Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

I have a feeling I've missed a lot of the backstory on this but since the topic is near and dear to my heart, I'm going to jump in anyhow.

I've never believed it's appropriate for people to use these Boards to argue that Heather's approach is wrong or that she doesn't know what she's talking about. The whole point of the Boards is to provide support for people who want to try Heather's approach. So if someone wants to insist that dairy products are fine or soluble fiber is nonsense, this isn't the place for them.

However, if someone has tried Heather's approach and it hasn't worked, I think it's perfectly fine to post saying, "I tried this, it didn't work for me, here's what I'm going to try next, bye-bye" and then leave. If someone who didn't have success with Heather's approach leaves, tries something else, and has wonderful success with that approach, I think it would be great if they would come back and say so. I believe that what we currently call IBS will turn out to be a whole bundle of different conditions which makes it logical that even an approach like Heather's, which works wonderfully for many people, won't work for everyone. If something else does, it's courteous to come back here and say so. Not because that means Heather's approach is wrong but because something different may work better for someone who isn't having success with this approach.

Nonetheless, I don't see anything wrong with people discussing what they're trying in the medication and treatment lines, whether prescription, over the counter, or alternative. I'm IBS-D but when I was active on the Boards I would tell people who were IBS-C that other Board members had said they were successful using a stool softener or adding more insoluble fiber or whatever. Similarly, I never took Imodium daily as a precaution myself but I don't see anything wrong with my telling someone who's IBS-D and miserable that it's worth a try. Similarly, I read discussions about Lotronex long before anyone had tried it - and participated in those discussions myself. I can read and ask questions of my GI guy; I was able to figure out the risks and rewards of various medications and don't see anything wrong with passing that knowledge along to other people on the Board who might benefit from it.

Am I super-interested in the biology behind IBS? Nope. Frankly, ShawnEric's posts make my eyes glaze over. So I don't read them. But if people who are interested learn from his posts that some studies show that Eye of Newt and Tongue of Bat have been shown to be effective in treating IBS, then good for him and for them. They can ask their GI about it. There's no harm in suggesting things. I think we're all intelligent enough to evaluate the difference between "I hear such and such works well" and "I tried such and such and it was like a miracle" and then make our own decisions about what we do and don't want to try.

As for confusing newbies, yes, that can be a problem. I honestly believe that newbies are better off reading Heather's book and/or the Website outside the Boards first, and only coming to the Boards when they understand what Heather's approach really is. The Boards tend to deal with questions at the margins, so you hear about people who cannot tolerate rice and people who can tolerate egg yolks. Interesting and useful once you understand Heather's diet but confusing to someone who is hoping to learn all the ins and outs of the diet from the Boards. I realize, however, that it's unlikely newbies are going to stay off the Boards so I simply hope that people on the Boards will be clear about how what they are doing or suggesting differs from Heather's guidelines and refrain from assuring newbies that they don't really need to do all that stuff Heather suggests. I also hope that newbies will understand that they really need to do the reading outside the Boards in order to make informed decisions for themselves.

I think part of your concern, Windchimes, may arise from the fact that this is not a forum where we share our Experience, Strength, and Hope in the way that trio is usually thought of. Crosstalk is encouraged; advice is sought and welcome when given; mentioning professional credentials is perfectly valid and does give someone's advice more weight. The slogans for these Boards would be Each One Teach One and Live and Let Live.

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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]

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