IBS Success Story: How Dr. Laura Healed Her Gut, Resolved Chronic Diarrhea, and Got Her Life Back in 4 Months

Jessie (00:00): Welcome to the IBS Nutrition Podcast, your go-to source for navigating the complex diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome. Here we dive deep into IBS and discover the power of diets and lifestyle to find freedom from your IBS symptoms. I’m your host, Jesse Wong, fo map dietitian and a gut expert. For years I suffered from debilitating gut symptoms that kept me out of work, feeling constant discomfort in my body and anxious around food. Today I’m in control of my IBS, able to eat the food I love, again, travel whenever I want, and spend quality time with loved ones. It is my mission to help you do the same and transform the way you live with IBS. Let’s get started. Hi everyone. Welcome to another episode of the IBS Nutrition podcast. If you are somebody who struggles with IBS diarrhea, you don’t want to miss this episode we have today, Dr. Laura with us. Dr. Laura is actually one of our clients and someone who struggles a lot with IBS diarrhea and she will be sharing her IBS Freedom story with you to tell you what we did with her that get her to today where she can travel freely. She still a little bit worried about symptoms, but she doesn’t have symptoms anymore, so we are so excited. Well, Brooke, my amazing co-host is here with us too. Brooke works with Laura directly in our small group programme. Hi, Dr. Laura.

Laura (01:22): Hi. Thank you so much for having me.

Jessie (01:24): Well, thank you so much for joining us and we love our clients coming on here to share this story because it really give a lot of hope to people who are struggling and especially with IBS is so debilitating. It’s not life-threatening, but it is so debilitating and it really affects a person’s quality of life. So thank you for sharing your story. It’s intimate, but it’s hopeful and it’s really, really helpful for listeners. Thank you.

Laura (01:51): Absolutely.

Jessie (01:52): All right, so let’s get started with some of the questions. Laura, if you don’t mind, tell us who you are. Feel free to share as much as you want or as little as you wish.

Laura (02:01): Well, I’m 59 years old. I’m turning 60 this year. I work in the medical field. I have two college aged daughters that have been away for their third year and first year. My husband is an architect and we have a house full of animals and I’ve always enjoyed a very active lifestyle and really have a passion for travel. But the years prior to working with the IBS Freedom Programme, I just had become more and more sick with uncontrolled diarrhea that was impairing every aspect of my life and I had lost all hope. And I think that you using the word hope in your introduction is really key because I felt so isolated and really almost lonely with problem because nothing was helping and no one had been able to improve my symptoms. So I was so grateful to find you.

Jessie (03:11): We’re so grateful for your trust and we’re so glad. You are much better now. Absolutely. Okay, well tell us maybe a little bit more about your IBS nowadays. What diagnosis did you have and what were you struggling with?

Laura (03:26): Well, my primary struggle, the only symptoms that I recognised were really severe uncontrolled diarrhea. It started off initially in isolated bouts and progressed to where I was having 12 and 15 bouts a day of diarrhoea. I had lost 20 pounds and everything was just a mystery to me. And anything that I tried did not seem to have any impact or effect. Eventually, during the very beginning of the IBS Freedom Programme, my gastroenterologist obtained a definitive diagnosis of SIBO or a small intestinal bacterial overgrowth after grossly positive breath test. And I had been treated maybe two years prior with a single round of antibiotics, just one antibiotic on the suspicion that that’s what I had based on my symptoms. And I improved dramatically, but only for about two weeks, and then it was right back. And so I thought, well, that must not be it, and didn’t really dive much deeper. But once we got that diagnosis and I was treated with a second round of two antibiotics, and then of course your programme.

Jessie (04:52): Oh wow, thank you for sharing and oh my goodness, you’ve struggled a lot. I mean, that is a lot of weight loss that nobody should experience. And how did you find us? I’m so curious.

Laura (05:04): My gastroenterologist, Carmela Miis in El Paso, Texas, when we were doing my workup, it was kind of like the full Monty. We did all the invasive studies, noninvasive studies, a million lab tests. She had suggested that I work with you based on the premise that I probably needed to undergo a low FODMAP diet and I work in the medical field and there is no way I could have navigated that diet without you. It’s a tough one. Once you figure it out, it’s really easy and there’s so many things you can eat, but it’s absolutely overwhelming at the onset.

Jessie (05:44): Yeah, it’s very tricky. And for anybody listening, remember the low format diet is not just about restriction. It really is a very short-term restriction. But even when you are cutting out high format foods, you really want to look at what are the foods you can eat and expand on that end and not just focus on the restriction. And that’s where we see people getting into trouble with elimination diets is they restrict so much, it costs them their relationship with food and it really impacts their quality of life. So if you are listening and if you are ever recommended a restrictive diet, right, whether it is the lymphoma diet, the gluten-free diet, or any other diet for GI disorders, work with a dietitian, please don’t risk your relationship with food and causing long-term harm. And we know gut microbiome really likes variety and diversity. So if you are restricting for prolonged period, it can do harm to your digestive track. Yeah. Oh, well, I’m so glad your GI recommended you to us. I think we are getting more and more referrals from gastroenterologists nowadays, but it is hard to find the GI that buy into nutrition and or have a referral sources, right? Most people dunno where to find that dietitian or they refer out within dietitians in their system where they’re only trained on diabetes or kidney disease or hypertension. And that can further, and sometimes we see this to further put people in this diet and restrictive cycle because these dietitians are not trained on GI disorders.

Laura (07:13): Makes sense.

Jessie (07:14): Yeah, it’s a tricky ramp to navigate. And of course when it comes to diets, most people think that they can do it on their own when in reality it is a lot more complicated than just cutting out the food and try to reintroduce it. Oftentimes people get stuck on the reintroduction phase and don’t know how to. Was that your experience too when you were given the low FODMAP diet?

Laura (07:36): Well, I was not handed the low FODMAP to start. It was suggested that I work with you all knowing that I probably needed to work on an elimination and reintroduction programme. And that was probably one of the most positive things for me early in the programme, was realising how many things I can or could eat during the low fodmap. There were a few things I was sad to get rid of, but there were plenty of other options for me. And Brooke did such a great job of reintroducing things as quickly as possible, especially the things that were really staples for me.

Jessie (08:18): That’s great to hear. And that’s probably the best way to be introduced, the low FOM map diets all. Okay. Let’s keep asking you some of the questions. What have you done prior to us working together? I think you talked about getting a million tests done, right? But beside that, is there any other interventions that you’ve trialled?

Laura (08:36): Well, most of them were just these really slingshot kind of haphazard attempts by me to figure out what was causing my diarrhoea. I don’t have a gallbladder, and so my very first thought was that I needed to limit my fat intake, but I eat a pretty clean, healthy diet. I, for the most part follow a Mediterranean diet. I do eat some sweet treats and some cheats here and there, an occasional cocktail, but I don’t eat fried food. I don’t eat much junk food, things like that. But that was my first thought, had no impact. I kept trying to associate it with what did I eat yesterday, what have I eaten today? The only association I could make was anything that was high in sugar, which once I got the SIBO diagnosis made sense. If I had a very sugary drink or a dessert, a sweet treat, then that would immediately lead to GI issues.

(09:41)And I also think I had this snowball effect. We were in one of the first rounds of people vaccinated during COVID. I worked for Department of Defence, and so the military medical providers as first line providers were some of the first to receive the vaccine. And I had a huge flare in colitis with that. And then I was trying probiotics. I thought maybe I just need to improve my gut biome, which I learned may have worsened my issues. So basically it was just a lot of trial and error with no positive results until I found you.

Jessie (10:23): Alright, so tell me more about what we did together that really helped you because your case is quite significant.

Laura (10:32): Well, we did so much that it feels difficult to even remember everything we did. The educational information that comes with a programme is phenomenal. I immediately printed all the materials off giant stack of documents to be able to read and refer back to the audio video information sessions. I’ve listened to them repeatedly at least two or three times. There were occasional sections that didn’t apply to me specifically because of course some people have more constipation issues or reflux type issues, but it’s easy to sort through those. And then being introduced to other resources, for example, a meditation app that I began using that specific to the gut was hugely helpful for me in terms of dealing with stress or anxiety. If I was out in public and started feeling bad, I was able to use that and have really impactful benefits from the meditation relaxation that I learned.

(11:44)And then the biggest component, of course, navigating the additional things to remove in the beginning until my gut was able to start healing. And then beginning the reintroduction phase. I would never have known without you all that the reintroduction should occur in a stepwise fashion, both with the individual FODMAPs as well as collectively not reintroducing multiple FODMAPs at a time, controlling the portions over several days. And then also the confidence I gained in learning how to manage a flare, giving me tools and resources to cope with those immediate issues when they did occur. And then also just the bowel regime of adding fibre, taking magnesium, and then early on using the proper appropriate probiotics to also improve my gut health in the beginning. So it was a lot. It was so many things.

Jessie (12:56): It’s a lot, but it is also step by step, right? When we are working together, we tell you. Yeah, absolutely. Brook, you want to share? Do you remember much of this?

Brooke (13:04): Yes. I was just going to say one of my favourite memories of working with you was when we do in one of the lifestyle management components, humming singing or gargling for two minutes to stimulate the vagus nerve. And I remember you saying you were singing in the car, which really helped Calm down. You felt like you were going to have to go. And so you started singing and then you have gotten used to belting out songs to the annoyance. Absolutely. Kids in the car, and I say that to all my new group members, you just find a good song and you just sing along in the car no matter who’s there. And that was a really, actually, that singing along in the car I think has become one of my favourite suggestions because who doesn’t like to sing along to their favorite?

Laura (13:50): Absolutely. It’s even better than the shower, better surround sound, right? It’s your chance to embarrass your children horrifically, especially if they have friends in the car. Exactly.

Brooke (14:06): And then the reintroduction of the foods. We moved in my memory, we moved relatively quickly because you did so well and had so few actual triggers. I think we had to retest things a couple times, but when you found your trigger, you really knew it. And so absolutely added that food back in just in small to moderate amounts, which is exactly what we want people to do to keep the diversity in their diet strong.

Laura (14:36): Well, and I didn’t make it easy when we got ready to start reintroductions. I got COVID twice in the same month, and so I was also just sick. And so it was difficult to tease everything out, put everything on pause, regroup, why make it easy.

Brooke (14:55): No, that’s my middle name. Why make it easy?

Jessie (15:01): Yes. Well, let’s talk about the reintroduction process. So as Brooke was saying, you were eventually able to reintroduce all the format groups and combination of groups, right? Absolutely. How did that go while it wasn’t a smooth process for your case because of COVID, not so much because of your symptoms, right?

Laura (15:18): Absolutely. And the reintroduction is like Christmas morning, and I know that sounds ridiculous and overdramatic, but when you haven’t been well and you have all these food items that have been moved off your plate, the idea of getting them back is so exciting. And then it’s just compounded when you have a successful reintroduction and you’re like, oh, this is great. Now I get to try something different. Or also that in my case, I only had one FODMAP trigger and it was pretty late, I think in our reintroduction that we discovered it. And initially I was a little bit sad thinking I was not going to be able to enjoy that particular group. But then because of the stepwise reintroduction that occurs, I learned that I could tolerate moderate portions of those foods. So I just needed to control how much of them I ate. And rather than being disappointed that I couldn’t have that food group, it left me feeling empowered knowing what was making my gut sick and that I could stay healthy if I just didn’t need excessive amounts of that particular fodmap.

Jessie (16:33): Yes. And I think you said you had some of it over the weekend and you were okay, right?

Laura (16:38): Yes. It was delicious.

Jessie (16:40): Yes. Yes. And the key really for anybody listening with the low format map diet and the reintroduction process is to understand how much you can tolerate. Most people, I would say, coming out of our programme can tolerate, if not all the thought maps will be most of the thought maps. And they would think, oh, I couldn’t eat this food. I’ve cut it out for so long, but they can actually eat some of it. So don’t be discouraged if you’re not working with a dietitian. Still keep testing, still keep eating the food you love. Try them in smaller portions. Yeah. Well, okay, so that kind of wrap up a lot of things that we did together from creating routines, other tools to use in the toolbox and also challenging the food. What do you think was most helpful after all of this?

Laura (17:28): I have a hard time labelling just one thing because in my mind, the programme is such a cohesive, collective box of tools, like you’ve said. I think if I was only allowed to walk away with one item, it would be the expertise and professional guidance of navigating the FODMAP diet and reintroduction because I suppose the rest of it you could read and educate yourself about and try other meditation apps. I was introduced to things such as that, but the FODMAP programme is overwhelming without some guidance. And so that was probably the most important. The other thing I didn’t mention earlier that was so beneficial to me, and it was a little bit unanticipated on my part, but the group sessions were fantastic. I went into the first session thinking, I mean, I’ve got a really scientific background and I kind of got most of this, and I’ve read all the documents and I’ve watched all the videos and I’ve prepared and, but just hearing everyone’s stories and realising that there are so many people out there suffering quietly and silently with the same problems, and the kindness and compassion from a group of strangers undergoing the same journey was amazing for me.

(19:07)And so that was really, really big.

Brooke (19:09): Yeah, you had a lovely group and I think you guys exchanged emails and still keep in touch.

Laura (19:14): We did.

Brooke (19:15): Yes. So that’s lovely. I had a very supportive group and yeah, I remember it. You were all lovely people and we’re very supportive to one another, which is, and it’s just so nice to know that there are other people out there and you’re not so alone.

Laura (19:31): Absolutely. I mean, I just felt embarrassed and kind of suffering silently with this problem that was profoundly impacting my lifestyle, every aspect of it. I have a very long drive to work, and it’s on an elevated highway that there’s no exits and no rest stops. And just the idea of driving to work was terrifying to me every single day. And then I was like, oh my gosh, there’s all these other people out there that are also struggling with how to navigate their day and how to plan their day around who has a public bathroom, and it seems ridiculous, but it becomes kind of controlling. And just that peace of mind that you’re not alone is so big.

Brooke (20:19): I think too, part of it, I remember you had a flare up at one point, and it was nice to come to group and have a place to share that with people that understood instead of just maybe grumbling to your husband who doesn’t really understand. It’s like you have a place every week to come and share your trials and Absolutely. Yeah.

Laura (20:42): Absolutely. And I have the most amazing husband, and he’s incredibly loving, tender, and supportive, but I think unless you’ve been there, you don’t get it. He’s like, yeah, so you had to go to the bathroom. I’m like, you don’t understand.

Brooke (20:59): Right, right. Absolutely.

Jessie (21:01): Yeah. Well, now let’s talk about the exciting things. Now that you are done with the programme, how is your life and well, when did you finish the programme? Has it been a year or a bit more?

Laura (21:14): Not quite. I think we finished the reintroductions maybe in August, and then did we do my exit interview in October when I came back from travelling or before? I feel like it was in October.

Brooke (21:30): Yes, I think it was. And you were doing fabulously and you didn’t have to worry on your travel, so it was so great.

Brooke (21:37): Yeah.

Jessie (21:37): Well, tell us more about that trip. That was right after working together, right?

Laura (21:42): Yeah, absolutely. So we finished my reintroductions in August. I had the knowledge that I had this one trigger if I consume too much of it. And so we planned a trip and we planned a big one. We went to Croatia for almost three weeks, and we did lots of outdoor things. We took a very long, oh, 30 mile bike ride. We did several hikes that were 10 to 15 kilometres. And so those were activities where, I mean, there are no bathrooms, and I was not the least but worried about them. And the same with just touring and travelling, being in a foreign country where there’s not a lot of access to public restrooms. And it was beautiful and wonderful, and it gave me confidence.

Jessie (22:31): So glad to hear that. And before we recorded, you said something about us ending the programme and throwing you out. Would you mind sharing that?

Laura (22:42): Absolutely. So I had the same feeling at the end of my training in anaesthesia. I was like, you can’t cut me loose. I’m not ready for this. And it’s just hindsight that you realise that you’ve been given all the tools and all the resources you need to be successful. And so I didn’t feel ready to leave at the end of my reintroduction. I was afraid I would still have a flare or not know how to manage a certain situation. And first and foremost, Brooke said, you’ve always got our emails. We’re not disappearing. Your program’s just ending. And yes, you have the tools and the resources. And she was absolutely right. There hasn’t been a single day or event or incident that’s occurred that I didn’t sit back and say, I know how to fix this, or I know how to manage this or take care of this. And so it’s really reassuring and very empowering.

Jessie (23:44): I love that. Thank you for seeing it, and I’m so glad, so, so happy.

Laura (23:48): That’s wonderful. Yeah, and I remember other people saying, when I was just beginning, people late in the programme were like, oh, I don’t know. And I thought, God, it’s four months. It’s funny. And then you get to the end, you’re like, don’t leave me. And it’s all good. I probably felt that way when I moved away from home too. I don’t know.

Jessie (24:09): We probably all do. And then we venture out. And I think for your case too, you said this earlier, I think before we started recording, is because you’ve had symptoms for so long, so long, that anxiety kind of lingers. But then now take a step back, breathe, and I’m okay. I’m not going to need to run to the bathroom.

Laura (24:28): For sure. Yes. And I haven’t had a flare since August of last year.

Jessie (24:35): Yay. Yay. Oh my God, almost. Well, I think by the time this episode airs, it will be your anniversary milestone for sure. Yes.

Laura (24:45): Amazing. Okay. I think it’s so traumatic. You remember August 4th? I remember the date. But it’s becoming less and less of a thought in my mind every single day, which is really nice.

Jessie (25:01): That’s great. Yes. And that’s always the goal, is you take the control back and not worry about things. Now, last question. For people who are struggling, what are your recommendations? Maybe give people three tips and recommendations. Yeah.

Laura (25:18): Okay. Three things. Well, first of all, I believe that I might’ve already mentioned this to you all, but my first thought is just do it. If you’re here and you’re listening to this podcast, I can almost guarantee you’re having some kind of GI or IBS issues. And I struggled and tried to navigate and figure it out on my own and talk to my gi, et cetera, for I think it was probably close to five years. And in four months with you all, we sorted through everything, got a diagnosis, got the trigger, and moved on with my life. And so number one, seriously consider the programme. That’s the very best advice I have. And number two, I think I would say cognizant of the fact that some people may not have the resources to do your programme, and that’s a reality. And so I would say next to search out all the available resources to you, podcast apps, meditation apps, things that are very specific to IBS, and make sure that those resources are scientifically based, that you’re not just listening to every podcaster out on the web because there’s a lot of crazy ideas out there, but things that have good evidence-based information, evidence-based medicine, things that have been trialled and proven and shown to have a benefit.

(26:59)And I think number three is maybe finding if you, again, can’t participate in the IBS Freedom programme, find your people, find a support group, because it made all the difference in the world for me. And I just have to imagine that they’re out there, whether it’s online or in your community or through your healthcare provider, because everybody’s got resources and pooling those resources and just having the emotional support is really important.

Jessie (27:29): Yeah, these are great advice. And I would say we do have a self-paced programme of our course, which Oh, how nice. I didn’t know that. Yes, I did not know that. Yeah, it’s very affordable. And we do coaching calls on there as well. However, it does. I mean, with complex cases or with most IBS, I think the one-on-one support is going to get you to a better place a lot faster. That’s always the recommendation. But start with a free IBS masterclass. It’s completely free 45 minutes of evidence-based education to give you listeners a better understanding of what is going on in your guts instead of just guessing. Because with ibs, it’s just a lot of, I want to say the word unclarity, but that’s not the right word.

Laura (28:13): Well, and I was guessing for sure.

Jessie (28:16): Yeah. And it’s really about understanding our own body and what is going on, and then identifying triggers that cause that problem so that you are not just guessing. Yeah.

Laura (28:27): I’m so happy to know about your self-paced course because I have passed your information on to three or four people now, and I’m always, it’s very often the first question, well, how much is it going to cost? And it’s really great to know you have additional resources for everybody out there.

Jessie (28:46): Yeah. Well, I love what you are saying here too, and I think oftentimes people think that investing working in a long-term programme like this is expensive, but when you look back at all the medical bills you are getting probably from the past five years, this is a lot cheaper than everything else planned.

Laura (29:02): Without question, without question. But I just also am cognizant of the fact that some people have very limited resources, but the gain per dollar with the IBS Freedom programme is unmatched. And especially in my case, if you divided it out over five years or 60 months or hundreds of weeks, it’s less than my iced tea I buy every day.

Jessie (29:33): I’m so glad to hear that. And of course, like you said, not everybody has the resources. The self-paced programme could be a great place to start, but just watch the free masterclass. So you your verbiage when you’re communicating with your provider. And I think too, a lot of people always want to, we get this message a lot is lemme finish working with this gi. If things don’t work out, then we’ll come work with you. And that is, I always try to say, you know what, instead of doing that, add a dietitian on your team because we meet with you so much more frequently. We see what the problem is. We can recommend the right test a lot faster and a lot sooner so that you don’t have to waste time or money on maybe multiple appointments with a provider or maybe many, many tests just to cast a very wide web when we could cast a more precise web based on your symptoms so that you are not spending, we literally have a lot of patients come to us with a lot of medical depth from the tests as well. So that’s something I always recommend to people, but in people’s mind it’s like, well, I’m going to have to wait. And I understand. Yeah.

Laura (30:43): Also, in the medical field, number one, they’re not dietitians. It’s not their subject matter expertise. And I really appreciated that. My gastroenterologist was like, you need to work with these ladies. And they also don’t have the time. I mean, no, patient wants to hear that, but it’s just become the way of medical reimbursement that they don’t have an hour every week to sit with you and go through all of this.

Jessie (31:13): Yeah. When you’re meeting with a dietitian, we spend more time, we understand what’s going on. We recommend the right things a lot faster, and we work alongside your gastroenterologist. We never work alone because you need a team when managing your IBSs team efforts. Yes, absolutely. Alright, well, thank you so much. Thank you. So much Fun. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for tuning into the IBS Nutrition podcast. We hope today’s episode has brought you closer to understanding and managing IBS. Remember, you are not alone on this journey and finding freedom is possible for more on IBS. Make sure to follow us on your favourite podcast platforms and please leave us a five star review. We would really appreciate that you can access links mentioned in this episodes in the show notes to learn more about your type of IBS and how to identify your own food or lifestyle triggers. Register for our free IBS masterclass, three steps to IBS Relief for our proven holistic three steps approach to managing IBS once and for all. Head to ibs dietician.com/masterclass to register. Until next time, take good care of your gut and here’s to your help and happiness.