PSA: Helpful and Informative

[yukinoomoni]

Anyone with IBS should go here: http://www.helpforibs.com/

As most of you know, I have been struggling with my health for over two years following an appendectomy. I've had many diagnoses, but the main one has always been IBS (one associated with post-surgery). It's been overwhelming confirmed, now, and that's what I'm being treated for.

Recently, I've been struggling with several GI doctors over what to eat, as the traditional diets I've been given actually aggravate my condition. And yet it's the only one I've been given. Over two years of frustration, ER visits, humiliation; thousands of dollars spent on useless medicines, procedures, second opinions; struggling very hard with pain medicines and addiction to them, to the point of terror. And now, the mental toll it has all taken on both mind and body.

Honestly, I wanted to give up.

It was only by chance, when I typed in "IBS diet help" that I found the above website. I found the diet described (both normal and flare-up) and followed it for two weeks.

And I felt normal.

Do you know how amazing that is? People who have always felt normal don't realise just how precious that is. I had forgotten what it felt like. Isn't that terrible? To just forget a feeling of normalcy?

It wasn't a miracle cure. Indeed, I was still in pain. But the pain had dropped significantly, to the point of one day that I woke with no pain at all, and actually wept from the joy of it.

And then I went back to my GI, and was told I was doing it wrong, and to go back on the high fibre diet. All of my problems came back from day one, and I stuck with it for a week before I realised that not only was I still in pain, I needed the pain medicine way more while on this diet.

So now I'm back on the website's diet, and I already feel better.

How often does this happen? That a website ends up being more accurate than an actual doctor, one that is actually really well-renowned? I genuinely do not understand it. But I do understand my body. I've learnt how to. I've had to learn, and what I'm doing right now is what it needs.

What this all pans down to is this:

If you are reading this and you have IBS, or perhaps something that sounds like what I've gone through (abdominal pain out of nowhere, constipation, diarrhea, exhaustion, as well as general disrespect from the medical community due to most or all tests coming back normal), please do yourself a huge favour and check out the website above. Save yourself the time and click on it. The woman in charge knows what she's talking about, because she had to deal with the same bullshit that I and perhaps you have for twenty years. I actually emailed the website, and after an email the owner herself began helping me out, and even gave me links and guidance on how to explain this all to my doctor.

I have never experienced anything like that before.

So, seriously. They are not paying me in any way. They are not giving me things or have told me to pass along word or a plug. This is just me, wanting to help you, in hopes that the bullshit I've gone through never happens to you. That's really all it is.

Comments

[lizbee]

Um, WOW. I've been having those symptoms on and off since I had my gallbladder out in May, and my doctor just put me on Zantac, which is actually making it worse.

DIET EXPERIMENT LOOMING. Thanks!

[yukinoomoni]

You had your gallbladder out? I didn't know that! Even if you don't have IBS triggered from the surgery, I bet the diet will help all the same - it's far easier to digest.

[avocado-love.livejournal.com]

I am so glad you are doing better! This is powerful testimony. I entered my email and got the list and yeah... all of the red foods and most of the yellow ones have given me stomach problems with my IBS. (Again, mine is not nearly as bad as yours. I get mostly random, out of the blue 10 on a scale of one to ten pain and a trip to the bathroom for two hours.) During the hard times I eat stuff with a lot of carbohydrates like white bread or potato, (and yes, avocado) and I feel better. So the fact that stuff is on the green tells me she definitely knows what she's talking about.

Have you tried the pills or the tea yet?

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

I haven't, mostly because I don't have a credit card or income at the moment to be able to afford them. As it stands, if the diet continues to work as well as it has, I may not need to take either of them - everything seems to be working wayyy better even without them.

I'm also glad to hear that I'm not the only one having the same reaction and result. I think that says a ton about it not being a plot for money.

[resonant.livejournal.com]

Hooray for feeling better!

[jacobreid.livejournal.com]

Doctors an idiot! Do it your way. :)

[moiraj.livejournal.com]

I am so glad you found something that helps you. Little changes can make a big difference, and doctors don't know anything. Many of them don't keep on top of changes. (Professional demands for continuing education notwithstanding.)

I very recently noticed that when I ate A I felt B. It took me ages to make the connection, and no doctor had ever warned me about it. I thought about it, googled it, and found out that a whole bunch of others had discovered the same thing.

[moiraj.livejournal.com]

Er, meant to say doctors don't know EVERYthing. I don't mean to knock the whole profession.

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

Yeah, oddly the GI doctors I saw (3 of them) all said the exact same thing: get off the opiates and eat high fibre diets. They didn't want to hear that the high fibre diet wasn't working. I'm just so glad my family doctor is not only open to suggestion, but also open to learning, too.

[lalunatique.livejournal.com]

So happy to hear you're feeling better! I had a similar experience with my own chronic disease that defied treatment. I ended up going against doctor's orders, and it worked out well. I was reluctant to recommend the same to anyone else, but I'm glad it worked out for you.

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

It's really strange how many people have confessed to doing this and discovered a better way of life because of their rebellion. It's also really depressing, because it proves how many doctors don't want to listen to their patients...

[lalunatique.livejournal.com]

To put things in perspective, though, medical intervention works in a lot of cases. I would have lost my hearing if I hadn't had ear surgery when I was little, and a course of antibiotics cleared up a terrible cough that turned out to be bronchitis (which another doctor insisted was asthma, blegh).

Overall modern medicine is good with crises and acute diseases, but not so good with chronic conditions that have more to do with general health which. The doctors couldn't do anything more than manage my ear and nose infections and hyperthyroidism, which cleared up on their own when I got healthier by exercising and sleeping regularly.

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

I find myself agreeing with you totally. For the most part, I've been happy with the health care system here in Ontario. It's only recently that I've had so much trouble, and it's a difficult situation.

[jacobreid.livejournal.com]

:( I should be trying harder not to eat gluten-y foods and dairy because that gives me wicked stomach problems. Not as bad as yours but gluten tends to make me feel bloated. Like my stomach is a balloon and dairy spans from gassy to full blown diarrhea.

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

Maybe you have celiac disease? What you just described are common side-effects of it ;.;

[jacobreid.livejournal.com]

Oh..... That sounds scary. I'm looking that up. Thats just a gluten allergy isn't it? I find that I can handle gluten but I genuinely feel better without it. Its milk that is entirely crazy for me. I still drink my coffee with a little cream. Can't just cut that out but a bowl of cereal with milk is asking for it.

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

It sounds worse than it is! Yes, it is an allergy. It sounds simple, but left untreated, it can seriously mess up your GI system.

Why not switch to soy or almond milk? I made the switch over two years ago, and when I tried cow milk again, it was awful! And I had never had a problem prior (cream is okay for me, too, oddly.)

[secondlina.livejournal.com]

Oh my gosh, this is amazing. Someone give this woman all the awards for awesome.

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

Seriously! And she even sent me a follow up email that says: Don't listen to me, don't listen to your doctor; listen to your gut. It will tell you what to do.

rlgsdlkh how many doctors tell you that?!

[secondlina.livejournal.com]

I think the problem with Docs is that they look for the problem. They look for what's broken rather then maybe expect that something might be stuck in a state other then "normal". It takes people who suffer to inform other people who suffer.

[dustwing.livejournal.com]

fantastic news! Please do keep us posted!

[amelia-seyroon.livejournal.com]

I knew there was hope for you!

[dawnrune.livejournal.com]

In my opinion, if your body is no longer in agonizing pain, you've done something right. I've had my own diet based discovery, too. Recently I've cut back on meat significantly to the point where I only eat it once a week at most. Anyone'll try to tell you that the protein in meat is of utmost importance, including doctors, and I believed that. I believed that all my life until I watched a very convincing documentary suggesting that it was not.

Now, I don't think I have IBS, but my digestive system is incredibly finicky, and my emetophobia only makes things worse. So where I do not have IBS now, I suspected that I would get it at some point in my life. I don't want that to happen to me.

So on a whim I tried going vegetarian (or flexitarian, leaning heavily toward veg, if you prefer). I ate mostly fruits and vegetables, small bowels of rice and pasta, meatless soups, beans, almonds, and cereal. The milk from my cereal and occasional cheese were my only dairy really. My inspiration to do this came from the fact that I haven't eaten red meat in over three years, so I've mostly been eating chicken. I am now so fucking sick of chicken I could gag. I don't like fish and pork all that much, except bacon, but I can't eat just bacon. I would die of heartburn alone, let alone a heart attack.

The results? I definitely feel lighter in the waist area already. I feel less sluggish, and my appetite doesn't get overwhelming. And you know what? I really don't miss it. I like beans and almonds just fine. I don't even like eggs. I could probably get away with being a vegan even, well, aside from people harping at me about what I should and shouldn't put into my body.

Which brings me to this point, connecting back to yours: If it's healthy and it makes you feel good, do it. Most doctors aren't trained in nutrition anyway, or if they are it's the knowledge they tend to omit since nutrition isn't a terribly stressed thing. Also, it's not profitable.

I don't want to eat meat. It makes me feel gross, and farty, and exhausted, and heavy, and wrong, and the darker it gets the more repulsive. I mean, in small doses I could still do fish and turkey burger, I think, but I really don't care. I like vegetables and fruits. I like nuts and beans. I'm lucky that I'm not allergic to any of it, so I hope no one thinks I'm preaching. I'm just saying that this works for me and I like it. It's inconvenient, though, but that's a drawback I'm willing to deal with. I haven't felt bloat, nor filth, nor gunk since I started doing this. Just irritable occasionally, but that always happens when I change my diet.

So I support you choosing what to do with your diet. Hell, you'll probably save thousands if the pain meds become obsolete. Good luck! I trust your judgement over a doctor's on this.

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love this comment. I love reading your own struggles and I love hearing that you fought back and only listened to YOU and won.

I love almond and soy milk! I actually love it more than cow's milk (although I still really love cheese, wtf?). And beans have almost as much (or more? I can't recall) protein as meat and eggs anyway. And the recipes! And the fake meat you could make that taste better! And yeah, I've been struggling with meat guilt for a LONG time now, and when I find alternatives to it, I choose it over real meat every time.

And truly, my hope is to be off the pain meds by the end of this year. So yeah, thank you for mentioning that, too =3. *huuug*

[kuruccha.livejournal.com]

Woah, this is such a precious post!
I'm glad you finally found something that makes you feel better dealing with IBS.
I'll add this post to memories, just to keep the link. It may get useful sooner or later, who knows. :)
Thanks for sharing - and... let me tell you it's nice to see you so determined. :D

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

Keep an eye out for anyone who mentions the issues I have - IBS has been popping up a lot more lately, and most cases are post-surgery-related, like mine. Others are just totally random, like my older sister's. And so that way, you can save them so much grief. I would NEVER wish how I felt on ANYONE.

It feels good to be determined, to not want to just GIVE UP, you know?

[jynxgirl.livejournal.com]

****hugs**** The next time I see you, I am going to give you the biggest hug!!!
I'm so happy that you've found something that works!!!
*goes to read the website*

[toomomforyou.livejournal.com]

Never trust doctors! Always listen to your instincts!
I'm glad you found a better diet for you ^^

[agentjayhere.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you found a solution. We always find ourselves in deep problems when the solution was looking at us from right under our nose.

I don't think too much fiber all of a sudden is a good thing. I mean, you have to adjust. You can't just make raw yams your default snack or whatever. ...I don't think anyone's done that, right?