what a weird weekend
#193890 - 07/10/05 04:15 PM
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I find that most of the time, like this weekend, I really feel fine when (as I am most of my time) I am safe nearby in home and eat reasonably, but the second I get in a car/go to someone's house I lose it! Besides hypnosis tapes, what can I do to get over the phobia aspect of my problem, the fear of not getting to a bathroom? This weekend I was fine until I was about to go to someone's house, then I felt this severe pressure but couldn't go in the bathroom, but the pressure didn't go away. I walked the very close distance to the house almost in tears (forced myself) and when I ate a bit felt better!
Granted I'm gonna try now the eating plan VERY strictly, but the reason why I'd cheat is because cheating wouldn't mess me up very much (I'd barely notice) if I'm always near a bathroom! Maybe it's bad that I'm usually near them, never learn properly...
K ranting I'll stop now! 
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For me, besides using the hypno, the way I "got over it" was to just keep forcing myself to just do it, no matter how bad I felt. I have to admit that my fiance being by my side has definitely helped me so much in the past year. My goal a few years ago was to be able to go to a concert. I knew if I could manage that with the bathroom situations at a concert, I've definetly made progress!  Needless to say, I actually went to a concert Friday night, even though my tummy was acting up all day and still felt a little funny while I was there, and I survived with no anxiety. (Yay me!  ) This is the 3rd concert I've been to since last summer. The first I went to last summer I was pretty bad and my tummy wasn't even acting up that day.
I think they call that desensitizing and it's actually a party of therapy for phobias.
Anyway, I know if I can do it, ANYONE can do it. I was pretty bad a few years ago...couldn't even make it to a store 5 min from my house.
Good luck!
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I know exactly what you mean. Until I started the "diet", I could barely leave the house. Even on it though, I would wear a pad just in case and always stopped at the bathroom when I first got to the store. For me it wasn't until I started on an AD for anxiety that I was able to leave without "protection", and then it just became a matter of time to where I could go into a store and not bolt straight for the bathroom immediately. In fact, until I started typing this, I didn't realize that I had been able to do that. Yippee!! See, it happens W/O you even realizing...You'll get there, it just takes a little time, unfortunately.
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Everything in life happens for a reason, patience will eventually tell us what that is......
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It is so wonderful to find out that others look for the closest restroom or plan their trips around knowing where they are. My IBS symptoms are much improved but I still struggle with that stupid FEAR. I'm not on any AD's right now and hope to break the cycle of fear by desensitizing. It would be so wonderful to just get up and go somewhere without all the planning that I do.....I know the scene so well, stay home no D, go anywhere and boom D! I hate that so much. But life is improving I just have to be patient.
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Franny
IBS/D
Celiac
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Franny...
#193922 - 07/10/05 07:31 PM
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Alyson McG
Reged: 05/20/05
Posts: 317
Loc: Vancouver Washington (IBS-A, but D prominant)
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Franny, what I can now find humor in(only because it isn't an issue right now with me) is that I wouldn't even have to step foot out the door to have to "go". What I mean is this, I could be planning all morning to go out, but once it got with in 10-15 mins of when I needed to leave, it would start! I felt like such a freak for soooo long. It's so nice to know others feel like this too. Well not good that they do, but that someone can relate...:) Alyson
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Everything in life happens for a reason, patience will eventually tell us what that is......
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When I first heard on the hypnosis tapes how your stomach freaks b/c of the thought of going out, I thought, wow, it's not just me! Sometimes I wish I could just have something serious that could be operated on, y'know...as bad as that really would be...
I have to research this desensitizing bit. The thing is though, for me, recently it's gotten worse. If you go out have a bad experience is that effective for desensitizing?
argh 
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Re: Franny...
#194138 - 07/11/05 09:47 AM
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Sand
Reged: 12/13/04
Posts: 4490
Loc: West Orange, NJ (IBS-D)
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That phenomenon was actually a joke around here. We'd get all ready to go and I'd announce, "Well..." and my husband would say, "I'll get the car, open the gate, and meet you out front." It was truly amazing: perfect calm all day and then as soon as it was time to walk out the door...
I'm much, much better now - not perfect, but better. Three things helped:
Heather's diet
SFS
Immodium (I take one pill about an hour to and hour and a half before I leave - I used to take two pills)
If it's a big trip to a strange place (read, "I don't know where there are bathrooms"), I take Donnatol instead of Immodium. It makes me a little spacy, but it's worth it right now.
I guess I've kind of been doing a desensitization thing without really thinking about it, but to me it's more bootstrapping: Heather's diet and SFS reduce the symptoms so the Immodium works; the Immodium working makes me feel like I can go out with some safety; going out with safety make me more comfortable about going out; being more comfortable with going out makes it less likely I'll have an attack when I do go out, so I get more comfortable. And so on.
And I started small. The 10-minute drive to the library used to be a white-knuckle event. Now I do it without thinking about it most of the time.
HTH.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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"Heather's diet and SFS reduce the symptoms so the Immodium works"
I also found immodium doesn't help so much when messing up the diet or rather doesn't solve everything.
I find when going somewhere I end up fasting at least some time before, does this help? I can't see myself advocating this sort of thing but I'm always doing it...
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Re: Franny...
#194186 - 07/11/05 11:25 AM
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Sand
Reged: 12/13/04
Posts: 4490
Loc: West Orange, NJ (IBS-D)
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Quote:
I find when going somewhere I end up fasting at least some time before, does this help? I can't see myself advocating this sort of thing but I'm always doing it...
If fasting works for you, then so be it. I have two problems with that approach. First, I'm not really the fasting type. Second, if I wait too long to eat, then when I do eat, I usually get a very, very strong reaction from my digestive tract. Yuck.
For me, the diet and the SFS are the big things. Immodium is the icing on the cake, albeit a very necessary icing still. However, you can do a Search on Immodium and you'll find that some people take it everyday as a preventative measure and some people take 2, 3, 4, or even more every day.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Interesting. BTW what's Donnatol, do you need a prescription to get it?
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