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Living with IBS can slowly take over your life — your food choices, your confidence, and your ability to travel or socialize. For Sarah, it meant extreme food restriction, canceled trips, significant weight loss, and being told by providers that her symptoms were “just stress.”

In this episode of the IBS Nutrition Podcast, Sarah shares her honest IBS journey — from being dismissed and not getting the right medical testing, to finally being heard, rebuilding her nutrition, and reclaiming her life.

Sarah lived with debilitating abdominal pain, diarrhea up to eight to ten times per day, nausea, vomiting, food fear, and significant weight loss for nearly a year. Despite following restrictive diets, eliminating major food groups, and even undergoing gallbladder removal, her symptoms continued to worsen. In this episode, Sarah shares what finally helped her heal, why IBS recovery is not always fast, and how personalized care and advocacy changed everything.

This conversation highlights an often overlooked truth. IBS healing is not linear, and longer recovery timelines are common, especially in severe or complex cases.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

✔️ What severe and long standing IBS symptoms can look like

✔️ Why extreme food restriction and elimination diets can worsen IBS over time

✔️ How lack of proper testing can delay accurate diagnosis and treatment

✔️ The role of stress, anxiety, and the gut brain connection in IBS symptoms

✔️ Why working with an IBS trained dietitian matters

✔️ How structured food journaling and reintroduction rebuild confidence with food

✔️ What life looks like after IBS symptoms improve, including eating out and traveling

✔️ Sarah’s advice for people who feel stuck, dismissed, or afraid to eat

Timestamps:

[00:00] When Sarah’s IBS symptoms began

[03:52] Weight loss, malnutrition, and feeling dismissed by providers

[06:01] Extreme food restriction and ongoing symptoms

[08:01] Why general diet advice was not enough

[11:02] Diets tried before joining the program

[13:10] Gallbladder removal and unanswered questions

[14:12] Missing medical testing and advocating for care

[20:43] Stress, journaling, and symptom patterns

[26:45] Eating out again and rebuilding confidence

[28:10] Travel, volunteering, and life after IBS

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