Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

As you will see, every case is different. I am not expert except what works for me. I do find that my time from have the actual attack with the stomach spasms and all until I feel "normal" again can take me some time. Sometimes its a month or more of getting down to the basics. When I feel good I tend to go lax on what I do, which I do not recommend. You really have to make a lifestyle change to continue to be successful IMHO. My major trigger is stress. I know this and what I do for that is yoga and meditation. Those seem to really help me mentally and physically. As I said before, you have to find what works for you but I have several yoga dvds and the main one I start out with is the Mayo Clinic for IBS DVD. The physical motions it takes me through seem to help my tummy feel better. I also have some other ones. I also find that if I keep moving and incorporate some exercise I feel better. I would love nothing better than to curl up on the couch and do nothing, but I find that when I do this, my stomach feels worse either that night or the next day. When I feel bad I don't want to do aggressive exercise so I do the Leslie Sansone Walk dvds. This gives me a little exercise and movement. At this stage I am not trying to lose weight or build muscle; I am trying to get back to normal.
My second trigger is food. My last bout with this started two weeks ago. MY main stressor was that I have been going through a divorce and I am without a job and the bills are calling my name. I have family helping me but it is stilla stress on me. I didnt know exactly that I was about to start my symptoms again but the day before I had my attack, I had eaten a Totino's pizza as well as the days before, ice cream, yogurt and cheese. I had gotten too comfortable aqnd let myself begin eating things I could not. On top of this I do have lactose intolerence which for me further stresses my digestive system. My point here is that it is very important to follow the guidelines. If you can get the First Year IBS book (I happen to have two extra if you want one) and The Eating for IBS cookbook, those may help you in trying to prepare helpful meals that your tummy can tolerate. On my off days I can only eat cooked white rice, rice cakes, plain mashed potatoes (I make them myself from potatoes), a recipe I got here for potato soup, bread plain or toasted and lots of water and some tea. Now I heard you say GERD so I would be careful with your peppermint tea as that can irritate the GERD. I drink the Fennel and Chamomile and Ginger. Just try the peppermint one and see how it feels and hopefully you will have no GERD issues with it. If you do, try the others.
It just takes time to regulate your system. Don't give up. Sometimes it just takes a little longer. This is all new to you. There is a lot of information on here. Read through what people say and keep in mind that every case is different. Some of us have a couple things going on and so we have to tweak this to get the good result. Just keep in mind most likely that keeping the stress away, eating the EFI diet as laid out on here and getting plenty of exercise and sleep will help all the way around. Hang in there and you will be fine.

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When all else fails.....have tea.

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