morning symptoms!
#43582 - 02/06/04 09:13 PM
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Hi, I'm new to this board. I'm 16 years old and was diagnosed with IBS over a year ago. Since then I have literally been on every pill on the market, and absolutly nothing has helped in the least. I have been to doctors countless times, and one calls me his Mystery Child! The thing is, I get my symptoms every singly morning- it's as if my pain comes on schedule and leaves on schedule. Whether I have a movement or not, my pain comes the second I wake up and stays until I leave school. If I'm lucky, I'll have a movement some time in the morning and this somewhat relieves the pain, but not completely. The pain is disabling, and has greatly affected my performance in school. It never misses a single morning. It rotates between D and C, mostly C, and when it's D there's no doubt that I will have to miss school. I'm feeling very frustrated because nothing has worked to tone down or at least help this pain, and I'm only a teenager and I want my life back! Is anyone else of this morning kind? I'm really at my wits end, and I know I need to adjust my diet but I don't know where or how to start. My IBS is so out of control. Currently I'm on Metamucil and it has been helping but the pain is still intensely there. Do you have any suggestions as to how I start? Does anyone else have this weird morning thing? If so, does anything help it? Thanks for any replies.
-Trinity
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Glad you found this board! Morning is the worst time for me too. Always has been--and I've had IBS for over 20 years. And, If I have a Job that day (I substitute teach), then my tummy is ALWAYS messed up. I'm sure it's stress-related. You really need to get Heather's First Year Book and read it cover to cover. It will help get you on the right track--you can order it from this site. Until then, just keep using the Metamucil--although I think maybe Citrucel or another brand might work better for you. And, try to get rid of everything that is dairy or has any dairy in it---anything that says casein and whey is bad. Eliminate all red meat--eat white chicken(no skin), white turkey(no skin), and fish. And, no egg yolks--alone or in anything. Always try to have something in your stomach--all day long. Eat fat free saltines or small pieces of french or sourdough bread. Take some in your bag with you to school. Or search the recipe boards here and ask your mom to make you some of the safe breads--there are tons of good ones! Make sure you are not drinking any pop--it's bad for IBS. Drink lots of water. There's tons of good advice on these boards, so read thru as much as you can and follow the advice as close as possible. I think if you get the book, and read thru these boards it'll help you immensely. Hang in there, Trinity. With a little work and planning I know you can feel better! Keep working on it! Good Luck and keep us informed on your progress! 
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Welcome Trinity!
#43602 - 02/07/04 07:11 AM
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Bevvy
Reged: 11/04/03
Posts: 5918
Loc: Northwest Washington State
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Ah yes, the morning cramps. I know them well.
I used to have them every morning, and my movements never seemed to help. I was doubled over in pain, all the while sipping my morning coffee! Duh. It wasn't until Heather got me off that cuppa that I began feeling better. I still have morning cramps, but now they go away after my movements.
Are you drinking coffee in the mornings? Even decaf? Believe me, that can SOOOO be the culprit! I was 16 when I began drinking coffee, so if you've started, STOP!
Interesting that your cramps stop when you leave for school. It sounds as if your conscious mind is telling your subconscious that it's time to relax your gut so you can get going. Have you thought about doing the hypnosis program as so many of us have done? It might help you.
Also, are you taking your fiber supplement in the mornings before breakfast? That always helps me, taking my acacia on an empty tummy -- that and a good poop.
I understand your frustration -- I'm a "D" and I lost my job because of it -- but you can get better if you follow Heather's guidelines in "The First Year" (and, of course, if you stay with us here on the boards so we can help you!).
It's true, you're "only a teenager" and you SHOULD have your life back; it's not fair that life has dealt you this rotten blow. There are a lot of other teenagers on this board, and it's not fair to them either. It amazes me how you young people can handle this -- but it is true, Trinity, you CAN handle it. And I also believe it will make a stronger person out of you. I know it has me.
See ya in the boards,
Bev 
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<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~letsrow/smily3481.gif">Bevvy
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Welcome! I sympathize with you. I have symptoms all day long with no schedule, but I empathize with the stress this causes you. Actually, is it coincidental that you have symptoms in the morning, when all you can think of is the impending doom of going to school with your symptoms and that the symptoms end when you're back home? Consider the psychological aspect of this. Make your mornings less stressful. Don't make the first thought in the morning be about whether or not you can make it through school. I'd read a magazine or something (or do something you love - what are your hobbies?). Eat a healthy breakfast and lots of water or tea and do so with a positive attitude. So, you don't make it to school - it won't be the first time. No use worrying about it then, right? Might as well enjoy your mornings. I hope this helps. Take it from someone who's in an abnormally high-stress university, 21 yrs old and needs to relax every chance she gets. It can't hurt to relax - it might even relieve your symptoms. Let me know how it goes. You could even write us a quick post everymorning to help you put things in a good perspective. Or write to us when you're housebound. I do that, and it makes me feel a lot better. I hope this helps!
*evie
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Something vaguely similar happened to me when I was in high school. Every morning for at least the first two or three years, I was nauseated from about 9 am until lunchtime. No other IBS symptoms (unless you count my chronic C, but I thought it was normal!), but it really made my morning classes drag. And you can bet that I didn't feel comfortable telling anyone about such "morning sickness".
My survival tactic was having a LifeSaver in my mouth whenever possible, but the real fix ended up being exercise. When they started doing aerobics in PE, I was amazed to notice that my nausea absolutely disappeared after 10 minutes of class. Once I upped my activity level during the day, my problem slowly faded away. (Maybe because my C eased a bit? Dang, I didn't keep a poop journal!)
I would try a bunch of things that might relax you: the hypnotherapy CDs, mint tea, a few yoga poses, telling your friends about it (doing this has stopped some attacks in their tracks for me, just because the effort to cover up was so stressful), a nice walk that never goes too far from a toilet... Just remember that you won't feel this way forever, and you will feel so good when you find the things that ease your morning symptoms!
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i wasnt diagnosed until i went away to college but ever since junior high every morning id wake up and be in horrible pain, most nights too. my mom always thought i was faking and didnt wanna go to school and i was like i know it sounds weird but i just cant go. obviously i had to and feel sick anyway, this lasted till i graduated highschool. 6 years of morning agony until about lunch time was more than i thought i could take.
when i finally knew what was wrong and started eating better the symptons in the morning got better( didnt go away though)
i find if i eat no later than 9 o clock the night before and get atleast 7 hours sleep its ok. but since im in college and everyones a big fan of late nights AND late night snacks its kind of difficult. never the less im MUCH better than how i used to be.
i kno EXACTLY what u mean when u say u want ur life back, it sucks being this young and having to deal with it. i hate explaining it to my friends cuz no one understands. i dont even understand why i have to follow all these rules and miss out on so many things so young but when i think about it, it could be a lot worse.
it does get easier you just gotta learn and wait it out. i hope u feel better soon!!
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If you can do nothing else...smile
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Trinity,I,m so sorry you are haveing so much trouble at such
a young age.just try to watch what you eat.I know that is hard for a young person.I was a morning person an even had to stop working because of it.I also have both c-d.but have been getting better,keep writeing to us .everyone here is in the same boat.Gerry 
try an keep a smile on your face.
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Neta G.Yale
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Thank you for all your kind replies. Just reading these posts has been helping me get through each day. It's good to know that I'm not alone 
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I definitely understand what you mean when you say you wanted your life back. I'm a sophomore in college and I feel like the ibs is ruining my life. I've missed so many opportunities because of the way I feel. It's difficult because no one really understands, and being at college its a completely different schedule. I was wondering how you got better...what types of things seem to help? I have been exercising and that is supposed to help, but its tough to get enough sleep when your roommates are up till 3 am. I just thought I'd reply because you seem to be the same age and understand what I am going through. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear. Thanks
Ashley
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Hey Trinity !!! Hang in there......I just ran into this board two weeks ago in a frantic search for answers to a life that has been utterly bewildering and at times blindingly painful for the past seven months.....Mornings and late afternoons are my worst times too....During my worst times, I was up at 3 or 4 in the morning and in the bathroom every 15 minutes; couldn't get out of the house and onto Project Site until 8:30 or 9......After one or two more trips at the office, I'd be kinda OK until after my first few bites of lunch.......After a few trips, I'd be OK until late afternoon or early evening, when the spasms and cramps would be so intense as to stop me dead in my tracks every 15 minutes........
I've since concluded that the constant timing is not so much what I eat as it is when I eat, and what I drink.....Heather's Books and particularly the section on how to break the cycle of attacks has been very comforting and helpful in reducing the intensity of the attacks, but I still had massive amounts of gas.......Then, in the library of this site, I think I found a clue to my personal malady: the High Fructose Corn Syrup that's in so much of what I drink and didn't pay much attention to...Check these web sites:
http://www.king5.com/health/stories/NW_051303HEKfructose.15ee12ba.html
http://www.uihc.uiowa.edu/FRUCTOSE/index.htm
University of Iowa is where one of the studies was done; their Nutrition Department has a great site going with quite a bit of information that has been enlightening to me.....I just ordered their Dietary Fructose Intolerance diet information, and I'll be trying the Acacia that I just got today..
Once I get my life dialed back in (thanks in a large part to Heather and this group), I'm going to write a detailed letter with many attachments to my oblivious Gastroenterologist, and maybe even invoice him for my time !!!!
Take care, chin-up, and have patience.......many of the things we've gone through seem to make no sense, and there are even some apparently contradictory and blind alleys due to the 18 to 48 hours that it takes for things to run through our digestive systems.......
Stick with school.....it's the best way for you to realize your true individual potential !!!!
W. Lee (Bill)
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