This is modified from a comment i made on an IBS topic, but i wanted to post it as a topic because i'm proud that i'm finally done with my IBS nightmare (well, kind of!)

i'm 23/F and i have horrible IBS-D and i've had anxiety problems since i was seven years old (awful, right?) i've cut all of the college foods from my diet (no high sodium frozen dinners, no ramen, no donuts, no fast food everrrr -- not even grilled options, no salads, no cookies/cakes/pies -- really, i can have a bite or two, but i wouldn't dare finish a piece of cake in one sitting!) and i only get sick about once a week now (usually not even that often!!) and i don't feel restricted by my diet at all! cooking meals at home has saved me sooo much grief because i can choose to bake and steam my favorites instead of buying them already grilled and sauteed in butter. minus the junk food, i'm eating the same meals as before, just prepared a little bit differently. =)

if i'm going out to dinner and a movie with the boyfriend, i eat IBS approved food at home, then my boyfriend and i go out for a movie early in the evening, and afterward, he'll get a meal while i'll get a fruit bowl. for me, eating out is about the atmosphere anyway. and it saves money wink.gif

at my worst, my anxiety and IBS-D kept me from leaving my house except for work for almost 2 months (and i'm a photographer, so i only leave the house a few times a month for work anyway). i just made lists of food for my boyfriend and he'd do the shopping. i'd walk my dogs, but i'd run back in to use the bathroom halfway through the walks it was terrible and i had to break the cycle.

what's helped me deal with the anxiety of getting sick in public is thinking about the worst case scenario -- the WORST THING that can happen, is accidentally not making it to the bathroom in time. soooo if i'm having an anxious day, i bring a spare change of underwear and a skirt that i keep in a gallon zip bag in my purse just in case. i've NEVER used it, but i know in the WORST case scenario, that i'm covered... and that has cleared up SOOO much of my anxiety about my IBS. a lot of people refuse to leave their house for similar fears, so don't let it control your life; just be prepared and learn to laugh at it all a little bit!

if i eat fast food or salad or anything greasy/too sugary/full of fat, i know i'm doomed. also, if i don't get enough sleep it acts up, if i'm nervous, if i haven't worked out in a few weeks.. all of that sets me off.

my trick is fiber bars -- i eat two off brand fiber bars a day - one in the morning and one at night, and they're doing wonders for me. they're 2 dollars for 5 at walmart (with the breakfast bars), so they might be worth trying, coupled with proper diet and drinking PLENTY of water.

the majority of the time when i have panic attacks, i've realized it was the day after i've had a high sodium meal or was out in the sun or heat too much, or after having too much caffeine. all of these things can dehydrate you, and lead to anxiety, which, we all know, gets our bowels a-flowin'. the next time you're feeling anxious, drink 2 glasses of cold water and see if that helps.

also -- if you've been sick lately, you need to give yourself a two day buffer of being 100% better at LEAST, before trying to take on foods that will make you ill again. IBS is like a cycle that has to be broken, otherwise you just stay sick. diet restriction is key!

i'm... so sorry this is so long. this is probably all information everyone knows but.. i just.. i hate logging into these communities and seeing people freaking out because they're looking for help. it seems so rare that i see posts in IBS groups to say 'HEY - i had really bad IBS but then i just starting eating right, increased my fiber, and i'm fine now.' these support groups are mostly people looking for help (i found it because i was looking for IBS approved foods at ihop -- there really aren't any, though - boo!) and i wanted to tell you that my IBS is totally under control. i'm 23 and i pretty much can't eat candy or any greasy or spicy foods, buuuttt i hardly have days where i'm running to the bathroom to spew partially digested mcdonalds into my porcelain thrown.

sorry if this was graphic. i think it's part of my 'making light of it.' i know it's gross, but my IBS is fact of life for me now and i like to talk openly about it. =)

i hope this has been even a little bit of help for someone out there. =)

<3

By: kindoflikespitting