My Nervous Stomach

Monday, September 26, 2011

Butterflies mimicking the sound of the city

'); } A big, unfamiliar city with only one happy thought: a perspective I cannot push out of my mind when turning the engine of my car, embarking on a trip. The city itself isn't a problem, once I get there and make an anchor somewhere. The thought of myself coming to my destination, some 45 minutes that need to pass from the moment I enter the city to the moment my stuff is laid in some room I'll be staying - a totally different story.

Breathing deeply and convincing myself that everything will be OK is something that helps. I only wonder if it's always going to be that way (which it probably won't).

One great weekend is behind me now. Really beautiful weekend. The only dark spot is my stomach, coloring every first step I'm taking.

Need to stop with beer & coffee. Need to start with tea and healthy eating. Even in this condition I'm positive that this is a key step I should take if planing to stop worrying about IBS. Leaving old habits is a problem, though.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Bowel, what makes you tick?

'); } Obviously, tick in question won't be hooking on your ties and drinking blood & trying to infect you with some potentially dangerous disease. No, but this tick of mine isn't any more pleasant anyways.
Here's some info that might come as a surprise to some - I live with my parents. These same parents went on a holiday, leaving me home alone. OK, while this episode probably isn't as interesting as the movie with the same name, it produced some interesting findings on my side:

somehow, parents aren't as bad as they seem, even if you're in your thirties,
a cat can be a pain in the ass, and it likes it's toilet clean,
paying bills isn't interesting at all, and it's probably often smart to keep your mouth shut,
using the washer is a simple task, but it's rather boring to dry your clothes by hanging it on a piece of rope, and finally
your sister isn't always your best friend, when it comes to lunches.

All this is stated for the simple purpose: not to leave the last point alone. Therefore, I'll skip explaining all the points (if you're interested, feel free to ask and I'll respond) and jump straight to the last, sister, part. She has two little devils that tend to make anyone's day interesting, even if maybe a bit too interesting. Apart from them, she also likes to cook (a virtue not often found in sisters, and I truly respect that). However, she had chicken sauce with some pasta (the first day) and with mashed potato today. I was, on the other hand, too lazy to wait for potatoes to boil, and asked if pasta is still OK. When my stomach was full, I noticed that some of it's fullness wants to get out. And this same thing happened yesterday, as well.

So, finally... An idea, or an advice, if you like it better: if you have issues with bowel, or have been 'diagnosed' with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, make yourself a favor and keep track of what makes your ibs tick. Once you're a master of that, you won't be having any more IBS issues.

Thanks,
NS

Thursday, September 8, 2011

'); } One more time I started sweating as a result of a feeling in my lower belly - that things are getting bad. I was just finishing my breakfast break at work, drove my colleagues to work and stopped by a mechanic to fix some boring issue I had with car ventilation system. When we finished eating, I felt kinda weird - that kind of feeling. Some call it butterflies in stomach, but for me it's simply a feeling that something ain't right. It's often followed by unpleasant warmth through my body, which in turn makes me even more anxious. I tried to overcome it by convincing myself everything will be ok and by breathing calmly. It kinda worked: we came back to the office without issues.

Issues, however, did come after all :(. When I was waiting for my mechanic, a sudden urge came to my stomach, alarming me in the worst possible way. It calmed down a little bit when I sat down, but it also came back when my position changed to a standing. I cursed myself and my darn condition, but was determined to survive the day :)

And so, after few minutes, the mechanic came, listened to me explaining what the issue is, and I was ready to go back to my office (mechanic is only a few minutes from my office: 5-10 minutes, but more than enough when IBS is concerned). What annoys me very much is the fact that I was totally OK once back in the office. Ok, my stomach was kinda upset for some more time, but actual situation wasn't so alarming as it seemed back at the mechanic's. It's often like that. And I would like it to stop.

I read somewhere on the web a post (blog or forum, not really sure) titled 'Nervous stomach is controlling my life'; so true... SO, SO true.

I'll try to share some of my findings in the future... A ways to cheat on my stomach, making it less nervous and more life-acceptable. Not sure if that would be of much help, but ANY help is welcome for people with the same issues (I guess, at least, based on my own experience!).

I'm done with this post now. I'm also done with disinfecting my house. It's time for bed (11.15pm), as I'm getting up at 6.45am. Life ain't fair!

Stay good people!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

My nervous stomach - one who never walks alone

'); } You'll never walk alone is an anthem for FC Liverpool. However, I'm not a supporter of FC Liverpool, nor would like to be connected with any football club at all. On the other hand, my stomach has it's own ideas and looks on the world, which often differ from those of mine. This is, of course, to be expected - if I was to be one with my stomach, none of this would exists.

Then who or what exactly is company to my crazy stomach, or IBS if I want to be more official? It's Hypochondria, a condition that is characterized by a belief that physical symptoms are signs of some illness, usually a bad one (probably fatal). While I have to disagree with some of my friends who think that it marks me as a person (very much), there might be some truth in their jokes about me. Namely, from time to time, some physical manifestations on / in my body really do render as something very similar to certain illnesses. Yes, there were periods when I was sure something bad is boiling in me and that I might be facing a rather painful and unpleasant death, but that is long behind me. Some remains still exist, though.

Something else does never walk alone, as well. It's trouble. I'm a big animal lover. From dogs to cats, from cows to horses. You name it, I probably love it. I don't have too much pets though. It's only a male cat, 5 years old, with nice orange fur and a bad temper. A real alpha male in the neighborhood, he recently had some condition with his ears - an inflammation that took him about 7 days to get over it. And when it was gone, something much worse came (hence the never walk alone part): he caught some kind of pathogen fungi that is easily transmittable to humans. My neighbor found a stray cat recently that had that same condition, but was careless enough not to take his animal to a vet. As a result, almost 10 people caught the same fun fungi, which then resulted in my neighborhood looking like Star Trek: Voyager (to be precise, like Nelix the chef ). After all this, my cat has to stay in quarantine for the next 8 days, and I have to disinfect the whole house, and hope for the best not to catch the same thing.

My cat and his fungi probably won't be walking alone.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Alcohol and all that comes along

'); } Spontaneously, last night, I had a few drinks with my cousin. Maybe even more than a few. What's worse, I had a few on Sunday, when I had 3 beers which ended up in many adventures related to my stomach during next day. Somewhere on this blog there is an article that's mentioning alcohol as one of the no no things for people with IBS. Then again, no one ever mentioned that I'm some kind of a rational person. No Sir!
Our spontaneous party ended around 2am, after which I had a pleasant meal, consisting mainly of bacon and cheese. My (nervous) stomach probably doesn't love me much, but privately held medical institutions probably will. Did I mention I'm around 200 pounds? How about mentioning that my bones aren't that big?

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

The main problem with people, including myself (especially myself), is that they don't usually take much care of themselves until they start having real problems. Even worse is when they grab a problem or two and continue acting as stupid as they did before... And thus we come to my life story :).

I need to drop down to 180 pounds, to start eating regularly (& healthy) and to start spending my energy somewhere (like swimming for example) (or, even better, by having other kinds of fun).

Time to go to sleep. Please be smarter than I am and don't drink. Even better, avoid smoking as well. One is sure: when I spend 7 or 10 days eating vegetables, going to bed in some decent hours and avoid alcohol & smokes, I end feeling much better and my problem basically vanishes (except in some stressful situations). This, however, is a subject for some other blog post.

Keep coming!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Personalization, with shivers

'); } It is not that shivers are result of personalization. Shivers are something I'm having now, when thinking of all the bad things that happen in my mind when panic / anxiety overtakes me. Right now, it's having a forplay with my nerves, trying to get me to the point where my stomach is threatening to ruin a perfectly perfect weekend. (It does that often, you know...)

Not really sure how did it look / feel when it started to happen, but I'm guessing it didn't change that much: stomach cramps, but only mild; an intensive feeling that bowel movement is coming - all in my lower stomach, under belly button; sweat drops starting to appear on my fore head, and intensive anxiety overwhelming me. If I'm at home, nothing of this happens - I might catch some diarrhea but it all doesn't represent a problem - as long as I'm inside. However, if it happens in public transportation (which is by the book example), it's a horror. What's worse, when it happens, I'm unable for any kind of social interaction, no matter who is the person I should be having this interaction with. It's like my vision get a little bit blurred, and the only thing in focus is the feeling in my stomach.

And I've been living with this thing for years now. My hopes lay in the idea that this is getting a bit better lately, as it probably is. However, when it comes back, like it did today, it seems to me as if I took a huge step back. And it's tough to feel that way. Internet is great because one is able to see that there are others feeling the same way, to read what problems do they have, how exactly are they fighting with them and how far did they get.

Recently, my only answer to this ibs thing I'm fighting is diet. Unfortunately, whenever I get a bit better, I ruin it all by returning to my all habits. Still, even some progress is still progress.

Therefore, my message for today would be: never give up! And take it easy (this one being more important).

Monday, August 29, 2011

No sleep. Yes IBS.

'); } A bit of a rhyme for starters. While you might be unimpressed, I was rather unimpressed with my whole day. Thus, your unimpressed-ness is not as bad as mine ;).

Woke up at 6. Stomach was talking to me. His words weren't as gentle as my title is. I'm always impressed how my stomach reacts as certain times. Ok, when it's stressful situation (which in my case means obstacles between me, toilet and privacy), I can get it. It's IBS and all that. But what happened this morning? I was a bit stressed out / anxious because of some awkward situations I stumbled on work, but this was still not "normal" (if it's at all appropriate for me to say something like this).

No sleep, yes my adventurous stomach. I'm very sleepy and I still have some hopes and dreams about getting some rest. Fingers crossed!

Friday, August 26, 2011

State your state of mind.

'); } I read somewhere that one can get this boring condition from one acute gastroenteritis attack. I know for sure that I had some similar situations in past, but I'm sure they aren't the cause of my problems. This post is about including a bit of personal information to this blog - something that comes as natural for blogs. (actually, it's so natural that I didn't do it until now)

In the past, I've been such a relaxed guy... For the most part, I've always had people close to me saying that I'm taking things too easy. It's not a joke - I grew up during war time, protected by my parent's love so much, that I didn't even take war as something bad. When someone manages to have a childhood like that and keep a smile on his face, you can call him care free.
How exactly have I gone from the point that sounds of grenades didn't interfere with my childhood to the point where I'm feeling butterflies whenever I go out to town, I'm not really sure. But I'm there - that's one I'm sure about.
I'll share my doubts, though...

In my twenties, I worked as a language assistant for NATO troops in Balkans - a job that was rather popular in these areas, even pretty much wished for. The money was good, the work itself wasn't hard at all and I got to drive around in military vehicles - something that I was used to (just as every other war-time kid was, actually).
Then, something went wrong. During my workdays, I used to stumble on situations where we're out on the road, doing whatever troops do when they aren't making war, and no toilet was available. At first, simply a fact that I was getting aware of, it became a sort-of obsession of mine: where am I going to "go" if I need to? The answer to this was rather simple: I got myself a sort-of-fobia: being left out without a toilet-o-fobia :)

This, obviously, is a rather trivial way of explaining what was happening to me. I'm sure anyone even closely related to psychology would laugh at my explanation. I don't care too much, though. It is my explanation, my blog and my life story. Thus, it is as good as any other explanation.

Totally different story is an answer to question what can I do about all this?

If questions in your head are anything similar, keep coming here and check how exactly am I coping with all this. It might help to relieve your pain, at least.

Stay good, as allways

Monday, August 22, 2011

My big fat Balkans wedding (aka 'how to treat your stomach badly')

'); }

Proper diet is essential for well being of someone having I.B.S. This means that individual having problems with his/hers stomach should avoid fat, carbonated drinks, irregular meals, spicy foods etc.
Having this said, I'd like to (one more time) confirm how much my brain plays an important role in my condition and how little does my actual physical condition have to do with my issues.

My friend was getting married recently and I was invited. Being anxious about all kind of social events, I was rather nervous about the happening, expecting my stomach to give me trouble. The only thing I wasn't sure of was how much trouble will I get. However, there was no way I could have said no. It simply wasn't an option. So I said freck it, I'll go and see how it goes. I even invited my (recently mentioned) very dear person to accompany me. Decided to play it brave, right?

On the wedding, I avoided all the advice one would give to someone with I.B.S. - I had a couple of beers, ate a pound of roast lamb, some pork, cheese, added some coke to the mixture... and I had a LOT of fun!!! No problems whatsoever!

My very dear person brought this to my attention - how badly I acted related to diet I should be taking care of. But hey, it all turned out well.

Having all this said, my stomach is still acting OK recently, to my greatest pleasure. I'm confused, though.
On the side note, I'll start mixing some personal info into this blog, to make it a little more cozy place. In the meanwhile, feel free to like it, share it, comment it or do anything you like with it. Just don't ignore it :).

Stay good!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Wise men say: Get your fibers together!

'); } It's everywhere - wires are buzzing worse than my phone alarm is at 7am after a hard and long night: fibers are good for your stomach! Even more, they are strongly recommended if you suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Since I'm doing my best to get my act together related to my condition, I thought it's only fair to check what exactly is said about fibers, fiber rich food and the ways they affect people coping with nervous stomach. Without further ado, here we go.

People having issues with nervous stomach often suffer from either constipation or diarrhea (some of the lucky ones somehow manage to suffer from both). Fibers in our digestive system work as one would expect from fibers - they bind things together. Binding, in turn, helps movement of food through, which then makes things work in a more regular fashion. This, of course, is something I would kill for. I'm sure that most of the people visiting this blog think alike. Apparently, it's a bit more beneficial for people from the first group (constipated ones), but should do well to the second group as well. The lucky third should take fibers just for fun :) (no, just joking... fibers are good for anyone).

According to Wikipedia article about fibers, fiber-rich diet brings following benefits:

May reduce appetite - not sure if you need this one. I do.
Lowers variance in blood sugar levels. As my medical background isn't that good, not sure what this is good for. Sounds good, though.
Reduces risk of heart disease.
May reduce onset risk or symptoms of metabolic syndrome and diabetes.
Facilitates regular defecation.
Alleviates constipation.
May reduce risk of colorectal cancer.

I marked with yellow most interesting benefits. Obviously, this sounds extremely beneficial for group 1, but in my opinion (and I'm dominantly in group 2), it is also good for group 2. Regularity is pretty much needed in my everyday life and I think it would solve all my problems.

Do feel free to add something to this article, as I'm sure it can be more thorough and complete.

Stay good.