# how do I stop obsessing....



## lorilou (May 9, 2003)

I think I have my ibs-c under control but it involves a very strict schedule and I feel all I do is think about pooping. I drink coffee in the am for about 1.5 hours and go and then after lunch I have a nother cup and go a little . in the afternoon I drinkl a few beers while cooking dinnder and really go. so I do go but I have to "work" at it. anyone got the same deal ?


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## overitnow (Nov 25, 2001)

I'm was daily D for 10 years, and while I have not had any real problems for over 4 years, I still obsess about it every day. I don't think that part will ever completely go away.Sorry.Mark


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## Tiss (Aug 22, 2000)

I don't know how to stop worrying about it. It seems to me it's all part of this disorder. I am making a determined effort to not let this control my life. I have started training to run a 1/2 marathon in April. THat means getting up early, not pooping when I usually do, etc. I keep telling myself that it is OK NOT to poop everyday! My entire routine as changed but I am really determined to do this because I cannot stand letting my 'poop' schedule rule my life!


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## ghitta (Jul 6, 2002)

i personally don't have a prob with my "poop schedule" ruling my life because frankly, professional athletes have their exercise routines ruling theirs, priests and nuns have their prayer schedules running theirs, die hard buddhists have their meditation moments, strict and rigid and let's not talk about a thousand other things i could be obsessed about besides the evacuation of my bowels. diabetics have to be obsessive over when they self shoot their insulin and i could go on and on. i have a medical condition known as IBS C predominant and it has taken me years to retrain my body to go in the mornings and i'll be damned if somebody else will screw that up. just because a good part of the population does not understand that people like us can obsess over their elimation doesn't mean we have to "act like normal folk"- i'm not like normal folk - i have to get up at dawn and drink lots of tea and/or coffee and smoke my cigs and work on the computer and go to the bathroom before i eat breakfast and that's the way it is for me and my life is no worse off for it. in fact, it's better than when i was younger and C'ed up all the time because i didn't eat right and drank too much and lived like a vampire at night. i hate to see people out there berating themselves and beating themselves up because they worry about pooping; this is what we IBSers with C do: we worry about pooping the way people with high blood pressure or high cholesterol worry about those things and do the appropriate things to treat it. ok, thanks for letting me vent, g-


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## Tiss (Aug 22, 2000)

Hey ghitta, I hope that my response was not taken as any critcism toward anybody. I have yet to experience not being obsessed about my bowels and can only hope that my 'experiment' works for me. You brought up many excellent points about the other things that people have to worry about and the poop factor is definetly a major one for me. I think that I'm so tired of worrying about it and wish it didn't play such a big part of my life. Each of us needs to do what is best for us individually to copy with this very annoying, painful problem. Good luck! Tiss


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## ghitta (Jul 6, 2002)

thanks, Tiss. of course we are all different with different needs and attitudes and do what we have to in order to cope and deal with it all. i personally just "give in" to it and know i need my morning time etc. good luck to you too, g-


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## sadone (Dec 17, 2003)

lorilou, i'm totally there.i have to have a bm in the morning before i can go out anywhere, but most days it will not come easily, even though i really feel the need to go.and then after every meal i feel like a need to go, but can't.i avoid getting stuck anywhere for lengthy periods of time--i just can't 'go' in other people's bathrooms...i'm too paranoid and tense.i only went home for one night at christmas, cuz even around my family--it's just so embarrassing.i find though that if i keep my stress levels (stress about things other than my ibs) in check, my stress about my ibs is lower too...a clear head really helps.getting through work is the worse though, at least i only work 2 days a week (i'm a student the rest of the time)...but still, it's brutal, by the end of my shift, i am so constipated/gassy/in pain...ugh.


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## jo-jo (Aug 19, 2001)

minimum,I totaly understand. I am absolutely exactly like you. My hours at work have changed from 10:00 am to 7:00 am and it's absolute torture. I'm in constant pain. This change happened last wednesday, only my fourth day of coming in early! I hope i can find a routine i can fall into because i don't know how i'll be able to handle it. This ibs thing is not something everyone understands.


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## sadone (Dec 17, 2003)

jo-jo







that sounds so crappy







do you have to work that early? is there any way you can change back to 10am?


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## Meesh (Apr 8, 2003)

Phew--I thought it was just me! I am totally a poop tracker. I am not on a schedule but when I get certain cravings, esp. for raw carrots or peanut butter, it means I am stopped up big time. Also, when I get that backed up, I can't sleep and have to get up, eat, fall back to sleep, and then eat raw carrots to go. Kills my stomach all these carrots!My issue is I tend to overeat and feel sick because I am trying to cause a poop by eating lots of raw vegetables. Feeling sick gets me more obsessed with my intestines and figuring out what foods will fix it. I usually end up making it worse. I keep eating because if I stop eating or eat liquidy foods, I will never poop. Any ideas?I have even gone in later to work so I can eat and force a poop, so to speak. I too was afraid to go home for a week for xmas due to backup concerns. i told myself i would do laxative if had to. Through the miracle of raw carrots, every time I got really nauseous, I ate carrots and then pooped. Pooping cuts down on the putrid gas too.Thanks for sharing! Would love ideas too!Meesh


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## HereIam (Mar 1, 2001)

Ghitta, You are now my number 1 hero. I can't leave the house in the morning until I do my 2-3 urgent bathroom visits (D type) and if that upsets anyone around me, then tough. I'm sick of early morning flights just cause "that's what the family prefers." Well, if that's what they prefer they can do that and I'll meet up with them later. I'm facing a 6:10 a.m. flight next month and so am facing a 2:00 wakeup, cup of tea, cigs, etc., to have gone to the bathroom on time. I don't want to explain it to anyone and I sure as heck don't want to hear about how all I need to do is get up, get in the car and drive to the airport. I feel pretty lucky now that after ten years of uncontrollable D, I can actually live a life without pooping my pants. In order to live that life I have to have my morning routine. I'm not obsessed, I'm just careful. Anyone else who messed their pants 100's of times as an adult would be, too. So, Ghitta, thanks for your attitude and helping me shift my attitude from thinking I am obsessed to knowing I'm just living my life the best way I can.


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## ghitta (Jul 6, 2002)

HereIAm - you are more than welcome. keep up that great attitude. i don't inflict my schedule on anybody, i don't make my man wait on me or my family if i'm with them - i let people do what they want and i'll join 'em later or make alternative arrangements. i also refuse early am flights, departures or work arrangements. i go out at nights only occasionally and get up at dawn and then i wake my guy up around 7:30 and by that time i've hopefully pooped once or thrice already. i have a fine life because i do the things i can, control what i can and the rest is up to powers greater than my own self. best, g-


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## jo-jo (Aug 19, 2001)

ghitta,When you say you get up at dawn, what time is that? I love your way of looking at this, we have to do what we have to do. For some it is as easy as get up... go to work. This morning i did just that, get up, shower, go to work and right now i think i will explode from the pain, it's getting worse each day. Tomorrow i will have to get up at 4:00 am because 5:00 isn't doing it for me. When i worked (last week) at 10:00 i got up at 6:15 to have enough time, so to be at work at 7:00 I'd have to be up at 3:15!


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## jo-jo (Aug 19, 2001)

I am very happy to announce thatI got up at 4:00 today and it worked! I'd much rather be sleepy than in constant pain. Gotta do what i gotta do.


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## hayleyj71 (Nov 19, 2003)

Only this morning I was thinking " Does anyone else monitor their visits to the loo!!" As usual I can rely on this site to make me feel less unusual. If I can't go before I leave for work, I get really grumpy because I know what pain & discomfort will follow later.One of you mentioned that some none IBS suffers don't understand what its like - I guess they think we are obsessed with poop!!


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## ghitta (Jul 6, 2002)

jo-jo, good for you! anyway to change your work hours? pleading a medical condition? anything, something? when i say "dawn" i mean generally right before sunrise and right now in southern flo that's about 5-5:30 am. g-


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## jo-jo (Aug 19, 2001)

Ghitta - That's what i told my husband, medical condition, that wouldn't work where i am , i'm in a small place so they need me at the time i come in. Medical condition or not I would probably get the boot. It's not so bad really, i leave at 3:00pm from work now so i save the traffic going and coming. It would be hard to say this is a medical condition because this doesn't show up on any tests, so anyone realy could say they have ibs and get away with it.


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## sadone (Dec 17, 2003)

Meesh,yeah, i'm much the same, i really wanna have a bm before going to work, so i'll eat even though i'm not hungry.for me it's not carrots but bready things. the most frustrating thing is when i eat all this and STILL cannot have a bm!







usually, it works to some extent, but then i start feeling like a pig...worrying about weight.i've been drinking a lot more water lately, and i think that has been helping me to go. coffee and a cigarette in the morning usually work, but only in the morning (and i usually work at night). i know it's bad to smoke, please no one get after me!


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## Tiss (Aug 22, 2000)

No one is going to get after you for doing anything you need to do! Some of us smoke to help with IBS and some of us don't. I am down to 1 a day cause it helps to get things moving so I don't know if I'm ready to give that one up of not. But the point is, this is a very supportive board and we really are here to help each other, to give support, to give advice (when asked for), and in general just understand each other because we are ALL SUFFERING TOGETHER! I've learned more on this board the last 3 years than I've ever learned from a doctor AND my IBS is under better control than it has ever been. Good luck, Tiss


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## YouAreSpecial (Jun 30, 2003)

Wow, it feels so good to realize I am not the only "preoccupied" with my bowel habits. I dont think it is ever off my mind. I am ok with it though, I just know what I need to do to keep myself going and regular and always plan accordingly when I have to be away from home when I would normally be having toilet time. If I stray from the things I know I need to do, I know I will end up in pain. I just have to continue to figure out what works for me, and keep doing them.I used to hate being so obsessed with my bowels. Now, I do just what Ghitta says- I look at it like a diabetic and their insulin, or J-Lo with her makeup. LOLThanks everyone! I am glad I am not alone.


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## Tiss (Aug 22, 2000)

I felt really crazy and alone before I found this BB. For the 1st time in my life I realized that I wasn't a total freak! My doctors didn't listen at all. One horrible doctor I saw said "eat 50 grams of fiber a day", another said "you sound like my wife". Nothing about how to eat that much, that you needs tons of water with that much fiber, just nothing. So...when I ran across this BB and started trying things by trial and error I started getting better, emotionally and physically. Glad you are here with the rest of us who really DO understand!


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## karoe (Sep 22, 1999)

It's refreshing to hear that I am not alone in this. I get up at 6 to be at work at 8.30 and it takes me 10 minutes to get to work. I always have nice tea to drink, in a pot. I smoke two cigs. I have interesting books to read. I just redecorated the dining room and have a skylight so the sun comes in on me as it comes up. I do not look at the clock. I just take care of myself, and maintain a very peaceful zen attitude until the poop is taken. The I run around prepping the rest to go to work... special food of course that I prepared the night before....make up, etc. It's how I begin my day. I have a low stress job and no commute. All of this has been necessary because of IBS. Yes, it's limiting, and BORING. But the alternative to taking care of myself is incredible discomfort.Thanks for posting this issue. Ghitta, your responses are always great!!! Thanks for all of your intelligent responses. Think that because this is a bowel problem, it's harder to talk about, to justify. I think you all have made me think about whether I really accept this life....or if I'm still holding out for a cure....I am 51 years old today and have had IBS since I was 21.


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## ghitta (Jul 6, 2002)

karoe, thanks for your comments and you are welcome. by the way, not that i recommend it to anyone (i don't) but i still smoke (a lot) and if the truth be told, i am afraid i'll never poop again if i quit (never mind the weight gain, i just turned 49 and everything i eat goes straight to you know where - no matter how much i exercise! -ah, the joys of middle age) - g-


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## LilGirl34 (Feb 6, 2004)

ghitta...dont take this the wrong way but You made me laugh..Thanks. Thats certainly a good way to handle it...I like your attitude...


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## ghitta (Jul 6, 2002)

well, you gotta laugh. it's better than crying! i try to laugh at all this because i'd go nuts if i didn't. g-


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## StillHoping (Sep 16, 2002)

One horrible doctor I saw said "eat 50 grams of fiber a day", another said "you sound like my wife". UGH!There are some HORRIBLE doctors out there.







I had a doctor who actually said to me,"Can't you just live with it?"I'm there in his office.Shouldn't that have answered his own question?!


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## ghitta (Jul 6, 2002)

if i ate 50 grams of fiber supps per day i would have to check into the ER - some of these docs are nuts. on the other hand, there are lots of natureopathic docs out there who say the same thing: eat more fiber, take more fiber, eat raw food (yeah, like i'm gonna eat raw fibrous veg with my IBS) etc etc. i'm gonna repost a thread about what works for me.


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