Sorry for that I was looking for how to set up to receive PMs and I'm still not sure. I think I will post here since others have requested (Double J).
I stabilized last year after New Years (finally a new years resolution that worked!). I stabilized on diet and Acacia alone. I only added in peppermint caps, Beano, Imodium and other stuff later on. The reason for this is I wanted to know what foods I could handle. So I started with the Break The Cycle diet of only safe SF foods (banana, rice, white bread, applesauce, carrots, white pasta). After a couple days I added in plain chicken breast. Then every couple days I would add in a new IF in the safest way possible, and tested out how I did with it. I will say this, I did start on Heather's diet well before New years, noticed slight improvement but not much. I still had the sporadic attacks that didn't seem related to which foods I ate. I credit the BTC diet and cutting ALL triggers for really getting me on track to being stable.
After a month I had a pretty basic, plain, but safe diet. I want to stress here the no cheating. If you eat trigger foods it can set your stomach off and then it is even harder to figure out what foods are really affecting you. During this month I did not have perfect BMs, no attacks or pain. However, I noticed a huge improvement both in intensity of attacks and length of duration.
I started travelling again about 2 months into it. I also started really trying to expand my diet and start eating more fat and IF. So during this time, I started expermenting with other products such as Imodium, Beano, peppermint caps, calcium, etc.
I now take 2tbsp Acacia per day, Imodium when needed (if I have an attack, or 2 or more BMs a day), Beano with gassy foods, and a probiotic. I'm starting the hypno tapes as well. I do take peppermint caps with dinners sometimes, but ran out recently and haven't remembered to order some more. I used to take a calcium supplement with magnesium, but recently switched to Caltrate. I have to say, even with all these products, the basis of my being stable is still absolutely Heather's diet.
I have a few suggestions for the IBS-A, being backed up a couple days and fearing for the next BM since it could be a D attack. It's important to eat really safely when you haven't gone in a few days. Incorporate more IF in small amounts at each meal, peeled, purreed, cooked soft. Drink lots and lots of water. Also, exercise will really help get things moving even if it's just doing some situps or going for a walk. The goal is to 'ease' out the next BM. Eating any triggers, too much IF without a good enough base of SF, or not drinking enough water could result in a more painful BM or attack. Also, stressing about it could have the same effect.
I agree with Casey, you must get other conditions that mght affect your IBS under control first. In my case, I had to deal with my periods. If I hadn't dealt with that, the anxiety I had and meds I used to deal with my periods would have continued to affect my IBS. If you have other medical problems, anxiety, OCD, depression, anything that may affect your IBS, try to find a good solution to that.
For me, being stable means that if I eat safely I will not have an attack related to food. I may have my bad days due to stress or lack of sleep, but I recover much quicker than before. I will have an attack from eating triggers, too much IF or fat, but once again I recover quicker. I probably do still have an attack about once a month, but to me that's pretty normal. I see normal people having upset stomachs that often, so I don't worry about it. Most days I don't have symptoms like cramping, gas or pain. I think being stable is once you get to a point where your IBS doesn't affect your everyday life.
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Kat
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