How long without an attack to be considered stable?
#239069 - 01/17/06 05:18 AM
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LisaRae
Reged: 07/18/05
Posts: 90
Loc: Atlanta Ga
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For the first time since last Feb I have gone six weeks without an attack. It feels so good to feel good, almost forgot what that was like. I see some of you consider yourself stable now. How long without attacks or between attacks would a person be considered stable? For me finally finding the right SFS and the correct meds got me to this point and having a gastro who did not give up on me. Thanks in advance for your reply, Lisa
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Hi Lisa, I'd say one month is a good chunk of time, so you
are hereby proclaimed Stable! Congrats! -Bob
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<img src="http://www.math.mtu.edu/~rwkolkka/BritPicA.jpg">
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I'd also say you are pretty stable if you can go that long!
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Hi how have you managed to be stable for so long?
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Hi, Well it was a long process. I had been really sick since last Feb even with following Heather's diet. First off I changed my SFS to Benefiber. I also went on Pamelor but started at 10mg and slowly worked up to 50mg and it is taken at night and I continued to take my Librax before meals. Librax alone did nothing for me. Last but least I went on a probiotic. The one that was presented at the 70th annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in HI recently. It is called Bifantis and sold online as Align. It will hit stores in two months. People should not go to a health store and buy any probiotic on the shelf, you want to use one that has been medically studied and that has had appropriate effects.At one point I was told by my gastro I was the worst case he had ever seen and I was. For me the combo above has done wonders. Hope this helps, Lisa
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Yes, I take 12 grams a day. I love it because it has no taste and can be put in anything including just water. Lisa
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For me stable is not only being without pain, bloating or any of the sexy maladies that plague us, it is also a state of mind in that you can function without having to worry about every bite that you put in your mouth. This is not scientific...simply Rachel-ific...my intention is not to start any controversy.
As one who claims to be stable, I am "regular", bloating and pain are a thing of the past and where I am careful about what I eat, that is just common sense really, knowing what I can and cannot eat.
If you can walk outside and say..."Hey this is a great day...I feel wonderful...not worrying about the potty" you are stable! 
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Have a blessed day!...Rachel
stable and sooooooo thankful!
I have IBS but it doesn't have me!
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I would definitely consider yourself stable! It is such an amazing feeling when you can function "normally" again, especially for a period of time like 6 weeks. I considered myself stable when IBS wasn't dictating how I lived every facet of my life. I understand that I will always have to watch what I eat, but I no longer fear going out to eat or being away from a bathroom!
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***********************
IBS-A, with bloating and gas as my predominant symptoms
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i still have dodgy days once in a while, and i'll have spells of a few days with uncomfortable but not alarming gas or a little C. but i still think of myself as stable (i'm an A but all of my attacks were D) because, as rachel said, i feel okay. when my ibs is under control - i know that i can eat safely - that's stability for me. it doesn't mean that i won't get an attack if i eat french fries, or that i don't feel a little off once in a while, but the off days are every few weeks or months, rather than being counted in days. i also think an aspect of stability is that you've gone through the process of safely integrating IF foods and protein - going weeks without an attack, but living on sweetpotatoes and rice, isn't really stability to me.
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jaime
ibs-a (mostly d) // vegetarian
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Rachel...
#239156 - 01/17/06 10:42 AM
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Augie
Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 5807
Loc: Illinois
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I want that so badly.  I think about my pain, bloat and C from the time I get up in the morning until I go to bed...and no pill, no supplement, nothing has helped. I need to let God have this one...but He doesn't want it either! 
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Align/Bifantis
#239186 - 01/17/06 11:59 AM
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Sand
Reged: 12/13/04
Posts: 4490
Loc: West Orange, NJ (IBS-D)
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I saw Align mentioned somewhere else recently, so I got curious and decided to do a little research. Here's what I found out.
Align is a commercial probiotic containing "bifidobacterium infantis 35624", brand name "Bifantis". I assume the numeric designator and brand name means this is a proprietary strain of bifidobacterium (not sure how that works if the bacteria is naturally occurring).
The test results are reported to be promising. You can read about them by doing a Search on the Research Library Board for "bifantis" (don't use the quotes). The verbiage indicates that the success rate is as great for Align as it is for Zelnorm and Lotronex. I did not read through the test results on the Align Website, so I do not have the exact improvement numbers for the clinical trials.
I also found some discussion about Align - including comments from people who are taking it - on another IBS Board (here and here ).
Align contains both dairy and soy, although I imagine the amounts of each would be small.
Many probiotics contain bifidobacterium and some even seem to contain b. infantis, so it's not clear to me exactly what the difference is in the 35624 variant. The Align Website does not give information on Colony Forming Units (CFU) which is what other probiotics give on their labels, but one of the IBS Group websites I cite above says that, when asked, the company reports 1 billion CFU per dose.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Do you take any Probiotic? The fact that it has lactose and soy is sort of making me leery. And it seems like it would be more helpful for D than C folks. Did you get that same impression?
Thanks for your thoughts and for your post! 
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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No, I don't take any probiotic. Until I totally screwed up my diet, I was doing so well without one that I didn't want to mess with success. I'm hoping to get back there again.
I don't know about the D vs. C. You'd have to look at the clinical trials to know that for sure, although I think there was some discussion of it in the verbal reports. I just didn't pay a lot of attention since I wasn't planning to take it.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Quote:
For me stable is not only being without pain, bloating or any of the sexy maladies that plague us, it is also a state of mind in that you can function without having to worry about every bite that you put in your mouth. This is not scientific...simply Rachel-ific...my intention is not to start any controversy.
I think that's a great Rachel-ific thought. Lol. I agree, for me it's more about my state of mind than the length of time since my last attack. We all know our own bodies, and if you feel fairly decent and aren't constantly worrying about what you eat, I would consider it being stable.
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"Anyone can exercise, but this kind of lethargy takes real discipline." -Garfield
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Congratulations! That's great! I counted myself stable when I no longer had daily attacks, constant pain, or urgency. I accept that IBS can be unpredictable and that I will have an inexplicable attack now and then, but I know that I'll bounce back quicker because I'm taking care of myself better.
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Thanks to all who are congratulating me for being stable. I told my husband if I could hear the words " You won the lottery " or " You are now stable " I would take the latter.I agree, I will have a attack at some point but because I have finally broken that cycle I was on for almost a year I am so much stronger health wise and emotional wise. Lisa
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you cannot allow yourself to dwell on it day in and day out. That alone will cause your tummy to stay in knots!
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Have a blessed day!...Rachel
stable and sooooooo thankful!
I have IBS but it doesn't have me!
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...when it is built into your personality and the way you've been for so long?
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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but that's the best thing I've ever seen to break this brain/gut anxiety and worry aspect of IBS.
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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I never really thought about being stable! And I am realizing I have been stable with one small lapse since mid October. I am still VERY careful about what I eat. That lapse was caused by hidden yellow peppers ! ! !
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Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Hi Heather
#239623 - 01/18/06 06:45 PM
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Augie
Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 5807
Loc: Illinois
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Thanks for the recommendation. I am still waiting for a programable CD player (didn't realize I would need a programmable one), and hopefully, hopefully, hopefully the tapes will help some. I'll take any amount of relief they might provide.
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Beth...
#239660 - 01/18/06 08:21 PM
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for me I had to get really PO'd about having IBS and decide to not let it consume me. Some habits are hard to break and "obsessing" is a bad habit. I should know, I have had that habit all my life.
I just got sick and tired of being sick and tired and made the choice not to obsess.
That combined with eating wisely is how I got stable. I don't eat my trigger foods, eat a piece of cheese now and then, use Stevia in my coffee and determine not to let IBS own me. Fake it if you have to....until you convince yourself.
If you don't try it...you'll never know if it works or not.
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Have a blessed day!...Rachel
stable and sooooooo thankful!
I have IBS but it doesn't have me!
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Beth, All you need is your will, just like Pooch used her's.
-Bob
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<img src="http://www.math.mtu.edu/~rwkolkka/BritPicA.jpg">
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--------------------
~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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a few years back, I had a cd player. And then lost it. And so I got a new one for christmas. Then I found my old one! So I had two. If I still have the old one, do you want it? I can check tonight.
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Augie: CD and CBT
#239729 - 01/19/06 07:06 AM
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Sand
Reged: 12/13/04
Posts: 4490
Loc: West Orange, NJ (IBS-D)
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I've been thinking about doing the hypno CDs - why do you need a programmable player?
I've never tried it per se, but I've heard a lot about Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). Maybe that would help.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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Hi Sand!
#239791 - 01/19/06 10:17 AM
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Augie
Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 5807
Loc: Illinois
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You need a programmable CD player because on most of the CDs there are more than one "track" on the disc. The directions on how to use the CD player make an important point of telling you that it's important to only listen to the first track according to a listening schedule that comes with the CDs. You need to be able to have the disc stop playing after the first track without going into the second track until it's the day to do that track.
I'm afraid I'll fall asleep or not be able to relax fully if I have to worry about stopping the disc before it runs into to the next session.
I see a psychologist now, but I don't think she does CBT...in fact I no she doesn't. I'll look into the link more and try and find someone in my area who is also in my insurance....but that will be difficult because my insurance is really poor!
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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If I don't get one for my birthday, I may just take you up on your offer. That is so nice of you. The people on this board are just the best! 
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Have a blessed day!...Rachel
stable and sooooooo thankful!
I have IBS but it doesn't have me!
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Oh yeah! -nt
#239816 - 01/19/06 10:54 AM
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Augie
Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 5807
Loc: Illinois
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Re: Hi Sand!
#239830 - 01/19/06 11:27 AM
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Sand
Reged: 12/13/04
Posts: 4490
Loc: West Orange, NJ (IBS-D)
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Could you set a timer to go off when the session is over? A gentle one, presumably, rather than one of those that sounds like an air raid siren.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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<img src="http://www.math.mtu.edu/~rwkolkka/BritPicA.jpg">
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Augie, about CBT
#240169 - 01/20/06 09:07 AM
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Sand
Reged: 12/13/04
Posts: 4490
Loc: West Orange, NJ (IBS-D)
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I didn't realize you'd started seeing a therapist. She'd be the best person to talk to about CBT - even if she's not an "official" practitioner, I'm sure she'll know what it is and know far better than I could whether the approach would be helpful to you. You know, that old one guru at a time rule of mine. 
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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