Is Everybody With IC Bothered By Foods?

[twiggy]

Just curious ... must everyone with IC watch what they eat? I know I eat pizza and it doesn't bother me that much. I have soooooo many food allergies that I am not about to give up the few things I can eat. (I am completely allegeric to milk, beef and some fruits. So, I eat pizza without cheese. I refuse to give this up. I also drink decafe tea.)

[Annie2]

Twiggy,

There are a few ICers who are not sensitive to foods but the vast majority do react to at least some foods. Foods can effect us in different ways, too. Some have increased frequency when they eat a trigger food, others experience more pain and still others have an increase in both pain and frequency. The only way to know for sure how you respond to foods is to keep a food and voiding diary, follow the diet for a few weeks and then, one at a time, introduce new food items. Your pain and voiding diary will tell you how you are responding to these foods.

I, too, have a number of food allergies so following the IC diet is a bit more limiting to me. I am deathly allergic to almonds and also to fresh, uncooked, tomatoes, shellfish, corn and corn products and many fruits including fresh pears. It does make it harder on those of us with food allergies to maintain a balanced diet and avoid problems. I do the diet, however, because I am very food sensitive and following the diet reduces my pain and frequency dramatically. I do understand how hard it is to give up some of these things. Giving up my decaf tea was so hard!!! To me, however, it is not worth eating those things and then being in pain and tied to the bathroom afterwards. I guess we each have to weigh this decision in our own mind.



Annie

[Sarojini]

Hi Twiggy,

I am not as sensitive to foods as some ICers on these boards are, but I do still have my triggers. Beer is a big one, as is all red wine. Dr. Pepper is another trigger. Interestingly, SOY is another big one... soy sauce is out of the question, and all of those Atkins bars and things that are made with soy flour to reduce carb content are all no-no's for me. Artificial sweeteners of all types are forbidden in my world as well. In the past I've had trouble with certain cereals -- Smart Start is one -- but others, like Cheerios, are okay. It must be a difference in vitamin levels and preservative levels. Even with Prelief, I cannot eat any of these things.

However, I have milder reactions to tomatoes than a lot of people do (so I do eat pizza still), and I can get away with drinking ONE Coke or ONE cup of coffee if I take 3 or 4 Prelief with it. 'Course, I can't drink a six-pack of Coke like I used to love to do... I can eat some spices that are listed on the "Usually Problematic" column of the diet, too!

I don't really eat citrus fruits anyway, so that wasn't a big loss for me, although I can drink 1 small OJ with Prelief -- but I can eat almost all types of berries and watermelon, which are my fave fruits.

So... as you can see... everyone's different in how sensitive they are to things. It's a trial and error thing... and can be totally frustrating. But it IS worth it to find what triggers you

[ICNDonna]

Nearly all ICers have some food and drink triggers. Tomatoes are on that list for many ICers --- I'm also allergic to tomatoes and anything containing tomato so that one isn't at all tempting for me. I have found that feeling good is more important to me than eating any one specific food. Are you also allergic to goat cheese?

Sending an encouraging hug,
Donna

[Mimi-in-Chicagoland]

I never had the food sensitivities that most ICers have. That just made it worse for me because most treatments didn't work. I tried the diet for 6 months before my doctor would do any drugs other than elmiron and I was in agony. I do have some triggers. Cranberry, obviously. Oranges did, but now I'm allergic to them. Deep dish Italian pie with tons of sauce. Raw tomatoes are no problem and I will eat spaghetti or pizza if I'm not in a flare. Lots of aged cheese. Mountain Dew (not even a taste...but its the dietary equivalent of battery acid) Nitrites like pastrami, hot dogs, pepperoni, etc. Nutrasweet. One piece of dentyne will put me in a flare. :yikes:

Its not a food, but prednisone. That stuff is awful. I retain and feel like I have to pee all the time. I wouldn't be able to take prednisone for more than 3 or 4 days. There is no way I could go for months on that drug.

[Mimi-in-Chicagoland]

Donna is right. Its not worth a flare to eat a food that will make me flare. Its just not tempting. (except a wee little bit of cranberry relish at Thankgiving.) My husband didn't understand how I could pass up pizza (his favorite food). He finally understood when I showed him that ad for Nexium that shows a piece of pizza that looks like a saw blade. I told him that's how pizza felt on my bladder. He really got the message. I know Nexium isn't for IC, but the message is very clear about how food affects people. I do suggest pizza for dinner when I feel that I can stand to eat it.