countertops
A recent LA Times Article reported on sponsors occasionally donating thousands of dollars in high-end goods to home builders and designers. In exchange, manufacturers expect owners to open the homes for occasional public touring.

Some savvy Southern Californians have figured out how to get new green homes for practically nothing. An increasing number of entrepreneurs have persuaded companies such as bathroom fixture maker Kohler, quartz countertops manufacturer CaesarStone, appliance manufacturer Dacor and cabinet designer Bazzeo to provide free or discounted materials for newly built or remodeled homes. Nearly a dozen such houses have sprouted around Southern California. Virtually all are in the $1 million-to-$2 million range, though the freebies enabled owners to spend significantly less.

Why would a manufacturer be willing to donate as much as $100,000 worth of products to a home owner? This story is a hint to the answer: publicity. Think of it as swag on a grand scale. Just as a fashion house may give away its latest handbag so it can be seen attached to the arm of a much-photographed starlet, manufacturers of home appliances, countertops, fixtures and finishes are giving away their goods in hopes of being noticed in high-profile modern homes.

The catch: The homes have to showcase environmentally friendly design. Some manufacturers are going after projects with the U.S. Green Building Council's highest rating for sustainable design and building practices. Others go for green homes with celebrities attached to them. Regardless of who owns the place, manufacturers expect the homes to open for occasional public touring -- sometimes for a whole year -- and owners to discuss the virtues of the products in question, be it a CaesarStone countertop or General Electric appliance.

Such arrangements are nothing new. Traditional show houses, often sponsored by a magazine or a nonprofit organization raising money for charity, call for designers to make over a residence for free, often using products that are donated in exchange for a promotional push. What makes the new green show houses different is not only the emphasis on sustainability, but also the fact that they often are, first and foremost, private residences owned and inhabited by the builders themselves, whose living space essentially becomes a billboard for sponsors.

One recent house like this sponsored by House Beautiful magazine was the Kitchen of the Year, which showcased CaesarStone quartz countertops, Kohler & Viking appliances, and KraftMaid cabinets and boasted celebrity designers Christopher Peacock and Ina Garten. This kitchen had a large opening in New York City’s Rockefeller Center. The publicity was amazing, and it even made appearances on Good Morning America. So if you don’t mind opening your home up to the world, then cruising for sponsors to help build your dream green home may be right up your alley.

had to have another day off work this week and as its been a reacurrance i had to have a meeting and a caution.
my sick time is unacceptable !!! i said I know this but im trying to sort it but it takes time !!!

bearing in mind my managers the hR team know what my problem is and ive explained before that its impossible for me to be at work sometimes !!

the last compnay nurse i was sent to see told me i should be able to control my ibs and that theres no reason why i shouldnt be at work !! is she kidding me ????
im now being sent to see another compnay nurse and everything boils down to if she says i have a problem and its acceptable that sometimes im not here...is this right ????

i finally got my appointment with my dietician so im crossing my fingers that eventually well come up with a suitable diet for me !

does anyone else have the same problem with work ??

I think I'm dying of a gluten overdose. Uuuggghhhh. I'm still sort of half-a**ing this gluten-free dairy-free diet. I had my other favorite splurge meal, Dunkin's coffee, flatbread sandwich, and two donuts yesterday for lunch. My stomach seemed fine. Then for dinner I went back to gluten free and microwaved some of that nasty gluten-free pasta and veggie tomato sauce that was a leftover from a few nights ago. After I ate it I got soooo bloated, to the point of looking pregnant, and was super uhhh. . .windy That never happens what with my daily Immodium, so it's super weird for me. I've been having episodes of that, though thank god only at night. I was thinking maybe its the probiotics? Damn those probiotics. This is the 4th brand I've tried. I'm so sick of people having me try them, when I know they don't do anything for me.
This morning I woke up with the most heinous stomach ache. You know the kind that tempts you to just cut out your midsection? I got it under control with two Immodiums and a Librax, but it's sneaking back up on me now at work. Probably didn't help that I got a free lunch here at work, which was leftovers from a cookout. I took another Librax, and it seems to be helping. I was being good up till lunch with my gluten-free dairy-free food too
I just don't get it. I mean, is it the gluten/dairy foods themselves, or is it because I just haven't had them in awhile?
Obviously it's irresponsible of me to eat so much of it, but seriously, gluten is in everything! And before this whole holistic nutritionist vitamins/dieting/probiotics deal, at least my stomach was usually manageable. Now I've been having to use the bathroom at work way more. Luckily there's one that people don't go to as much. I hate that I have to think about bathrooms so much in relation to jobs.

Hi, I'm new to IBS and to this website. I've had gut issues for as long as I can remember. As a child I was always constipated, maybe being able to go once a week, sometimes more and sometimes less. I recall being bloated and having stomach cramps quite frequently. Then there were the attacks. I had terrible asthma and allergy issues so never told my parents about my problems due to not wanting to go to the doctor. They knew I was constipated but thought that it was just something normal for children. As I got older my issues came and went. In high school towards the end, I started having "attacks". They were random and came unannounced. Now, the "attacks" were usually the same, severe cramping, bloating, sweating, trembles and sudden urge to "go!". Once I graduated high school, I became a dental assistant again. I resented my job and employer. Dental assisting can be very stressful at times, others its boring. I'm now 23 and am still doing the same thing at a much better office. For years now, I've had issues with my gut. I went from being constipated to having diarrhea. My bouts and attacks would come and go but the past 6 months to a year now, I haven't felt the same. I am bloated at least 60% of the time, have frequent diarrhea, stomach cramps, am nauseated about 70% of the time and just don't feel like myself anymore. The past 2 months have been the worst though. About a month ago I missed about 2 weeks of work due to vomiting, severe severe diarrhea, extreme fatigue and severe stomach cramping. I went to the ER and was given fluids due to dehydration and was sent home with the diagnosis of a UTI. Needless to say my symptoms didn't get much better. The IV fluids helped with my energy from the dehydration but that is about it. My boyfriend is a nurse and we've believed that I've had IBS for quite some time. He talked to a Nurse Practicioner on his floor which has IBS and they came to the conclusion of me having IBS. I don't have health insurance so we are trying to start cheap by a diet. I've been looking online for as much information as I can gather but it seems that every website is different. I don't know what to believe and am at my witts end. Ive missed 2 half days of work this week and feel like this is taking over my life. I am a very very picky eater and don't eat many things. I always thought that I was eating healthy: fruits, veggies, wheat wraps, yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese sticks, etc- It seems that the things I thought were good for me are actually harming me. I've suffered from depression for as long as I can remember but recently started taking Celexa for it. The more I read, the more I see how depression is linked to IBS. I dont know what to do anymore and feel like maybe connecting with other people with IBS might help. I cry because I don't feel good, I cry because I feel helpless and I cry because I feel like this is taking over my life. I'm afraid to go places or do things because I might have an attack. I feel like certain people around me feel that there isn't anything wrong with me which makes this even worse. Please help or just lend some hopeful words! Thanks!
'

I have just read a few of these posts and my heart really goes out to everyone that is still suffering.

Im 62 and in very good shape through eating right foods and exercising, yet, I still got this *&^%!!!!!!

Doctors were absolutely no help and it didn't matter what I ate or drank, made me look like I was 6 months pregnant (I am sosososo way over that) was very tired and really didn't feel like to a darn thing

Also, it turned out that my 37 year old daughter was suffering the same way, yet, she had doctors tell her one thing one moment and another the next......and she was far worst then me

So we went on an education rampage to find out what was going on and what we found, in time, solved our issues and now we understood how this developed

This takes years and years to develope so just dont think that it was an over night thing and it wont reverse it self overnight either.

You can get back into eating regular food and drinks, but, hopefully then, you can have the education of not getting in to the same situation again

I have my daughters story at www.ibsthecure.com and I am sure that it will be very similar to yours, dont suffer with this, understand why it happened and then know how to care for it and heal yourself

This is alternative medicine!!!!

Good Luck!!!

So I've been wheat-free and dairy-free for almost three weeks. I've had absolutely no change in symptoms, and I possibly am running to the bathroom a bit more than usual, but I think that could be because I'm not taking Caltrate. Sunday night I had a total anxiety attack because I started to worry about my body stopping producing the digestive enzyme for dairy (also freaking about wheat, but later learned there's no such enzyme), which with my luck probably would happen to me. So I had a glass of milk and felt super bloated (which never would have happened before). Then I had a granola bar, gluten be dammed! I talked to my doctor, and she said at this point I would have felt better if I had a problem with either food group. She said to eat normally again. However, I talked to the holistic nutritionist and she said I shouldn't start introducing them back in because they are inflammatory for me. My doctor says that the longer you are without a certain food, the harder it is to get your body used to it again. I really really don't want to wait the whole five weeks until I see the nutritionist again.
Unfortunately, I am a skeptic of this neuromuscular sensitivity testing/applied kinesiology that she uses to determine problems. I mean, I had a negative lactose breath test. So obviously my body digests dairy. My doctor is quite skeptical about it too. But my doctor hasn't been able to help me, so whose to say she has the best opinion?
I really don't know what to do. I guess I'm going to put dairy and wheat back into my diet, but just a really small amount? And then lie when I go back to the nutritionist and say that I've been completely wheat and dairy free? Ugh!
I got BK for dinner: a soda, chicken fingers, fries, and one of those Hershey pies (yes, I know, horrid horrid dinner, but I have been craving fast food for the whole time I've been on the diet). Now I feel like I'm going to throw up. Perhaps a typical person would feel the same way, but I treat myself every week to two bad meals, this being one of them. Never ever had a problem. Although this could just be my body not being used to wheat and dairy.
I am so frustrated!!!

the last two weeks have been getting worse.

had to have a day off work last week as i just couldnt pull myself away from my bathroom.
i have a new problem now, i go 2-3 days without passing and then on the 3-4th day it will be terrible, really bad ds.
Also having the same problem today and wishing that i wasnt at work as very embarassed that i have to keep rushing back and forth to the toilet

Visited a new doctor who was really nice and actually listened to me ( unlike other doctors in the past who have even told me that i was over exagerating !!!!!) , she suggested i take another spasmodic which i was hesitant to do but she said just to take them when i feel i need them and also she has reffered me to a dietician to see if we can work out if any foods are effecting me at all.. so fingers crossed.
Has anyone taken spasmonal and have any advice on it ?
She has also suggested that worring will not help but not sure how to stop that really as its a Vicious circle ..
But to be honest ( not that i want to be too negative ) but i just feel that im still not going to get anywhere , it just seems to be getting worse and worse , its stopping me from doing more and more things and its just dragging me down, it drains all my happiness when all i do is spend all my days worring when will be the next time itll happen, which is usually every day anyway ...

Will i ever find anything that will work ???

I am at work but just cannot handle work anymore! So, well, I decided to vent and write a blog here. I am feeling soooo bloated, and abdominal pain right now. I guess take my mind off work and ignore everyone and all my emails relaxes me. I haven't been well for 2 weeks. The usual constipation, I mean severe constipation, this time plus diarrhea last week. They are equally painful.


Lets see what I ate today... a small bowl of wheat cereal with blueberry, and my dog has a bowl of milk too, he loves it. I got up early though to rush to a meeting with client this morning at 9am. It took me about an hour drive to the city. After the meeting, I went back to my office, snack on some grapes, strewberries and blueberries mixed. And then I had a few ginger snap cookies. Then I have a jello. Last thing I have was half a salmon salad sandwich with whole wheat bread. Or... one of those "smart" bread that is supposed to be whole wheat but looks and taste white.

Sigh.. it is very hard to do groceries with family members who are healthy. Especially when there is kid. My hubby's daughter was with us for half the summer, that wasn't fun when it comes to dinner. I wish I can just get like 1 egg, or just 5 slices of bread.

I have been trying to relax, gave a lot of thoughts on my life and my "to-do". I started to outsource two projects out. It costs but knowing someone is doing what I wanted to get done is a relief.

I have also read two books on IBS diets, and browse the web on ibs diet. Seriously, they all contradict each other. One said eat soluble fiber only for a week, that means all carb. One said eat wheat, yet another one said eat no grains, no carb for a week. So far I have found nothing works, except not eating!

Maybe I should pick up some tai chi. All these relaxation and meditation technique, only works all day when you are a monk. You feel good during the moment you meditate, so what happen after? You get back to the stress life throws at you. Consider each day we have 24 hours. Let said ideally we sleep 8 hours a day (which I seldom do, I sleep 6), 3 hours in traffic (sometimes 4), and 8 hours work (if not more), 1 hours to walk my dog, leaving me 4 hours. Most probably from these 4 hours, 2 hours are used up in the bathroom. Wow, that leaves 2 hours. How about groceries, cooking, dishes, housework, lawn work. Oh, and time to unwind! So, if I make time to meditate 30 mins a day, how can it supposed to relax me for the whole day?

Well, feeling so bloated right now and the pain, I just cannot concentrate. I need to get more business so I can hire healthy people to work, since I cannot Man I am tired!

Another day. Woke up at 8am and right away my gut reminded me its still with me. Cramps. Hope this is not a sign of what to expect for the rest of the day. I broke down last nite and spoke to my husband about my feelings. I told him I was afraid he wasn't going to love me anymore because I can't do anything anymore... clean house, cook etc. He reaffirmed his love for me and I felt a huge relief. My anxiety dwindled as he spoke the words. He said "When I married you, I vowed to be by your side through thick and thin, sickness and health. I love you and will always love you." What sweet words. He also suffers mild IBS since he had his gallbladder removed several years earlier before I met him. He takes Colestid. In the beginning he took 10 a day to prevent constant diahrea. He is down to 1 a day now. Lucky for him. So he does understand what I'm going through suffering with the same symptoms after his operation. I am so thankful his symptoms are mild. I can't conceive what it would be like with two of us suffering the same horrible disease.

Well, since my last entry i have developed an abdominal infection. Have had 3 rounds of antibiotics. Im sure i have had this infection for a whole year now, since i had my first attack. I just finished my last antibiotics yesterday morning. I can almost guarantee the infection is not gone. To add to my problems now I can't digest any solid food without pain, bloating, nausea and overly full feeling even when I eat very little. Meds arent helping. No solid foods so I'm down to drinking green tea and soy milk. I've lost 14 lbs in only a few weeks from no nurishment.
I do have one thing to look forward to I have an appoitment on friday for a catscan and one in January with a vascular surgeon for my abdominal aortic blockage. I was informed I have some sort of blockage in my abdominal aorta which is behind the stomach and supplies blood to the lower limbs and brain. This is why I can't walk more than 40 ft. without a rest. I have no energy. The place is a mess. I'm hungry for real food.
I read from a lot of people here that they feel alone and uncared for. I feel the same. I'm sure everyone else does too. Nobody knows what we are going through but us. We are suffering and there seems like no end in sight. But there is. All this worry and anxiety is making it worse. "STRESS" is a killer! So I will just have patients, calm down and relax. There is only one way to go. Up!
If anyone can suggest what I can do to get proper nutrients in my body please let me know. I'm only drinking green tea and soy milk everyday. Should i be taking vitamins, minerals etc.? What foods are easiest to digest? I've been starving for weeks.

I am not going to set myself up for a big letdown. These past 4 days have been wonderful. Almost completely free of IBS symptoms. Hard to believe. I'm sure they will be back to remind me there is no cure. I am not doing anthing different to bring upon this bliss so ultimately I don't know how to keep myself in this state. But I'm not going to get my panties in a knot over it either.
Today is bright, tomorrow another day.

So Wed will be my two week point with this wheat-free dairy-free diet. Yuck! So far, no change whatsoever. If anyone is reading this that had success with this diet, when did you feel a difference?
I've been getting my soy milk iced coffees at Starbucks. Every time I go there, I get charged a different amount! It's ranged from about $2.70 to $4.60! I miss Dunkin Donuts. . .and their flatbread sandwiches, and donuts, and muffins, and breakfast sandwiches. . .oh dear!
A friend of mine who went on this diet said you'll automatically drop 5 lbs whether you want to or not. I haven't really noticed any change yet. Might be because I've been being better about working out, and am building muscle? Haha, right.

I love how just because I am single people assume I must be gay. It drives me nuts! Not that there'd be anything wrong if I was, but I hate how this is just assumed if you don't have a boyfriend. First of all, I work with all older men and young women. No dating material here. Second of all, my priorities are apparently skewed. The big things on the table for me right now are finding the best way to deal with IBS and working. Dating is not really a huge priority, which apparently shoots off red flags. If I was to date, it would need to be a guy that I am already friends with so I could be honest about how I was feeling on any given day, and not be embarrassed about it. A blind date, or a date with someone I just met, would just be too stressful at this point. However, I haven't maintained my male friendships from college very well, so it would need to be some guy friend I have yet to meet.
But this isn't just IBS related. Long before IBS came into the picture, a guy friend teased me about being a lesbian as I hadn't dated anyone for a while. You know why? Because I had a huge crush on said guy friend! Idiot.
And on another note, if I was gay, why would I necessarily be single anyway? What like it's weird that I'm not with a guy, but not weird that I'm not with a girl? So guys should be attracted to me, but women should not?
Here's what I know for sure. The next time someone asks me if I am dating anyone, I am going to flip out on them.

I had been contemplating starting an anonymous blog on blogger, but I think this will work just fine.
So here's a little bit about me. . .
I'm a 20-something female with a steady full time job, which for a while there I was thinking was impossible.
My IBS saga began when I went through a summer of female issues that were not being diagnosed properly. I bounced around from the gyno to the urologist, all the while freaking out about school starting in the fall. Perhaps IBS started with the stress, or the neurontin and elavil that I was on for said eventually diagnosed female problem. Anyway, I wasn't going to the bathroom regularly at all, but I chalked this up to the meds as C was a possible side effect. However, a little under a year of being on them, I started to have episodes of D, which eventually swung around completely until it was always D. I've been battling IBS-D now for two years. I've gone to various doctors, taken various meds and probiotics, and really all that seems to keep things semi-OK is Immodium, Caltrate, and Librax. I've tried pretty much any med that can be used for IBS-D, leaving me with only one left - Lotronex.
Before I give that a try, I decided to check out this woman who works out of a chiropractor's office and was recommended to my mom. She practices applied kinesiology, which isn't really my cup of tea, but I figure what is there to loose.
She has me taking vitamins, probiotics, and cutting out all wheat and dairy. It's been a week on this, and so far. . .nothing. I stopped the Caltrate, which I think it making things a bit worse. I'm supposed to go back in a month, and then try to work on my "leaky gut," which I assume means more supplements. Ah well, on the off chance that something works, I guess it's worth it. If not, at least I'll know I really did try every available avenue.
I still live at home, and I know that without that safety net, I could never afford to exhaust all these options. I do wonder where I would be if IBS had never come into play. I really really hope that by next year I can finally venture out on my own, and by that point know the best possible way for me to keep IBS under control.

We are looking to start a support group in Miami, Florida (South Florida). Contact me if you are interested.

well have tried something else which the doctor had suggested .... a fibre supplement ...very bad idea !!
i woke up this morning in agony and my stomach has swollen to a balloon, i had shooting pains in my stomach, and even worse 'D' than before.
its a nightmare as it has made the urgency even worse....hoping so much that i will find something soon that will help in the slightest way

well this weekend i should have gone out but again as i usually do i went for an hour and then decided i should come home , worrying to much what might happen if i was to go out and needed to come home urgently !! feel like im missing out on soo much!

am going to see a second doctor this week to see if they can suggest anything at all that will help and maybe see if i can get some food intolerance tests !

x

One thing that I have noticed is that my fiance and I no longer go to dinner and a movie. We go to a movie and dinner. By the time I am finished taking my last bite I am already on the way to the bathtroom. There is no chance of me sitting through a long movie. Because of this we end up eating a lot of Steak-n-Shake and IHOP (because they are open all night). I wish that I could just be normal again and be able to sit through a movie eating popcorn.

My fiance and I went out earlier this evening to go see a new movie that I have been wanting to see. In the car on the way there I began to feel sick. I have been sick this entire week and figured that I would be fine by now. This was the first time I have left the house besides going to work for the whole last week. By the time we got within a block of the theater I made him pull over so that I could go into a fast food restaurant and use the bathroom. Having to ask my fiance to pull over so that I could go in the bathroom was very embarassing. I was embarassed that he knew what I was doing in there. Not like it is any secret but I still do not like people knowing that I am in the bathroom with diarrhea. I spent about 5 minutes in the bathroom and then walked back out to the car. We were now 20 minutes late for our movie and decided against going. I did not want to ruin any more of our night so I agreed to out to eat with my fiance. We went to Steak-n-Shake and I was not going to eat anything, but when the waitress came I thought that maybe I could eat a little something. As soon as I was done ordering I felt the urge to go to the bathroom again. By the time I came back out our food had arrived and my fiance was 1/3 of the way through his. After 4 or 5 bites of my food I was headed back to the bathroom. I NEED HELP. I AM NOT SURE HOW TO COPE WITH THIS.

Should I be embarassed?

This whole blogging thing is new to me but a family member requested that I talk to other people with IBS about it. I am 20 years old and was diagnosed with IBS-A about a year ago. My IBS is on again off again. Lately I have noticed that it is taking control of even more things in my life than I had noticed before. I can no longer go out to eat with my fiance or my family because I will need to go to the bathroom before I am even finished with my food. I cannot go anywhere that is too far from a bathroom because I begin to get very anxious. I constantly worry about eating anything because I fear that I will get sick and not make it to a bathroom. My body produces a large amount of acid and my food goes right through me. Before I was diagnosed a year ago I had lost about 15 pounds. I am 5'2 and thin- so losing 15 pounds was very unhealthy. I decided that if every time I get sick from eating... why should I eat at all? I went days without eating anything because no matter what it was it made my stomach upset. I hate living with IBS and I need someone to talk to about all of this. I am very confused and hate that this runs my life. I work 25 minutes away from my house and I get very anxious when I start to feel sick on the drive home. I start thinking, "what if I can't make it to a bathroom in time? Am I going to have an accident"? I have been with my fiance since I was 15 and I am still embarassed to talk to him about my IBS. There is nothing attractive about this syndrome we have. The worst part is that my IBS was stress-induced. I was working about 55 hours a week as a restaurant manager which is a lot tougher than some people may think. I was constantly running and seriously stressed out. Between chemistry classes that I could not seem to pass and working all of the time I really messed with my body. All of those things took a serious toll on my digestive system. I (like everyone else) went to the doctor and had many many many tests ran and paid a good amount of money just for someone to tell me that I had IBS, something that is basically impossible to fix. I will write more later but if anyone has any words of wisdom or anything helpful to tell me please don't hesitate to let me know. I am not sure about this whole diet thing... I aleady stay away from the bad stuff; cake, cookies, ice cream, etc. I am not sure if my diet is causing this condition to worsen. Thank you!

Yes, it is. But that doesn't make it any easier. It actually makes it harder. But what is it actually that is in our heads. I believe it's anxiety and fear. The thing is, everybody has anxiety and fear about many things, ours just manifests itself in a very inconvenient way. And 99% of the time the fear of an event or a trip or a situation is almost always worse than the actual event. I think deep down we are all good people who care about others and care about what others think about us.

The biggest obstacle with IBS D is that it totally and completely consumes our thoughts. It might as well be considered an addiction. Our thoughts are consumed by it and it controls our life in practically every way. Therefore, we have to BREAK the addiction. But how? We have to figure out a way to stop thinking about our bowels. Do you ever make a decision about what you are going to do because you are worried you are going to have to pee? Me either.

If IBS D consumes your every thought (or too many of your thoughts) you should make a conscious effort to do things that are 'safe' but will take your mind away from IBS D, even if just for a couple of minutes. It should be really small steps at first. I know some people are literally agorophobic and housebound due to fear of an 'accident'. You folks can do this to. I don't care if your first challenge is to walk to the end of the driveway and back or if it's to go out to eat with friends. Keep challenging yourself SLOWLY and building your confidence and celebrating in your mind your successes. I would love to hear your experiences and challenges! I'll post some of mine soon.

Well I am going on holiday tomorrow morning, I am getting nervous about it already, which is doing me no favours! I have tried to make myself think about other things and convince myself I will be fine, because deep down I know I should be fine!

I have my routine, I will pack a bottle or two of water in my bag, I will skip breakfast, I will have a plastic bag with no holes in, in my hand bag, I will have a packet of mints to suck on and I will have some calming music on my ipod to breathe to! I wont tell any one I feel ill because then that makes it real, I will attempt to sleep in the car, and then the journey wont seem so long, or I will attempt to stay awake and talk about other things as if nothing is wrong, because I know that alot of my tummy cramps although painful come from my stress!

The journey is approx 4/5 hours, we aim to leave early and should get there at a reasonable time! I will wear loose clothing, so nothing pulls and I will sit in the back seat with the window slighlty down, so I get air to my face!

I will begin to relax in the car for a while I hope, and then when we get there also, because can spend the night there, getting an early night and hopefully a good start to the rest of the holiday.... of course I worry I will ruin the holiday by not being able to go out, but I think I will push through.

I am alot stronger than I give myself credit for sometimes, and I can still do all the things I want to if I really try! I am going to a charity football match on the Sunday, and although I am worried about that I am sure they in the end the atmosphere from the game will over take me and my stomach cramps will subside!

I do realise that stress and mentality plays a strong part in my stomach cramps, but that some foods do too! I will attempt to steer clear of these food on my holiday, and hopefully relax and be worry free! But this I cannot promise to any one, hence why I am so nervous now! I know my family will understand as will my boyfriend, but I would never ask them to stay with me for the day if they wanted to go out, and I know when they had gone I would regret staying in, because liklihood is nothing will come from my cramps and I would be fine!

However all we can do is wait and see, all we can do it hope that I control them over the holiday and that nothing gets ruined! We can also hope that Robbie Williams waves and smiles at me at the charity match .... could be the miracle cure xxx