Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: rest, overtired and cause?

I agree, Suze, that exercise is important; I swim and do a ot of gardening,. ........and you're right, I am sticking to the diet, maybe to the extreme. And I'm "much" older than you, at 63! , but I agree there are few of us older ones in this group!! I also believe that the IBS gets worse as we get older, and harder to control.

I think back over the years, and I'm pretty sure that I actually had some form of IBS for years. Not until 5years ago, and a sudden 15 lb weight loss, not being able to eat anything but bread, crackesr, and chicken soup, and everything going right through me, did I come to a sudden halt and end up at a gastro's office. He put me on the Librax, which seemed like a cure all, until this past year. Then much of the same thing started while on the Librax. ......and the Doctors!!! Well, they love pills!! Then came Heather's site in my research. Thank goodness!! I'm now only taking Librax now and then.

I know another thing about the sleep. When I'm overtired, like today, my GI tract just doesn't function well at all. It's all I can do to keep things under control, and sometimes I have to revert back to the Librax for a day or two to control D. Food just seems to go right straight through me when I am overtired, and not particularly in the D form, just like a baby, soft and too light in color and a transit time of an hour or two.

Last night was a classic night for me. To bed at 10:30, take my Lumina sleeping pill. Fall asleep in about 1/2 hour. Woke up at 4:15, wide awake after 5 + hours sleep. ........and no amount of relaxation techniques can get me back to sleep. So I finally give up at 6 or so. Now it's 2 pm and I'm exhausted after spending a few hours in the garden. But I will go to bed tonight and lay awake starring at the ceiling if I don't take the sleep aid.

IE: What is the underlying cause of this insomnia? I keep trying different things. I'm too sensitive to scents to try that, but tryptophan and potassium seem to help. (Had no bananas this am!) Peanut butter helps me rest but it also is not the best thing for my pre bedtime snack (at about 8 pm) as it tends to irritate the bowel.
Protein is a plus for me.

The other thing is that this holistic med. person had me try no sugars at all, bread nothing, for two weeks last winter and she had me taking concentrated oregano pills. I actually did sleep better, at least longer, but the lack of carbs didn't agree with my colon that well at all.

I know, I'm going on here..........and I want to say how much I appreciate all the input, quite a bit of which I have, am, or will try. Thanks all!!
Barb (and I will get a pixs up one of these days!)

Edited by Barbara Lynn (07/10/05 11:32 AM)

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