Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

I sense the frustration of all those who say, in effect, "how can someone rule out (diary, red meat, fill-in-the-blank) when they are not stable"? All I can do is speak from personal experience over 45 years. I have repeatedly tried fiber powders and supplements, and they ALWAYS make my diarrhea worse. Even after days of trying to stablize. What works for me better than anything is eating when I am calm, and NOT eating when I am stressed. My list of illnesses is long, and IBS, though a long-term problem, is not going to kill me (not yet, anyway). I have more serious health issues. I am so fortunate that I have been able to retire.

More than once I have had fecal incontinence in public places -- once on the crowded floor of the Luxor hotel in Vegas -- imagine riding up to your room in a crowded elevator in a light gray suit. No one uttered a word -- but I figure they were all thinking I had just lost my life savings in the casino. Actually -- I was there for my sister's wedding, and had had a big breakfast of fresh (raw) fruit for breakfast, trying to be "healthy". She was married two blocks from the hotel in one of those little road-side Vegas wedding chapels which do not have public bathrooms. I sat through the ceremony in cramps and agony, and finally bolted for the hotel only to "lose it" about a half-block away. Don't look for me at the upcoming convention! LOL. That was in 1994, and was the single most embarrassing moment of my life. I tore off my clothes when I got to my room, took a long shower, and just sat in the room for the rest of the day. Finally my other sister came searching me (the reception was just about over by that time). That night, at 4:30am, the Northridge quake hit LA, about three hours from where we were, and threw us all out of bed. A couple of days I shall never forget.

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