Friday, July 23, 2010

Owwwwww!

Day two of an IBS flareup and I'd like to say.... owwwwwwwwwww! It feels like I have several spinning, rusty razor blades trapped in my intestines, which are being constricted by some of that yellow, rough rope you get in hardware stores that keeps tightening more and more. Then the pain will suddenly stop and the relief will be immediate. I'll think, thank God it's over, but then a few minutes later the tightening will start and the razor blades will start spinning and I'll just want to curl up in a ball and cry. Throw in nausea and fatigue and once again I would like to say, ow!

Since I'm Gluten Intolerant, I tend to blame these bouts on gluten. And maybe it is, but I've gone over my diet for the last several days and unless I accidentally ate a slice of my daughter's bread (not likely) I don't know what I could have eaten. My stomach has been "off" for a few days, with too much acid (something else I tend to have trouble with). I hold all my stress in my stomach, so bouts of nausea aren't unusual for me, especially around my cycle. For years I've seen doctors to try and figure out what's going on with my digestion, and what they say is I "probably" have Irritable Bowell Syndrome, and "probably" have esophageal spasms, and am "probably" gluten intolerant and "probably" create too much stomach acid which is aggravated by stress, which means, they don't know what's causing my symptoms.  

Very, very, very frustrating.

So here I am, day two of an IBS flareup, forcing myself to drink tea and trying to get myself together so I can help my daughter and get through my day. We're supposed to be in Santa Rosa by 11:00 to get her wheelchair fixed and then to San Francisco so she can visit her dad and I can go to class in the morning (internship meeting on Saturday). I have plans to have fun with my good friend Barbara tonight and go explore Hayes Valley after class tomorrow. Spending the evening in her bathroom is not my idea of a good time.

Wish me luck, people. And if anyone else out there deals with something similar, tell me what has helped you.

5 comments:

Sarcastic Bastard said...

I have IBS, too, and like you, any stress I am feeling makes it worse. I have been suspecting gluten may aggravate it lately. It sounds like I don't have it quite as badly as you.

The only thing I've heard(and you've probably heard it already), is that peppermint tea and capsules help to soothe the condition.

I'm glad you are spending some time with a friend. I hope the flare up goes away.

Love,

SB

Barbara said...

(Sincere) Good luck!

HeatherS said...

ack! Good luck :)

Confessions of a Closet Hoarder but you can call me Judy said...

Ugh! I'm so sorry! You sound miserable. :(

A friend of mine is gluten intolerant as well. She was having a problem similar to yours when she looked at the mustard, and it had gluten in it. Mustard. Of all things.

Maybe it will be as simple as that for you. Feel better!

Mother of Chaos said...

Aw, sweetie. I'm so sorry. That's just not fair. I've got nothing for advice, just a whole lot of sympathy. :(