Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | you've probably heard this before

Yeah, lame title, and I'm not too sure this is going to be all that well received. In all the forums I frequent, 'hello' posts are not generally looked upon as a good thing. But, seeing as how I may have a lot to say, I figured I'd start out with this. In advance, I'd like to apologize for my typing. It's not what I'd like it to be, and I may occasionally slip into long sentences or paragraphs with no capitalization. I also apologize for the rambling, and the length.

My mother-in-law recently brought home the 'Eating for IBS' book, and I've started reading it. Of course the first thing I notice is the trigger foods, and it makes me sort of sad.

But let me start from the begining.

Ever since I was young, I've had doctors poring over me, trying to figure out what makes me so sick. At first it was just to figure out why I hapenned to contract every little virulent strain of anything that was going around. Eventually, we got rid of my cats, and that helped. (I know, I know, nothing to do with IBS, but it leads up to why i don't like doctors.) The process of discovering my severe allergy to cats left me with a compromised immune system, and a fear of needles. Four spinal taps in two years and a plethora of blood work will do that to a person.

I've always loved milk, be it in cheese, ice cream, sauce, or chocolate milk form. I was an avid dairy consumer, as is my sister. My mother has been lactose intolerant most of her life. I began exhibiting sensitivity to dairy aroudn the age of ten, I guess. My mother started cutting dairy out of the familly's diet as quick as possible, as it seemed ot make me quite ill, beyond the usual bloating and nausea that she experienced. Sometime around then, I was diagnosed with IBS.

It's always been just an acronym to me, words strung together that mean virtually nothing except embarassment to me. I don't like to talk about it, not even to my doctors. All my life, my reactions to most foods have been that i feel 'sick'. That is how my family has always said it. "Do you feel sick?" "Are you going to be sick?" "Don't eat that, it'll make you feel sick." Even now, when I feel the familiar roiling in my guts, and break outin a cold sweat, I tell my husband "I feel sick." I've told him the diagnosis, as he is always quite worried about me, but he has only recently asked me what it means.

My 'feeling sick' started simply enough, as I said, with a sensitivity to dairy. So dairy was cut out except on special occasions, and I continued with renewed confidence and comfort. Soon, I began to feel ill after eating apples. Eventually, though apples were my favourite fruit, i had to reduce my consumption of them to maybe one or two a week, and then down to what it is now, which is virtually no apples at all.

Soon I began showing sensitivity to peas and corn. eventually i couldn't eat either vegetable, and though I love corn, I was once again forced to remove something from my regular diet.

It went on and on like this, developing sensitivities to certain foods, until eventually I started just avoiding food entirely. It's not healthy, but I go for a day or two without eating more than a sleeve of crackers. If I know I'm not going to be leaving the house for the rest of the day, I might treat myself, or cook a large supper for myself and my husband. I no longer eat popcorn at theaters. I no longer eat at McDonalds, I can no longer eat chinese food unless I plan on staying in for the next couple of days, and though I work at a Pizza Hut, I cannot even have my employee meal on my break, because less than half an hour later, if the temperature in the room fluctuates by even one degree, I am fighting nausea and cramps on my way to the bathroom.

The list of food I cannot eat comfortably far exceeds the list of foods I can, and includes meat (mostly red, though occasionally fish, pork, and chicken also cause adverse reactions), almost all fruit (except, on good days, grapes, and kiwis), vegetables (especially corn or anything green), salads, dairy, and anything sugary.

I guess I'm lucky in that I've never had a problem with getting to the bathroom on time, even though I am very...socially phobic, I guess one would label it, easily embarassed, and refuse adamantly to use public bathrooms, including the ones in the schools I attended.

I've recently had a laparoscopy, which ruled out anything ovarian/uterin, which was nice ocnsidering my familly's history of cancers, and am now waiting for a call from a local gastroenterolgist reguarding appointments for other tests. I'm also supposed to be going for a Celiac blood test. I'm severly anemic, and the iron supplements I take daily don't seem to have any effect on that whatsoever.

I just turned 20 this past June. I'm sure you know what I'm going through. It's frightening, but it's nice to know there are so many people who can help, and who understand the pain, frustration, and embarassment that go arm-in-arm with IBS.

I guess, if I have any questions, they would be about how you deal with it, how it has affected you. Is it really as bad as it seems? Stupid question, but i'm begining to lose hope. Today is the best I've felt in two weeks. The extreme heat some days leaves me bathroom-ridden, and in 40 degree weather, I can often be seen sporting a sweater, to guard against sudden stomach-churning chills.

If I modified my diet, would it help with the sensitivities to what seems to be everything? Or would it be a futile attempt once again? Any input would be welcome at this point, and I'm still going through the book, of course.

Sorry this was so long ^__^;

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Falling from heaven isn't nearly as painful as surviving the fall.

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