I have no idea how you folks do it (venting, long)
#78097 - 06/11/04 06:20 AM
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atomic rose
Reged: 06/01/04
Posts: 7013
Loc: Maine (IBS-A stable since July '05!)
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I'm sorry if this gets long and rambly... it's been a miserable couple of days health-wise. Please tell me this gets easier and better with time? *sighs*
Like I've mentioned in a couple other posts, my IBS swung to C when I gave up caffeine. I was starting to be in pain and really worried about it. Wednesday came along, and it was wicked hot here, and between that and the C, I seriously couldn't eat. I tried, I really did, but.. ugh.
Yesterday, I finally managed to go (yay!). But within a half hour, I started feeling absolutely horrible - weak, nauseated, and crampy. Definitely not a bug, but I couldn't eat all day. I tried, but only managed to get down about a half-slice of bread. I did drink peppermint tea, but it did nothing to soothe the cramping (or me!). So I spent most of the day just sipping on water.
I woke up this morning and - big surprise here (sarcasm) - I have D. And I'm so shaky, I can hardly walk from here to the bathroom. I KNOW it's because I haven't eaten or had anything but water (the last time I had a no-food day was pre-IBS-diet, and I would at least sip on soda for sugar and avoid the shakiness), and I just choked down some cream of rice cereal. But the damage is already done... after following the IBS diet for a couple weeks and starting to feel just the tiniest bit better, I'm back to square one. 
HOW on earth do you guys manage to eat anything when you're having an IBS problem? I mean, the LAST thing I want to do when I'm running back and forth with D - or stopped up for days with C - is EAT MORE. What should I do when I get like this? I literally can't even force myself to eat sometimes - should I try to at least take a SFS? (Edit: I do take Citrucel every day... what I mean is, take a SFS in lieu of eating, if I feel like I can't eat.)
My boyfriend's not awake yet, thank goodness, because I'm sitting here crying. I'm so miserable - not even so much because of the symptoms themselves, but because I can't even LIVE anymore. I've spent the past 2 days in bed because I felt too lousy to do anything, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to do the same today. I tried to do *laundry* yesterday, fergodsakes, and the cramping only let me do 2 loads before I was exhausted and had to lay back down. I feel like such a failure as a person - the boyfriend reassures me that I'm not, but he obviously can't change the way I feel about myself right now.
Making matters worse, I can't just GO to a doctor. I don't have insurance, and we're quite poor, but somehow not poor enough that I qualify for any kind of government assistance. (Gotta love that.) There are also no clinics in town that can help me. I feel like I've exhausted my possibilities here, unless someone can suggest something I haven't thought of. In the meantime, I'm trying to rely on the diet to get/keep me at least somewhat stable, so that I can maybe try to work again. It seemed like it was working, too, until the past couple days - and I feel like that's all my fault.
Ugh - I really am a mess today. I'm sorry this is so long and whiny, it's really just been an awful couple of days, and now it's the weekend for us, and the prospect of spending it in bed is just making me twice as miserable.
PS - The cereal helped, at least - I'm not as shaky. Yay! 
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Hey,
Sorry you are having such a rough time. The shakiness you mentioned....could it be low blood sugar. I get that if I don't eat for a while...maybe that's why the cereal helped.
Also, could the peppermint tea have caused the "D"???
I wish you could go to a doctor. I know you can't afford it but have you gone on-line and looked up low income health care for your area. I did that for my sister who has no insurance and there is this thing called the Gold Card here and you fill out some papers to show that you are low income and then you can go to certain doctors or clinics.
Try to eat something small several times a day....maybe toast or mashed potatoes or rice. Immodium might help the diarrhea. The generic is cheaper at Walmart.
Make sure nothing you use like gum, mints, vitamins has sorbitol in it.
It will get better
Barbie
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I haven't had the courage (or thankfully the need) to chew a horse pill...I mean equalactin but it seems to me that it should help you.
Equalactin absorbs water and helps your "D" become more normal and if you are "C", it binds the water in your system to your poop so that it will pass easily.
I paid I think $4.69 for my box...others on the boards swear by the stuff.
I have been miserable with "C" myself...walking at work and nearly doubling over in pain...when my IBS was at his worse, my husband thought it was "all in my mind" (thankfully, he has since invited Jesus into his life and he is a changed man!) I cannot tell you how many times people have asked me if I was preganant.... It's awful and the pain and discomfort can be so depressing. I am so sorry that you are miserable...what about eating plain white rice or other things from the "what to eat when you can't eat anything" list? Even if you eat a tsp. of rice every 30 minutes...it's better than nothing.
I am so sorry that you are hurting...I feel your pain!
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I think the shakiness was low blood sugar, for sure. I've had a little more cereal and I'm virtually shake-free. Today's definitely going to be a rice-and-potato day. 
I think part of my problem today is that I refused to take imodium yesterday. I wasn't having D, but I normally take one if I get cramping... I'm trying to wean myself off the stuff, as it seems to constipate me in the long run. But... yeah, I caved and took some. I'm feeling a little better now.
I did look into low-income health care. Basically, in the state of Maine, if you don't have kids, you're out of luck. I can get gyno care for extremely cheap, but that's it. I'm still looking, and hoping I've just missed something really obvious.
Thanks. 
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Oh boy!
#78121 - 06/11/04 07:22 AM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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Honey, you're IBS-A (alternating). You NEED a SFS. This is so important. Otherwise you'll keep on swinging from one to the other which is not fun at all (I know! ). I assume you've read Heather's notes on what SFS do, yeah? So you know about them giving your colon something good to work on.
Do you have any Acacia? When I feel really rotten, I sometimes don't feel like eating either - my "get-out-clause" is a glass of soy milk with a dose of Acacia in it. It's enough to keep my tummy happy until I feel like eating. Warm milk is best, but I guess you won't want that if it's hot! 
I find that cereal and baby food are the easiest things to eat on a bad day. If you don't get some food down, as you know, you'll end up shaky, weak and having a D/cramp attack!
Can your bf make some nice safe food this w/e to tempt your palate? And my suggestion is.. try and enjoy it! Change the sheets (makes me feel better everytime) or get him to do it! Put some music on and climb into bed with a hot pack, some herbal tea and book or magazine.
Feel better soon sweetie!
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Re: Oh boy!
#78126 - 06/11/04 07:29 AM
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atomic rose
Reged: 06/01/04
Posts: 7013
Loc: Maine (IBS-A stable since July '05!)
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Aha... that's kind of what I was looking for. I am taking a SFS - Citrucel - and I'm slowly working my way up to a decent-size dose. That's kind of what I was wondering, if it was ok to take a SFS in lieu of eating, on a bad day, or when it's so freaking hot that I can't even THINK about eating something starchy.
I feel bad - I'm almost positive all this stuff is in Heather's books - but I honestly can't afford to buy them right now. I'm hoping within a few weeks I'll be able to manage it.
The bf is not a cook. Heh. I think I'll just leave it at that...
Thank you.
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I have no problems with chewing a horse pill... swallowing it whole, THAT I'd have issues with, heh. I'll look into the Equalactin (there was another I wanted to look into... FiberChoice, I think?). I'm taking Citrucel, but I'm having a really hard time increasing from the tiny doses I've been taking. I think I'd rather chew a horse pill than swallow 8 oz of GEL. (Or am I getting it all wrong? Is Equalactin a SFS?)
As for the food, I hadn't thought of it that way. I suppose even a couple bites of something is better than absolutely nothing. I'm still stuck on the idea of having to work myself up to eating full meals like I used to. I'll probably have to give up that idea.
Thanks for the suggestions... and I'm sorry you feel my pain!
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Hey Casey,
I'm sorry you have to go through all this, I've had a so-so week myself...ANYWAY,
You've probably seen it already but here's the list of what to eat when you can't eat anything. Maybe if you feel like you really need to get something down you can choose something from this list:
Safe Foods To Eat When You Can't Eat Anything
* White breads (such as French or sourdough), not whole wheat or multi-grain
* Toasted plain bagels
* Toasted plain English muffins
* Cream of Rice cereal
* Pretzels (salted or unsalted)
* Fat-free Saltines
* Fat-free fortune cookies
* Plain angel food cake, homemade or from a mix
* Plain baked potatoes (without the skin)
* Plain white rice
* Arrowroot crackers
* Cold fat-free cereal such as Corn Chex, Kix, Rice Chex, Rice Krispies, Honeycomb, or Corn Pops, eaten dry. At all costs avoid bran, granola, and whole wheat choices, as well as cereals with raisins, other dried fruits, or nuts
* Homemade dried or fresh bananas
* Plain cooked pasta (not egg), sprinkled with a little salt
* Lots and lots of strong hot peppermint, fennel, chamomile, or ginger tea
Plain and uninteresting, I know...and its probably not easy drinking all these hot drinks when its boiling hot, but drinking something cold will probably make the tummy feel worse! I don't know where I heard this but hot drinks are supposed to cool you down when its hot. I don't know if thats true, now, but anyway!
Also, I know its frustrating that you feel like you can't do anything - I know what that is like because I haven't been able to do half the things I used to do. Going out with friends is a struggle...but you know what, you can't worry about it now. Your health is most important and if you have to be in bed, you should be, even though I know its not what you want to be doing. I agree with the others, get yourself a good book or magazine to read, and maybe watch some TV. Just take time out for yourself today and just do what you can.
I really hope you can feel a little better very very soon!
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Oh yeah...
#78133 - 06/11/04 08:10 AM
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atomic rose
Reged: 06/01/04
Posts: 7013
Loc: Maine (IBS-A stable since July '05!)
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I live by the "what to eat when you can't eat anything" list. The problem is that, some days, I can't even eat THAT. I'm doing better today, but yesterday, I couldn't even tolerate white bread and peppermint tea. I wasn't having an "attack", I just did NOT feel like I wanted anything in my stomach at all.
This is going to sound screwed up, but if I had my way, I'd just never eat again. Of course, that's not possible, for the sake of my intestines, so I continue to wrestle my way through this.
Thanks for your suggestions. I already do feel a bit better (I've had 2 small bowls of cream of rice and my SFS this morning), and I suppose you're right, if I need to rest then I need to rest. Hopefully I can stabilize soon and not spend my entire summer like this.
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Oh no it doesn't sound weird to me at all. I went through a period when I was like that too (still am sort of). Don't you wish food could just not be an issue - like we would be satisfied and "full" but without having to worry about the food and how our wonderful intestines will react to it. sheesh! Anyway when I am like that I like to eat things like popsicles or something that tastes good but is not heavy to eat. Besides if its hot then thats probably good...also I agree with what someone said earlier - take small, tiny if you have to, bites of food every now and then because otherwise when do you get your appetite back and feel like you want to eat a larger portion your stomach might not be used to it and it may make you feel worse. Just eat what you can tolerate, don't force yourself too much.
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