I’m still doing pretty well, although I had a slight blip on the radar last week. Nothing major, just a bit of a tight stomach and discomfort, and I’ve been fine again for the past few days.
I think that this blip was caused by the fact that I have stopped taking the Berberine/grapefruit seed supplement and the black walnut tincture, because these two supplements were only to be used in the short-term to try to kill off some of the unfriendly bugs and help the good bugs to prosper.
This little blip has reminded me of perhaps one of the most infuriating aspects of having IBS, and that is the extreme sensitivity of your stomach. This basically means that your intestines don’t want any kind of change, ever, and if you do change something then you should always expect a reaction. Here’s a little metaphor to show you what I mean.
Imagine you have a friend called Arthur. Each morning you see Arthur walking along, and you say “Hello, Arthur”, and Arthur replies “Hello”. Then one morning you say “Hi, Arthur”, instead of “Hello, Arthur”, and Arthur says “Hello” back, and you think that everything is fine.
But everything is not fine. Because Arthur has immediately begun to analyse why you said “Hi” instead of a full “Hello”. He starts to think that what this signifies is the weakened state of your friendship and the fact that you really have no time for him anymore. Slowly the realisation dawns on him that in fact you now hate and despise him, you plan to stop talking to him shortly, and you would quite like to murder his cat.
That’s what it’s like with IBS. You eat a tiny amount of something you shouldn’t, and your gut goes “Three gluten molecules and an atom’s worth of cheese, are you KIDDING ME? Well fine, you wanna be like that you go ahead, but I want three and a half hours in the bathroom tomorrow and don’t even THINK that I’m not gonna gurgle.”
I’m glad to hear that you’re still doing pretty well Sophie. That’s great news.
Did you start taking the the Berberine/grapefruit seed supplement and the black walnut tincture again or did your symptoms just improve on their own?
No, I’m still off the Berberine and grapefruit – I’m pretty sure the blip was just down the fact that my stomach HATES it when I change anything, and needs a couple of days to get used to it.
all of you should check out the Bad Bug site
could be a lifesaver!
Hi TJ – yes, the Bad Bugs site describes how people have been suffering from parasites like blastocystis hominis. I was tested for parasites like this when I took the CDSA stool test, and it came up negative in my case.
Have suffered all my life with IBS. Today I had a focaccia with tomato and ham. Thought it would be OK as I’ve been reasonably free but whew….guess which room is my friend. I started getting pains and thought here I go again. Got out the Slippery Elm tablets and tried to find my Colafac. Couldn’t find the Colafac as it usually slows everything down.
Amazing isn’t it how one can be OK for quite some time then off you go again. Almost makes you lose your faith! No, it’s just a darn nuisance as it makes you wonder what on earth you are going to eat if you are asked out. Can’t take anything with grapefruit as it does not agree with blood pressure pills. Will be dry biscuits for tea and a cup of weak black tea. That’s all, folks! Aileen
Hi there I have had IBS for 4 years now and its been hard I thought I had it under control but I was wrong. The past two week I have had nothing but misery I have missed work 3 days out of the two week and I have a 11 month and whife to keep its getting harder and harder every day. I want to be a good father and provider for my family but this thing is starting to take control again. my co workers think it cant be that bad but they dont know on tell they have this, I also found out that at least one kid on my mothers side had IBS. I have read the storys and it nice to know that there are people out there I can relate to I would liie to talk to anyone about this so drop me a line simbad40@hotmail.com
Sophie,
I love this description. It’s hard to explain to people that yes, even though your intestines are a part of your body, sometimes it feels like they have their own personality! And they are going to do whatever they please, no matter how well you try and stick to a routine that you think they like.
Hi Sophie,
I’ve had IBS for 8 years now.This is the first time I’ve visited the site and the Arthur story was so familiar I laughed out loud and wanted to cry at the same time. I spend a good proportion of my time trying to work out what triggered the last bout and it can be extremely frustrating. Thanks Sophie, your site is excellent.