Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Sometimes it takes a success story?

I'm hoping my story here will keep others in good spirits.

8 years ago, in the middle of college, I was diagnosed with IBS. The doctor said it was "probably related to the stress of school" - I had IBS-D, and that's how life was. "Avoid spicy and fatty foods" was about the only advice I got. Things were not too bad at first, but every time I insulted my gut, it got worse and worse and worse. I considered dropping out...but I stuck it out, eating nothing but rice (and white rice/sugar rice cakes I got from a local asian grocery store) for weeks on end. I turned super antisocial. It's not an exaggeration to say that Heather's website was the only thing keeping me alive - without her advice, I really had no idea what to eat.

I hit rock bottom when I was 105 pounds (I'm a 5'9" male). When I graduated, I had no idea what to do for work, so I worked as a tutor (I wouldn't eat for hours before tutoring to avoid an incident). Reading things here helped me slowly recover...slowly and slowly, things got better, so that I at least could eat chicken, egg whites, soy yogurt, a lot of the safer stuff. I never posted though...sorry to say, I was too embarrassed.

I got lots of bad advice from Doctors until I found a good one. He saw I was a young guy whose life wasn't really being lived, so he insisted with my extra time, I really give antispasmodics a shot. I had tried them before, and the side effects were terrible, and it seemed ineffective. He insisted though, that I stick out - that the side effects would lessen, and that the effectiveness would continue. It was dicyclomine (Bentyl) and I had no success for 4 months; 4 months of splitting headaches and not much effect, but still he insisted.
Month 5, things started getting a lot better. Following Heather's advice, I finally felt like I could slowly build up eating real fiber. I had to take 2 bentyl a day, but I built up slowly...I went from 1/2 teaspoon of Heather's tummy fiber a day to 1 tablespoon a day.

It took a lot of time, but I was inspired to post tonight for a specific reason. 3 years after I started dicyclomine, I now take it only twice a month, down from twice a day. I just made myself a lentil stew (yes, a lentil stew, with lots of lentils and veggies - blended the lentils first, of course) and I'm in graduate school. Eating it with barley (barley! I never would have guessed it 6 years ago). It was a combination of so much work, so many little steps, but I have Heather to thank for it. So for those of you fighting, who can't see a light at the end of the tunnel, I hope there's some inspiration to be found here, some kernel of advice in not giving up. It's not perfect, I don't feel well 100% of the time, but I feel like my life is back on track.

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