poop come out of a hole in my side is horrifying. Now I might be a little biased due to my ABDL tendencies, but I'd much rather deal with a diaper than a colostomy bag. Let's hope it doesn't come to either.

 

[ltaluv]

Way to scare me @Edgewater. One of my worst fears is needing a colostomy, and the thought of having poop come out of a hole in my side is horrifying. Now I might be a little biased due to my ABDL tendencies, but I'd much rather deal with a diaper than a colostomy bag. Let's hope it doesn't come to either.

I can't think of a situation in which an ostomy for incontinence would not be elective. If you have to get an ostomy as a non-elective procedure, it's usually for cancer, severe IBD, FAP, or perforation due to injury or diverticulitis (though this is not intended to be an exhaustive list). If your fecal incontinence is severe and gets to the point of severely impacting your quality of life, you might be offered an ostomy, but you could decline it.

It's also not as bad as you think having an ostomy. I'm quite fond of mine, which I find to be kind of cute.

 

[BigAl2]

I can't wait until i can eat solid foods. April 15th i go for my 1st dentures appt. I hope you get your IBS under-control soon. Bliss.

 

[DiaperedTeddyBear]

It's also not as bad as you think having an ostomy. I'm quite fond of mine, which I find to be kind of cute.

I'm sure it's not, but our fears often don't make sense. I'm not sure I would ever like having one, but I'm sure I would find a way to deal with it if it ever became medically necessary.

 

[slimjiminy]

Lately I've been having some very bad IBS-D episodes. ... After a few of these episodes I've looked into to toilet and saw some food that was almost completely undigested. I often rush when I eat and don't chew my food as much as I should.

I'm not a doctor: but there are some foods that just come out looking undigested- corn for example. For IBS-d, if you google it, you'll discover that certain foods can cause the diarrhea in some folks. For me, the list is approximately:

• Coffee (black in my case)
• Oily foods, like BBQ/fried meat, french fries or hash browns etc.
• Even popcorn, popped in vegetable oils (includes microwave popcorn)
• Apples, pears etc. due to high levels of fructose (or juices)
• Cruciferous vegetables (includes cabbage, asparagus, cauliflower etc.)- this includes coleslaw

There's more, but I can't recall it now. I found that I could have peach slices however, since the fructose levels are lower than in apples/pears.

The problem with IBS-d treatment, it takes a lot of experimentation to find out and eliminate what is affecting you. Start with the above list, or better, those online and keep a log. Obviously, chewing your food may help also.

 

[ltaluv]

I'm sure it's not, but our fears often don't make sense. I'm not sure I would ever like having one, but I'm sure I would find a way to deal with it if it ever became medically necessary.

Few people actually do like having an ostomy, and those that do generally have long-term conditions that make an ostomy the best among bad options. In my case, 35 years of ulcerative colitis, and the last ten years of that with idiopathic constipation, made having a colon pretty unappealing.

That said, I don't mean to derail your thread. I hope you're able to find a solution to your IBS!