Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Hi all,
So yesterday I had my appointment with the dietician. I was kind of looking forward to it because after 6 weeks of being stable, the last several days have been right back to the D and a bit of a nightmare.
The woman I saw was very nice, and she spoke with me for about 40 minutes. She seemed to know her stuff about food and gut stimulants and stuff!
So we went over my food diary, and spoke about different things that seem to make it better or worse. She gave me some information about a milk free diet, and the things to watch out for that can be hidden in stuff because I've had trouble with milk long before IBS came along.
In the end, though, after looking at my tests and having talked to my doctors and seeing my food diary, she told me this:
From what she understands, 1/3 of people who have IBS suffer because of food, 1/3 of people who have IBS suffer because of stress and there are 1/3 of people who have IBS, and they just don't have any idea why. She said some people have a mixture of stress and food, but that is the way she said the numbers break down based on primary reason for symptoms. She said the same thing my GI consultant said then, my IBS seems to not be related to food. I can go weeks on eating basically anything and have no problems, and went months on the diet where I was eating rice (and the like) and chicken and be sick every day.
Now, I know that's not a popular opinion here and I'm not suggesting she is right, I just wanted to update everyone on what she said.
The thing is, that leaves me once again at square one, where I am trying to figure things out for myself. I have been super strict about the diet for the last few days, and am still getting sick for no apparent reason. The only trigger I can think of (for me, in these last few days) is stress.
I would rather it be food than stress, because I feel much more in control of what I eat than how I feel. I can't help that bad things are happening, and I know there are ways to deal with things and cope with things but it's just really hard.
So where does this leave me now on my adventure through IBS? Back to the drawing board, I guess. I spoke to my GI consultant's secretary today because I was supposed to get a follow up appointment with him, and haven't heard anything and apparently the receptionist never filed the request he put in so I wasn't scheduled an appointment. I am mad about that because that was on the 8th of June and sometimes it takes AGES to be able to see anyone. My initial waiting time to see him was supposed to be 27 weeks!
I am hoping I can get in to see him some time soon and he can offer me some other suggestions of new meds or SOMETHING because this is just getting frustrating and another thing to add to the stresses in my life.
I will stay on the diet, perhaps not as strictly because I was following it more loosely for the 6 weeks that I was healthy and normal and it just felt so much less stressful than having to worry about eating only rice and stuff. I guess I relate following the diet to following the 'what to eat when you can't eat anything' because I never really got further than that for such a long time 'cause I was continuously ill.
So wish me luck that I get in to see my doc soon and that these bloody stomach cramps go away! I had to call in sick yesterday, and again today because the pain is so bad that it is making me feel like throwing up. I spoke to my seargent today (the one with IBS) and she was very understanding on the phone, so that took some pressure off of me.
Hope you're all having a good Friday and then a wonderful weekend!!
--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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