Hi Crista. Welcome to the forum.

Like you, I've suffered from IBS for very many years (over 40 in my case).  A few years ago the situation became worse when I had several bad attacks of bacterial diverticulitis.  My GP was concerned and referred me for a colonoscopy.  The colonoscopy was clear for cancer and confirmed the diverticular disease.

My IBS continued to get worse so my GP referred me to a dietician. The dietician put me on the low "FODMAP" diet.  This involves cutting out whole groups of food for 3 months or so, then cautiously re-introducing them.  It is VERY HARD GOING, and for a long time I was convinced I wasn't benefitting.  However, I eventually discovered that I was reacting badly to two of my favourite foods: beans and mushrooms.  I was also reacting less severely to dairy/lactose.  

I eliminated beans and mushrooms from my diet, and drastically reduced the amount of lactose (which doesn't mean eliminating dairy completely). I changed every day milk to Lactofree and Almond milk. I stopped having lattees and went to black coffee with a small drop of milk... And I'm 100% better on this new regime.  

I know that it's working, because last week I slipped and ate some food containing mushrooms. That night I was in agony as my body cleared it from my system, but within a day I was back to being ok.

So, please try to approach the colonoscopy with calmness.  If there's anything to find, they'll find it and you can have whatever treatment is needed.  They'll also take the opportunity to remove any suspicious pre-cancerous growths that many people have, which will reduce your future chance of bowel cancer considerably, and they may find a cause for some of your IBS symptoms. 

When you feel ready, you could also ask your GP about the FODMAP diet, but please don't try this on your own without any medical backup. It is simply too difficult without assistance.

Good luck.

Thank you telemando.

I have already discovered some triggers just by noticing the reaction after a lots food groups and particularly ready meals that we have had more of because of another illness that has meant I can do less cooking.

My reactive foods are red meat, acidic foods, high fat, onions. The fodmap diet does sound a good way to go in the future.

Hi Crista.  

Onions are a definite possible trigger, but to the best of my recollection, red meat isn't. However, it could be that the meat is being cooked with some other ingredient that's a trigger, and that's misleading you.

I recall being able to eat roast meat (beef, chicken, pork and ham) provided it wasn't cooked with something prohibited. That meant a lot of time spent at the Free From section of the supermarket, and even more time reading the fine print of the ingredient only to be disappointed when the very last item on the list was prohibited!  Surprisingly, you don't have to cut out all dairy, just dairy components that include lactose, so you're allowed hard (but not soft) cheese. 

This is why I recommend no one should embark on this process without proper advice, because you could easily end up mistaking something for a trigger when it isn't, and end up cutting out the wrong thing. My final list of triggers is really small: beans, mushrooms, and dairy with lactose in excess. 

Also, you only stay on the full exclusion diet for a few months until all your symptoms have settled - then you re-introduce groups to find out which ones are triggering you.  The full exclusion diet isn't particularly healthy; for example, nearly all fruit is excluded, so you shouldn't stay on it forever. 

Hi telemando thsmks for the reply

The beef and ham were bought as fresh meat from the butcher and cooked at home so there were no other triggers cooked with it but I did eat it with other products that could be the cause. Chicken, Turkey and fish are fine.

The one food I would miss is fruit because I only eat organic and home grown produce.

Did you have the stool test showing high levels of inflammation? This is the reason they think it's bowel cancer.  I don't think why me but it's too much to contemplate another cancer.

Hi Crista. 

The removal of fruit (and honey) is only a temporary measure, unless (alas) you find that fructose is one of your triggers. The timing of my FODMAP tests meant that I missed an entire strawberry season - dreadful!  Fortunately, however, I can tolerate fructose ok so fruit and honey are now back in my diet. 

I didn't have a stool test for inflammation, but I did have a clear stool test for blood.