Sensitive tums?

As we get older we begin to lack the enzymes to digest certain foods and as we slow down our appetites decrease .

I regularly see a friend who was constantly on diets and now she's losing weight as her appetite is reduced. She was an 18 and is now a 14 in a dress .

I've always had IBS .
Over the last two years it's far worse.
I'm on high strength antibiotics at the moment and will compensate by eating bio yoghurt.

I wouldn't worry about it unduly though perhaps you need a check up with your GP .
Make your diet as healthy as possible and take a multivitamin .

Thank you. In touch with GP at present because of very low B12 and an overload of calcium? which has yet to be sorted. I shall certainly mention the digestive problem to him. I am discovering that lots of little niggles seem to arise and I hoped that I had sorted my aging as much as possible.

GP has prescribed B12 tablets for three months.

I would check with the Dr if you can get to see him. I have Coeliac disease but for many years was told it was IBS.

Mum has had so many digestive problems for the last few years, in her 80’s, fish seems to suit her best, in all its many forms.Chicken doesn’t, strangely.Also too many veg seems to be bad for her especially broccoli and cabbage, sprouts and cauliflower so she avoids those.Also too much dried fruit.
We are all different of course so I suggest keeping a food diary for a few weeks.

LilyoftheValley

I suppose that this is a type of Piece of String question really. I have a good appetite and enjoy many different types of food. Over the past few months, however, I have been experiencing having a tum which does not keep the food for very long! Constant loo trips within an hour or two of my lunch/dinner.

I use herbs, wine and pepper for flavour but have never wanted really hot or spicy food so am careful about amounts of spices that I use.

What I am asking is - might this be a sign of age? 80 in January and I suppose there must be the inevitable "wrinkles" in my tum as well as face!

Have other Gransnetters experienced the like?

Wondering if I ought to stick to roasts and grilled food which may be easier to digest.

If you have developed urinary frequency especially passing a lot of pale-coloured urine, tell the doctor.

If you have persistent diarrhoea tell the doctor.

Sounds so much like my issues!

I had problems when I started eating muesli with various nuts and seeds. I reverted to my porridge and problem has stopped.

Delete one thing at a time from your diet, for at least a week, and see if it makes a difference.

I have just done so, due to a tummy behaving like yours, and have realised that I have become allergic to milk. After a completely milkless week, I tried lactose-free milk and found it suits me. I can still eat cheese and put a little cream in my coffee with no ill effects.

I decided to check if it was a food allergy before going to my doctor, and kept a diary of what I had eaten. This narrowed the cause of these upsets down to either milk or bacon. So far I have not tried eating bacon again.

Unfortunately mine is self inflicted, I eat sensibly and healthy 6 days a week, but for the past 6 weeks I've had alot of lovely Christmas invitations for meals and its playing hell with my digestion, but hey its Christmas that'sthepricewepay, enjoy it then back to normal in the new year....HAPPY CHRISTMAS

Thank you for the suggestions to lilythevalley . I will try some of them too, as well as continuing taking Calcium tablets which help me. My problem started after open heart surgery.

LilyoftheValley

I suppose that this is a type of Piece of String question really. I have a good appetite and enjoy many different types of food. Over the past few months, however, I have been experiencing having a tum which does not keep the food for very long! Constant loo trips within an hour or two of my lunch/dinner.

I use herbs, wine and pepper for flavour but have never wanted really hot or spicy food so am careful about amounts of spices that I use.

What I am asking is - might this be a sign of age? 80 in January and I suppose there must be the inevitable "wrinkles" in my tum as well as face!

Have other Gransnetters experienced the like?

Wondering if I ought to stick to roasts and grilled food which may be easier to digest.

Ditto I’m 80 next year and have had IBS, probably since I was 17 , but no one diagnosed it in those days. Always eaten well and enjoyed various foods but with almost anything I ate I was off to the loo with stomach cramps and diahorrea of various strengths. Lately it has been changing sometimes I can go for days without an issue, other days I’m fine, til I get to bed and relax and it starts up, leading to 1/2 hours/ hours on and off in the bathroom! I also have chronic kidney disease and all this makes me very fatigued! I have discovered that it makes little difference WHAT I eat, it seems random, but I’m better eating small portions of everything! But I enjoy food and sometimes the pleasure of eating something nice overcomes me being sensible. I am finding that cutting down and only eating 2 meals a day has improved the IBS, but now I’m getting a touch of constipation! You can’t win. Yes as I have aged the symptoms have got worse, and are altering, but that is one thing that we can do little about. I have B12 injections every few months, which according to my blood test results are helping tho I feel no difference! I have found that after bouts of running to the loo taking replenishing electrolytes ( Dioralyte ) helps and there is a new product out called Dioralyte relief, which I assume must have some sort of light Imodium type content as that works well once the worst of a bout after eating is over…try it? Good luck.

I ended up in A and E with unbearable stomach pain ( worse than childbirth) and a scan showed that I had a hole in my bowel. Caused by diverticular disease which I didn’t even know I had, but it’s very common in over 60s. Had experienced moderately severe stomach pains on and off for years, assumed it was irritable bowel as stress, certain brands of coffee and lager on an empty stomach ( social club after playing badminton at the hospital where I worked) set it off but who knows, maybe it was diverticular disease all along. Now make an effort to eat more fibre and drink lots of water ( except during flare ups when fibre has to be restricted) - 4 hospital admissions in just over 2 years but have not had one ( touch wood) since I started making my own water kefir. And I make sure I have some ground flaxseed every day. Hope this helps someone, if you want to make your own water kefir ( milk kefir is widely available in supermarkets but I try not to eat too much dairy as I think I am becoming milk intolerant) then you may be able to find someone locally who will supply the grains for free rather than pay for them- I found a local lady through a Facebook group who traded a portion of kefir grains for a coffee and a chat in the cafe in a nearby park!

I had this problem and sent off for an allergy and intolerance testing kit (from York Test). Discovered I am intolerant to dairy having eaten it without a problem all my life (now in my 70s). Within a week of cutting out dairy the constant trips to the loo stopped.

I have found that I cannot eat food with palm oil in, slowly but surely it seems to be creeping into more and more foods. I have enjoyed Tesco’s hot cross buns for ages, side I can’t eat them. I checked the packet and a small label says new recipe….now contain palm oil!

I found every time I went on holiday or to stay with my DD I had an upset stomach. After researching it I found it was the change in water, eg soft water to hard water, or bottle water abroad. I take 1 immodium each day from when it starts and that settles it while I get used to drinking the new water supply usually after 2 or 3 days.
Wine is made from grapes OP also has a laxative effect perhaps try eliminating that from your cooking
HTH best wishes

I don't normally post but appreciate all the interesting threads. I have long periods of diarrhoea. I find that taking prebiotics first thing in the morning improves the situation. I also take a probiotic. Lots of things I can't eat also but you get used to it.

I am lactose intolerant so I have to be careful with dairy but, as I’m not prepared to go without it, I buy lactase enzymes either from Holland & Barrett or online. It means I can still go eat for a cream tea with friends!!

Oops, typo. I mean ‘out’.