Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

i'm sorry that you're not doing well. that's not good at all. let's see what we can do to fix this!

listen, when i was really sick and out of work for a few months, i was MISERABLE and wasn't eating at all, either. terrible! what i noticed was helpful was actually concentrating on getting protein, even if it was just a few bites every few hours. make a schedule if you have to. make some rice and chicken and take a few bites as often as you can force yourself to do so. once i started concentrating on the protein, i found i had more energy. it was a nice postive cycle. i had finally decided to do the opposite of what i did when i started feeling sick (which was cut out foods and eat less frequently).

i know you're working really hard to get better. i'm really proud of you, if it doesn't sound too condescending.

so... protein. can you handle soy? there are soy protein powders at the health food stores. you can mix them in with sauces and stuff. maybe make some kind of pasta you can eat periodically and juice up the sauce with extra protein? throw some soy cheese on your bread?

speaking of bread, have you been screened for celiac? that's something that they should check if they haven't yet. i tested negative, but i still cut out wheat for a while (i concentrated on eating potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and rice as my soluble fiber bases). actually, it was a few months! i really noticed an improvement. i seem to be back on the wheat now just fine, so i don't know what that was about, whether i have a wheat intolerance or not. but it's something to look into, testing-wise.

hmm... what else?

i know you've cut all the triggers because you're hardly eating at all. have you tried fennel tea? i was downing fennel tea a lot during that time i was concentrating on upping the protein. damn, was i determined to get back to some semblance of normal! i had a cup of fennel tea in front of me at all times and i also had a hot water bottle or heating pad on my stomach most waking hours. those things helped a lot, i think. they helped relax my insides physically, but they also made me feel nice and calm. concentrate on pampering yourself! (and the protein)

also, with regards to the SFS, at the time i was doing all the stuff above, that's when i started with the acacia. i added it really slowly, but i was really regular with taking it. i never missed a dose. i was considering it my job!

maybe you'll find more relief now that you're working on that?

if you need some incentive to eat more frequently, remember that Heather even says that you can feel worse if you don't have stuff in your tummy. it's important to make sure you have soluble fiber in your colon at all times. when it's full, the contractions are at least pushing something along instead of just grabbing on to nothing.

so, your homework: grab some fennel and make a lot of tea and go eat something! please report back with your progress. i already told Kelly i want her to gain a few pounds before Fall. now i'm telling you the same thing. don't make me come up there and hurt you!

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