Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | I feel like I just had a breakthrough!

Hi all! I know I post pretty sporadically on here, but I feel so excited about my breakthrough that I wanted to share with all. This morning, after having diarrhea again, and having no idea why since I've been eating what I am supposed to, I decided to really look over my food journal that I've been keeping for the past couple months. I don't write down just food, I also log my exercise and sometimes how I was feeling that day. I'm also pretty good at remembering what was going on for me on each day. I at first was just looking at what I ate around the times I would get diarrhea. Nothing really seemed to be consistent. Then, I started to notice that when I had diarrhea I was usually nervous about something or there was something new going on in my life. I just started a new job this year, plus with working less hours have also had time to actually have a bit of a social life, which means I have been meeting new people, which makes me nervous. My diarrhea seemed most pronounced when I was feeling a bit iffy about a new situation, or, when I didn't have my day planned out, because I do well when I don't have to THINK about what i am going to do that day. Thinking seems to bring it on. I've always known I have problems with anxiety, but to see it so clearly in food journal, how it all connects...whoa! And I even started to feel better once I made that realization. So, back to relaxation techniques...lots of them! How long do you have to wait before you can do hypno again? I just finished last week. And, maybe I even need to go back to my counselor...I want to kick this, so to say!

I also have a tendency toward gas at night and noticed that the gas is more pronounced when I go on a run that day, PROBABLY because I didn't drink enough fluids to compensate, so I am going to start making sure I get 8 cups of water a day. Yay...that was another exciting discovery!

I know this is an uphill battle for all of us, but these kind of discoveries are what keep me going. I hope all of you are taking heart in your little triumphs too, and hanging in there. There ARE days when I just want to give up, but somehow I keep going. Thanks for listening, and have a wonderful day!

Kathy

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