Moments of Temporary Insanity Wearing Nothing IBS Goggles

I hope I am not alone in this world of insanity. It feels like every time I am not stable, or am in my recovery stages that I have on some sort of IBS goggles. IBS goggles are what someone gets when every single piece of food around them seems to turn into a irresistible treat. Your mouth fills to the brim with saliva and all for something silly and often regarded as nasty like Taco Bell. These items become very tempting. It is like temporarily living in hell(not that I would know).I really hope I am not the only one who feels this way. Please tell me that one of you is feeling my pain???

Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Stress

THE FACTS

So there has been this on going discussion among the IBS world whether stress contributes to IBS. The answer is YES hands down, no questions about it. I could ramble on about all this proof and this and that clinical study but we all know that would be extremely boring. The bottom line is yes it can increase symptoms for those of us blessed with this disease.

DEALING WITH STRESS

There are many ways that people deal with stress. Some people remove large chunks of hair from their skull. Some people take it out on those around them, and then some people deal with is the right way. Stress works differently for different people, therefore there are different ways of dealing with it. My favorites are exercise, yoga, sleep, and tea.

EXCERCISE FOR STRESS

I think that dealing with stress through exercise is one of the best forms of release. You get to sweat out the stress and take your mind off of what is bothering you. Even if you can't seem to shake those negative thoughts subconsciously you are doing so. This also ties into sleep. We all know when you are tired you sleep better.

YOGA FOR IBS

This is by far one of the best ways to release stress and it also greatly aids in digestion for many people. This is not only because it reduces stress but many of the moves stregthen stomach muscles to help with motility. Many of the movements are geared toward digestion. Just make sure that when you go to a class or watch a video and at the same time have IBS-D that you are careful with the moves.

SLEEP AND TEA

I early on discovered a direct correlation between the amount of sleep I got and how I felt throughout the next day. Do yourself a favor and try to sleep as much as you can. Take naps or just close your eyes and relax completely it can help tremendously. As for tea, there are many teas geared toward stress reduction which are great. For me they just make me relax more and even for some of the stronger ones make me a little out of it. Sometimes I feel like I just need to be out of it for a couple hours. My only warning for tea is to make sure you read the ingredients carefully as to not drink anything that does not agree with your stomach.

Any questions just fire them off in a comment.

Happy 4th of July

I just wanted to wish everyone a happy and symptom free holiday. In the next day or two I will be writing about my experiences with stress and hypnosis related to Irritable Bowel Syndrome. For now I just want to wish everyone a safe and healthy 4th of July.

"I CANT FIGHT THIS FEELING ANYMORE"

Ok ok I know that you know I do not have a great voice. This feeling I am speaking of is bloating and gas. I have spoken about gas in other posts so check those out if you want something a little more informative. As for now I just can't get rid of it. I have been home from Hawaii where I had some troubles and now am finding it hard to stabilize. I have heard some people say it takes up to 3 weeks!!! to stabilize. I dont have that long I have a job and a life among other things where I cannot be farting or feeling full of farts all day long. Raise your hand if you hate IBS right not. (my hand is raised very very high right now)

What are some of your favorite store bought snacks?

I want to first write that not everyone is the same, and that at different points in recovery or suffering for some of us that we all have different levels of tolerance. That being said you will find me eating (all of these in small amounts not only because of small portion sizes but also the fact that I dont handle sugar very well and personally I think it causes gas) Gummi Savers....yummm, Enjoy Life cookies(usually choc chip), organic jelly beans( forget the brand-get back to me about it), peanut butter bars( I make these-want the recipe just ask and I will post it as a comment reply) no bake cookies (I make these also) and last but not least a variety of the allergen free low fat sweets at the local HFS. My fave is the spice cake with a slight drizzle of rice milk and powdered sugar mixture.
Any questions about any of these or if you are interested in an extensive list feel free to comment

It's been a while

So it has been a while since I have posted I have been so busy with a new job among other things. Kinda just wanted to say a few words about how I am doing and ask how you are doing. As for me I am doing very well. I just got back from Hawaii where I had some trouble but other than that I am doing very well. Previous to my trip to the islands I had just finished a 100 day hypnosis program which I believe has helped me quite a bit. I will speak about this approach in a future post. Enough about me though. How are you doing? Has anything I have written about helped anyone at all(that is the reason I write this lol) Please let me know even if it is just a quick thank you comment or a whole paragraph...I would really love to hear from a reader.

SHORT LIST OF TEAS FOR IBS-IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME

THESE ARE THE TEAS I DRINK TO HELP COPE WITH IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME

So I use the following teas to help with my IBS these are the most common and most helpful.

-Peppermint-This is a great tasting tea that has been used forever to calm the stomach. Those of us with IBS can use it to calm the cramping or soothe the stomach. I find it very helpful to drink a few cups a day with meals(small meals of course)

-Fennel -This tea taste like black licorice just not so strong. It is so so helpful in the category of gas cramping and bloating.

-Ginger-This is one of my favorites I use it on a constant basis. I will drink a cup in the morning after soluble fiber and breakfast and then another cup after all meals. It has a great digestive enzyme in it that if you have over indulged will help with the full tummy.

-Chamomile-This tea is used to calm you down after a long day and get you ready for a good nights sleep. I use it when it is late and I know I am going to have trouble sleeping.

All of us with Irritable bowel syndrome should try to utilize these natural gifts as much as possible to help Tame Our Tummy.

If you have any ideas or comments about what works best for you when trying to control your IBS symptoms just feel free to leave a comment. Thanks

Safe Snacks for IBS Irritable Bowel Syndrome recipe exchange

SAFE SNACKS FOR IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME

I am sometimes at a loss for things to eat as a quick snack or things to buy that are easy to prepare or cook and that are reasonably quick so i am asking all of the readers out there to share some snacks that they prefer. I will start and then let you guys and gals take it away.(please include brands if you know them...thanks)

I like

• english muffin(sourdough) with a little peanut butter(very little) and a banana for breakfast
• For lunch some instant rice with smart balance light(it is dairy free the reg is not)and a little salt or with a little light soy sauce (Thai kitchen is good)
• for dinner some white fish with a little lemon and a potato or some rice with it

NOW ITS YOUR TURN....just leave your favorites as comments thanks

ENEMA AND COLON CLEANSING FOR IBS-VERY BIG NO NO

ENEMAS AND COLON CLEANSING FOR IBS

I am going to try to make this short and very straight forward. DO NOT FOR ANY REASON(unless an enema is needed for immediate severe pain removal) TAKE PART IN SELF ENEMAS OR C OLON CLEANSING. They are very addicting/habit forming and are the worst thing for a hyper sensitive gut(this is what you have if you have IBS) Try slowing adding an Acacia based soluble fiber(1/2 teaspoon just to start double the dose slowly say every week or two/whatever your body adapts too. There is no such thing as moving too slow with the soluble fiber but there is with moving too fast so take your time.) instead of using these harsh methods. If you decide to start on the soluble fiber try to stay away from fibers that are not acacia based because most on the market can cause gas pain and bloating in IBS patients.

I hope that was short enough :) I would love to hear comments from you

IBS dont be fooled by all the GENTLE LAXATIVES!!!!

IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME

Hey its me again with another little helpful hint. This is something that I thought about delving into many a times and for some reason or another decided not to. Now I am thankful that i did not go this route. The route I am talking about is Laxatives. Now I'm sure you have all seen the articles or advertisements that things like senna aloe just to name a couple, are the magic all natural tools you need to relieve constipation or in the long run help IBS-D by improving bowel tone.....This is nothing but a lie...This DOES NOT HELP FOR IBS. These things can become addicting and very hard to get off of. It will shortly turn into a situation where you have to have them to have a bowel movement and this is definitely not what we are shooting for. My advice and I think anyone you knows the truth about stabilizing IBS is that you need to slowly introduce a completely soluble fiber supplement. My favorite is an Acacia based soluble fiber. Most if not all of the others can cause gas and bloating in IBS patients.

Well This is just my little word for the day. Once again please feel free to comment :)