January 3, 2008

After dating a special someone for the last seven months and moving into the boyfriend arena, I am still finding creative ways to hide my IBS struggles. I call it "tummy aches gone awry" or "churning insides". I never really mention the word 'IBS' in fear he will look it up on the internet and conjure up images of all the struggles I go through. He tries so hard to understand when I know an attack is coming on. He offers to rub my stomach, give me hugs or make me tea -- when I really just want to be left alone in a sound proof room with a nice sanitary bathroom lined with pillows and blankets.
Recently we took a weekend road trip of over 400 miles one way. My anxiety leading up to the trip made me sick and gave me a migraine. I prepared with healthy snacks and going on a fruit/ veggie diet the week prior (doubling my intake of water). Thank goodness for truck stops and my tiny bladder. We stopped at every rest stop and slowly made our way to the destination. Every stop we made took away a little bit more of the anxiety.

Posted by Christine at 12:12 AM | Comments (34)

September 26, 2007

The end of summer consisted of some heavy dating. To be honest, its rather daunting for an IBS sufferer to consider dating again. Think about it: its an unknown dinner (yikes), with a new person that has never even heard of IBS (boo!), and the possibility of a two hour movie attached (kill me now). Dinner comes with the annoyance of having to explain all the things I cannot eat and why, no matter how much you insist it tastes amazing and that you are spending a pretty penny on me, I will not be eating the Kobe beef thankyouverymuch. Then comes the landmine of transportation. As a veteran IBSer, I like to be in control of my own destiny -- in case the need to run home becomes an issue. But men seem to take it personally when I insist on meeting them at the desired location. In a big city, isn't that just savvy dating?

Posted by Christine at 12:36 PM | Comments (73)

September 17, 2007

I'm in San Francisco Union Square. I've had two attacks in two days. I'm fearful of taxis and every meal that I must consume. Its not the way I want to live my life. Hiding from furthering my career and shying away from every dinner encounter.

Posted by Christine at 8:07 PM | Comments (32)

July 7, 2007

More accurately, the right type of fruit each day keeps IBS away. I'm not much of a fruit and veggies eater but my week-long test of eating fruit every morning or evening (watermelon, papaya, banana, or just a mix) has been rather successful. I began by increasing my intake of water for three full days. I really didn't plan it that way, but with the recent heat wave, it's been a nice side effect of roasting in the heat. Then I started buying those instant fresh fruit cups at the local market that run $2.99-4.99 each. A pricey investment, but right now I'm barely getting off the couch much less sitting in the kitchen slicing fruit.
By the third day, I had some cramping but also had a movement that made me feel significantly better. The next four days after that, I had a movement per 1.5 days (yippee!) that was relatively painless. In fact, by the 6th day, my bowel movement had stopped ... stinking. I know. Weird. It had also started to discintegrate faster in the toilet bowl. Those of you without IBS will find me strange, but my fellow suffers know that a vigilant watch prior to flush can mean the difference between going to happy hour with my friends or an evening of reruns with my dog.
Anyhow, I was told by a doctor once that a healthy (poo) is marked by little odor and easily flushed. I hope this one psuedo-factoid is true and will mark off my little experiment as a success.

Posted by Christine at 1:38 AM