Feeling awful...
#108757 - 09/28/04 07:26 AM
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hi everyone
This will not be a very uplifting post. I've been feeling so terrible lately. My schedule now that I'm back in school (university) is not working well with my IBS, which was so stable when I was boring 9-5 working over the summer. I a bit more stressed now, just due to all the activities I'm involved in. Plus being on campus and in classes or clubs meetings for hours at a time makes it difficult to eat every 3-4 hours, plus bringing lots of food is not always convenient, and buying campus food is fairly limited in choices for me, not to mention expensive. I try to get all my Acacia every day but this too is becoming difficult as I'm not always sure when I'll be home and don't always remember to bring some with me... stupid I know but things are moving so quickly for me right now. I want to just stop, take a few days off and focus on my stomach, but that's not really possible.
My mornings have been so horrific lately. I've been getting awful D every morning for the last few weeks. I've been taking Immodium after - which I know is making it worse probably, as by bowels are becoming dependent, but I can't just be stuck on the toilet when I'm supposed to be in class! I've been eating just soluble fiber for the last week now, and every time I try to reincorporate insolubles the next morning is worse than ever. I'm ok during the day, it's just the mornings.
I'm hating my IBS so much right now and just generally feeling terrible! Any encouragement or suggestions would be appreciated.
Laurel.
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
I am sorry to hear how bad your feeling. It is great that over the summer you were able to control it so you know it will get better again!! I don't think there is anything wrong with taking an anti D med. I know alot of the people here take it. Try taking one at night before bed and see if that helps with morning. I have a bag of baked lays that never leaves my side. It helps when you need to snack and there is nothing safe.
Try some relaxing breathing at night to combat the stress. I realy hope you feel better soon. I am so proud of you for still going to school and having IBS. It can't be easy. I know there are alot of people on these boards who are in collage right now. I am proud of you all.
Good luck
--------------------
Heather7476
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
Hey Laurel, I'm Nel.
It's HARD! I hear ya. You need to settle into your routine. This will happen eventually, but you're miserable right now, NOW! I know.
These are some tips I did in college (and today): Get up an hour early, but not "up." Stay in bed. open your eyes, watch some tv in your room. Stay on your side in your bed. This lets your gut adjust to being awake.
After no less than 1/2 an hour to an hour(!), when your gut has settled down, get out of bed sloooowly. Take an immodium or two as a preventative. You will not become addicted to them, and your body will not depend on them. My normal dose for IBS-D while I was in college was about 6-8 pills a day. It took me a while to wrap my head around that number of pills (this must be too much, nobody else takes this much right? Wrong.), but it's what it took for my bowels to function "normally."
Limit food in the morning. This will jumpstart your gut, and it takes longer for it to slow down if it starts out going strong.
During the day, don't beat yourself up. Do what it takes to calm your gut down. You're in a high-stress situation and your gut knows it! Make relax time, get into a schedule where you watch tv every night at 7:30, or take a nap every day at noon. Your body will respond really well to a schedule, when it knows what to expect.
It's hard, but don't burn the candle at both ends! Get proper sleep! And lean on us! You have a syndrome that we all had/have in school. All of our hearts are with you, and people on the boards here have great tips and tricks to get through the day.
I really feel for you, because I remember how hard this was. All my best to you!
~nelly~
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
I'm so sorry, I know how miserable IBS can be sometimes!! You have gotten some good advice. One thing I didn't hear mentioned was to maybe try an anti spasm drug, like Bentyl, Levsin or Donnatal. I have found the donnatal to work best for me, its supposed to equalize your gut and one of the side effects is that it can slow things down, sometimes causing constipation. Since your having such a problem right now with D, that may be a good thing for you! 
Also, try mixing the Acacia in water bottles at home. Make up enough of them for the week and just grab a bottle everyday on your way out of the house!
--------------------
Taking it one day at a time.....
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
I don't have any advice, but I can definately sympathize with you. I'm in college living on campus in the dorms so I'm totally dependent on the dining halls, breads and cereals that I can store in my room, and the limited foods I can cook in the microwave. I'm totally stressed out and my school work is suffering because I need way more sleep than my schedule allows. I'm IBS-A and the C pains are my biggest problem right now, I wake up every morning in horrible pain. The only thing I have as far as advice is to take care of yourself even if that means missing some classes or falling behind on assignments. When my body tells me it's time to go to bed, I stop what I'm doing and get some sleep because without it I won't be able to accomplish anything. Hope you feel better soon.
Meg
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
Dear Laurel,
Although I'm not in your situation anymore, I definately sympothise. The worst and most stubborn rounds of attacks I've ever had were while I was in grad school with a full load of classes every evening and still working full time during the day. I slept about 5 - 6 hours on a good night and yes, had awful D every morning. I know it's hard to slow down, but if you don't things will only get worse!! Talk to people around you, your friends, your professors, your roommates, the support and understanding that they can offer will be very important right now. I know that if it wern't for my husband, some understanding co-workers and freinds who were also over-stressed and could sympothize, I would have never got through it. As for the food, easy to carry snacks that generally work for me: motts applesauce packs (I personally like the strawberry flavored ones), luna bars, quaker oatmeal bars, pretzels and bags of dried fruit. Also, I would stay off the insoluables until you can at least slow down the cycle of D in the morning. Once you sense some improvement, slowly add back in some things that are easier for you, but not on an empty stomach, and best with soluable fiber, like rice or sour dough bread. Really, try to slow down just a little even, and it will help. Hope you feel better!
Min
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
Hi Laurel,
My heart goes out to you; there is nothing worse to have these attacks and know you are 'trapped' into a schedual of things that you can't get out of. As I've read thru the other posts, you've gotten some excellent ideas to try to
incorporate into your life.
I just wanted to add to Nelly's post that Immodium used as a preventative may be a huge help to you right now. As with you, my major problems are 1st thing in the mornings; it's like the colon doesn't want to 'wake up'. My GI agreed that that is exactly what happens. About a month ago I tried using Immodium as a preventative (1 first thing on rising) and it actually was the biggest help of anything I've ever tried. Sadly, for me, after 2 weeks of using it I developed a rash and so stopped it. However, I'm thinking of trying it again for a couple of days and seeing how I do as I generally have no allergies to anything, so find this really strange, although not impossible to happen.
So please give the Immodium a try using it as a preventive. Try just one first and if no results, go with 2. (2 always made me the other way for a few days)
As far as snacks, I buy those ziploc sandwich bags and fill them with several IBS snacks. I keep some in the car, some in my purse and that way, if I'm not able to actually eat a meal, I have something that will keep my gut from going haywire until I can eat. Pretzels, bagel chips (New York Bagel Chips are awesome), Italian toast (buy in deli's; comes in a bag already to eat), slice of banana bread or some other safe bread; even a slice of sourdough or french bread will work. May be dry, but just break off pieces to
munch on. Zwiback crackers or baby cookies/crackers also work great. Hang in there and keep us informed as to how you are doing, so we can be an encouragement and help to you
Janene
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
THANK YOU everyone for the encouragement. These boards are so great for making me feel better, more confident that I'll get better soon anyway. I know I need to focus on my health and make that priority in my schedule, and I'm working on that. Thank you for the tips! I'm definitely going to try getting up earlier and not eating for a while. And maybe I shouldn't be so hard on myself for the Immodium...? A question for those of you who use it as a preventative - do you have a prescription from your doctor? It can get SO expensive when I'm taking it often.
Thanks again guys! You're the best!
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
I don't thin immodium is available in RX but lomtil (sp?) is and its basically the same thing! If you have prescription coverage, ask your dr!!
--------------------
Taking it one day at a time.....
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
Immodium
#108846 - 09/28/04 12:34 PM
|
|
|
|
Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
|
|
|
I got Loperamide (the drug that's Immodium) on prescription and it was great. I took it everyday for months and it helped stabilise me, not made me worse! I'm very pro-Imodium as a preventative. It helped me regain my life whilst dealing with the IBS.
When I was working long hours far from home, I always had a little tupperware pot of Acacia with me at all times. Do you have a bag you generally take to campus that you could put one in? And sticking some snacks in as well is a good plan.
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
YEP!
#110616 - 10/05/04 04:29 PM
|
|
|
|
Nelly
Reged: 08/06/04
Posts: 4381
Loc: Within stray mortar fire of DC
|
|
|
I get 60 pils a month from my doctor (it's called loperamide). With my Rx plan that's only $10. It's a lot easier on my wallet, and I know I'll have them in my purse if I need them in an emergency! Also no hassle getting them out of those &%$*#% blister packs this way. Those things are god-awful in an emergency.
Just ask your doc. I did and he said YES! First try!! 
~nelly~
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
Laurel, that sucks. Mornings are always the worst time of the day for me too. I'm late for work EVERY single day because of having to go to the washroom at the last minute or something IBS-related. But it has gotten better for me. My 'd' is practically gone and I don't have to take any Imodium anymore. I did take it every day for months too. (I'm still late though because I'm soooo not a morning person). 
Keep taking the Imodium as you obviously need it to get to school. The fibre will help if you can take it every day.
I don't have a magical solution, but take heart as it will get better. I'll bet that the stress is to blame and you'll need to calm down a bit and maybe your tummy will too. Try to dun fun things and pamper yourself as much as possible.
Things can only get better.
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
What has made the biggest difference for me in the mornings is taking a good dose of fiber at night right before bed. I have the worst problem with D in the mornings, especially if I have to be somewhere at a certain time. I've found that if I get up late and have to hurry and race around, I ALWAYS get D. If I can get up a little earlier, sit in my pj's and have a cup of mint tea with acacia in it, I have a MUCH better morning. I think it's also a routine. Try to go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time. Hopefully you will get back to normal once you get into a routine. Take care of yourself even if you have to slow down your college progress.
Rena
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
My tips:
- give up the insolubles for a while. Maybe go back to them after you are done with school? Honestly, these are a struggle for me too so I am ignoring them for now.
- talk to your dr. about antidepressants. They have helped many people with IBS.
- Take 5 minutes a day to do a relaxation exercise. There are many tips for doing this on the web.
--------------------
Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
Laurel,
Great to see you. Just wanted to say HI! College is definitely rough but you've gotten lots of good suggestions here.
Keep up the good work, sweetie! The semester will be over before you know it!
--------------------
Laura
Keep it simple!
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
Posts
