November 2006 Archives

Just a small warning to anyone who uses Digestive Advantage IBS - for some unfathomable reason the manufacturers seem to have changed their formula to a sugar-free version, which means that the product now includes sucralose, an artificial sweetener.

This is a very odd decision because IBS patients are often very sensitive to artificial sweeteners, and lots of people advise against using them in tea and coffee etc. Why a company would start adding them to a product made specifically for IBS sufferers is a bit of a mystery, to say the least...

I have written to the manufacturers, Ganeden Biotech, to see if they can shed any light on the matter. In the meantime, if you do use Digestive Advantage it might be worth checking the ingredients list, and if your pack contains sucralose then just be on the lookout for any changes in symptoms. It may not affect you at all, but it's something to keep in mind.

This is a shame really as Digestive Advantage IBS is probably one of the most highly-rated products on my IBS Treatment site, and I usually hear very good things about it. Maybe if the manufacturers get inundated with "Why oh why" messages from IBS people they'll quickly change it back...

So, I've completed the first chapter of my IBS podcast, hurrah! It was OK technically, think I've got the hang of it, but it was harder than I expected to just read something out without tripping over your words.

You can download the file as an MP3 thingie, which will run on itunes or an ipod if you have it, or if not I can also get it to run on Windows media player or Realplayer, so it looks like most modern audio/visual players these days will run MP3s.

If anyone would like to test it out, that'd be great! Mainly I'd like to know if it works on your computer, and whether the sound quality seems good enough. After that, if there's anything else you want to comment on then please do, either as a comment on this blog entry or email me if you would prefer.

The plan is to (gradually) transfer my whole IBS and Me story onto podcast, and then maybe make the first chapter available to everyone and all of the chapters available to people who join the mailing list.

Anyway, here it is...let me know what you think! You can either download the MP3 to your desktop and listen to it that way (right-click on the file and choose "Save target as") or just click on the file, and on my computer this makes it run within Internet Explorer. Who knows what it will do on your computer, it may open the door to the underworld, but it might be worth a try if you like.

Download IBS and Me podcast, chapter one (MP3, 3.6MB)

Sorry I haven't blogged for a little while, but I've been working on a couple of quite exciting new projects, so I'm all in a dither. Whatever a dither might be, I'm in one.

Firstly, I'm arranging a special Christmas-type thank-you surprise for all my lovely IBS Tales visitors. I really do appreciate all the feedback and emails I get about the site, and what with it being the season of giving and goodwill to all mushrooms I thought that I would give something back. So, I'm organising a - wait for it - competition!!

I'm not gonna reveal what the prize is gonna be, but I can tell you that if you want to enter you need to sign up to the IBS Tales mailing list and look on the right-hand side of the page for the sign-up box. And then, in the first week of December I'll send out a newsletter which will describe the prize and how to be in with a chance of winning it!!!

I'm sorry, I shall try to control myself.

And the second exciting thing I've been doing is starting to make a podcast MP3 file of my whole IBS story. This is really a project for the IBS Self-Help Group where I'm a moderator, but I figure I can also share it with you guys and maybe have it as a free file you can download, just as the PDF of my whole story is free to download.

To be honest I don't know an awful lot about podcasting, and so I am rather blundering about in the dark on this one. However, I've made some progress tonight in that I've actually managed to record a short file that didn't make me sound like a) an axe murderer or b) a chipmunk, so I can't help but feel we're making progress.

I will of course let you know when the MP3 file is finished, and maybe if there is anyone reading this who would like to test the file out just to check you can hear it OK, that would be grand. It's quite weird to think that people will be able to hear my voice...spooky. I may not sound like you expect, although I do talk like a girl and have an English accent, so hopefully I shouldn't go far wrong.

OK, that's it for now, I'll go calm down. But remember - if you want to enter the competition, join the mailing list!

I was speaking to a researcher from Channel 4 television the other day about a programme they are planning - hopefully they are going to produce a show about IBS, and particularly about the social aspects of IBS such as the problems it causes with embarrassing noises, smells, conversations and the rest of it.

The programme's still in its early stages so I don't know whether it will go ahead or not, but I think it would be good to see some of us on the telly!

I had to emit a wry chuckle though when I finished talking to the researcher and glanced down at the notes I had made on a post-it. You know what they were?

"Flatulence/fecal incontinence."

Ah, it's a glamorous life.