Reged: 11/04/03
Posts: 5918
Loc: Northwest Washington State
Oh yeah. Dizzy, you bet. And I get nauseated a lot. But have never thrown up. LOTS of anxiety! Big time. Thank goodness for Michael's hypnotherapy program; he did wonders for me.
About your GI -- find another. They all seem to go to the same School of Idiots. I hope your regular doc is much more knowledgeable and caring.
It took me a very short time to get stabilized -- a few months. It required (1) reading Heather's books several times, (2) staying with the boards and learning everything I could (which just reiterated and confirmed what I had read in Heather's books), (3) followed the program religiously and STOPPED CHEATING (giving up coffee), and (4) doing Michael's program every night.
If you don't feel comfortable eating at friends' homes, for now -- and I mean FOR NOW -- don't do it. You need to get stabilized, but you really need to learn what you can and can't eat. Until you learn that really well, you can't tell your friends what to serve you.
And do find a way to tell your friends. If they really care for you, they will stick by you. Be prepared, however -- because I lost friends over my IBS. You'd be surprised how people will turn away when you try to explain that you can't go on long trips without bathrooms nearby, that you just aren't the kind who can hang your butt over a log in the woods.
Okay, I'm rambling again -- sorry about that ...
Don't be in too big of a hurry to add in other foods. Just take it slowly. It sounds like you're doing a real good job so far, and that you're feeling a little better? That should continue as time passes. Then you can try adding some veggies to chicken or vegetable stock; soup's great, and you can serve it with some French bread. Yum. Fruit can be added to smoothies; Heather has a terrific recipe in here for banana-berry smoothie (it's also in her book), and it's delicious.
When you feel up to it, you can try some of the incredible recipes in the recipe board; of course they're all IBS-safe. It's fun to experiment with different things, and even more fun when you discover they don't bother your tummy!
Venture out to the nearby health food store and discover the joys of soy. Can you imagine a pizza? Yep -- Amy's frozen soy cheese pizza. YUMMERS!
Don't be scared, Cara. We're here to help you. You can get better, I promise.