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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I think you are right. I have taken time off from the boards from time to time. If you find you get "addicted" asking about every little thing or worrying too much then maybe you should try to stay away from the boards for a while until you feel better. The problem for me has been exactly what you describe. When you read Heather's original info it's very reassuring and non-obsessive. Quite relaxed in fact. However all people are different, and we may all experience that certain things don't seem to work for us, like maybe we have problems with a supposedly safe food item. This can cause a bit of stress and worrying. But here it's important to listen to our own bodies. We certainly don't have to through away the whole diet because there is a detail that doesn't work for us. The boards are therefore great when you experience a problem and need help figuring out what caused it. However, it is also easy to get too cautious here. I have found myself asking about specific foods or ingredients many times - is this safe, is that safe? The problem with that is that with many things there are at least one person on these boards who has a negative experience of that particular food item and then it's easy to get scared. But the thing is that it could be that many more people are fine with that food item. If it seems to be a general rule that most people react badly to something then you can be pretty sure it's mentioned in Heather's guidelines. It can be useful to know if someone else has had a reaction to something that you suspect you have problems with although it's not explicitly mentioned as a trigger for example. But regarding these specific things I suggest that you try it for yourself a couple of times to make sure that is what's causing the problem before you add it to your list of things to avoid. It is really very important not to avoid more things than necessary, both to make sure you get the nutrition you need and to make sure you don't get too little variation and "mental stimulation" from your food. I think it is probably easy for most IBS:ers to develop an obsessive thinking about food and it is really important to try to get as relaxed about food as possible as stress is a powerful IBS trigger and stress around meals don't exactly help the digestion either. But this is why Heather's rules are so important and beautiful. They are quite general and they encourage a relaxed relationship to food.
So to summarize: Follow Heather's guidelines. That is the important thing. Avoid the general triggers she mentions and get the proportion of SF and IF food that is right for you. As for things that Heather mentions "might cause problems in some people" and for things that you suspect that you have problems with although they are supposed to be safe feel free to consult others on the boards but do listen to yourself and note how your body reacts to that particular food item to make sure you don't cut things out of your diet unless it is absolutely necessary.
Hope this helps.
/Ulrika, IBS-D
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Thanks for all of the responses. I think I am going to step away from the board for a bit to just focus on myself. I have learned a lot from all of you but I think I have the gist of the diet now. It is reassuring to know that if I run into trouble or have a question I don't have to hesitate to come back. Take care, Andrew
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hi Andrew, well personally speaking (wont be the same for everyone else) but I've been away from this site now for a while at the suggestion of my ex-councilor. I've been doing really well too and just tend to come on here if I have an attack for comfort. I can totally relate to what your saying as I've had the same experiences you talk about. If you are the type of person to worry then maybe you shouldn't read all of the posts just ones that you need to read in order to get information.
This site has been just amazing the support is fantastic and I truly am grateful for the stable people who help newbies they do an awesome job. That job is great if it's right for YOU, I used to use that as an excuse for staying around here, telling myself that I could help people with my experience but in the end I decided it just wasn't right for me and you need to make a decision too. I still do pop in to the living room boards cos I like to check on the news in people's lives.
Hope you make the right decision for you and best wishes whatever you do
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