I'm dying here...HELP PLEASE!

Hi,

I never post here, but I've lived with IBS for years now    I really need your help.  I have many health issues, but currently my Generalized Anxiety is at it's worse, even above my Fibro right now.  I really need help with foods to eat and foods to avoid.

My husband and I have joined a gym (time getting there is stress in it's self), we have taken stock in what we are eating and decided to make major changes.  I have lost a couple of pounds, but I have to say I have never been so uncomfortable in all my life.  I'm gassy as heck and at work!!  I have D or a bm all the time and I'm hurting so much.  I'm taking pepto, pepcid, etc.  But nothing works. 

I can't get help without confessing what I'm eating.  I'm realizing that it has to be the problem.  I have granola cereal with half of banana and skim milk for breakfast.  I usually drink a slim fast like shake with the other half of the banana for lunch, mainly because food sounds awful to me most of the time and the drink allows me to get filled and take a nap after work that I so need.  I usually eat chicken, veggies, rice for dinner or again with the cereal because nothing else sounds good.  OK NOW FOR THE REAL CONFESSION.  I drink one to two large coffees in the morning with fat free creamer and then often to stay awake in the early evening I have another cup of coffee.  I have a feeling granola, milk and coffee have to go..... RIGHT? 

Don't hold back.  I have a feeling someone's going to call me an idiot, but honestly I get tired of all the giving up I have had to give up since being DX'd with Anxiety, Migraines, IBS, Fibro.  I geuss depending on how convincing you are... I'll have to give up a few more things.

Thank you for your help... sincerely,

Tricia

First thing I would eliminate is all dairy. You can use soy milk or Almond milk if you want cereal. If that doesn't do it eliminate the granola. I have had to give up cofffee except for a very weak cup in the morning. Bananas are hard to digest. You might try another fruit. As for the SlimFast that is probably the worst thing as I think it has artificial sweetner and that will gas you up like crazy or it does many people. That stuff is full of artificial stuff. I think if you think about it you can come up with something else. Maybe soup if you want to drink something. Do keep a diary and watch out for the things mentioned. It takes a while for things to calm down. Take a Gas-X immediately after eating and keep some antacids on hand. You pretty much called it but the coffee has to go especially if it is brewed regular. It is a first step anyway.

We are all different, what causes one person to flare up can be the one food that comforts someone else. There are probably a lot of people here that drink coffee. I don't but that's because I never liked it.

Your breakfast would bother me because I can't have that many carbs at once. Your healthy breakfast may not be healthy for you. I need protein; leftover chicken, eggs, a peanut butter sandwich, for breakfast. Bananas make me gassy and drinking lunch would make me queezy. That's just me. Others here would suffer all day if they had chicken for breakfast.

I agree with Tricia, keep a food diary. Change your diet and see how you symptoms change. Obviously what you are doing now is causing problems and making your anxiety worse.

Yup, you do have to give up some stuff BUT it may not be for long. If you can figure out which foods hurt and which don't, you'll be able to add back the safe foods. I find that if giving up something I love really makes me feel better it's easier to give it up. If it only makes a small difference, I slide right back to my old habits. Once you figure out your safer foods, you can start being adventurous and try new versions.

Thank you all so much.  I will incorporate your ideas and suggestions into my life, because I really can't keep this up.  I have felt so bad that going to the gym is the last thing that I want to do.  I do know that eating right will make a major difference in all aspects of my life.  I feel silly, but it might really be the slim fast.  It has been about the time I started using it that I realized my IBS was worse.  I kidded myself into thinking if I lose weight it might be worth the agony for short time, but it's too high of price.  I'm not having anymore of the drink for sure. 

I'll start a journal and narrow it down to what makes me feel bad.

Thank you all so much,
Tricia

You can eat a turkey sandwhich or half of one and not get anymore calories than with Slimfast. This stuff is full of preservatives and chemicals. Do you know what all that stuff is on the label?

Good advice on preservatives. I read recently that from a nutritional standpoint, we shouldn't eat anything if it has more than 5 ingredients listed. That we should be making and preparing more of our own dishes/entrees than relying upon ready made foods.

Makes you wonder what we all ate before this health craze (which is good I believe) started years ago. My mom used to keep bacon grease/lard in the fridge, in a glass jar. She would then add this to other dishes and food for extra flavor!

If anyone caught me keeping bacon grease in the fridge, you'd better have my head examined! LOL (Well, to be honest, I only buy bacon twice a year, my family thinks I'm nutty to limit them to BLT's twice a year, but bacon has tons of preservatives!)....I rest my case.

I am so sorry to hear about your problems with IBS. Funny enough, I did not realize that bananas are hard on IBS sufferers. I thought since they are part of the BRAT diet that they were safe. I too just changed my breakfast schedule by adding cereal, oj and banana. I am up now in the middle of the night with cramping and a cleaning out.

My story is a long one, but I too have anxiety as a part of my IBS. My fear is getting it in public with friends and having to tell them. I work at a retail job that requires me to be on the sales floor, so I would have to tell people if I had an attack. I also have a major fear of vomiting.

I can tell you, all my IBS and Anxiety problems started when I started taking birth control pills for poly cystic ovaries. I used to have panic attacks and D every night. It was so bad, I could not leave the house or be alone. It was awful. That was many years ago and I have come a long way since then. I rarely have attacks, here are some of the things I have found help me....

-My faith of course
-Chiropractic has been amazingly helpful for me-one who adjusts each bone separately-not sure what is it called
-Exercise, not only have I lost weight, but the exercise helps even out hormones etc... which help the IBS and Anxiety
-Heating Pad on the abdomen during cramping can give you some relief, or a hot water bottle
-My doctor gave me levbid for pain, some people don't see any help with this med at all.
-Finding something to do to occupy my mind when the pain is at my worse, my macbook has saved my life

As far as what you are eating...keep in mind anyone, especially IBS sufferers are going to have to reaction to majorly changing their diet. Especially when you are introducing lots of fiber etc...Your body could be doing some adjusting as well. I think the food diary is a great idea. Everyone is different and that way you will be able to see exactly what is going on with you. SOmetimes, it is a trial and error process, for example last time I added oj and bananas in my diet, I did great and had no problems. so who knows

so many things can effect it, hormone cycles, stress, diet, out of place spine (chiropractic), illnesses or diseases, emotions...the list goes on and on.

Try and cook your veggies, that should help. Coffee can really mess me up some times and other times not bother me at all. I will say however that the artificial stuff in slim fast can mess you up big time and its not great for you all around. i tried activia yogurt and was very sick til i stopped eating it. turned out fake sugars were the main ingredients. Well feel better and good luck.

You might try Almond milk. It is very good and you can find it where the soy milk is kept. I usually use the vanilla but you can get it no flavor.