Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: How do you deal emotionally with having IBS?

Hello everyone -
I'm new here, and I've been reading your posts about dealing emotionally with IBS. It is SO NICE to see I'm not alone in this - people without this condition just don't understand the psychological affect this disorder has on you.

I have had IBS now for 5 years, and gradually over the years began to become more of a homebody due to fears of eating in restaurants, not being home when an attack occurs, etc. As you may well know, you only have to be out on the town or in the car once or twice when an attack hits to know you NEVER want that to happen again (although you know it will). I have sort of begun to force myself to do things I'm still a little uncomfortable with, b/c I don't want my stomach problems to hinder my social life. I try not to let it run my life - although I'll be honest, I'm still always more comfortable and relaxed at home.

As for chocolate - I'm so sorry to hear of all of you with problems with it - I'm fortunate that for some reason it doesn't seem to trigger much for me - who knows why. But believe me, I have my other weird trigger foods!! However, I am lactose intolerant and have experimented with soy ice creams. I would recommend the Soy Delicious Chocolate ice cream - they have one with little chocolate chips and fudge in it too for the advid chocolate lover

Also - for those of you who love cheese, like myself...I have grown to LOVE SmartBeat lactose/fat/cholesterol free American cheese. I will warn you - it takes some getting used to and does not taste like regular cheese, but you get used to it and now I love it more than the real thing. To be honest, I'm not sure if it still has some of the dairy properties Heather talks about with the diet, though - like she says, just b/c it's lactose free doesn't mean it'll be ok!

I did lose around 15 pounds in the first couple of months with the IBS, but have since gained it back (and then some) over the last few years. I don't really have weight gain OR loss with IBS, but I feel like I do b/c I have MASSIVE bloating issues with it - sometimes I feel like I'm 4 months pregnant!! That's one of the worst parts for me. I also have acid reflux, so there's just added pressure basically everywhere in my abdomen.

Does anyone else suffer from upper AND lower GI problems? I'd love to talk to you if you do...it's only been in the last 6 months that my upper GI problems have really flared up and are causing all sorts of issues.

Good luck to everyone, and again, it is great to finally have a place to discuss this with others...I've never had that luxury before!!

Bre

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