This board helpful or harmful as far as stress is concerned........
#310788 - 07/09/07 02:44 PM
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AndrewIBSC
Reged: 03/23/07
Posts: 159
Loc: PHiladelphia, PA
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Has anyone else ever been at a stage in this journey where they feel like reading these posts are actually counter productive? I have been following the diet for 3 months and feel much better. However, it seems that whenever I come and read posts I get stressed out especially when I recall them before I eat. Throughout this website it is stressed that everyone is different and has different triggers, yet when I read other people's triggers I question things that have been safe for me in the past. For example fructose is not an issue for me but so many people say it is for them that I start to fear things that have fructose in them. Do any of you think that time off from this board may help. I actually am beginning to think that some people who post, including myself, may be obsessing a little too much and this contributing to the problem. What do you guys think?
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I find discussions about common problems with others is always helpful even though sometimes it is stressful. It is not unusual for learning and sharing to be stressful as well as beneficial.
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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I understand where you're coming from, but I find it more helpful than anything. I do take some of it with a grain of salt, like the fructose thing and its cousin HFCS. I'm not sensitive to it, either (and I DO know my triggers).
There are some things I can eat that are triggers for others; those I don't mention unless someone asks about that food specifically.
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Was there ever a time when you just thought it would be better to stay away from the board and go about it on your own?
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It seems to me that it goes in cycles...that initially you are in pain and reaching for info and help and hope, and when you've gotten yourself stabilized, you can either take a break or offer help to others.
If it's making you squirrely, you can just take a break! Other people's triggers will NOT be added to yours, and only serve to illustrate how different we all are with IBS and that you are not alone when you suffer.
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Yes, it's so easy to get stressed out when someone has a bad reaction to something, and it's perfectly understandable that while you've only been at this for 3 months, you're still very anxious about food and how you're going to react. My advice is, take everything with a grain of salt, except what Heather says. Take her universal triggers very seriously, and the insolubles carefully, and everything else is gravy. I am in no way insulting or belittling what others say on the board - everyone is so helpful, and it's good to know what bothers others. With that I mean you're going to have to take some time and trial and error to figure out how your bod is going to handle different foods. Also, throw into other factors like humidity, stress, etc., and you've got this endless combination of confusing possibilities.
So, take it a day at a time. A food journal can be immensely helpful - it will keep you focused on YOU and how YOU react. This is all meant to be helpful and supportive. If you find it stresses you out, then, maybe just follow Heather's guidelines and do a board search if you have any specific foods or topics you're curious about. With that said, never feel that you're not welcome because you're anxious and stressed. We've all been there, and we're here to support you. Trust me, it DOES get better. When you get the hang of it, as I have, I hardly have to think about IBS. I know what to avoid, and pretty much how I'm going to react (although IBS can always throw us upsets).
Hope this helps! 
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Formerly HanSolo. IBS, OCD, Bipolar, PTSD times 3.
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Take a break mate; if you are feeling better as you say, then you have some confidence in what you are doing for yourself, what works for your own body, just go with it and don't let the information and questions here overwhelm you. I know what you mean, it can be stressful trying to deal with all the info but it's also so helpful for lots of us and comforting to know other people are struggling with it. But don't burden yourself with all of it, just relax and enjoy feeling better.
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Only you know for such if you are stressing yourself out over something you have read. I don't find it counter-active to learn more about others symptoms. I just don't take it all to heart. I like coming to the board, even if I don't log in - I have friends here who no matter what know what I am going through because they have all gone through it too. I live in a smaller city without a lot of friends. I know 1 other person with IBS lives here. Kinda hard to talk about what you're going through when you're alone. (My advantage is it is my hairdresser so I see her often!)
The board is a family, we are here to support each other. If you're stressing because you're only reading about diet issues and should I eat / not eat this or that, stay away from the Diet Board - pop into the Living room or the fitness room. Get your mind off the ibs and just chat about everything else in your life - like your holiday, job, hobbies, etc.
And you know yourself if something is a trigger - don't worry that all of a sudden something you've even forever is going to bother you - yep, it could happen because of 101 reasons - stress, heat, lack of sleep, cross-contamination, etc. I can have attacks after the safest of foods. I know its not the food - it's my stress / fatigue level.
By all means, if you need a break, take one. And when you need the board or have a question, you may decide to come back. That is the reason Heather created it. Support, no matter when.
Best of luck to you,
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Cassandra
Live like there's no tomorrow. Love like you've never loved before.
IBS A 20+ years, Chronic Migraines, Chiari Malformation (decompressed June 22, 2010), Brachial Neuritis, and ??? the list just keeps growing, but I'm still shiny side up! 
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I think it varies from person to person and for each person it varies over time. Since you're doing well, I'd say that if you feel like reading the Boards is hurting more than it's helping, try taking a break for a while. You can always come back.
And, yes, since there is a psychological component to IBS I do think it's possible to make things worse by obsessing over the condition and/or over every bite you put in your mouth. Posting on the Boards doesn't necessarily mean you're doing that but it is an issue to be aware of.
Last but not least I agree with Yoda: take Heather's guidelines very seriously but take what everyone else says with a grain of salt. I've been on the Boards for quite a while now and I think food issues go in cycles. For a while everyone discusses fructose, then brown vs white rice, then HFCS, then dairy, etc. So trust yourself. Since you're doing well it sounds like you know what foods do and don't bother you so don't worry about what other people report as problem foods. (Didn't your mother ever give you the "if all your friends jumped off a cliff would you jump off a cliff too" speech? )
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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I think this board is great if you have problems or need advice. However, I agree with Andrew that sometimes this board does cause you some stress, and make you worry about eating this that don't usually trigger you. I can eat white bread from a bag, even though it contains HFCS and it doesn't bother me, but after reading a post about bread on the board, I had an attack even though I ate white bread with toast everyday. That is when I realized that you can't avoid things because others have had attacks.
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