Can Somebody PLEASE help me? End of rope slipping!
#275060 - 07/20/06 04:35 PM
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First off, this will be LONG. Sorry.
I have IBS. BIG time. I have suffered with migraines and IBS for about 8 years, since my fathers death. (Underlying cause - stress and nerves. Working on this..) I have started to think that the IBS is one of the biggest triggers for the migraines.
Over time, I have learned that certain foods made me feel lousy. Then I found this site, and the list of 'Trigger' foods for IBS was almost IDENTICAL to those that bothered me. (I preferred flat pop even!)
I have deteriorated to the point where it seems impossible to work for a week straight. I do not generally get constipated, but I DO get the opposite... and the pain!
I have gotten to the point where I have started giving up on food. Of course, this isn't helping. I am in treatment for serious depression and anxiety, and this whole thing is overwhelming. Not a good situation.
I have always had a sensitive stomach. There are some foods I have never been able to handle eating, some no doubt are more psychological then taste reasons. I grew up on whole wheat bread, and always liked the taste. White is good too, I just thought WW was healthier! My favorite foods have always been Pizza, and all of the ingredients therin, and pasta dishes. I LOVE fresh fruit, and I like most vegetables. (Not tomatoes (weird eh?), or onions, or Broccoli, makes me sick.) I am not a meat freak, but I do like it. I AM a cheese freak.
I have become so down that even things I really enjoy, Like the odd mixed rum drink, have become NON-Appealing. There goes alcohol from the list.
There are a lot of foods I can't eat, I hope I can still correct this problem.
OK - The main thing I need to ask is this...
Today, I am sick, and off work again.
My wife and I decided to start following everything on this site to the LETTER.
So I had a cup of Peppermint tea. (Pure, Natural.)
And in 30 min I was cramped up and got diarrea like crazy.
That isn't supposed to happen, is it?
#2 - Ice cream, which looks HORRIBLE in the light of this site, doesn't seem to bother me! It seems to settle things down even! What's with that?
Any encouragement, or opinions, would be greatly appreciated!!
Phil
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brew it strong and see if that makes a difference. There seems to be a handful of folks on the boards who can't tolerate peppermint at all, and fennel is a great alternative. Also - did you have anything else before or with the peppermint tea? Make sure that it really was the tea before you give up on it.
I don't know about the ice cream - that's bizarre. Is it full fat? A specific brand or flavor? What are all the ingredients?
Also - check out the breaking the cycle info http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/faq.asp#break_cycle to get things under control as quickly as possible.
And welcome to the site!!!
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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Phuzzy,
Ice cream can be a big comfort food, I know... I seem to tolerate the lowfat and fat-free, if I eat small portions (makes me feel better about having to avoid cheese... sort of).
That's weird about the peppermint... even the old wives' tales say that peppermint is a tummy soother, so I don't know what to make of your reaction to it. (I'm not a doctor, of course.) Have you had the "poke tests" done by an allergist to see if you are allergic to any particular foods and plants?
It seems logical that if you feel stress is aggravating your IBS, that reducing your stress is going to be a major step toward feeling better. Mentioned on this site are things like hypnosis, yoga, meditation, exercise... do you have such a means available to you for releasing stress? Even just taking a walk can be helpful, weather permitting, or doing some gentle exercise/stretching in the comfort of your home.
Wishing you all the best.
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Check multiple sources and make the best-informed decision possible!
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Thank you everyone for the replies.
Would Chamomile tea work as good? I happen to already LOVE it.
I SHOULD try the poke test for allergies, you never know!
The stress is huge, and I am doing all I can for it. I am on tons of medications ..
OH yea! I shuld mention that!
Daily -
Dicetel - for IBS - 100MG - 3 times a day. (Often 2 times. I forget.) (Obviously not helping.. Or helping enough.)
Propanelol - Migraine Prevention
Celexa - Depression / Anxiety
As needed -
Oxycocet - Pain related to headaches, joint problems - AND IBS!
Clonazepam. (Valium.)
I am probably forgetting something.
Thanks again, I really appreciate any help and/or comments.
Phil
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Random theory (based on my own personal IBS)... have you been in the middle of a flare up? I'd assume so, but that may be why drinking the tea caused that reaction. I find that when I'm in the midst of a bad IBS flare, no matter what I eat or drink, I'm going to have problems.
And I, too, noticed that ice cream doesn't bother me! I just had a bad flare up and nothing was helping so I got frustrated to the point where I had a little cup of ice cream because why not? I'm not sure why, but it did help. So I eat it every now and then, but only a couple of spoonfuls. I don't want to push my luck!
As for those medicines, I wish I could offer some sort of wisdom with those but sadly I can't. I always have terrible reactions to medicine... they almost always tear up my disgestive system, even if they're intent is to help. So I'm no help there!
Good luck and I hope you feel better!
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~*If you can dream it, you can do it*~ Walt Disney
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You may have something there about the tea. I admit though, I'll be nervous to try it again.
To be honest, High fat foods in general have not stood out for me as a problem! Weird. Maybe the problems caused are delayed a bit.
Phil
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Since you never get constipated, it sound like you're IBS-D with cramping. I was too and Heather's approach has worked wonders for me. I followed it to the letter when I first started out and the results were amazing. In her post Heather refers you to the Break The Cycle Diet and I heartily second this. It's incredibly boring but it's only for 3 days.
Chamomile tea is on Heather's list of soothing digestive teas, so if you love it, by all means drink it.
As for the ice cream, before I found this Website, I used to eat cream soups for lunch, convinced I was calming my tummy. It wasn't until I gave up dairy - and the other trigger foods and irritants - that I started feeling better. For myself, I've found that sometimes trigger foods mean an immediate attack, but sometimes they just act like sandpaper, keeping my tummy in a constant uproar with actual attacks happening apparently randomly.
My advice would be to do what you've already decided to do and follow this site to the letter. Start with the Break The Cycle Diet for 2-3 days, then gradually add other safe foods carefully. If you're D rather than C you can stay more on the SF side for a while. For me, the trick was being very, very careful for as long as possible. If I wasn't sure something was okay for me, I didn't eat it. Once you're stable you can start pushing the envelope - a little.
You can get all the diet information you need from this Website, but there are two things to consider. First, you can't learn about the Diet from the Message Boards. As wonderful as they are, people here talk about the Diet at the margins. You need to rely on the information you find in the main part of the Website, outside the Boards. Second, you might check and see if your library has Heather's "The First Year - IBS" or even consider ordering it from this Website or Amazon or Barnes and Noble. I found it very helpful - and reassuring - to actually have all the information laid out in step by step form.
Taking an SFS has made a world of difference for me. Heather's Diet took care of the cramping and much of the urgency, but the SFS helped with the last of the urgency and the frequency. I use Acacia and love it, but there are a lot of them out there. Assuming you are D, though, avoid any with IF and stick with the pure SF ones.
As for meds, I use Imodium and Donnatol and find both helpful now, but until I got somewhat stable on the Diet nothing really helped - it was like trying to stop a runaway freight train with a little orange traffic cone.
HTH. Tie a knot and hang on.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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I can't suggest strongly enough that you try the IBS Hypnotherapy CDs (which you can buy right here on Heather's site). It does wonders for anxiety-related IBS.
I dragged my feet about hypno for *years*, and finally tried it 2 years ago. Not only did it reduce my attack frequency, but it made my occasional attack much more bearable and considerably shorter.
--AC
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Hypnotherapy has a very high success rate for IBS. And it will also help with things like reducing anxiety, sleeping more easily, headache reduction, confidence. You name it, it will probably help it. Hypnotherapy changed my life and I can't speak highly enough about it. Quote:
There goes alcohol from the list.
Alcohol is bad for IBS anyway. No drink and no pain is much better than drink and pain. Quote:
White is good too, I just thought WW was healthier!
Well, WW is healthier, but not good for IBS. It doesn't digest as well, as I'm sure you've already read. Quote:
My wife and I decided to start following everything on this site to the LETTER
I wouldn't follow everything on this site to the letter. But, if you don't have Heather's book, get it, and follow it to the letter. I'm sure you have noticed that everyone on this site is more than willing to share their stories about what works for them and how they cope with different situations. But what I want to point out is that we are all different and what works for one person may not work exactly the same for another. So, you may find along the way that what is safe to someone else (ex: I can tolerate egg yolks since becoming stable and for most people egg yolks are a huge trigger) may actually cause problems for you. But, like I said, go with the info in Heather's book sand you'll be fine in time. I recommend Heather's products (teas, caps and fiber). Definately give that hypno a try. It is well worth the few dollars you'll spend on it. And, most importantly, don't give up. This takes some time and you need to be patient (I know how hard that is when you're in pain).
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If you're not dead, you've still got time.
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Have you been tested for celiac and bacteria in the intestine?
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