Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | What the heck is stable and where do you find it?

I've had IBS since I was a teenager (I've recently come to believe). Was diagnosed about 9 years ago when I was about 30. I went through all different kinds of medicine. Something would work for a while and then stop, so they'd try something else. I was IBS-D all those years. I could go weeks without having an attack. They were usually brought on by stress. I could eat most of the trigger foods without problem. I went vegetarian a few years after diagnosis, but when I got really stressed I would run to Wendy's and get a burger and not have a direct reaction.

I'm not trying to minimize my symptoms, because when they were bad, they were really bad. I'd miss days of work, not leave my bed and cry myself to sleep. But even since I had my gallbladder out last year, everything's changed. I've become IBS-A. I react to all the trigger foods and have cut them all out. I even cut out cheese for several weeks when I first found this site, but then broke down and had some without any reaction. So I allow myself a little cheese every day. But now I'm wondering if it is causing problems. I started out eating rice everyday. I got so sick of it that it's now maybe every other day. I don't know if that's not helping. I started using more soy and now have discovered that I react to larger quantities of soy. Not just gas and pressure but painful D as well. I'm already vegetarian, now practically vegan, and soy is causing me problems. I feel so frustrated.

I'll maybe have a good week and then three bad weeks. The bad weeks aren't as bad as they used to be, but going to the bathroom 10 or more times a day (not always productive and sometimes just gas) is getting really old. The only time I feel safe is when I don't eat. I've even reacted to bread and oatmeal.

I've been sick for so long, I don't even know what stable is for us IBS sufferers. I don't know if I'll return to the point before my surgery where I could actually go a while without thinking about it too much, unless there was a stressful event going on. Of course, it would still flare up out of nowhere.

I did acupuncture early last year and had great results, but i can't afford it now. I have ordered a yoga DVD and plan to try that. I already meditate to try to control stress. I basically eat pasta, rice, oatmeal, white bread, pasta sauce, soy bacon bits, bananas and carrots. I tried making the banana bread in Heather's book and I don't know why, but I seem to be reacting to it!

I know IBS-Cs can take longer to stabilize so maybe if you're A you fall in the middle. But I don't even remember what I can look forward to. It just seems like far too long since I've gone a week without problems. Even since going on the diet, I've been happy with an isolate one OK day here and there.

Any thoughts? You guys are so fantastic and I don't know what I would have done without this site. So many of the things my doctor told me to do are such bad things. Increase fiber (like most people that meant high fiber cereal and breads)eat more veggies (salads tried to kill me). At least at times I feel like I have more control. But tonight I'm going out and all I've allwed myself is oatmeal and cream of wheat and a plain dry bagel. I'm so hungry but couldn't risk having problems.

Thanks for reading my ramblings. I guess I'm having a rough day today.

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