First of all, hang in there. Nothing works immediately. I think I was 3 months or so on the diet before I noticed ANY improvement at all, so you're ahead of me in that regard!
Second, and I'm not trying to be discouraging, I swear, but there is NO cure for IBS. You can manage the symptoms very well and in effect you'll be "cured", but there's always the chance that it will come back. If your IBS is mild, I truly believe that you CAN get yourself 100% symptom-free. If it's severe, like mine is, I just think that's an unrealistic goal in a lot of respects... and when I let go of that expectation and just concentrated on the fact that I was improving, it helped my state of mind greatly.
Anyway, that said, on a scale of 1-10, I'd rate the normalcy of my life at about a 7 or 8 - and that's FANTASTIC. I'm very happy with that. I've had IBS since I was 12, possibly even younger than that, and after 18+ years, 7-8 is like a godsend, even though I still have bad days.
What I'm doing is pretty simple: I follow the diet religiously, with no cheats. (Ok, I steal a sip of soda here and there, but we're talking once or twice a month.) I take medication for my anxiety - Lexapro 20mg daily - and by extension, it's helped my IBS greatly. I take a fiber supplement when I remember to, which isn't very often. I take Imodium when I need to.
I also have to be very particular about what I eat when, and how much I eat, and how often. All in all, it took me from May 2004 till February 2005 to really get what works for me down pat.
And that's it.
As far as symptoms go, I tend to have a "bad tummy day" once or twice a month, depending on how stressful things are in my life in general. Even with the meds, stress sends me running to the bathroom. But for the most part, I know I can go out and not have much in the way of problems. I always carry safe snacks with me, as well as some imodium in case I have problems.
If you have anxiety issues, which it does sound like you do, to an extent, I definitely urge you to pay attention to that and do what you can to improve it. You don't necessarily need to be on medication. Seeing a therapist was my first step, and after that, I decided to try anti-anxiety medication. You could also try the hypnotherapy program; I haven't tried it because I can't afford it, but I've heard nothing but wonderful things about it. Anxiety and that "tense feeling" is worth addressing. I went for YEARS convinced that I didn't need help for it, and I really think that was keeping me from ever really feeling well.
Does it get better? Absolutely!  Hang in there - you'll see!
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Re: Did it ever get better??
