Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Best strategy for morning wake up triggering?

I don't think so. As my gut calmed down I used Imodium less and less. Basically, as long as I eat on program, I don't have food-related attacks. Remember, though, if it turns out you do need half an Imodium every morning for the rest of your life, that's not such a bad thing compared to suffering an IBS attack every morning of your life. The point is to be able to live your life without IBS controlling it. With luck diet along will get you there. If not, then whatever it takes.

The lingering problem for me is that I suffered so much with IBS for so long before I found this approach that my anxiety level about my IBS was sky-high even after the diet changes and Acacia worked big-time. It's a sort of learned panic which - of course - just triggers the IBS. That's gotten a lot better over time but it's not completely gone.

It may be you won't have that problem. It sounds like your IBS is of relatively recent origin so once you stabilize on the EFI diet you may be able to say, "Okay, that's done with" and go on with your life. If IBS-induced anxiety does turn out to be a problem for you, too, I suggest you try the hypnosis program. I started it ages ago but never finished - other health issues popped up and interfered but I'm about to start it again. Alternatively, there's something called "cognitive behavioral theory". This has come up before on the Boards but I had pretty much forgotten about it until someone posted about - and I read - "Riches, Romance, and Restrooms". The author talks about cognitive behavioral therapy.

As I understand it - and I'm sure this is a gross oversimplification - hypnosis works with the subconscious. At a minimum, it seeks to relieve anxiety thereby reducing IBS symptoms indirectly. At a maximum, it seeks to directly reduce the symptoms by changing whatever is going on inside your head/gut connection.

On the other hand, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) works with the conscious. A therapist will discuss your IBS fears with you and help you decide which ones are realistic and which ones aren't. She then helps you change your thinking about the unrealistic ones so they can be discarded and teaches you coping mechanisms for the realistic ones. Symptom-wise, CBT is aimed solely at eliminating the anxiety and thereby reducing IBS symptoms indirectly; it makes no attempt to directly change the head/gut connection. However, the coping mechanisms are designed to make you comfortable in situations you may have feared or avoided due to IBS-anxiety.

Sorry, this got long. I've been turning this over in my head for the past few days and you got the overflow. I do hope some of it is helpful. Bottom line, use drugs right now - Imodium, anti-anxiety, whatever - as needed to live your life the way you want; stick with the EFI guidelines and an SFS to get stable and figure your drug use will almost certainly decrease as you stabilize; and if you need further help with the anxiety component of IBS and would prefer not to be popping Ativan for the rest of your life, try hypnosis or CBT.

Take care.

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