Monday, July 13, 2009

Sleep deprivation and IBS..this really sucks!

I wish I could sleep!! I haven't fallen asleep earlier than 4am for the last week or so. I keep falling asleep at like 6am and sleeping all day. The last few days I have fallen asleep at 6am and slept until 4pm. It's no good. I never go anywhere and pretty much stay in my room most of of the time. I HAVE NO LIFE!!! My depression and anxiety cause this inertia in my life, I feel so stuck and I don't know what to do about it. Then there's my IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and that feeds the depression and anxiety and helps keep me immobilized. I worry about my stomach getting really bad again like it was at Christmastime. I was so sick I couldn't eat, everything I ate made me feel like I was going to be sick or something. I couldn't keep food down when I did eat and I lost a lot of weight. I had excruciating abdominal pain and diarrhea that wouldn't stop, it was awful. I was in the E.R. twice and they just said it was my IBS, probably triggered by a viral infection and sent me home, after taking like 7 vials of blood, pumping me full of I.V. fluids, and giving me X-Rays, ultrasounds and other tests to rule out more serious conditions like appendicitis and gallbladder problems. After my first E.R. visit I started feeling better and tried to start eating more normally, only to get horribly sick and end up back in the E.R. a second time. I discovered that I needed to change the way I eat and I started eating again, this time starting with bland, easy to digest foods like crackers, toast, bananas, rice, applesauce, potatoes, etc., and then adding grilled chicken, pork, and shrimp. I then started eating vegetables and other healthy things that I liked eating. I pretty much gave up eating dairy because it was hard on my stomach. I eventually was diagnosed as lactose intolerant, after having mashed potatoes at Easter that were made with milk and butter and getting diarrhea that lasted for over a week. Once I completely gave up dairy and made sure I read labels on things to make sure that weren't made with dairy products, I slowly started to get over the diarrhea. I had to change my diet one more time, to a low residue/low fiber diet and I finally got the diarrhea under control, only to develop constipation. As a result of my diet changes, especially eliminating greasy, fatty, fried foods, I lost a lot of weight. Last May I weighed 180lbs, and due to exercise and an antidepressant that suppressed my appetite, I went from 180lbs to 160lbs in like 5 or 6 months. Then when I got sick I went from 160lbs to 140lbs in only 2 or 3 months. I continued to lose weight and now I only weigh 110lbs. I like the way I look now, but I worry about the effect that this much weight loss has had on my health. I just know I am absolutely fed up with my stomach acting up all the time. I am tired of worrying about eating something that may cause my stomach to get really bad like it was at Christmas. I never want to be that sick again in my life. I am sick of constipation, sick of diarrhea, sick of abdominal pain, sick of gas, sick of wondering what I can eat without getting sick, sick of being sick. I am just sick of IBS and how it seems to be taking over my life. I am sick of the way the anxiety and depression seem to be also taking over my life and of how they feed the IBS and how the IBS feeds the depression and anxiety. I am sick of struggling and sick of feeling trapped by these conditions. I am sick of feeling afraid to have a life because of my IBS, Anxiety, and Depression and the way they make me feel. I am SO SICK OF FEELING LIKE I HAVE NO LIFE!!! I JUST WANT TO BE FREE!!!! I JUST WANT TO FEEL HAPPY AND BE HEALTHY AGAIN!!! Is that so much to ask????

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

this sooooo sounds exactly like me.

i got really sick back in march and it comes back every now and then. it's mostly IBS for me, and not a food that triggers it, but if i'm stressed out and i eat any of the 'bad foods' then i'm screwed.

sleep deprivation has a lot to do with our bowel movements. if i don't get enough sleep, i'm doomed to have headaches, nausea, and diarrhea all day. it usually takes me a few days of extra sleep to recover.

the good thing is, with proper diet, exercise (to keep the stress/depression down -- exercise has tested as well as antidepressants in studies!), PLENTY of water, and good sleep regimes, we can go back to being normal again. someday. =)

<3

feel better