My story...sorry so long!
#69040 - 05/10/04 11:58 AM
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abby82
Reged: 03/08/04
Posts: 335
Loc: Nevada
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Well I just wanted to sorda explain my situation and see if anyone can relate or has any advice. Ok so my doctor mentioned IBS to me when I was about 16 and gave me a prescription that really helped out for a little while. My sympoms were off and on and were mostly D. Then I moved out when I was almost 18 and started partying every weekend - if not more and I was definitely what you would call a "stoner"! This lasted about a year and a half and during that time I ate Whatever I wanted which included Wendys Hamburgers and fries (and soda) EVERY SINGLE DAY and Im not exaggerating! I know that was bad for me anyways but I seriously had NO IBS symptoms and completely fogot that I even had it. So I started drinking and smoking a lot less and eventually quit smoking completely. I stayed feeling pretty good for about 6 months but then started getting my IBS symptoms back. I think my main problem was D but not every day or anything like that. So then I turned 21 last June and had a HUGE party. I drank all night and then next day I was as sick as a dog and stayed that way for like a week. Thats when I started to go back to the doctors and pulled Heathers books back out. I didnt find this site until about 3 months ago and since then I have been doing everything I learn and have definitley noticed a difference. This last month has been my best one since last June. Now my only symptoms are morning pain before I go the bathroom (not D - I rarely get D) and gas/bloating at night. I dont know if you can call it IBS D or IBS C becuase I hardly ever get D and I usually have a bowel movement every day or at least every other day. Anyways now for my question - finally! My family lives 3 hours away and I try to go and visit as much as possible. Nothing makes me happier than being with them and when I am there I am completely stress free and never think about anything bad including my IBS. I was just there this past weekend and felt great all weekend long. I didnt have any morning pain and ate different foods all day long and didnt get gas or bloated. This was how it was when I was partying all the time, I was symptom free so my question is can someone have a "mild" case of IBS that stress is the biggest trigger? It just seems like there is a big connection between being a stoner back then (always relaxed without a worry in the world) and now being with my family that puts me in the same mood. I always get mad when I hear people say that its all in my head but sometimes I wonder if it really is. Well Im sorry this was so long but I was just wondering if stress can be someone BIGGEST trigger? If anyone has any advice or has had a similar situation I would love to hear about it! Thank you!
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stress is MY biggest trigger, without a doubt. but that still doesn't make it all in my head. yours either! stress is a trigger. a bacon double cheeseburger can be, too. if a bacon double cheeseburge makes you have diarrhea, it's not all in your head, right!? right. same thing with stress! consider it a double bacon stressburger. 
i used to eat like you describe, but my weapon of choice was McDonald's.   and i, too, can eat crap from time to time. unfortunately, i'm under stress a lot, so it's not all the time. it makes total sense to me that when you're relaxed, you have more latitude in what you can eat and tolerate.
another thought, with nothing but instinct to back it up: the pot could certainly have helped keep you stable. i know Coke can speed up my colon and result in diarrhea. so why couldn't pot keep the colon working smoothly? makes total sense to me.
glad you enjoyed your visit with your family.
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Stress is one of my biggest triggers!! I too, used to party a lot, smoked my share of pot and muched like crazy on anything and everything! I haven't done much smoking in the last few years and my IBS has gotten a LOT worse! I have no idea if one thing has to do with the other, but lets not rule it out totally!
IBS is not in your head! I get so tired of the drs telling me there is nothing wrong with me!!! People with nothing wrong with them don't suffer like I do!! Stress is a major factor for me! I have recently started the hypno tapes to relieve stress, I'm only a couple weeks into it, but I do feel more relaxed while listening to it.
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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No, it's not all in your head! Except in a "funny" way, which is called the "Mind-Gut" connection. Stress doesn't cause IBS, but it sure can trigger it!! There is a definite, medically-proven link between stress and many different medical problems. It causes your autonomic nervous system to have like a mini-nervous breakdown!!
I've also had a theory for years that when I'm really charged up with the good kind of adrenaline, like on vacation, or a short, good busy time at work for a cool project with a deadline, or Christmas holidays (which I love) with my family, that somehow protects me temporarily from IBS. But then once I come down from that adrenaline rush, the very first bad thing I eat sends me running to the bathroom (I'm a D).
Anyway, you're not alone! Thanks for posting your story.
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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Thank you so much for you replies! I just got my hypno cds a couple of days ago so I cant wait to start them! I have always wondered about the connection with pot but I guess I just dont want to get into all of that again. I definitely based my life around it! Well hopefully the cds help - Ill let ya know!
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I've also wondered about pot and other "illegals". I wonder if anybody has done a study on it stress-gut reaction-pot cure? I hate to say it I am desperate for a cure for this IBS thing, it just makes me wonder. Which I will have to keep wondering because I don't think the government would fund this research in my time.
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IBS-D
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There was actually a thread on pot not too long ago. Do a search, you'll find it. It was pretty interesting.
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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