Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | What is stablization? Really need some info please.

To me stability is a combination of many things...

* Having normal, regular BMs, not D or C, and not feeling nauseated all the time
The first step to this, of course, was altering my diet. The only time I have D now is if I allow myself to get overly stressed or anxious, and I have been working on that, too. I honestly can't remember the last time I had D, but I believe that the last time I had a terrible D attack was in August, and it was caused by eating an unsafe food. I was fine within an hour or two and able to eat normally at the next meal.

* Being able to live a "normal" life without fear of leaving home and having constant access to a bathroom. While this was not a major fear of mine, it certainly did control my choices about where I would go or plans I would make (or cancel). I spent all day Friday shopping at the sales and having a great time with no bathroom worries whatsoever. I couldn't have done that a year ago.

* Being able to safely eat a variety of yummy foods
This is still a learning process for me. I started eating primarily chicken breast and rice or pasta every day. I was afraid to try anything else that might upset the balance. Soon I began working in other safe foods, one at a time. My favorites are GardenBurger flame-grilled soy burgers, Amy's Family marinara sauce (I put in tofu and serve with pasta), fresh French bread, stir fry with shrimp or chicken, tilapia, and today I tried SoyBoy tofu ravioli with my marinara sauce... delicious! I am now to the point that I'm trying to branch out and experiment with new foods and continue working more IF into my meals. I'm loving this new-found freedom!

* Getting beyond the depressing fact that I can't eat my old favorite foods anymore
This didn't bother me at first because I was only concerned about making the D and nausea stop. However, once I became pretty much stable I started craving unsafe foods again. For a while it made me really sad, but now it has just started to inspire me to be more creative in my cooking and find new safe favorites.

Of course, it is still frustrating sometimes when trying to plan a meal with a group of people or find a safe restaurant to go to, but that is not a daily problem and certainly not an issue that can't be remedied with a little planning on my part. I now view my IBS as more of a food allergy... I just have to keep in mind what's safe and what's not and read the food labels before I choose to eat something.

* Dealing with the anxiety that I've been plagued with since my IBS peaked last year
Through prayer, Bible study, counseling, and learning to relax and rediscover what I enjoy I have been able to drastically reduce my stress and anxiety. Of course, getting my diet under control helped, too, because I was constantly nauseated and my biggest fear was throwing up... I almost never do (haven't in probably 5 years), but I am deathly afraid of it. I was having daily anxiety problems when my IBS was the worst. I was constantly struggling with it and felt like I was losing my mind. Once I got my diet fixed and realized I was still having occasional D attacks, I knew I needed to deal with the anxiety.... my last trigger. Anxiety is just like any other trigger. If you allow yourself to partake, you will get a tummy ache. I still have some minor anxiety, but I am usually able to get it under control before it spirals and makes me sick at my stomach. I now realize that the anxiety attacks were just my way of escaping a scary situation. I now have to find other ways to escape or deal with the fear without letting myself get sick over it. It's definitely a process, but it's going well so far.

I can't begin to express my gratitude for Heather's books and all the people on this site. I don't know where I'd be without all of you. Yes I do... I'd probably be in the bathroom...

Print Remind Me Notify Moderator