IBS-C: How LONG did it take?!?!?!?!
#216405 - 09/28/05 04:36 PM
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Lucrece
Reged: 04/29/05
Posts: 150
Loc: Canada
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I feel like starting all over again. I feel like going back to the BTC diet or something. It seems impossible sometimes! I think I made a couple of mistakes ..I must have! I feel miserable right now.
For stable IBS-Cers, how long did it take you to finally be truly stable? By stable I mostly mean: You are off of the BTC diet, and you are finally off of incorporating IF into your diet, and you are eating fine with absolutely no bloating.
Or is there such thing? I know this diet is supposed to be for IBS-C and D as well. But I highly feel oblidged to make a suggestion that there should possibly be a seperate section on this site dedicated to the differences in the IBS-C diet as opposed to the D diet.
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IBS-C
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If memory serves, there were 2-4 months where I was very careful and limited in what I ate. For instance, totally avoiding red meat, eating some IF but the safest kinds cooked, more SF in my meals than usual, and I was also increasing Acacia doses, drinking more water ect...
From my worst to my best was probably a year at least. I saw gradual improvements especially as I increased my SFS and water. As far as eating what I want and no bloat/gas ect...I don't think there is such a thing totally with IBS. I can eat pretty much as I please, but I know not to eat a lot at once, eat a bowl of icecream, eat something super high in fat...or I'll have problems. I'm very faithful about my supplements and water intake, conscious of my diet at all times, and I still have times when I bloat, cramp and have a lot of gas. That's when I start the teas ect...
My husband told me once - because he was totally tired of hearing about my stomach all the time and has a cronic health problem of his own to deal with - that I had to learn to manage my IBS and quit letting it manage me! When I began to look at it that way, it relieved a lot of stress, because it CAN be managed! Not easily sometimes, and not ever totally, but I'm pretty stable and feel better than I have in a very long time, so it is worth the effort! Hope this helps!
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God is Faithful!
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I think the rules for IBS should be split between IBS-D and IBS-C. I was very mislead in the beginning, b/c all I read was how IF was making everyone so sick, and so of course I assumed, it would do the same for me. Little did I know, that there is a BIG difference between Cers and Ders, and that what they need and what I need is VERY different.
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ahhhh. a year?! we're you not doing something right at the beginning of your diet?
I think Im going to start mine over. I'm going to double my exercising, and water intake. It took me over 4 tries to get the BTC diet right! I kept eating bananas and mangoes because they were on the list, but I didn't realize that I was supposed to wait.
I definately thought that I wasn't supposed to eat much IF either. The site is excellent but I would just wish that would be a little more clear. I'm not exactly sure how much IF I should be eating though.
So, will I basically have to keep incorporating vegetables for about a year until I feel better?? Because that's ..a long time.
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IBS-C
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I'm also a Chronic C, pain, bloat person. Sorry to say, I have yet to find any degree of improvement. I just keep trying though. Maybe I'm stupid for trying to do the same thing even though it's not working...but I don't know what else to try. And, more importantly, I'm hoping that I'm just haven't gotten all the pieces of the puzzle together yet. And, lastly, other C folks, like Bamagrl and AstroChick follow this diet and it gives me some hope.
I am trying Acacia now, which is new....and I am hoping that helps things a bit.
I agree, it would be helpful to separate the C from the D, but it was voted down. That's why a lot of people put their symptoms at the bottom of their profiles so that others can tell what type of IBS they have. The C people may be more helpful for you. I don't know. The principles are the same for all...but it's the fine tweaking that seems to help people. I'm not there...so I'm just telling you what others have told me.
You are not alone. It is very exhausting and frustrating. Believe me, I know first hand. 
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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I think I'm a little different than most folks when it comes to the BTC diet. To me, at first glance, I just knew I couldn't eat that way because I knew I'd feel worse. Even now, bananas I won't touch with a ten foot pole because they always make my C worse! So, instead of trying to follow the diet, I used the principles of the diet....SF as a base, no red meat, low fat, small portions and IF as tolerated, and I ate the things I liked within those boundries.
For instance, at my worst, I would eat a toasted bagel with a slice of deli ham and coffee for breakfast (took my Acacia first though), lunch would be a microwave baked sweet potato (acacia first) with a glass of tea, and supper would be a small portion of whatever I prepared for my family to eat. If I chose to prepare a meal that I thought would bother me more - I would eat toast, another potato, or a bagel and let that be it.
I only did this for a short time - less than a week - and then really tried to just apply those same pricinples to eating what I did before I got so bad. Every meal starts with Acacia (and for me, a cal/mag supplement and an Omega complex) and then I just avoid things that I have learned over time bother me - like bananas and white rice (believe it or not).
I will STILL get miserable if I eat a lot at one time, eat red meat several days in a row (I use a lot of ground beef at home), am stupid enough to think I can eat ice cream..ect.. basically, I eat like I always did and over the course of the year have just learned what to absolutely avoid. I'm not a diet "follower" but a principle of the diet applier. It enables me to eat the same thing my family eats, keeps my grocery budget within normal limits, and gives me the freedom to enjoy food.
I also take a good probiotic once a day along with the acacia, cal/mag and Omega complex. I actually noticed a difference in how I was feeling and the frequency and amount of BM within the first couple of months, but it took me a solid 6-8 months to feel like I was really stabilizing. It is a lifestyle change, and an attitude change toward my IBS that has enabled me to feel better.
I'll always be gassy, always be a bit crampy and bloated at times, but I feel good, can enjoy eating again, and am willing to stay with my "new" routine for life! I've even lost 12 pounds and kept it off for over a year! Hope this gives you a better idea of how things worked out for me.
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God is Faithful!
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I don't think BTC should be used for more than a couple of days, and mainly for D and severe cramping!
It took me a couple of years to stabilize, mostly because I spent a long time being afraid of vegetables and not afraid enough of dairy, red meat, and caffeine. The soluble fiber helped my rumbly stomach, but is not sufficient on its own to fix things! But I was far better off as I went along. Adding soy yogurt and hypnotherapy to the equation were really my final steps to stability.
(Note that I am not a pure IBS-C - I get D attacks when I'm anxious. So sometimes I do go on BTC for a day or two when that happens!)
As several of us IBS-C'ers have said (and Heather summarized in a past newsletter) the keys to fighting C are getting enough IF while still getting SF, warm liquids and lots of them, and exercise. All of this stuff has to be done as consistently as possible: I do best when I drink all day, get IF and SF with every meal, and exercise daily. Taking a day or two off means that I'm somewhat less stable for a week! Consistency is your biggest weapon in the fight against C.
--AC
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consistancy IS key here in C world! I will also occasionally switch to D - stress or a bad monthly will do this to me.
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God is Faithful!
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Separate C Board
#216567 - 09/29/05 12:02 PM
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Sand
Reged: 12/13/04
Posts: 4490
Loc: West Orange, NJ (IBS-D)
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This has come up a couple of times, but has never happened. I can't speak for Heather, but I do remember reading at one point that she is maxed out on the number of Boards she wants to run. (Can't really blame her - this must be a huge undertaking even apart from paying for all the storage.) I remember that someone recently started a Yahoo Group for IBSers on this Board who had had an eating disorder. Perhaps you could do the same for IBS-C people who want to caucus separately. If there get to be enough Yahoo Group spin-offs, y'all could ask Heather to do a sticky post at the top of the Board listing the various ones.
Having suggested a way to get an additional site, I'd also like to make the case against it. I've come to realize that IBS-C people do see themselves as very different and they may be - I'm IBS-D so I can't really comment on a personal level. As far as I know, though, there are only 2 differences between IBS-C and IBS-D people in terms of Heather's guidelines:
1) IBS-D people can get away with not eating IF and fat as far as their bowels are concerned; IBS-C people cannot get away with that. In terms of overall health, though, the guidelines are the same for both Ds and Cs: eat as much IF as possible and go low-fat but not no-fat . Ds can choose to ignore those guidelines and their guts won't punish them, but they'll pay for it down the road in terms of general health.
2) IBS-C people probably need more SFS.
In terms of finding Heather's diet confusing, my feeling is that the Message Boards can be very confusing because they deal with the diet at the margins. Here is where people talk a lot about what parts of Heather's diet don't apply to them individually, both in terms of Heather foods they can't eat (I can't handle whole wheat under any circumstances) and in terms of non-Heather foods they can eat (I can drink wine from time to time). My suggestion is to go back and read the basic information on the Website outside the Boards and see if that makes things clearer.
More specifically, I don't know if you've seen this FAQ. If not, maybe it will clarify things a little. Also, if you missed them, you might check out the 2 newsletters this past summer that dealt with IBS-C.
HTH.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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...that keep me going! I am thankful to everyone who is still stable and keeps logging on to give advice and ecouragement to others.
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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