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IBS-C & Cheese

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 3/20/2006 7:58 PM (GMT -8)
I have IBS-C (possibly to be changed to Crohn's this week). I have severe chronic constipation and I love cheese - all types.

I was wondering, for those of you who also suffer from IBS-C, do you eat cheese? Are there certain types you stay away from? Certain types that don't bother you at all?

I know that too much will bind you, but I'm curious as to what you may or may not do.

Thanks, Sherree
Posted 3/20/2006 8:17 PM (GMT -8)
Hi starrnr,
When I had IBS-C I had a problem with cheese and pain (cramping). I still have the pain and cramping even though I am not IBS-C anymore. I absolutely love cheese and if I want to cheat I have to do it in moderation. This is usually more prevalant in the orange cheeses, the white cheeses are not as tough on my gut but I still have to keep those in moderation also. That is the one food that bothers me that I can't have since I love it so.
Posted 3/20/2006 9:24 PM (GMT -8)
Are you a little lactose intolerant maybe?

take care
Posted 3/21/2006 7:44 AM (GMT -8)
Oh definitely, but yogurt and cheese (I thought) never really bothered me. I'm just trying to figure out how to 'eat' since I had a 'lovely' cleanse (colonoscopy prep) last week. Apparently, I've been doing more harm than I thought with the way I've been eating all these years!
Posted 3/21/2006 8:06 AM (GMT -8)
I have IBS-C & D it goes back and forth. I have stopped eating cheese and dairy products, except Soy milk and Yogurt. I seem ok, but I have nasty smelling gas. I love cheese also, ate it almost everyday!
Posted 3/21/2006 9:18 AM (GMT -8)
I was under the impression that diarrhea, not constipation, was the major symptom of Crohn's and the other IBDs.

Do other dairy products bother you? Have you tried laying off them to see if your constipation gets better or worse? Dairy is a trigger for some people, but not for all of us. My recommendation, if you haven't tried it already, is to not eat any dairy products for two weeks and see if your guts get any better. Then add a daily dose of dairy back into your diet for a week and see if anything changes. If not, then you may want to try a week with two doses of dairy daily and see if that does anything. I figure if it doesn't make you worse, why not eat it? If you do find that it makes you worse, then only you will know whether cheese is worth 1/2 an hour on the pot and a sore bumhole. Sometimes all of us trade off health for something we really love to eat, but for the most part we abstain in order to feel better.
Posted 3/21/2006 9:28 AM (GMT -8)
Keriamon, I was under the exact same impression. However, there are quite a few CD sufferer's that have chronic constipation, along with right sided pain and other symptoms (like I do). My GI doctor found ulcers that looked to be Crohn's during my colonoscopy and I'll have the results this week. I was rather shocked when he said that - it never ever occurred to me before. I'm betting it's not CD, but it would make all the sense in the world if it was.

I don't do dairy except for yogurt which doesn't bother me and cheese, which I thought didn't. I don't drink milk, eat ice cream (which I love), cream sauces (which I don't like anyway) or anything else. Besides the obvious GI discomforts, I start coughing horribly as I get a feeling that my throat is closing up. It isn't, but it feels that way. Gotta love our bodies...but it sure doesn't love us back sometimes.
Posted 3/21/2006 11:10 AM (GMT -8)
Wow, I hadn't heard that. But ulcers could be UC or they could be some sort of microscopic colitis that's different from UC but I don't know how.

Throat closing up? Maybe you're out-and-out allergic to dairy, not just lactose intolerant. You may want to try and see an allergy doctor for that one, because not only would regular dairy products bother you, but there are dairy by-products, like casein, in a LOT of foods that could be causing you to have an allergic reaction. Unless I miss my guess, ulcers can be caused by constant allergic reactions. Especially if you don't get a conclusive reason for why you have them, then see an allergist and get tested for food allergies, starting with dairy.
Posted 3/21/2006 11:37 AM (GMT -8)
My GI doctor mentioned the possibility of Crohn's when we were done with the scopes. Like I said, shocked me. I also went to the Crohn's board and asked about having constipation rather than diarrhea as a symptom and was told yes as well. Go figure.

As for the throat closing...it's just a feeling really, doesn't really happen. I think it's more a feeling from the coating that the dairy leaves. I rarely eat it or drink it so it's not an issue. Yogurt and cheese do not do this. I did drink lactaid when I wanted a bowl of cereal (with no problems), now I drink rice or almond milk instead. I don't care for soy milk and found these were pleasant enough. My one remaining food allergy is chocolate (I had lots of food allergies when I was a child). I can eat very dark chocolate (72% or more) without any problems, but not milk or white. I rarely eat that as well...

When all of this is settled and I know what I'm dealing with, I will discuss getting tested for allergies with my doctor's. Certainly can't hurt. Thanks for the suggestion.
Posted 3/21/2006 12:07 PM (GMT -8)
Well maybe try lactaid pills before ingesting any dairy and if that helps then you'll know (without having to get tested)...

I have crohns and yes, it is common for CDers to also experiance constipation even while having D...similar to alternating C & D with IBS...strange but true.

take care
Posted 3/21/2006 12:40 PM (GMT -8)
Hey! I too, can eat cheese and yogurt but milk makes me have D and gas and pain like none other! Ice cream gives me a horrible stomachache too. I'm not lactose intolerant, but i'm pretty sure i'm allergic to casein. It sucks..what I would kill for a milkshake.(my favorite!)
Posted 3/21/2006 3:04 PM (GMT -8)
The other thing is that the fat in milk may be bothering you. I think cheeses may be lower in fat by volume (at least I know some are made from part skim milk). Ice cream certainly is full of fat. Most yogurts are not made with whole milk.
Posted 3/23/2006 7:44 AM (GMT -8)
Hi,
I have had IBs for a while now but it took ages t figure out whether it was IBD or not as when i had my colonoscopy the doctor saw rectal and sigmoidal ulcers. In the end the biopsies were normal and it turned out to be something called solitary rectal ulcer syndrome. They are treated with prednisilone suppositories. I had never heard of it before but it sounds like thi could be your prob if it doesnt turn out to be crohns. When i have them i pass mucus with blood in it. They are caused by chronic constipation. That used to be my main prob b ut no so in last 3 wks as ive turned to ibs d!
Tori
Posted 3/26/2006 10:12 AM (GMT -8)
I have crohn's and I love cheese as well but I do not eat it because it gives me the c's really bad and to me it is just not werth it...........
Posted 3/27/2006 1:26 PM (GMT -8)
I used to love cheese but eat it in moderation now..
You know sometimes its worth your sanity to have a little of whats not good for us...
To be sane you have to be a little crazy...
Good luck xx
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