Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Diverticulitis: A Self-Help Plan

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I was diagnosed with IBS many years ago when I was having three or more episodes each week. My life was unmanageable with it; I couldn't leave the house because I'd be fine one minute, and in a cold sweat and excruciating pain ten minutes later. Often, there was no warning. My condition had built up slowly, over a period of about five years. Initially, doctors thought that it was a food allergy. In time, they realized that I had a chronic condition--probably IBS but possibly diverticulitis or something related--but their advice involved an extreme (and unrealistic) limited diet and painkillers that knocked me out for nearly a day. Their advice seemed like a band aid, not a cure or even a workable solution. I was becoming an anxious recluse, afraid to leave the house or schedule anything important. The pain was beyond anything I'd experienced, except in childbirth. I bought this book out of desperation, and started applying some of the dozens of helpful tips right away. Most worked, but a few didn't. (They didn't make it worse, they just didn't help.) Gradually, I narrowed my focus to three or four recommendations that helped the most, and I used them every time. (For me, enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules are vital at the earliest symptoms. I learned about those readily available capsules in this book.) My IBS episodes became shorter. They "aftershocks" (lesser episodes that followed a major IBS attack) were gentler and smaller in number. In time, they stopped altogether. It's been over four years since my last full-blown IBS episode. During those years, I've had three minor incidents, but nothing that kept me in bed for a full day afterwards. This book is the single most important reason why I was able to resume a relatively normal lifestyle after being pretty much housebound for close to a year. Years later, I can barely remember how awful life was when I constant worried about an IBS episode interrupting everything from professional meetings and my kids' school picnics, to grocery shopping. My doctors were amazed and impressed at my improvement, and time has proved that my condition is stable now. Some doctors estimate that IBS and related issues are second only to the common cold as reasons why people call in sick at work. Whether or not that's true, I was amazed when I started admitting that I have IBS. Close to half of my friends confessed that they suffered from IBS episodes as well. Without exception, everyone I've talked with who has IBS--including my mother--has used this book with rave results. Many of them have referred other people to this book, too. This book changed my life for the better.

I have found that the information in this book has helped me more than anything I have tried in the past 12 years... My experience with MD's has been futile. Anyone suffering with IBS or diverticulosis would be well served reading the exceptionally well written book.