Success story!!

[Elizabeth1234]

Hello all! I want to share my story and perhaps give some hope. I have been well for several years now but have been hesitant to post anything in fear I might jinx it haha; however I think now is the time to share my healing journey.

 I was diagnosed with IBS by a GI doctor and struggled with it for 7 years. I had both IBS-C and IBS-D. My symptoms started when I was 17 and worsened over the years. It got so bad that there were only about 20 foods that I could eat and not strongly react to. I tried everything to heal. I tried a host of Drs, meds, supplements, diets, chiropractic's,  naturopathies, etc. Nothing seemed to help. I was at my lowest point 3 years ago and felt so anxious, depressed, alone, scared, and isolated. It was then that I learned about the connection between the mind and body and started to heal. I read a book by Dr John Sarno called the divided mind and another one by Dr Howard Schubiner called unlearn your pain (There are a host of other books on the same topic but those are the two I found most helpful). I began to realize that stress and suppressed emotions can cause a physical symptom such as diarrhea or constipation. I learned that I was focusing so much on my body and symptoms and ignoring the emotional hurt that I felt for so many years. I was unlearning what I was taught by my family and so many healthcare professionals saying there was something wrong with my body.  I learned that suppressing my emotions and hyper focusing on my symptoms were the real disease. I experienced true healing that was heartbreaking,  raw, and freeing.  I have been a registered  nurse for the past 5 years and work in primary care and can say that IBS is not caused from your GI tract but from your brain. This has been verified for me both from my observations with patients, chronic pain seminars that I've attended through my work, and my own personal experience. I am completely cured from IBS for the past 2 years and will occasionally get a flare up when under a lot of stress. When I do have a flare I do not get upset because I have learned that 100% of all humans will get a physical symptom when stressed whether its upset stomach, heart palpitations, back pain, blushing, hives etc. I know that IBS and chronic pain can make you feel so alone and scared. I know the pain and isolation because I have been there, but there is hope for healing. Whoever is reading this know that you deserve to live a joyful life and to be free of chronic pain. Healing may be painful when digging up emotional suffering, but the truth will ultimately set you free. I do not want to preach that I know all the answers because my healing was only made possible by the fruits of caring doctors, psychologists, and other people who have shared their success stories. Now it is time that I also will humbly share my story of healing in hopes that even one person may find it helpful, which would make the many years of suffering have some meaning. Thank you for those of you who read my long post to the end and God bless!  

[Elizabeth1234]

PS: Also I can now eat ANY food I want and it is WONDERFUL. I will never give up gluten, ice-cream, or a good cocktail ever again!! 

[brownin]

Hi Elizabeth, 

Thanks for your encouraging testimony.  You remind me of one of my doctors who told me, when I said something has gone wrong with my stomach and he replied, that something has gone wrong in my brain!

[Elizabeth1234]

@brownin yes! Your brain can cause real physical symptoms. That is why so many people with IBS also have other problems such as chronic pain, anxiety/depression, menstrual issues, hives, migraines, etc. The mind can cause many symptoms to keep you from feeling unpleasant emotions. It also explains the placebo effect and why  naturopathic supplements, diet change, or medication cause temporary relief but does not last long term. 

[blair4563]

Hi, Elizabeth 

thank you for your success story. I will check out those books you've mentioned.  Sadly I've discovered that my relationship, or I should say, my response to my relationship is likely a primary cause of my GI (undiagnosed). Noted by myself and my physician that while away for periods of two weeks or more I have most often been symptom free and found myself eating things I wouldn't dare eat at home. My husband has a probable brain injury that is stressful to deal with along with minor habits that add to my duties in our household (read between the lines). I had joined a brain injury support group that fell to the wayside due to Covid but will get back to it soon. Hopefully your suggested books can help. Thanks for sharing your success!

[Elizabeth1234]

@blair4563 I'm glad you found my post helpful! If you find the books helpful let me know I hope you and your husband both find healing 💓

[TracyAnne]

Elizabeth, thank you for writing this. I have been having this issue for over 30 years and have just realized that it is my brain that is telling my stomach to act up. If I know I’m going to a restaurant that may cause an issue, you can bet that it will. After all, I’ve had all day to obsess about it 😳. I will definite read the books you have suggested. Again, thank you. 

[ashleybarney]

Hi Elizabeth, thanks for sharing your inspiring story! It has made me feel very optimistic. I too read Dr Sarno's book but I'm not sure how to un-suppress my trapped emotions. What methods did you use? Was it journaling? Thank you

[Elizabeth1234]

On 7/23/2022 at 5:54 AM, ashleybarney said:

Hi Elizabeth, thanks for sharing your inspiring story! It has made me feel very optimistic. I too read Dr Sarno's book but I'm not sure how to un-suppress my trapped emotions. What methods did you use? Was it journaling? Thank you

I'm glad you found it helpful! You can do whatever works for you journaling, meditation etc. The best tool I've used was pain reprocessing therapy. There is a great tool book about it called "the way out" by Allen Gordon. Wishing you the best! IBS is curable so stay strong and no need to be afraid ❤️😊

[Elizabeth1234]

On 4/9/2022 at 8:57 PM, TracyAnne said:

Elizabeth, thank you for writing this. I have been having this issue for over 30 years and have just realized that it is my brain that is telling my stomach to act up. If I know I’m going to a restaurant that may cause an issue, you can bet that it will. After all, I’ve had all day to obsess about it 😳. I will definite read the books you have suggested. Again, thank you. 

Wishing you the best! Let me know if you found the books helpful or have any questions. I'd love it if my experience could be helpful to someone else who is struggling. ❤️

[Elizabeth1234]

2 minutes ago, elizabethmaslanka said:

I'm glad you found it helpful! You can do whatever works for you journaling, meditation etc. The best tool I've used was pain reprocessing therapy. There is a great tool book about it called "the way out" by Allen Gordon. Wishing you the best! IBS is curable so stay strong and no need to be afraid ❤️😊

Also there is an app that you can download onto your phone called Curable which has a lot of meditations, journaling, and educational/success stories. Would highly recommend 

[mijas]

This was very interesting to read! Thank you so much for posting, glad to hear of your recovery and I am going to look into those books.

Yes, stress really does affect my IBS - I tend to get regular 'flare-ups' which is mainly abdominal pain as opposed to running to the bathroom.

The flares cause absolute misery and can last for weeks.

I have noticed that stress will make things worse, but also that some foods can trigger it off.

So you have come to see that it's nothing at all to do with what we are eating??

You believe it is all in the brain?

For me, I can pinpoint that it started after I had surgery for my endometriosis - This was a long and complicated process and took weeks to recover from.

Before this, I could eat anything.

Also, something that happens to me quite often, is that the cold weather can trigger a flare. How can this be emotional?

Not disputing your experience or observation but just trying to understand more.

 

[Emma1995]

I just came here to say the BIGGEST THANK YOU I could possibly give. I’ve suffered with IBS for years and lately developed horrible pain that just wouldn’t go and couldn’t eat barely anything. Had all the tests done to check for other issues, nothing worked, I was just left to my own devices. I stumbled upon your post, read the books you’ve suggested and I’m healed. Actually healed, and I can’t believe it. My mind is completely blown. I would have suffered for yearsssss if I hadn’t discovered the mind body connection. If anyone reading this is struggling, read those books!!! And meditation and breath work worked wonders for me!! I eat whatever I want again and zero pain! I could cry with happiness, THANK YOU! 

[Jeffrey Roberts]

How wonderful Emma! Thank you so much for sharing your success with us.

i wish you continued health and a full life!

[Billy]

This was an interesting read.  Thank you very much.  I wish I could say i feel uplifted but I'm having a flare up and I feel nothing but despair right now.  I got my IBS-C in 2020 after a series of strange symptoms - upper right quadrant sensation(not pain at that point), then a week of oily stools, then a "wound" near my anus that my doctor said sounded like a ruptured external hemorrhoids.  It took two weeks for the rupture to heal and then I've been stuck with bloating, nausea, headaches and constipation ever since.  I haven't worked in two months and I don't know where to turn.  I'm gonna buy these books and say my prayers because it looks like I'm running out of options.  I don't understand any of this.  I was perfectly healthy before all this started. 

[CathyCat]

On 7/27/2021 at 1:23 PM, elizabethmaslanka said:

Hello all! I want to share my story and perhaps give some hope. I have been well for several years now but have been hesitant to post anything in fear I might jinx it haha; however I think now is the time to share my healing journey.

 I was diagnosed with IBS by a GI doctor and struggled with it for 7 years. I had both IBS-C and IBS-D. My symptoms started when I was 17 and worsened over the years. It got so bad that there were only about 20 foods that I could eat and not strongly react to. I tried everything to heal. I tried a host of Drs, meds, supplements, diets, chiropractic's,  naturopathies, etc. Nothing seemed to help. I was at my lowest point 3 years ago and felt so anxious, depressed, alone, scared, and isolated. It was then that I learned about the connection between the mind and body and started to heal. I read a book by Dr John Sarno called the divided mind and another one by Dr Howard Schubiner called unlearn your pain (There are a host of other books on the same topic but those are the two I found most helpful). I began to realize that stress and suppressed emotions can cause a physical symptom such as diarrhea or constipation. I learned that I was focusing so much on my body and symptoms and ignoring the emotional hurt that I felt for so many years. I was unlearning what I was taught by my family and so many healthcare professionals saying there was something wrong with my body.  I learned that suppressing my emotions and hyper focusing on my symptoms were the real disease. I experienced true healing that was heartbreaking,  raw, and freeing.  I have been a registered  nurse for the past 5 years and work in primary care and can say that IBS is not caused from your GI tract but from your brain. This has been verified for me both from my observations with patients, chronic pain seminars that I've attended through my work, and my own personal experience. I am completely cured from IBS for the past 2 years and will occasionally get a flare up when under a lot of stress. When I do have a flare I do not get upset because I have learned that 100% of all humans will get a physical symptom when stressed whether its upset stomach, heart palpitations, back pain, blushing, hives etc. I know that IBS and chronic pain can make you feel so alone and scared. I know the pain and isolation because I have been there, but there is hope for healing. Whoever is reading this know that you deserve to live a joyful life and to be free of chronic pain. Healing may be painful when digging up emotional suffering, but the truth will ultimately set you free. I do not want to preach that I know all the answers because my healing was only made possible by the fruits of caring doctors, psychologists, and other people who have shared their success stories. Now it is time that I also will humbly share my story of healing in hopes that even one person may find it helpful, which would make the many years of suffering have some meaning. Thank you for those of you who read my long post to the end and God bless!  

Congratulations!  And thank you for sharing.  I have been suffering from IBSD off and on for many years, these days more on than off.  In fact it is on the verge of being debilitating for me. I’ve read that an abusive background is a risk factor, which I have.  With anxiety and occasional depression that's surely connected.  I’ve had therapy to deal with the abuse, but that was a few years ago and before the onset of diarrhea and other symptoms.  Nothing has helped me at all lately, so I am trying hypnotherapy.  I will look at the two books you mentioned.  They sound like they might be right on target.  

[Elizabeth1234]

On 11/18/2022 at 4:59 AM, mijas said:

This was very interesting to read! Thank you so much for posting, glad to hear of your recovery and I am going to look into those books.

Yes, stress really does affect my IBS - I tend to get regular 'flare-ups' which is mainly abdominal pain as opposed to running to the bathroom.

The flares cause absolute misery and can last for weeks.

I have noticed that stress will make things worse, but also that some foods can trigger it off.

So you have come to see that it's nothing at all to do with what we are eating??

You believe it is all in the brain?

For me, I can pinpoint that it started after I had surgery for my endometriosis - This was a long and complicated process and took weeks to recover from.

Before this, I could eat anything.

Also, something that happens to me quite often, is that the cold weather can trigger a flare. How can this be emotional?

Not disputing your experience or observation but just trying to understand more.

 

Im so glad you find my post helpful! There is more information in the books i suggested above and or the "curable app" that i have used. But the idea is that we can condition our bodies to have a certain reaction to things such as food/weather which do not directly cause it. Perhaps an example is Pavlov's experiment in getting dogs to salivate by ringing a bell whether or not food was present. If you want more info the book by allen gordon "the way out" (i feel) explains it well. Thank you for your post and I wish you the best on your healing journey! :)

[Elizabeth1234]

On 2/3/2023 at 12:04 PM, Emma1995 said:

I just came here to say the BIGGEST THANK YOU I could possibly give. I’ve suffered with IBS for years and lately developed horrible pain that just wouldn’t go and couldn’t eat barely anything. Had all the tests done to check for other issues, nothing worked, I was just left to my own devices. I stumbled upon your post, read the books you’ve suggested and I’m healed. Actually healed, and I can’t believe it. My mind is completely blown. I would have suffered for yearsssss if I hadn’t discovered the mind body connection. If anyone reading this is struggling, read those books!!! And meditation and breath work worked wonders for me!! I eat whatever I want again and zero pain! I could cry with happiness, THANK YOU! 

I am SO happy for you!!!  Brings me great joy to know my experiences have helped others. Thank you for the comment❤️ 

[Elizabeth1234]

On 2/18/2023 at 4:24 PM, Billy said:

This was an interesting read.  Thank you very much.  I wish I could say i feel uplifted but I'm having a flare up and I feel nothing but despair right now.  I got my IBS-C in 2020 after a series of strange symptoms - upper right quadrant sensation(not pain at that point), then a week of oily stools, then a "wound" near my anus that my doctor said sounded like a ruptured external hemorrhoids.  It took two weeks for the rupture to heal and then I've been stuck with bloating, nausea, headaches and constipation ever since.  I haven't worked in two months and I don't know where to turn.  I'm gonna buy these books and say my prayers because it looks like I'm running out of options.  I don't understand any of this.  I was perfectly healthy before all this started. 

I pray you find relief and healing! ❤️ 

[Elizabeth1234]

On 3/8/2023 at 11:34 PM, CathyCat said:

Congratulations!  And thank you for sharing.  I have been suffering from IBSD off and on for many years, these days more on than off.  In fact it is on the verge of being debilitating for me. I’ve read that an abusive background is a risk factor, which I have.  With anxiety and occasional depression that's surely connected.  I’ve had therapy to deal with the abuse, but that was a few years ago and before the onset of diarrhea and other symptoms.  Nothing has helped me at all lately, so I am trying hypnotherapy.  I will look at the two books you mentioned.  They sound like they might be right on target.  

Hope you find healing! Let me know if you find the books helpful  

[comfeto]

hi, Elizabeth1234

I just posted about my personal experience, hoping to help others with my method. I recently found a way to deal with IBS. After posting, I saw your successful post and was so happy that you also found a method. And I found that my conclusion is the same as yours! Congratulations!

[Elizabeth1234]

@comfeto glad you found my post helpful! It's been almost 4 years of no symptoms for me. Hopefully other people will also discover the mind body connection and know that IBS is 💯% curable

[comfeto]

On 7/3/2023 at 7:25 AM, Elizabeth1234 said:

@comfeto glad you found my post helpful! It's been almost 4 years of no symptoms for me. Hopefully other people will also discover the mind body connection and know that IBS is 💯% curable

4 years！ It sounds excellent. I just found it 2 months, but I'm very sure it is. anyway, your story helped me! thank you. 

[Bird_of_Paradise]

Hello Elizabeth,

This post gave me so much hope and brought me so much joy to hear about your recovery. I hope you're doing very well!

I began using the Curable app and learning about mind body healing, the work of Sarno, Dr schubiner and Alan Gordon over the past few months which led me to this thread.

I've been struggling with IBS and related symptoms for a while and also tried an endless amount of supplements, diets, tests, normal and alternative medicine approaches etc and the emotional and psychologic connection and needing to calm the nervous system ultimately makes the most sense to me.

I've ordered the Way Out and been practicing somatic tracking and some of the pain reprocessing techniques, but I'd love to connect with someone who has been on the journey. I could not figure out if there was a way to private message on this forum? But I'd love to chat someday if you were open to it and had the time. 

Let me know and thanks for sharing your success story!

-M