Thanks for the welcome, Sand. I grew up in Highland Park, NJ, btw, back in the 1950's. I also lived in Elizabeth as a teen, and graduated from Jefferson High in 1967. I appreciate your thoughts, and I must agree that it's better to be running for the john to pee than the other! One of the other things I would like to try is the peppermint tea. In addition to my colon surgery, I have also had my gallbladder removed. I have used Imodium, Bentyl, and that white prescription powder (can't think of the name, but it binds cholesterol or something after gallbladder surgery). Bentyl never worked, and my doctor discourages Imodium more than once in a while. It does work for me, however. I have an excellent internist, but she doesn't consider IBS my major problem, as I have been so sick with blood clots since 1999. I am pretty healthy otherwise. She sees IBS as mostly "in my head", and if you read the medical studies linked to this website, you can see that she is right. It's just that there is a real, physical connection -- not "just" mental. So she wants me on SSRI's, but I cannot tolerate them due to my genetic disorder -- I get a Parkinsonian tremor whenever I take an SSRI (like Paxil or Zoloft). I have seen studies that show that there is so much serotonin re-uptake going on in the gut that GE's (gastroenterologists) sometimes refer to the gut as "the other brain". I was born with a genetic neurological disorder called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (named after the 19th Century MD's who first identified it) that involves the nerve endings, especially in the legs and feet. The myelin sheaths are eroded to the point that the legs and feet are deformed by adulthood. I had many orthopedic surgeries during my late twenties and early thirties. Twenty-five years later I am now having recurrent blood clots for which the doctors cannot find a cause. However, I have researched this and concluded that it was the damage done to my leg veins during surgery that led to clots years later.
It is also possible that my genetic disorder has something to do with the IBS. Anyway, I am also interested in trying hypnotherapy, and per this website there is an IBS therapist (LMSW) within a hour's drive of my home. I think frequent small meals are a good idea for any of us. What I will never understand is why my episodes have always occurred during the day, and never after the evening hours. As I said, I have no trouble between the hours of about 7 at night till 7 in the morning. That is a half of every day! Of course, I was always more relaxed in the evenings and at night during my working years, but now my time is completely my own (hence my propensity to run on so!) and you would think that I would have an easier time handling the day-time hours now, but not so. Anyhow -- I shall attempt several of these strategies, and let you know. Thanks again for your warm greetings and helpful ideas.
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Re: Life-long IBS
