www.incontinentsupport.org

During this summer, I have struggled with the emergence of fecal incontinence (F-IC). I've had some close calls while "out" and some "fails" at home. F-IC is never welcomed. While working through this, the first order of business was to get suitable protection while away from home. Urinary issues are trivial by comparison, at least in my experience. Until I have a "wardrobe malfunction" of the F-IC kind, I have adopted the NS Supreme Lite (plain white is cheapest), plastic pants over that and held in place with fixing/compression pants. I've tried using my underwear shorts and they just don't feel as right as the compression pants. The compression pants holds everything in place, even if a tape should come undone, and keeps the outline slim. Furthermore, when I pee, this uses more of the frontal SAP rather than accumulating it all between your legs. This makes the arrangement more comfortable if you need hours worth of protection.

Let's talk about diet.

At first I blamed coffee. And it does in fact act like a laxative. But over the summer, I discovered that it is more likely to be related to cabbage. I love Cole slaw, which is cabbage. Websites talk about IBS and "Cruciferous Vegetables". Apparently they are called "Cruciferous" because their blooms resemble a crucifix.

Cruciferous vegetables to avoid when you have IBS include:

• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Cabbage (including sauerkraut)
• Brussels sprouts
• Kale
• Bok choy
• Collard greens
• Radishes
• Arugula
• Watercress

However, if you quit these, other vegetables are recommended in their place. When I had quit coffee, I found that I was feeling very slothful, with no motivation or energy. Before I started drinking coffee again, I found that taking one wake up (caffeine) pill got me going again. That might work for you if you do have to quit coffee/tea.

Since I have cut out the Cole slaw that I ate almost daily, the worst of my F-IC problems have cleared up. When I am staying home, I can again enjoy my morning coffee (with a toilet nearby). And with the F-IC armour described above, I can confidently go out knowing that I should be "covered" for any emergency. There have been a few times that I have left the house feeling iffy. And thankfully, nothing further developed allowing me to enjoy life away from home. We've all felt so cooped up with the pandemic, that now more than ever, it has been important to just be able to go out.

My F/IC issue is slightly different than yours. However, if you do develop a paralyzed GI system, this list will become handy. If you begin to develop blockages, taking small, carefully controlled dosages of these foods may become useful. Good luck and keep us informed.

I should have added that I found this list online was related to those with IBS and diabetes. Although other IBS sufferers have a similar list as far as I know.

Ug, I have suffered again!

I have been able to drink a cup of coffee (no more than 1/day) without anything more than a trip to the bathroom an hour+ later. But today, I suffered by an IBS-D accident at noon. I blame it on the fresh pear I had yesterday. I made it as far as the driveway but failed to get into the house without an accident. To make matters worse, I was just wearing a pull-up because this was just a "quick trip". Thankfully, the pull-up caught it all as I waddled carefully into the bathroom to cleanup and shower.

Because this is not a frequent problem, it is hard for me to accept the measures I need to take.

I thought I'd share my updated diet lists.

To avoiding IBS-d. Avoid:

• Oily substances (including microwave bags of popcorn)
• Spicy anything
• Cruciferous vegetables, particularly cabbage (I love cole slaw)
• Apples/sauce/juice, which is high in fructose
• Pears (fructose)
• Coffee (acts as a laxative)

I also found the following to help get regular:

• Probiotic yogurt (Activa at the moment)
• A little bit of cheese each day

The little bit of cheese each day has helped a lot. I also found that I can get away with 1-2 peach halves for dessert. Peaches have fructose but at a lower level from what I've read. I can also get away with modest amounts of tea. This comes in handy when going out for breakfast.

I want to try sauerkraut. Apparently, because it is fermented, it doesn't offend the GI tract.

Despite this diet, there are still days where IBS-d prevails. It's a work in progress.