To wonder how long FODMAP diet takes to help?

[HedwigCrookshankScabbers]

I am in the elimination phase of the FODMAP diet and have been doing it for a little over two weeks. I'm finding it's massively helped with the bloating but I'm still in quite a lot of pain / still getting a fair amount of nausea. If you've done FODMAP did it help with any other symptoms of IBS other than just the bloating and if so how long did it take to help you?

The recommended time is 8 weeks before starting to add foods back in, it can take up to that long for things to settle down. As IBS is so variable from person to person the FODMAP results can vary too.

I had a huge difference within a couple of weeks. I mean a life changing difference. I went from being in so much pain I couldn't eat to feeling pretty much fine. It was magic.

Do you have a dietician you're seeing? If so I would suggest you give it another few weeks and then speak to them if your symptoms are persisting. It maybe that your stomach pains are not fodmap related in which case you might need further investigation.

Do you have a dietician you're seeing?

I don't unfortunately. The NHS won't refer me and I can't afford to go private.

It was 6 weeks for me, then we worked out it was pesky little legumes. No more falafel for me but I'm so much better!

I had to sit my GP down and point out the guidance on the NHS site about having a dietician when doing the Fodmap diet before they referred me. It's worth another try with your GP, taking along the relevent guidance, though be prepared for a three month wait. My experience was my GP knew next to nothing about IBS and fodmaps.

You might already have it, but the Monash university app is awesome and I couldn't have managed without it. If you don't have it I really can't recommend it enough. It'll help you double check you're excluding all the relevent foods as it's really easy to miss stuff and then wonder why you're in agony.

@BigleyBadgers it was my GP who recommended FODMAP a few years ago but I never did it. Now they just tell me "it's just IBS" and basically just deal with it

I do have the Monash app, it's absolutely brilliant. I check everything I eat. I've only had one incidence where I didn't check it in the shop but checked as soon as I got home and realised I couldn't eat it (it was gluten free wraps but one of the flours in it was red on the Monash app for one of the FODMAPs).

@SmudgeChilli did you still feel pretty rotten for the first few weeks then?

Maybe I'm expecting too much too quickly.

I had the same with my GP, but the truth was they had no idea what they were talking about.

There is so little understanding of IBS in GPs I've found its infuriating.

It's so frustrating isn't it @BigleyBadgers

Low FODMAP and low fibre has been life changing for me. I got severe bouts about every six weeks so it was after that time that I felt it must be helping. Eight months later I was still clear. Unfortunately I've had a couple of bouts since Christmas but think I must have been a bit careless. I saw a dietician privately but I only saw her twice so it was money well spent imo