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Hi there,
First of all, Welcome to the Website! I really hope that you can find some information here to make you start feeling better - I know how it is to miss work a lot and suffer with the anxiety and emotional side of IBS and it sure doesn't make it easy to get the physical symptoms under control.
I think that everyone else has given you some great tips so far, and I just wanted to add in a few things.
I really agree with Sand about the ice cream and it causing problems with you later on. It's like alcohol for - I can drink it, and be fine all night.. the next day, watch out! I gave it up completely and voila, much better.
If you feel like it is soothing, that could be a psychological thing as well and may be able to be replaced by things like sorbet or soy ice cream that should be less of a strain on your GI tract.
The thing is, when I am stable I can tolerate a little bit of ice cream and not worry about it but when I am sick (like it sounds like you are now) I wouldn't go near it unless I wanted to suffer the next day.
I think for you it might be really helpful to start keeping a food diary. You may find that you notice patterns in reactions to foods 24 hours later or something, and know what to eliminate from there.
I would also make sure you get tested for celiac and see if it a wheat/gluten problem that mimicks IBS symptoms.
I would also definitely start the hypno program, especially if your IBS is so related to stress.
I can totally hear where you are coming from about things you used to like being unappealing and I think we all go through that to a degree when we are trying to figure out what makes us sick - but keep in mind that there are a lot of alternatives these days that can make the transition a little easier. Like, I too *love* cheese but it certainly does not love me. I can, however, make an *awesome* homemade soy cheese pizza with soy mozarella that does the trick just fine for my cravings. Ground beef bother you? Try ground turkey. Try soy ice cream, hagen daaz sorbet, Amy's soy products, etc, etc.. You can still have really good food that will satisfy you without making you sick, it just takes some research and guessing and testing.
Good luck, let us know how you're doing! 
Steph
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~~I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell-I know right now you can't tell~~Matchbox 20
IBS-D,pain.
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I really appreciate all of the replies and suggestions you guys! I am going to put everything in one reply.
Um, hypnotism makes me uncomfortable, so I do not consider that an option. It's nothing to do with not trusting anyone, it's just the idea.
Celiac? I should look that up and see what it is! Thanks!
Oh - Has nitrates, the stuff they use as a meat preservative, ever stood out as a trigger? It is a serious migraine trigger for me, but the triggers are all up in the air now.
I was wondering about whether triggers can cause reactions later on, that's good to know. I LOVE Sorbet, very suitable substitution. The cheese will be harder, although I have to say lately, I have been so turned off of food that ALL of my favorites look gloomy. Anything is possible. I should see if this town I am in has a source of soy substitutes. My wife says yes! I'll try anything once. I don't know if red meat bothers me at all, but I think I'll try the alternate anyhow. I HAVE just realized that beef jerky is not good.
I realize that some things that work for others may not work for me, that's a good point.
IBS-D? Didn't know there was different types. Neat.
I did try the tea during a flare up. I'll try it at another time to see what happens.
The allergy poke test also sounds like a good idea to me!
I have read all of the comments, and I am giving them all thought. Thanks everyone...
I am in a bit of a bad place right now, I had to go to the Emergency dept Friday because of the worst type of depressed thinking. I am on a medication which knocks me on my arse, which is supposed to help me get back on my feet. IIronyyy...
Phil
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Hi Phil--
Have you read about the hypnotherapy here? There are some samples you can listen to. It's really very subtle - most of the time I was awake the entire time. Essentially, what it does is teach you how to turn off that anxious feeling at will.
I would definitely suggest that you spend 15 minutes reading about IBS hypnotherapy and see if it's at all like what you think hypnotherapy is. All it really is is a guy talking about relaxing things while a bit of music plays in the background....
--AC
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Sounds like relaxation therapy. Wonder why they would call it hypnosis? Oh well.
The Celiac suggestion caused me to look it up. HOLY COW do those symptoms sound familliar! There is even one more on there which I never mentioned, bleeding.
This is what I read...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celiac_disease
I am going to get the tests as quickly as possible! Obviously, I could go on the diet myself, but I NEED a clear answer. Call it closure. The diet would possibly mess up the test result, so I am reducing my wheat a bit, just for now. Ok, tomorrow.
I am VERY sick right now. Today, I ate a dinner bun with cheese on it, then an hour later, a nectarine. The pains were terrible. Later, things calmed down, and I had pizza. BLAMMO! (TRYING to throw it up..) Whatever this is, it has taken a huge turn for the worse. It's not usually like this!!
If I get a specific diagnosis, it'll mean big things for my whole family. There is a lot of bad health.
Phil
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In your original post you said that you and your wife had decided you were going to follow Heather's EFI Diet to the letter. I'm assuming you've now changed your mind about that, but just in case you haven't:
Cheese and pizza (unless it's made with safe ingredients) are both huge triggers for IBS. A tangerine is IF and acidic. These factors mean that it is problematic and must be eaten carefully, that is, with a solid SF base. I would not advise it for an IBS-D whose system is already in an uproar.
I do think it's important you be checked for celiac disease. In fact, you should be sure you've undergone the whole list of diagnostic tests Heather recommends before an IBS diagnosis can be made. However, the gold standard for diagnosing celiac is an endoscopy and it may be a while before you can get one of those. In the meantime, since you should not be eliminating gluten before being tested, I still suggest you try the EFI Diet and see how you feel. Following the Break The Cycle Diet strictly for 2-3 days is a good way to start.
The hypnosis CDs are hypnosis. It's not the stage variant where people can (supposedly) be made to think they're Oprah or a chicken, but it's something more than relaxation therapy. The CDs start by addressing concerns about the safety and ease of hypnosis. I'm at about Day 30 of them now and agree they would probably be beneficial for you. Quite apart from any IBS effects, I find them very calming in general.
Take care. Good luck with all this.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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We are still in the process of figuring out what to do actually, but you are right, pizza isn't so good. I haven't gotten on the cycle breaker, because I am thinking that Celiacs sounds more likely! Of course, Pizza is WORSE for Celiac, but I got the blood test today, and a false negative can occur if you are OFF the gluten, so I stayed on it yesterday. Now that the blood test is done, I am leaning more toward the celiac diet. No more gluten for me.
I guess I am hoping it's celiac, since a definite answer would give a lot of closure, and the treatment would be clear as a bell.
You folks will be first to know what the test says. Hoping to know Monday or Tues.
Phil
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Negative for Celiac. Last week, two things happened. I started a new medication for my nerve problems, and I eliminated Gluten from my diet. This past week, I have felt better then ages.
I thought it was a bit of both.
Now my Celiac results are back - NEGATIVE. I guess it was just the pills. Things are looking more and more like IBS all the time. My stress level seems to have my bowell tied to it so closely that reactions happen within 1/2 hour.
Sigh. So I think I DO belong here. Now - here is a question...
How can you find the strength and determination to eliminate some of your favorite foods from your diet when you are so sick?
I don't know if I have the 'berries' for it.
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I felt great the first few weeks I tried gluten free - and same as you I tested negative for celiac. For me it didn't seem to last unfortunately. I wasn't perfectly gf - its hidden in so many things I didn't know about at the time. I ended up eating wheat free instead which I don't recomend!! Well its worth a try I guess. In my case I was never convinced it helped, but now I'm having trouble going back to eating wheat.
For me the dietary changes are easier than feeling like sh** so as much as I'd like to eat everything, my reactions to foods have helped me have the will power to change my diet.
Good luck with everything, I know that it absolutely sucks.
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Ladies & gentlemen take my advice, pull down your pants and slide on the ice.
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Quote:
How can you find the strength and determination to eliminate some of your favorite foods from your diet when you are so sick?
When I learned that my options were (a) eat it and be sick or (b) don't eat it and don't be sick, I just didn't eat it. It was a matter of pain for me.
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If you're not dead, you've still got time.
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Quote:
Negative for Celiac. Last week, two things happened. I started a new medication for my nerve problems, and I eliminated Gluten from my diet. This past week, I have felt better then ages.
I thought it was a bit of both.
Now my Celiac results are back - NEGATIVE. I guess it was just the pills. Things are looking more and more like IBS all the time. My stress level seems to have my bowell tied to it so closely that reactions happen within 1/2 hour.
Sigh. So I think I DO belong here. Now - here is a question...
How can you find the strength and determination to eliminate some of your favorite foods from your diet when you are so sick?
I don't know if I have the 'berries' for it.
Hehe, the berries for it, that's great, Phil - I love your sense of humor. A sense of humor is important while dealing with this. I am definitely not downplaying your distress at all, though. I know how scary and difficult this is. I read your prior post about your depression and anxiety - I hear you on both - I suffer from mood disorders and IBS-C with pain, cramping, gas, nausea... and among that I have other problems too, such as migraines, every single freaking day. So you are not alone and you are in the right place. I wish I could answer your ice cream and peppermint tea questions, but peppermint tea has had both calming and adverse reactions on me as well. Sooo, right now, I am going to try peppermint tea again. It's been nearly 2 years since I've touched any herbal tea at all, be it peppermint, fennel, green tea, ginger, etc., b/c I was literally afraid to. As soon as I get the money saved up, I'm going to buy some of Heather's peppermint caps - being enteric coated they will probably be easier on me. I've taken ginger caplets before from the health food store for nausea, sometimes that helped me, but now I'm rambling. I'm also very late for taking a shower and getting ready to leave for the store. I hope you find the answers to your questions here and find comfort here as well. Believe me, I know how you feel. This disease is a toughy and it's really hard to change. I'll write more later on. Btw, I tend to get kind of long in my posts too sometimes. Good luck and welcome to the board. Take it easy and I hope you feel better.
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XOXO from lil' ol' me.  (IBS-C, mood disorders, etc., etc.)
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