Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: I'm new to IBS and miserable

Hi there, you are not alone � and you don't sound ridiculous! I am 29 years old, and was diagnosed with IBS when I was 17. Though I have specific memories of symptoms as early as 14, if not even before that. Unfortunately, I lived in a small town with limited resources and very old-fashioned doctors. I was given antispasmotic meds that made me feel like an alien in my own body (I discontinued them after a couple of months), and was told to simply eat bland foods and try to increase my fiber. Nothing more specific than that � and I never really followed the advice anyway. For the next 8-9 years, I went through periods of flare-ups and even complete remission � I could sometimes go up to a year or more with no symptoms. But starting about 3-4 years ago, the periods of remission starting becoming shorter and shorter. I've had times when I've been terrified to leave home. So I'm essentially in the same boat as you � a young woman in her 20's feeling like her life is over before it ever really began.

I started lurking on this website about 2-3 years ago, but never posted or tried the diet until very recently (no milk, cheese, steak, or egg yolks � are you KIDDING me???). I was invited to a Halloween party on October 26th and, after getting all dressed up for it, ended up spending the entire night stuck on my toilet without ever making it to the party. It was sort of the straw that broke the camel's back, and I finally ordered Heather's book � Eating for IBS. It hasn't been easy, and the first week I was cheating quite a bit, but I finally realized that I'm not doing myself any favours by not giving the diet at least a fair chance. I have been feeling a little better, but no where near 100% yet (I'm still going through alternating cycles of C and D � just had some D Saturday morning

), but the folks on the board say it may take weeks or even months to stabilize. Taking Acacia is also supposed to help � Fibercon, if I'm not mistaken, contains some insoluble fiber, so you might do better switching to Acacia or Benefiber, which is soluble fiber only. I've been taking the Acacia for over a year but only started increasing my dose last month. I am up to 7 g per day now.

Anyway just wanted to welcome you to the board and let you know you are not alone!

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IBS-A since age 12, and fructose sensitive; with the exception of my pregnancy, have been following Heather's diet since Nov. 19, 2007.
Taking 12g of Acacia per day. Relatively stable since March 2008!

Edited by Erilyn (12/11/07 12:03 PM)

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