Some of my favorite links:
Mike (my husband)
Our web host crashed a couple of days ago so blogging seemed pointless at the time.Besides, I haven't been in the writing mood. More in the sulk and feel sorry for myself mood. Which I did in spades yesterday. Even talked to my mom, who miraculously called - she always calls when I am in emotional distress and this is UNCANNY. Of course that means that she doesn't call as often as she used to - it is true, I have grown up and out of that early adulthood emotional roller coaster and no longer find myself in such distress on a regular basis. In fact, I cannot remember the last time I was in such a state. I want to guess more than five years ago.
How does this relate to IBS? Ye gods! EVERYTHING relates to IBS!
An irritable bowel reacts to all life's activities, good or bad, because all the bowel perceives is that its owner is in a reaction. That reaction magnifies gut sensors and the result is some combination of pain, spasm, and either diarrhea or constipation. There are many websites that discuss the medical definitions of IBS. There are also sites that offer clues to managing it. One place to start is the Webring. It is just what it says: a web ring of pertinent sites.
I have come late to 'ownership' of my IBS. Until about four years ago I did not know there was a name for my problem. Until about six years ago I didn't know that my problem WAS a problem. I thought everyone had digestion and elimination issues. Now that I am more enlightened I am looking for more answers to bowel management.
Part of that is learning more about the intricacies of the disease. Another part is learning about intestinal health in general.
I started self treatment (there really is no other kind for IBS) with something called the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), developed by Elaine Gottschall and published in a book called "Breaking the Vicious Cycle". This diet specifically addresses intestinal diseases such as IBS and IBD (inflammatory bowel disease). IBD includes such as Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis - both more serious (in medical terms) than IBS. No one has ever died from IBS. IBD on the other hand...
I learned about the SCD from my husband, who just happens to have Crohn's. Yes we are very tuned in to each other's sensitivities!
Short testimonial: My husband used to have serious bouts with his disease, besides not being able to retain food long enough to utilise nutrients... and he took a lot of Prednisone. Since going on the diet he has been healthy and drug free. And he even gained a little weight this year.
As for myself - it took a little longer to go SCD because I thought it didn't really pertain to my problem as much. So, a few months after Mike's start I joined him. First noticable result was less gas pain. Then the bouts with diarrhea stopped. Constipation became a little more managable (am still working on this one). I began to have 'regular' movements and aimed for one-a-day, which is mostly where I am now, with the occasional exceptional relapse.
Ever striving for more 'normalcy' I quest on.
Stay tuned for the next installment of the isblog.
posted by LST 9/8/2000 03:45:37 PM
5.9.00
Today was a good day. Less blockage, more comfort.In another sense today became the start of a bout of introspection. Am I living my life in the least stressful manner that I could? And how do I know what is the least stressful path? Won't I stress myself thinking about it? Trying to measure or compare stress impacts from this or that can be stressful in and of itself. I don't want to go there.
I do want to go to a calm and centered place, and the more I think about it the more I realize this place is inside. Yes, environmental conditions are important, but inner peace does not depend on external conditions. Achieving stabilized health must come from or reflect the achievement of stabilized emotion, and calm and centered thought. Extrapolate from that... and circle back to the physical condition, and that age-old question "how does holding on to this condition benefit me?"
It doesn't. Not presently anyway. In the past it was a way to avoid dealing with life and the world. "Can't go out 'cause I'm not well"... In the present, the fear of dealing is sloughing away. I realize that I don't need to 'deal' with the world, I only need to stay in my body and the world will be fine. No confrontation, no upsets, no ordeals.
An old beau once told me life was a journey and we each create the routes we take by processing (consciously and unconsciously) our behavior through our minds and emotions. And, we should enjoy the journey because that was what our lives were about. The journey. That's right - once we reach the end there is nothing. We die at the end. So enjoy the journey.
So, how does my IBS serve me? Obviously it is an old crutch. I acknowledge that I have had it since early childhood, and I know most of the conditions behind its onset. Now I know I have outgrown the need for that crutch. It no longer serves me.
That leads to the next question - How do I throw it off?
To be continued...
posted by LST 9/5/2000 08:18:33 PM
4.9.00
Hello.
This is the first in a series of postings about my adventures, and trials, with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).IBS is not a well defined disease. In fact most traditional MDs won't define it as a disease at all.
I also will not define it as a disease. Too much stigma for my brain. I need to work with a definition that allows for positive future energy. I haven't come up with one yet. In the meantime I consider IBS to be this large intestinal gnat.... sometimes, when the weather is just right, it doesn't bother me at all. The rest of the time I keep swatting at it. One of these days I will make it disappear altogether. Hence this blog.
The blog is a way to publicly record my daily tribulations and experiments in IBS management.
For example, the last few days have been another in a series of horrific bouts with constipation, aka 'being blocked'. The last bout occurred merely 2 months ago. I used to try natural laxatives like senna, but decided that this was not a long term solution. I am experimenting with enemas - nothing fancy, just your average warm water variety. I feel oh so much better after cleaning out!
Food is important. Knowing what will/not block the intestines, and what triggers reaction (besides stress and hormonal fluctuation), seems pretty important. I believe I have discovered my major triggers, but I admit I am still clueless as to how to deal with scenarios such as the last few days; this bout seems to have come from nowhere. No undue stress. Diet has been stable. No travel. Hormone flux? Ovulation?
In order to find some answers I have just ordered several books on IBS from Amazon. And I am spending waaaay too much time online searching out any and every IBS site in the web universe.
As this blog unfolds so will the story of the demise of my intestinal gnat.
TTYL.
posted by LST 9/4/2000 10:00:54 PM