Some of my favorite links:
Mike (my husband)
Ugh! Ovulation is a bear!OK, OK, not always. But this month I am one unhappy camper. Hormones are way askew. Muscle cramps (calves), uterine et al cramps/soreness, and slowed elimination are the results of hormone swings, probably aided by our recent rampage of 'bad eating', especially my uncontrollable NEED for chocolate!
I think I spent a total of FIVE DAYS of bad eating!
What's with that?
Am over it now, and the muscle cramps et al have all but disappeared. Whew!
I guess I am still suffering a little though, the slow elimination persists, and I think I need to cool it on food altogether. No, I don't mean stop eating, just to cut down a bit. The binge is OVER.BTW, I am not a chocaholic - mostly don't care for the stuff. Prefer fruit-based sweets like pies, tarts, smoothies. Much more satisfying! I'll take a lemon merengue pie over some double chocolate mousse in a heartbeat!
posted by LST 7/26/2001 11:00:51 AM
22.7.01
News of note: Last night we were very bad - had popcorn with our video (rented "Cast Away" w/Tom Hanks; it was better than I thought it would be, altho the start was slow). Haven't had popcorn in about three years, maybe more.The noteworthy part is that there were no digestive repercussions this morning.
Other news of note: Awoke with a muscle spasm in my right calf this morning. Most unpleasant. I have been reducing my intake of magnesium of late, and the spasm is a signal telling me to go back to the previous level.
Phooey.
I was really hoping I could downsize the quantity but I guess this body is not yet ready for that.
This poor body has been through a lot. A scan of the last four years is a good example. Over that period I have tried many things in an effort to address the symptoms of my IBS.
First, I tried a diet that was recommended, it was weird, and included lots of complex carbs (starch), and it blocked me so bad I had to go for a short series of colonics!
I think I then tried adding fiber (Psyllium) but I was still so impacted, and my gut in such poor condition, that fiber only exacerbated the constipation. It took another three years before I would even consider that option again.Second, I began to read up on intestinal cleansing, the need for it, and the different methods of doing it. I learned that even though I drank lots of water, being an IBSer I needed even more - or better, I needed to cleanse from the other end. I went for a colonic or two, and definitely felt better, but the cost (both $$ and to my anus - that tube is fat!) was more than I could bear, so I opted to learn how to give myself an enema (which I euphemistically call the 'water treatment').
Third, I began a modified version of the specific carbohydrate diet (SCD), that included organic rice and legumes (both restricted on the full SCD). At first, that seemed to work, but over time I realized I wasn't achieving the gains I needed - such as easy elimination and regularity. However, my reasons for including these items on my diet at the time were quite valid; I was biking to & from campus every day in hot desert weather (SUN!), and working out, and working hard, and I needed the protein that the combo of rice and beans gave me. Also, I was not in the habit of eating much in the way of animal protein (still don't).
I began to heal slowly. I also experimented further as I began to heal. I looked for remedies for IBS symptoms, and found many. Tried many. Some worked, others didn't. I learned that once I eliminated the rice and beans from my diet, and stuck to the full SCD, I made a leap in health. Less gas, bloating. Slightly easier elmination. Etc. Some of the experiments that helped: Aloe juice (not on the SCD, oh well) calmed the spasms, healed the lining of my intestines. I took it religiously for about a year, only recently giving that up - it was time. Lemon juice - fresh squoze into hot water (20 oz worth!) every morning to help move, and to develop regularity in the process - also just stopped after a little over two years. These worked for me.
Enemas too. About two and a half years of treatment. Initially I thought of, and used, enemas as a 'last resort' if I couldn't get anything out. I realized that was too traumatic and slowly began to reorient my thinking, allowing for regular sessions and another leap in health.Throughout this period I also learned to love yoga, adding it to my workout menu, which includes running, biking, walking, weight training, tennis, hiking - you get the picture. THese days yoga is my main squeeze - I do this regardless of whether or not I do any or a combo of the others.
Some things I tried that worked in the short term = laxatives, both the food type and the tea/herb type. The intestines can become dependent, and get further out of whack, so I stopped using any form. My preference was to go for the mechanical, eg. the enema, rather than become dependent on laxatives. However, some literature suggests one can also become dependent on enemas. There is conflicting info on this. My personal take is that intestinal cleansing is necessary, and if one doesn't follow through with diet and exercise, then intestinal cleansing - either mechanical or herbal - will continue to be a necessity. But, if one sticks to a regime of overall cleansing through diet and exercise, the need for continued cleansing sessions should diminish. How long that takes is highly individual. Took me three - four years to get to NOW, where the use of the enema is so occasional I have put the bag in storage!
The most important part of my journey toward perfect health has been the self-knowledge gained along the way. Granted I am probably more open to introspection than most, but one cannot help but learn about self when on a quest to heal thyself! In that sense I am not extraordinary in the least.
Along the way I have gained a much more positive attitude toward everything, and this shows up in my present health, how I cope with setbacks (yes I have them, but admit they are nothing compared to a year or three ago), how I interact with others, in short in every aspect of my life and being.
Life is very very good right now. And getting better. Soon, IBS will be a thing of my past....
posted by LST 7/22/2001 08:38:08 AM