Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Oh....I hear your pain so understandably. I have been in this situation and the stress of it all makes it so much worse too. My husband used to ask me why I was usually okay to visit my own family or go on an outing with them but not with his friends or family. It was b/c I felt COMPLETELY comfortable with my own family, even if I had an accident, they wouldn't care. It is important that you make your husband understand that this is a physical problem that you cannot control. Yet, with this website, you should learn that there are things that you can control to some degree.

I found this site about 3 weeks before a family trip I had to visit my in-laws. I did not stay with them and my husband is very understanding now so my situation is much different. However, I wanted to give you some hope b/c even after just three weeks of being more careful with my food (and eliminating all triggers, especially coffee), I felt a little better. Now it is 3 months later and I am not stable but I have devoured this site, searching and posting, and trial and erroring things at home. You have a good amount of time before your trip to make some great progress...don't fear!

It's great that you ordered the acacia. I think you will find that it does wonders for the d. I would suggest doing the break the cycle diet right away and then add in IF foods slowly so you can see what bothers you. By the time you leave for your trip, your acacia dose can be up higher than now when you start. And yes, you can take immodium for those times when you feel that you really won't be near a bathroom.

With that said, I think it is imperative that you explain in some way or another to your in-laws that you need to be near a restroom and don't mean to be a party pooper but are limited to certain activities. My husband used to think I was just a homebody too but then he would see that when my belly was okay and I wasn't anxious, I was a very outgoing person. You shouldn't have to secretly hide and suffer...it totally stinks to feel that way. I know exactly how you're feeling. Plus you are newly married so you are probably just adjusting to married life too.

I've found that if I'm more non-chalant about activities, sometimes people don't seem to notice as much as I do about my IBS. For example, you can just say, "you know what, I feel a little uncomfortable going on that boat tour today, but you guys go ahead and have a great time. I'll catch up with you later." And be sure they don't pity you that you stayed back at the hotel. Make sure you do something else fun for yourself. On the other hand, now I know that if I take immodium preventatively, I will usually be good for 24 hours so you might want to take some one evening and then ask if you can schedule an afternoon event the next day (like hiking). By then your immodium will have kicked in and you'll know a lot about this diet to eat safely up until then. REALLY...I know it seems impossible right now but you will only go up from this point now which is your lowest since you have found this incredible sight!

Keep posting and reading and if your kit hasn't come in yet, take another SF right away to get started (I took Fibercon and it was at least a good starter for me). Then eliminate all trigger foods on Heather's list. Also, maybe someone else can direct you to where I found a print out explaining IBS to family and friends. I don't remember where it is on this site, but I printed it out for my husband and highlighted the things that pertained to me in particular. You should definitely make sure your husband has an idea of the kind of debilitation IBS can cause. His support will make a world of difference (in your whole life, not just on this trip). WELCOME and stick around...you can trust everyone here to help you.

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Originally IBS-D for a million years!
Then IBS-A, Now a transformed slightly C

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