Hello and welcome! Glad your scope turned up fine. I know you are relieved. Mine is coming up in a couple of weeks and I am filled with anticipation.
You mentioned that you live a busy and stressed lifestyle. Perhaps that is why you are not so hungry in the mornings. Maybe you could get up an extra 15 minutes or so to do some relaxing and take out just a few minutes of time for yourself. I am not hungry in the mornings either but I get up and sit in my recliner and relax for a few minutes. Then I eat a small bowl of Chex cereal and some applesauce with a couple of glasses of water. I know that isn't much but is better than nothing.
Did your doctor mention taking a fiber substitute? Mine did and if yours didn't perhaps you could call his/her office and ask about it. That is what lots of IBS sufferers do when they don't have the time to get in their daily needs of soluble fiber or when they don't feel like eating.
Fiber substitues such as Metamucil, Fibercon, etc are considered laxatives and a lot of people with IBS, especially those that have IBS with diarrhea think that it is not for them. That is not the case. (Trust me on this one. Ihave studied it through and through). Although they are marketed as a laxative you will also notice that they say "dietary fiber supplement." And for the most part soluble fiber is what all of us with IBS need whether we have diarrhea or not. That is what lots of IBS sufferers do when they don't have the time, or as you don't feel like eating.
Study up and learn about the two different types of fiber that you need in your diet. There is soluble and insoluble and they need to be eaten in specific ways or your IBS will really flair up.
If you would like to know more about how to incorporate these fibers into your diet please feel free to email you and I will help you out.
When I first learned I had IBS with diarrhea I thought I needed to eat more insoluble fibers. Then when I got constipated I thought I needed to eat more soluble fibers. All that does is send you into a vicious circle and the IBS is never taken underr control and only the symptoms are alleviated.
Since then, and after hours and hours of research I learned that this is a myth. You should never wait until the symptom of diarrhea or constipation hits and then try to solve the problem by what you eat. You will never regulate that way and regulation is what we want, right?
Eating a diet that is made up mostly of soluble fiber soothes and regulates the digestive tract, stabilizes the intestional contractions resulting from the gastrolic reflex and normalizes bowel function from either extreme. Yep, soluble fiber prevents you and relieves you from both diarrhea and constipation.
One word of caution--soluble fiber and ONLY soluble fiber should be eaten on an empty stomach and should be eaten with a lot of water. Insoluble fibers, in which we do need to incorporate into our diets for a healthy lifestyle should be eaten sparingly and with caution and you should never eat them alone or on an empty stomach. Always begin with a larger quanity of soluble fiber followed by some insoluble fiber.
It is so encouraging to hear that your hubby loves and supports you through all of this. Perhaps this would be a good time for you to also sit down together and discuss your need of relieving your stress and the things that upset you. He seems to be very caring and concerned about you.
And isn't it great to be able to walk in the park with your little girl and to be able to work again? Sounds like you are off to a great start.
Best wishes,
Sylvia