ATTENTION READERS … This is a personal ibs story of living with an irritable bowel for over 50 years. Thanks to the internet, this condition is understandable and treatable. Let me share with you what I’ve learned.
What is IBS?
This syndrome or functional gastrointestinal disorder is not a disease!
There is help available for you if you have this intestinal problem!
IBS, is characterized by symptoms of bloating, gas, abdominal pain, cramping, constipation, and/or diarrhea and feeling unwell. The syndrome is more common among women and it can begin at any age.
I soon learned that I was a “nervous” type. I was passionate about life and I worried a lot about everything. I love the world around me, especially animals and plants. My family is super important to me and like most of us, I always want the best for all of them.
Our world can be very stressful with some days worse than others. My body began to experience those feelings of unwellness when things were going in a negative direction. This unwellness usually came to my attention around bedtime. I couldn’t get to sleep no matter what I did. Many nights, after a few hours, I was up and spending a lot of time urinating. Sometimes my heart would race and I would shake. Yes, I visited the hospital a lot and soon learned from healthcare experts that I was having PANIC ATTACKS.
It didn’t take me long to find out what a cardiologist and gastroenterologist were. I spent a lot of time with doctors. I remember once vacationing in Mexico when after having a smoothy with pineapple in it, I was off to the doctors. He examined me and gave me a drug. Later that day, when I couldn’t think straight, back to the doctor I went. He called an ambulance, and I found myself in a private very expensive Mexican hospital. They did the usual blood tests and they couldn’t find anything wrong with me. This all led to another visit with my heart doctor in Canada. “Your heart is fine he said. ” Hmmm? Could it have been the pineapple?
Food Management
After a lot of investigating, I discovered the top 10 foods according to the Mayo Clinic in the U.S.A. Whenever I was having “gut” problems and feeling generally unwell, and I know the difference between the “flu/common cold” and just feeling “shitty”, I would turn to these top 10 foods. It usually only took about 3 or 4 days of eating from this list and nothing else, when I would feel “normal” again.
Here is a typical meal for me from the Mayo Clinic list.
1 baked sweet potato, a piece of baked salmon, a cup of steamed spinach, and lots of water. Pay attention to the word … BAKED!
Mayo Clinic Top 10 Foods
These are just a few of the many options that could make up a nutritious diet. Your best diet depends on your age, activity level, budget, body weight and cultural traditions.
The most important thing to remember is that every bite counts. Focus on eating nutrient-dense foods and avoiding added sugar, sodium and saturated fats to lower your risk of chronic illness over time.
Bake or Boil
One day things got so bad with my intestines that my local doctor said that he was puzzled and that I needed to go to one of our large hospitals in Toronto and see a gastro specialist from India. By the way, I was at the point where no matter what I put in my mouth, I got a pain so bad that I doubled over while sitting on the “john”. The pain was worse than giving birth. The Indian doctor in TO. started by giving me a steak dinner. No pain! He kept me in the hospital for a week and fed me everything. No pain!
This was his diagnosis … “You have ibs (irritable bowel syndrome). It is time to MANAGE STRESS better and only BAKE or BOIL!” said the world famous gastroenterologist.
DID YOUR HEAR THAT … BAKE OR BOIL ONLY! So that’s what I did. Well, not always, but most of the time. When my life was going great and there was little or no stress in my life, I might BBQ. For me that means, place the food in a pan and place the pan in my electric BBQ outside.
Miracle Medicine
There was another time when I was sent to see the head doctor on food at McMaster Medical Center in Hamilton Ontario. After the doctor read my extensive health report, which must have take him an hour, he told me that my condition was called … dyspepsia which is also known as indigestion.
This refers to discomfort or pain in the upper abdomen, often after eating or drinking. It is often mild, and people can make dietary and lifestyle changes to help manage it. If these do not work, a doctor can prescribe medications.
He told me to go directly to any pharmacy and buy – Iberogast. Iberogast has been used for ibs in Great Britain for over 50 years and it is all natural and comes in “drops” form in a small bottle for about $30 a bottle which will last a long time. When you’re having an ibs attack, just put 30 drops in a little water and down it goes. It will neutralize the acid in you system and you will feel better instantly.
I did buy Iberogast and it does work! The doctor told me NOT to use antacids!
Stress Management
My husband and I have been teaching fitness at our local YMCA for many many years. My wife was certified first and then some years later, it was my turn to take the courses.
We were also elementary school teachers and researchers who operated library resource centers and computer labs in the school system.
We studied health and wellness extensively and learned a lot about the importance of exercise, food, sleep, and stress management.
We started a Youtube channel so we could share what we learned about wellness with the world!
Here is the address to the channel … https://www.youtube.com/@davetimberwolf
and here is a sample of one of the videos …
Take Away
About The Author
