| I know this story is going to sound a bit odd given what we currently know about IBS but please bear with me.
In January of 2005, I was downsized from an IT position at a large company. I was 44 at the time and spent all of 2005 doing everything known to humankind to secure another position with no success.
Early in 2006, I had the fortune of finding and purchasing a large collection of vintage children's books from an estate and began marketing and selling them on ebay. As these books were only once-owned and immaculately stored, they began to make consistent money.
It was a real relief getting the income monkey off of our backs. My wife and I even managed to take a long-overdue trip to Maine in October of 2006.
This is where the story gets weird.
Keep in mind, at the time we went on vacation our bills were getting paid, we weren't having any marital problems and we were excited to be getting away together.
We had a wonderful time and came back renewed.
The weekend following our return we had company in from out of town. I began that weekend to develop GI symptoms but wrote it off as a bug or delayed food poisoning from some borderline seafood.
I mean, we were in Maine for a week, you know?
I treated myself with an anti-diarrheal and the symptoms went away for a day.
By Monday, it was obvious to me that it must be something more serious like an intestinal bug or the flu. Again, I treated the symptoms and tried to rest and take care of myself.
The diarrhea would never completely go away and I was finding that anything I ate caused me to have to go. I was pretty certain this was not a good thing but I wasn't terrified because I had a frame of reference from my past.
Let me explain.
In 1987, I had just graduated from college and had not found employment. The bills were not getting paid, I was thrown out of an apartment(I was blessed to have found a duplex from a man that made deals based on his assessment of character and NOT credit reports)and things were generally not going well for me.
I eventually landed restaurant work close enough to my home to walk to. I was still struggling and receiving collector calls regularly. This is when it hit me the first time.
It started with every meal I ate triggering a normal bowel movement but deteriorated to every piece of food causing diarrhea. I eventually got "caught" on my walk to work and I'll let you fill in the details. Suffice it to say, I didn't make it to work that night.
I went to the doctor and I was very fortunate to have found one who was up on the latest medical information. Not too much was really known back then about IBS but this doctor was able to make a diagnosis of Spastic Colon.
He told me that my body was hypersensitive to food and would have to be re-trained to use it properly. He said I should start with bland foods(pasta,bread,cereal,etc.)and gradually add other foods as my body would tolerate them. If something caused a problem for me I should make a note of it and take a step back for a few days. He stressed that it was critical that I continue to move forward.
[I still can't believe how lucky I was to have found this doctor when I did. I've read other people's stories, Heather's included, and can't believe the stuff that people were being told at that time and much later.]
I was back to eating my regular diet within about 3-4 months.
Back to 2006...
I began searching on the internet for information about IBS and found Heather's site immediately. I was mesmerized!
I spent hours learning and reading forum posts and interacting with her community. I realized the first thing I needed to do was to be checked out by a doctor for this.
I had all the tests done and afterwards I was given, literally, a prescription form that had eight medications listed on it and the doctor just marked out the ones he didn't want me to get.
You read that right....eight prescriptions on a form and all but the one he wanted me to get crossed out. I laughed when I saw it.
After looking up the side-effects for the drug he recommended, I decided to try another route. I bought some of Heather's products and would try to gradually add foods to my diet.
I ordered the Fennel Tea and Tummy Fiber. I started putting a little of the Tummy Fiber on all of my foods and I noticed immediately that it was helping increase the consistency of my stools as well as reducing the chance of a reaction to any food. The Fennel Tea had the biggest overall effect of calming my stomach and GI tract and giving me a weapon against any food that still bothered me. It didn't stop the reaction every time but it did give me the confidence to continue moving forward.
As you can imagine, the body of a 45 year old was not going to be as quick to rebound as that of a 27 year old.
Though it took me all of 2007 to get to this point, I am now eating almost everything that I used to before this happened. I celebrated a one year reaction-free anniversary on February 27th.
I still haven't had my first beer but I'm so busy with my internet marketing business that I really haven't had much time. When I decide I want one, it will be slow and steady like everything else has been.
I couldn't be happier with my progress. I owe a great deal to Heather, her products and her staff for getting me to where I am today. I simply could not have done it without you!
My goal here is not to claim that everybody will be able to do what I have done. I realize that for many being able to get to a point where you can function with IBS is a milestone in itself. I simply want to emphasize the importance of not giving up and always keep trying to get back your life.
Finally, the human body is an incredibly complex and intelligent thing. We must make sure we are sending it the right signals to let it help us get better. We can do this by truly believing we can improve each and every day.
Best to all,
Jeff Jones |
