IBS Success Story: How Lauren Found Relief from IBS and Microscopic Colitis

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 diet and lifestyle to find freedom from your IBS symptoms. I’m your host, Jesse Wong, FMAP, dietician, and a gut experts. 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 to 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. Before we dive in, I want to let you know that enrollment for the IBS Freedom Group Program is now open, and this is the final group of 2025. We only have six spots, and once they are gone, that’s it.

(00:59)If you’ve been struggling with bloating, diarrhea, constipation, or food anxiety, this is your chance to finally uncover your triggers and take your life back from IBS and Roman closing Soon you can watch my free IBS relief masterclass to learn more about program structure or go straight to our program page to grab your spots. Hi everybody. Welcome to another episode of the IBS Nutrition podcast. Today I’m here with my amazing team and co-host, Brooke Keenan and also one of our past clients. Lauren here to share her IBS success story and how she overcame her IBS. And also one more diagnosis, which is inflammatory bowel disease, one type of IBD. Hi Lauren. How are you doing?

Lauren (01:49): Hi, Jesse and Brooke. I’m good. How are you?

Jessie (01:51): We are good. Thank you so much for joining our podcast and sharing your story. Your story is so inspiring and by sharing your story, this is going to offer a lot of hope and inspiration to others who are currently struggling with IBS or even IBD. So I’m going to, let’s have you go ahead and introduce yourself. Who are you, what do you do? Feel free to share as much as you want or as little as you wish.

Lauren (02:20): Okay. I’m a postgraduate from university. I recently finished up my degree in criminology and psychology. Currently just working as a server in a few restaurants doing administration work for weddings, which I actually quite enjoy. On a more personal note, I like to spend a lot of time outdoors. I love to run, do yoga, spend time in nature. I’ve recently picked up reading in the last couple years as well, so yeah.

Jessie (02:48): That’s amazing. I know your picture to pictures you send us. I can tell that you’re a very outdoorsy person. Yeah. Well, tell us a little bit about your life before having IBS or before getting diagnosed.

Lauren (03:03): My life, before IBS was very active going back to middle high school. I was the kid that did every sport on the map, jumping from practice to practice, balancing academics and music as well. When I graduated high school, activity level slowed down a little bit, but hitting 2018, which is a year post high school, I started experiencing some IBS symptoms, diarrhea, urgency, bloating, pain. Went to my family doctor about it, didn’t seem to offer much support for me. Gave me access to a low FODMAP sheet with not a lot of instruction. I did end up go seeing a naturopath who did help me quite a bit. She diagnosed me with sibo, did her protocol, which did help. I improved, my symptoms improved for about six months. After that, my symptoms kind of slowly started to creep back. We did the protocol again and then nothing else seemed to help. So I had her stumped a little bit to myself as well. So I did go back to my family doctor and just told him that nothing has gotten better over the years and he did schedule a colonoscopy for me. And then I got my diagnosis of microscopic colitis from that as well as IBS. So that’s kind of a little bit about my past.

Jessie (04:26): Yeah. Well, thank you for sharing that. And I do want to let listeners know that sometimes alternative medicine date, yes, it helped in your case, however, it is short term and it’s really not getting to the right diagnosis. And I want to caution people sometimes with alternative medicine, the harm is being done when you’re not getting the actual diagnosis. And I think what you did really well here is going back to your family physician and really advocating say that, Hey, my symptoms really haven’t improved. I tried these, it didn’t work, and I need more tests. And it’s really important for anyone listening, if you’re struggling with GI symptoms, go see a gastroenterologist. And before you do, because you only have 15 minutes with whether it is your family physician or a gastroenterologist, you have to make sure you convey your symptoms and the problems very clearly so that they can order the right test for you.

(05:21)And in Lauren’s case, you had, I’m glad you went back, because sometimes we don’t go back and they seek more alternative medicine. And that can be where the harm is because once you went back, you actually got the right diagnosis, which is inflammatory bowel disease. And that can be a risk factor. Well, with IBS and IBD, both of these are risk factor placebo, which treating it is important. But with sibo, like many GI conditions too is if you don’t know what is causing the SIBO and just treating the sibo, it can come back and it can treatment less effective. Okay. Sorry to cut you off there. Let’s keep going.

Lauren (06:03): Yeah. So when I got that diagnosis, I did meet with a gi. He didn’t offer a lot of support to be completely honest. I think both of you were quite shocked of what he prescribed me. My symptoms did improve a little bit, but when I did have my follow-up with him, I did express that there were still symptoms I weren’t happy with, still things I was experiencing. And all he had to say was, maybe it’s your diet. And I was like, okay, Brooke

(06:36): So helpful. So that kind of left me to do my own research. And so when I came across you guys and your unique program, I just thought I would give it a try.

Jessie (06:49): Yes. And I think with IBS or even IBD two, sometimes certain recommendation is to trial, but then if it doesn’t work and if you’re recommended a diet or if you suspect anything coming from a diet, it’s really best to work with a GI dietician who knows what they are doing because there could be so many different types of triggers from a person’s diet. And these different types of triggers causes different reaction, which actually makes understanding a food trigger extremely complicated because testing one food is different than testing another food and what symptoms you’re watching out for. So yeah, Lauren keep telling us, well, tell us about the programs. What was our process and how did it help you?

Lauren (07:35): When I came across your program, the way you one-on-one support your clients was something you don’t find a lot. I find the weekly group sessions I found really helpful meeting people everywhere that was suffering from the same symptoms. It helps you feel a little less alone. The lifestyle challenges were also really helpful. I often go back to those and use them as tools, so thank you. And then journaling, I actually found really helpful. The fact that you would be able to go back and see like, oh, maybe this was a trigger or I felt this way after I ate this was really helpful and very organized. I feel like when you’re given the low FODMAP diet, it’s really hard to do that yourself, to be able to track everything yourself and not have somebody look at your journal every day and be like, oh, maybe suggest this or do that instead. So I found that really, really helpful.

Jessie (08:35): Yeah, so what Lauren is talking about here is actually our clients have access to our electronic medical records system where you put everything in there as much as we want. What we usually have our client track is the food they’re eating, also documenting the symptoms they have, either it’s with the meal or after the meal or even the next day because again, to different foods triggers different symptoms and usually triggers different symptoms at different times. So having that record, we can see a trend. We can also see when symptoms occur, we can go back a day or two days or even sometimes three to four dates to see what you consumed before, whether that food could have caused the symptoms a few days down the road. So those are very helpful for providers and I think, not to discredit doctors, but it’s just impossible for doctors to offer that kind of support or having that knowledge if it’s food related triggers.

(09:31)Now I’m glad the journaling was helpful and we are able to support you with that. And I think what we do too is to comment on your journal on a weekly basis beside the group meetings to check in, Hey, it’s Friday, let’s check in before we go into the weekend. And then on Monday we check in to see how things have been going over the weekend to make sure everything is going in the right direction because GI symptoms also change very rapidly if something happens and we need to respond to it and give you another plan if something does happen. Is that something you experienced while we were working together?

Lauren (10:08): A little bit, yeah. One second I’d be fine. And then hours later the next day my symptoms would act up and I would be like, oh, what was that? You guys usually had a suggestion, which was helpful. But yeah, I did experience that a little bit.

Jessie (10:24): Yeah. How was your food challenge share with the audience? What was the food challenge? How was the elimination diets? And then the challenge.

Lauren (10:35): I had done the elimination diets before, but then was lost on how to properly reintroduce things. So that was very helpful. You guys had a whole char on certain portion sizes and day 1, 2, 3, and that was really helpful. The food challenges were interesting. It was really interesting to see what your body would do the more you add a certain thing back in. Found a couple interesting triggers, I think, but then other things were totally fine, which was great to find out as well.

Jessie (11:09): Yeah. Well, have you been cutting out those foods prior to doing the food challenges? Were there foods that you’ve cut out for a long time, but one that you actually can tolerate it?

Lauren (11:20): Yeah, there was a couple things that I was just afraid to eat. I knew they were high FOD maps and I was like, oh, if I don’t eat them, I’ll be fine. So there were certain things that I did test that I hadn’t eaten in a really long time, and one of them was okay, and one of them I think I just had to portion it and then I would be fine. But yeah, it was just really interesting. And then being able to eat foods again I hadn’t eaten in years was great.

Jessie (11:49): That’s amazing. What foods are those that you are talking about right now?

Lauren (11:53): Pitted fruits. I stayed away from pitted fruits for a very long time. They’re all high fog map, but I was able to enjoy cherries this summer and peaches, and they were great if I just portioned my sizes, I had no problems at all lactose, I’ve still yet to try, just I haven’t had it in years.

Brooke (12:19): That’s what I was going to ask you if you were still, so have you tried lactose-free

Lauren (12:25): Products? Yes, yes. And I used to be strictly no dairy at all. I thought that was it when I first started experiencing symptoms. So I cut dairy the first thing and never added it back in. But working with you guys, I tried lactose-free stuff, which has been so fine. So I’ve yet to try adding lactose back into it, but I will at some point just because that would be interesting to know

Jessie (12:57): For sure. Yeah, make life a lot easier when, I mean, because you can still use some lactates if you tolerate it, but most likely my guess would be you can tolerate some amounts of it, but

(13:11): How much you can tolerate would be very helpful in guiding future or future tools or what you need. Yeah. Oh my God, that’s great. Yes. Pitted fruits actually has two types of thought maps. So a lot of people do find that they trigger symptoms. However, in our experience, again, identifying the root causes of your symptoms, removing the problem, right, resolving the root cause first before trialing the font maps,

(13:37)People would usually tolerate more and more of the font maps and be able to eat all of them. Again, and we’ve set this in other episodes, but I just want to say it again, is FODMAPs aren’t good for our guts. Don’t cut them out completely. They’re fermentable carbohydrates. They’re prebiotics. They feed our organic ribs. So if you can tolerate some of it, then incorporate them back into your diets because when you’re feeding your microbes, the prebiotics, when they thrive, you are going to feel better as well. And in the long run, better for symptom management. I saw this at my friend’s account today, actually, the IBD dieticians, she said the food, using food to manage symptoms. I can’t remember how she say it, but what she’s saying is not about what you’re cutting out, it’s really about what you’re adding back in as well, because that variety of plant food really helps us build a better foundation when it comes to our guts and our gut microbiome. Yes. So yay. Was there any other food that you reintroduce and find that interesting?

Lauren (14:43): Yeah, garlic and onion were also a big one. I’ve come to notice that if the onion is cooked or in a sauce, it’s fine, but if it’s raw in a pico or in a salad or something, I tend to get more bloated symptoms. Not necessarily diarrhea or anything, but it feels very like there’s a balloon floating around in my stomach. But yeah, that’s something I noticed. And small amounts of garlic seem to be okay as well, so that’s really nice.

Jessie (15:16): Yeah, that’s great. Yes, with some of the foam maps, because they are fermentable, so they will cause more gas, but then it’s okay that it’s going to pass and you can still eat some of it without triggering the diarrhea or more severe symptoms. Well, thank you for sharing all of that. What about the lifestyle challenges? What did you find very helpful when it comes to shifting your lifestyle?

Lauren (15:42): I found the gratitude lifestyle challenge really helpful. Also a little bit challenging as well. So when you’re going through symptoms, sometimes it’s hard to pick out something you are grateful for, but that one was very helpful, kind of opened your eyes to see the bigger picture of like, oh, I’m grateful for this even though I’m experiencing some symptoms, and that’s okay. The humming one was really helpful when you’re driving somewhere just hum along to the radio or something like that, I still do that. Yay. But yeah, I would probably say those two were the most helpful for me.

Jessie (16:21): And with the lifestyle challenges, like you said earlier, is that there still are tools for yourself to continue to improve your symptoms and better manage them. Oh, I love that gratitude challenge as well. Sometimes it’s hard to see the big picture when you’re stuck in a flare. Yeah. Okay. Anything else you want to share? How is your life now?

Lauren (16:42): Actually, it’s good. Definitely still working through a couple of bad habits, but I know that comes with time, but I don’t get anxious to leave my house anymore. Traveling has become better, actually. I had a few big events this summer where I would usually take Imodium and I did not, and I was 100%. Okay, yay. So I can’t remember the last time I took one, actually. So that’s a big step.

Brooke (17:17): That’s amazing.

Lauren (17:19): So it’s more of just a tool in my toolkit if I need it, but I’m not going to use it unless I really have to. And then just being able to go places and not be super concerned with needing a bathroom, although that’s still just an anxiety trigger a little bit still, but it’s not the one thing I’m constantly thinking about when I leave the house, so that’s really nice.

Jessie (17:47): That’s a huge win. Yeah, really is. And as state goes by, the confidence will continue

Lauren (17:52): To build. Yes. Yeah. Back when the GI first described his treatment plan for me, I was taking a lot of a certain supplement and then working with you, we had to find my baseline, so cut that off. And now I take it only once or twice a day compared to is like five times when I first met with you guys. So that’s been really great as well.

Jessie (18:17): Yeah, bringing up supplements that is really good to know, knowing what you need and not taking it excessively. Talking about supplements, I think when you started the program, you’ve actually used a lot of supplements in the past, is that correct? Yes. Can you tell us what you’ve used in the past? Do you remember?

Lauren (18:38): That might be a tough one.

Brooke (18:41): Most of them were prescribed by the naturopath. Yeah. So I have it. I have it in your notes. I looked at your note. Yeah. You couldn’t remember ’em all in your note, but it was Oh, the probiotic.

Lauren (18:53): Yeah.

Brooke (18:54): Oregano, l berberine chase tree capsules. And that was probably the SIBO protocol.

(19:04)And what you were taking that you’ve cut back on is Metamucil. And I do think we did, and I think we’ve spoken about this before, sun Metamucil and sun fiber are kind of go-to, so we tried you on the sun fiber and that did not work, so we put you back on the Metamucil. That just worked much better for you. And that’s why it’s a good message to tell people that trialing different fiber supplements is okay. They are different. We hope they work in a similar way, but Metamucil was, or cilium was a really great product for you.

Jessie (19:40): Yeah, and I think what I wanted to ask in my message to others listening too with the SIBO protocol, some of the stuff may be evidence-based, but they’re usually just for suppressing SIBO symptoms. They really don’t treat sibo, don’t understand what is causing the sibo. Now sibo and it’s often overlapped with IBS and IBD. The symptoms are very similar, but not everybody has sibo. However, sometimes the invalid tests that you get from these alternative medicine offices, they may not be the most accurate, and people tend to get way more diagnosis than they actually have. And then trialing different supplements. So beware and always talk to your licensed physician. Yes, sometimes it is hard to find somebody who actually listen and give you the rights recommendations, but adding a dietician on your team can really help speed up that process, like getting to the right diagnosis and actually identifying if you have any food triggers or not, or if there’s any red flags, which in your case, if we had seen you sooner, if we had seen the amount of diarrhea you have, we probably will have pushed for that colonoscopy sooner. Maybe even an endoscopy as well to see if there’s anything else going on. So it’s really important to work with licensed professional who works in the realm of evidence-based medicine. Yeah. Well, Lauren, any other things you want to share? Or actually any word of advice for people who are listening to this who may be struggling with their GI symptoms right now?

Lauren (21:16): I would probably just tell people to be patient and kind with themselves. It’s not an easy process, but if you find practitioners that will work with you and support you like you guys did, it is 100% worth it.

Jessie (21:31): Yeah. It’s possible to find freedom to break free.

Lauren (21:34): Yeah.

Jessie (21:34): Yeah. And you were saying earlier, I think before we started recording, looking back a year before this last year compared to this year, how big is the change?

Lauren (21:46): A big change? A huge change. Yeah. Last year I wouldn’t want to leave my house. I was using all my sick days and I felt like I had no control over my health. But yeah, now it’s a complete 180.

Jessie (22:04): Well, thank you for sharing that. Yeah, it’s amazing. And it really gives people a lot of hope that they can too manage their IBS and not let it control their life.

Lauren (22:16): Yeah.

Jessie (22:18): Well, Lauren, thank you so much for sharing your story with us. We love it and it’s going to help so many people out there. Well, thank you so much, Lauren, for joining us. And I wanted to say something, we work with a lot of ladies well in our programs, all ladies and a lot of ladies are in their sixties, fifties, forties. And then a lot of ladies are in their twenties. And Lauren is one of the younger ladies who are in our program. And one thing I want to say is that don’t wait until you are 50 or 60 or when you are about to retire to tackle your symptoms. You can start sooner so that you don’t let IBS take over your whole life. And yeah. Lauren, do you have anything you want to add to it?

Lauren (23:03): I will make a comment. I guess a good example of that would be my dad struggled with the same symptoms. He had worse symptoms than I did when he was about my age. He did all the tests. He did get colonoscopies and stuff, but nothing ever really came out of it. But yeah, I’ve been telling him about the work that I did with you guys and he actually did think about it and was trying a couple things himself. And he has happened to improve by doing a couple of them. So yeah. That’s helpful. That’s great.

Jessie (23:40): Yes. That’s great to hear. Use what you’ve learned to share with him and get him.

Lauren (23:45): Yes.

Jessie (23:46): And for everybody else listening, don’t wait until you are retiring to tackle this because your life can be so much better when your IBS is under control. Alright, thank you so much, Lauren. Thank you, Brooke. If today’s episode resonated with you, don’t forget and Roman for the IBS Freedom Group Program is happening right now. And this is the last group we are running in 2025 and spots are limited. They are already filling up. This is the best time to start working on yourself so you can feel better and be ready for year end travel and holiday gatherings without constant bathroom anxiety. You can start anytime in September or early October. The door closes September 30th. Learn more at ibs dietician.com/group-program. We look forward to supporting you inside our structured small group program. Thank you for tuning into the IBS Nutrition podcast. We hope today’s episode has brought you closer to understanding and managing IBS.

(24:52)Remember, you are not alone on this journey and finding freedom is possible for more on IBS. Make sure to follow us on your favorite podcast platforms and please leave us a five star review. We would really appreciate that you can access links mentioned in this episode 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 health and happiness.