Now that we're approaching bed time, I'm happy to report that I'm feeling much better. I don't talk much about IBS, because people think it's gross and it's not like you bring it up in social situations. (Thank God for blogs, right? ;)) But I still think that it's something that should be talked about. It doesn't get press because there's no real magic pill that fixes it.
I've always had crappy <rimshot /> digestive health, but I started to get this constipation-diarea cycle that would last a day or two at a time starting in my late 20's. Because of my long-standing aversion to doctors, I never really found out what the deal was. Back in '05 or '06 I finally had a general diagnostic and the doctor said it was likely IBS-A, the "A" standing for alternating. Being a "syndrome" means it's hard to nail down exactly what the problem is, or how to treat it, but eating less like an asshole seemed like a good starting point. Thus the weight loss, no red meat and at least a little more activity that year.
I can generally nail down what causes it for me: Lots of fried or greasy food without adequate fiber. So yes, those frequent trips to BWW in Cleveland were frequently met with some extreme discomfort unless I countered with wheat pasta, sandwiches on the "double fiber" bread, etc. God knows it'd help if I actually ate more vegetables. Oh, lots of alcohol, especially if it's beer, doesn't help either.
The literature suggests that stress can trigger it, but I've never made that connection. I mean, if moving didn't trigger an episode, I don't think it's stress. I've been pretty symptom free since before the move.
At one point around the turn of the century, I was secretly worried that it might be Chron's or something, knowing someone who around that time had his large intestine removed (and those who follow Draeger know he recently went through the same thing). Aside from associating doctors with bad things when I was young, I think this only reinforced it. Even being married to a health-conscious, going-vegetarian biologist at the time, I refused to hear anything about eating right, because that was admitting a problem. That certainly didn't help that relationship either.
So these days, understanding the problem, I can avoid it when I'm not being a moron. I'm not sure how I slipped up this time.
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