Barbara Keaton

I planted bronze fennel quite some years ago….it was lovely & didn’t spread too much. I made sure to cut the seed heads if I was harvesting them…or to compost if not, so they would not scatter and sow. I did, also, collect the fennel pollen for use in cooking…some interesting culinary uses to check out (do a web search). Unfortunately after a number of years my “bronze” reverted to type and morphed into a typical fennel plant…”bronze” no where to be seen. Oh well, it’s still fennel, just a “basic” presentation of it.

@ R Ranson: Our bodies sure are complicated vessels, bringing both joy and consternation. Glad you finally have a diagnosis, it must be a relief, as all that wondering is worrying! Getting older brings new surprises now & then….like in the way-back (younger self) I was always kinda smug about not having any allergies. Ha! Imagine how my smugness disappeared with adult-onset allergies and food sensitivities, and the older I get, the more “surprises” crop up.

I hope the path you now follow will bring you healing and relief….even if you must be wistful for some of the goodies of which you can no longer partake.

Also, if you find particularly good books that you depend on, perhaps investing in copies to build a little reference library, if you are able, would be a good idea.

To quote Erasmus, a classical scholar, “When I get a little money, I buy books; if there is any left I buy food and clothes.” I have that quote pinned to my wall, well, because yay books!

Agree with many of the comments listed above, particularly a low FODMAP diet as a place to start….the good ol' elimination diet!

My IBS, a condition which, by the way, can be hard to diagnose, has gotten worse over the years, so I recently met with my Dr. to discuss options. She ordered for me to take a SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) test; it's a non invasive breath test, but must be prepared for & meticulously executed over a period of several hours; it is done at home & FedEx’d to a lab. Anyway, for me, the results came back in "moderate" range and can account for many of the more intense symptoms I’ve been experiencing. SIBO has a tie-in w/ IBS, or so the current thinking has it. I have not yet started the treatment; there are two medications prescribed (and my insurance company had to approve them) and is followed by several months of a VERY restricted diet & I wanted to wait until after the holiday season and all the food-abundant gatherings there are!

Anyway, I post this as added information to what others have offered. Maybe other readers might want to look into SIBO as a possibility, as there are many conditions surrounding the gut that can mimic others. Researching it and discussing options with your physician is a start. I’m lucky that my Doc is a holistic practitioner (she’s the one who suggested the test….I’d never heard of SIBO before) & willing to work with me.

Here are some sites that may be helpful:

Heather’s site for IBS related stuff (someone else mentioned her products on this thread); you can sign up for her newsletter, which is helpful, as she passes along the latest findings & has good advice; I use her Acacia Senegal soluble fiber and peppermint capsules (I buy my own bulk fennel seeds from the local co-op to make fennel tea)
http://www.helpforibs.com/news/

An abstract from the National Institute of Health on SIBO
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3099351/

I ordered a book ‘The SIBO Solution’ from them; it mentions FODMAP as well as having lists of OK and not OK foods while being “treated”. I don’t know that one would necessarily buy the book if there is not a diagnosis (particularly the medical-treatment phase), but it’s worth checking out the website. It is written by a lay-person, not someone in the medical field, and is based on her journey through the process.
https://hollywoodhomestead.com/sibo-solution/

Hope this is of use to someone out there in online land....