[Guest]

I don't know what is going on with my body today. All week I have been try the elimination diet, but I couldn't even get through the initial just eating banana's and rice and dry toast...it gave me really bad heart burn and I was getting so weak I almost fell over yesterday. So I have decided not to do it but I will keep a journal of everything I eat so when I feel bad I can see what foods are the most common. Last night I tried the Prodiem and Caltrate for real (Before I was only taking half a tsp. at supper). So I took a whole tsp. and a Caltrate pill. The thing is that I don't drink much water or anything, I'm sort of like a camel, I can go days' without really having anything to drink and then whamo one day I could drink a lake dry! So I had a glass of water with the Prodiem and then just before bed I had one and a half glasses of lemonade (That was all the liquid I drank all day beside a cup of coffee in the morning). But later in the night I felt like I was really bloated (but I didn't look it) and I had a cramp in my left side. Now this morning when I woke up I really felt like I had to go (but couldn't) and I still had that sharp, crampy, bloaty feeling. I got to work and I have been in the bathroom 3 times already with 'D' and I still feel crampy and bloaty and its green/yellow! It feels like I've lost 5 pounds in the past 2 hours. What is going on? Is it because I didn't drink enough water? And if it is, how do I force myself to drink more when I don't want to? I feel so horrible and I can't even go home

, I have to take the bus and I don't think I would make it to my car (I park and ride).Sorry I don't mean to complain but I feel so horrible today and I have to get better for tonight because it's 8 months for me and my boyfriend and we are spending a 'romantic' evening together. Plus I'm taking him to an expensive Italian restaurant (The food is AMAZING!) and I can't be sick! This sucks so bad, why did this have to happen on a special day? It's not fair!------------------Michelle

 

[Guest]

I sure hope that u feel better. And Congradulations with your boyfriend! Good luck!

 

[eric]

Squish, it is imperative that you drink enough water for your digestive system to work,even if you have to force yourself, and if you are taking any bulking agents, if you don't drink enough water with them they can expand in your throat and choke you,possibly leading to suffocation.I am sorry you are having a bad day,try to relax though and let you mind focus on good thoughts of your boyfriend as anxiety will exasperate your problems,I know this is hard though,but try to use imagery of pleasant things to calm yourself as much as possible. I hope you do well tonight. Good luck.PS A good article on IBS that you should read later so as not to remind yourself at the moment of your problem,but it is somewhat enlighting.http://www.jhu.edu/~jhumag/0497web/gastro1.html

 

[LNAPE]

Squish,Do you have ibs diarrhea usually. Or was it because of taking the fiber. I never could take the fiber it always made me worse. If you are having the diarrhea just take the calcium 3 times a day I think it will make you feel better without the fiber.Linda

 

[Guest]

Squish, Lemonade KILLS my stomach. I get terrible bloating, gas, the works from it because it is so acidic. Maybe all the excitement about tonight got your system worked up and drinking the lemonade just triggered something and made the problem worse. Don't put too much pressure on yourself about tonight, if worse comes to worse and you're still feeling bad you and your boyfriend can have a romantic evening at home and order in and go to the Italian place tomorrow night. My IBS always acts up on my special days too so you're not alone in that! Feel better!

 

[Guest]

Thank you everyone for the advice and concern!! I'm feeling a bit better, I'm probably at 70% feeling good rather than 50% this morning!Scared; Thank you! I ate some at lunch (a bagel and soup) and so far so good! I'm also quite proud of myself! It's the first time that I've gone out with someone for this long and we are still interested in each other! Woo Hoo

Eric; I'm going to try to drink more water, but it makes me gage when I force it down my throat. But trust me, after what you said I am definitely going to try to drink more water! I don't want to suffocate. I'm also trying to relax a bit more, to ease the stress. Also thank you for the article! It was probably the most informative IBS article I have read yet!!!Linda; I usually have IBS-D, Maybe it's the fiber that is causing my distress, but my doctor suggested it! Should I stop taking it and wait and see? What does the calcium do anyways?Special K; That is really good advice! I was feeling especially bad because I didn't know if I could go tonight. I don't want to ruin tonight, I mean I know my boyfriend will understand he will just be disapointed. I think you and I just get overly excited about special occasions, and it didn't help that I was already feeling bad today! Well I think I'm going to go, no matter what, and I'm not going to let this stupid thing ruin anything!!I just don't know why when I was actually trying to make my self feel better, I made myself feel worse than ever! I just don't get it.------------------Michelle

 

[eric]

The use of bulking agents takes awhile to work. At first they cause the D. as they are really a mild laxitive, but after a week or so they begin to build up in you and keep your colon extended which in turn keeps your colon from spasming as much. It is crucial to drink lots of water for the digestive system to work,it takes a certain amount of water to accomplish this task,I think that many of us probably do not and this maybe part of the problem. It is also crucial for the bulking agents,take a little pro-diem and put it in some water and let it sit for a few hours and you will see the expansion of the particles,it is an interesting experiment. Just taking it once in a while leads to the D.. Also, any acidic juices will usally lead to some problems in certain individuals,I don't recommend carbanation or acidic drinks.

 

[kate-tn]

Squish, Isn't it always the way that when you want to feel the best your guts get in the way? I hadn't heard the one about the fiber choking you, but it is really important to drink a lot of water with any fiber therapy. The gassy, bloated feeling you describe is pretty typical for a while when people first start fiber, especially without the water. I, too, hate drinking water. I get positively nauseated when I try to drink a lot. I went to Pier 1 and bought myself a really pretty 16 oz. glass, and I fill it with filtered water (Our mineral content in our water here is high, and it tastes gross out of the tap.) after breakfast, lunch and dinner. I just sip from it all morning, etc. (I'd barf if I tried to down it all at once.) I'm like you and never drink anything much unless I'm forced, so it's a real irritation to have to get up and go pee at regular intervals. I think to myself, "Is the rest of the world going pee this much?"Lately I've been counting grams of fiber in the foods I eat, and just slowly trying to increase that. I'm up to about 20 grams a day (A high fiber diet is about 30-35, but varies with the person and what you can tolerate.) but I've had to increase VERY slowly, and I've done it more with cooked vegetables and whole grains. They say the average adult fiber intake is in the 9-12 range, which isn't enough.There are some great books available on this from amazon. I'll get back with you after I check at home this weekend and see which one I'd recommend.kate

 

[Guest]

Eric;I'll keep trying the fiber if it will work in the long run! I'll try that experiment when I get home! Also I'm going to cut down on Pop or Acidic juices until the fiber starts to work. I didn't know that it caused D at first, now I know what my problem is!!!!Kate;Thank you for the 'sipping' suggestion. I think that is the only way that I will beable to get the water down my throat (I'd barf too, if I had to cug it all at once when I didn't want to !) We have a water filter too, even though our tap water is pretty clean, filtered water tastes better! I have to pee alot as it is too! Imagine what it will be like when I start drinking 8 glasses a day!I'll be waiting to hear from you on Monday about the book! I think it will really help me!Have a good weekend everyone! ------------------Michelle [This message has been edited by Squish (edited 07-09-1999).]

 

[Guest]

Squish, It does suck that our IBS flares up on special ocassions but I've learned to accept it. I have adapted an attitude of "Either I still go, try to push through my symptoms, try to have a great time and live my life or I stay home and feel sick and miserable." It is WELL worth the risk to just go for it and go out anyway even when you feel sick. What's the worst that can happen? The good thing about our illness is even though it may feel like it's killing you at times, it CAN'T kill you, we could have many worse things wrong with us. Life is short and sometimes you just gotta suck it up and accept it rather than trying to fight it. The fight is too exhausting, stresses you out, which in turn makes your symptoms worse and you can't win. Acceptance has helped me to deal with this IBS #### tremendously. Anyway, feel better and please let us know how your date went!

 

[Guest]

I've gone years without drinking real water just the stuff in juice, soda or beer. It's important to drink clear water, though. It's what flushes out our system, including our cellular system. It helps to remove and eliminate waste that gathers in our bodys and organs. If you drink a cup of coffee know that it's harsh on your stomach and it also dehydrates your body. I hope everything turned out great at the Italian restaurant.

 

[Guest]

Hi Squish,I never, ever ever drank water, up until recently. This is something I have found has helped make it more palatable: fill one of those little squirt drinking bottles half full with water. Freeze that till its frozen solid. Fill it the rest of the way with water and add about a quater teaspoon of lemon juice. Having it ice cold with a squirt of lemon makes it much better. Since uping my water intake I have felt alot better. Still have the IBS but seem to bouce back a little more quickly. I assume it is because I am rehydrating faster. I hope this helps you.Karen

 

[Guest]

Hey everyone!My date went really good, although I was sick (actually I was sick pretty much all weekend). My boyfriend just told me "Well if your sick anyways why not just get what ever you want to eat!" So I took his advice because I don't think I could have gotten any worse and I had Fettuchini Alfredo (YUMMY!!!)

, I was so good! I really couldn't eat all that much but I brang the rest home in a doggie bag! Eric,I tried putting the prodiem in water! WOW! Do those suckers ever get big!!! This weekend I think I probably drank more water than I ever have in my whole life and I'm finally feeling better...I think!Special K,You are so right, there is no sence in stressing about it too much. because there is not much we can do about it! I went anyways and I knew where the bathroom was, so everything turned out fine! Thanks!Ken,I guess I'm just starting to realise now, how important water is to our systems. I never knew before so I only drank something if I was really really really thirsty! I don't know why I put drinking water off for so long but I'm starting to keep a cup of water on my desk so I can sip it every once in a while!KAH,Thanks for the water/ice/lemon juice suggestion, I think I might try that. It would beat just drinking plain water!------------------Michelle [This message has been edited by Squish (edited 07-12-1999).]

 

[Guest]

Squish--I'm so glad you went ahead and enjoyed yourself despite feeling sick! Congratulations!

Isn't it an awesome thing to prove to yourself that this disease does not control you?? Everytime I feel sick and I go ahead and just roll with it and keep my plans anyway it gives me a greater feeling of control and confidence that this thing will NOT EVER rule my life. Don't ever let it rule yours either. You go girl!

 

[eric]

I am glad your date went well.