[Juliana]

Ugh. I don't know if it's just coincidence, but it seems like when I get an IBS attack, my brain feels unusually drained. I'm more brain-foggy than usual when I'm going through a bad bout of IBS. Does anyone else feel this way? My IBS has been bad all weekend -- especially bad today -- and I feel like I haven't fully woken up all day. I'm just so groggy. I feel totally out of it, as if I've taken cold medicine or something that makes me drowsy, but I haven't taken any meds other than my daily AD. I'm not sleepy, just groggy. Could it be the IBS? Anyone else experienced this?

I find that an AD (Lexapro right now) tends to help the IBS. I was also on the Eating for IBS diet for quite a while and it worked very well While I was following that plan and doing yoga everyday and remembering to take my acidophilus, the IBS got much better. I stopped following the diet quite a while ago though, because I was feeling better and also because I'm just plain lazy and have been putting most of my energy and time into my job. I have also been lazy about my yoga routine. I'm regretting it now.

I'm also wondering if any of the women here who have IBS find it gets worse during their period. Mine does. They seem to be a package deal lately.

[InACorner]

I have IBS ...and yes i tend to feel every drained especially right after an attack....could you let me know about the eating for IBS diet??? And yea my IBS does get alot worse during my period..i always had bad periods but it has gotten to the point where its hard to work ...Does your IBS give you alot of pain? My mom has IBS but she says it doesnt cause her pain...with me its gut wrenching ....i sweat and am cold all the same time..what about you???

[Juliana]

My IBS gives me loads of pain. It usually starts off as low back pain and then I get cramps and feel like there's a burning belt wrapped round my hipbones... and then, just before I have to make a dash for the bathroom, I feel like someone is kicking me in the left side and twisting my insides. I also get hot and nauseous, then I get chills and break out in a cold sweat, shake a lot and feel very nauseous. Right now, I'm not having a full-on attack, but I feel like my insides are on fire.

I'm fortunate that my period has been arriving on Friday evenings lately, so at least I'm not dealing with the worst of this stuff while I'm at work. It's happening on weekends. So, I'm thankful for that. I always carry Imodium in my purse just in case, though, and I take one preventatively if I have an important meeting.

The Eating for IBS diet was great while I was sticking to it. It made me feel much better. I had tried some other IBS diets and they just made me feel worse. They were telling me to eat bran and loads of raw veggies and those things just made me sicker and had me spending all my time in the loo.

The Eating for IBS diet focuses on eating small amounts of food throughout the day so that your GI tract is never empty. The idea is that starving and then suddenly dumping food into your system throws everything out of whack. It also suggests eating lots of soluble fibre, and never eating insoluble fibre on an empty stomach. When you start off, you eats lots of sourdough or high quality home-made white bread, soft fruits, hard cheeses, brown rice, and cooked veggies. Later on, you can add things like raw vegetables and whole grains, but you always have to have one of the safe foods first as a cushion. So, while I was on it in the early stages, a typical day of eating was sort of like this:

Breakfast:
Mango banana soy milk smoothie with soluble fibre supplement

Snack:
cheddar cheese and rice cakes

Lunch:
tuna sandwich on sourdough bread
papaya

Snack:
yogourt

Dinner:
roasted sweet potato salad with grilled chicken breast and green beans
soy chocolate pudding (yummy!!!)

Snack:
sourdough toast with apricot preserves

I was eating way more than I was used to, was never hungry and I also lost 25 pounds in the first 3 months. I had gained quite a bit of weight right before I started it because I had quit smoking. (This was years ago, I started smoking again. Ugh.)

Anyway, the food was really good and the plan was easy to follow and best of all, I felt a whole lot better. I need to start following that plan again.

There's a website about it if you're interested in more info. I found the book (included the plan and recipes) at the library.

Here's the website:

http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/

P.S. Two things I forgot to mention about when I was on the Eating for IBS plan -- I drank lots of water and took acidophilus everyday.

[Rhapsody]

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Juliana said:
I'm also wondering if any of the women here who have IBS find it gets worse during their period. Mine does. They seem to be a package deal lately.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

I too have IBS (10 yrs) and I have to say YES - it tends to get worse during my period..... I can usually tell when I am going to start due to my IBS - it will act up the day before and then last for 2 or 3 more days.

[Juliana]

That's the way it is with me too. I usually get an attack the night before my period starts. Ugh. It's usually just one attack. This weekend it's just not going away though. The pain woke me up in the wee hours of Friday morning and I've been feeling horrid since then.

[InACorner]

thanks for the food diet tips!!! I am just starting to learn how to keep it under control...my doctor told me to stay away from coke too but im so addicated to it..i dont know how to...i went for a week without it but it was too hard....meh...my ibs acts up just mentioning it!!!! Does that happen to you guys?

[Juliana]

I'm addicted to Diet Coke. Soooo bad for IBS. I'm still drinking it though. Smoking is also not good for IBS (or anything else), but I'm still smoking... and then I whine about my IBS. I need a smack upside the head. Ugh. I have no willpower.

When I was on the IBS diet, I was very, very well-behaved, though. I gave up the Diet Coke and the coffee, and traded them in for water and peppermint and ginger herbal teas. I also didn't smoke and I did my yoga every day. I seem to be an all or nothing kind of person. I either go ALL healthy or ALL trash. I'm in a trash phase right now, so I really shouldn't be surprised that I feel like crap.

[InACorner]

im an all or nothing person too....it kinda sucks i cant be right in the middle....

[Juliana]

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InACorner said:
im an all or nothing person too....it kinda sucks i cant be right in the middle....

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

Me neither.

[InACorner]

im in the all phase too..i ate so much today i cant even think straight i think i gained 20 lbs in one night...but other times i eat once a day..and that portion is small like a slice of pizza...or something small.....meh.........i hate IBS....we should have an IBS hate forum..lol hehe...........................................................

[Liberada]

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
Juliana said:
Ugh. I don't know if it's just coincidence, but it seems like when I get an IBS attack, my brain feels unusually drained.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

I KNOW this isn't funny. And I'm not making light of the situation at all! I have something going on with my bowls just before my period too. (((((juliana))))

But... the first sentence did strike my funny bone a little.

[Juliana]

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
Liberada said:
</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
Juliana said:
Ugh. I don't know if it's just coincidence, but it seems like when I get an IBS attack, my brain feels unusually drained.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

I KNOW this isn't funny. And I'm not making light of the situation at all! I have something going on with my bowls just before my period too. (((((juliana))))

But... the first sentence did strike my funny bone a little.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

LOL! I see what you mean!! Is it possible that my frequent, urgent trips to the loo have drained EVERYTHING, including my brain?

[Juliana]

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InACorner said:i hate IBS....we should have an IBS hate forum..lol hehe...........................................................

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

LMAO! I agree! We should. I HATE IBS!!! It's crappy!

IBS - GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR... says it all.... my sugar binging brings on attacks like you wouldn't believe... so does shrimp of all things....

my IBS attacks are like whole body experiences - sweats, hot/cold - severe cramping... like I can't stand up.... it starts coming on and I'm up all night pacing in pain...

I will be OK but I step out of line and eat a rebuen sandwich with a friend and WHAM....
The specialest calls in a steriod type medicine for me when it is super bad (my intestines start bleeding and there is lots of mucous)...

I'm still at the stage where I'm eating peanut butter no sugar with whole grain bread (when not binging). Oatmeal is the other thing that I eat... but right now that's about it.

so GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR to IBS...

[Juliana]

Ugh!! You have it bad! I was at the point back when I was in my early 30s. It's horrible. My worst trigger is pineapple. Once in a while, I will spaz out and eat a little piece of Hawaiian pizza or fruit salad with pineapple (thinking a little bit won't hurt me) and then I pay for it big time.

((((freewill)))) I hope it gets better soon.

[InACorner]

I actually just had the biggest attack just about a month ago...thats when i had to go to the ER and then the doctor told me....but it was so bad i was on the floor on the fetal position in the bathroom...i went from 130 pounds to 116 in a week...it was rough i couldnt eat at all...or i would get deathly sick....you know what else makes my IBS act up is coffee.....and i love coffee so i drink it anyway...lol and deal with it...i just dont drink it before i go to work....

[Juliana]

I drink coffee too. I really need to smarten up and take better care of myself. This weekend was a wake-up call.

[Maven]

I have IBS sometimes, too. I take Imodium when it's really bad. It's like, when I go through a bout of it, it makes me nervous, which makes the IBS worse, which makes the nervousness worse, which makes... Frustrating.

I drink a lot of diet Pepsi (usually Jazz, Black Cherry and French Vanilla, but other flavors, too), and my diet is bad, so that doesn't help.

[Guyana6]

I have IBS and it gets worst when I get my period. I also have to watch what I eat because I get attacks so bad. I feel like some night my insides are on fire and I feel like I have to run to the bathroom all the time. I hate IBS because it is a pain. I am dealing with an attack right know and I don't know what to do.

Guyana6

[Maven]

Oh, yeah, I forgot...my period makes it worse, too.

[nicole84]

Yup I have IBS too, found out when I was 18. Get alot of constipation and that causes pain and bloating ick!

[Juliana]

Seems like there are a lot of us in this boat. I actually enjoy the constipation. LOL. For me, it's better than the alternative. I just hate having to frantically dash for the loo every 5 minutes. I guess I'm lucky that I don't get much pain with constipation; it's the attacks of the runs that give me pain and make me sick.

[InACorner]

i get tons of pain with constipation....
i was taking care of a resident in that kinda pain last night and it made my body...i guess remember it...lol and we both were sweating by the end lol....
you know what really makes me feel better..is Mylanta....and at one point in time i could not have a bowel movement unless i drank cranberry juice...a water bottle full of it....

[Juliana]

We're opposites. Mylanta and fruit juice both give me attacks -- horrible runs. Wouldn't it be nice if our digestive systems would just work NORMALLY?

[Maven]

With me, it's the runs, or not quite "runny," without getting into too much detail, but it's frustrating because it takes so long to clean up and then you have to go again a few minutes later. And, of course, the stomach nervousness and discomfort.