Ugh - let's talk about Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It's one of those goodies that seems to accompany CFS/FMS. And in a word, it sucks, or more appropriately, blows. Ugh.
I'm on the tail-end (pun intended - I'm so witty) of my third attack in two weeks. I'd gone months without an attack but am now getting thumped on a regular (gosh - another pun!) basis. However, I am hopeful that I'm about over this cycle.
So what do I do when I get an IBS attack?
Enteric Peppermint
First line of defense is Enteric Peppermint. Enteric means that the little pill is not digested until it hits the intestine. I've just recently hit upon this stuff. Major thanks to Sergios from my fibromyalgia e-mail list. He turned me on to this stuff. Normally, I'm not a supplements person, but based upon Sergios' recommendation, I thought I'd give it a try. And I'll be darned, it works a good part of time. The spasms seem to relax. The only side effect is an occasional very small peppermint-laced burp.
Robinul
Because of the peppermint, I haven't had to take a Robinul in months - until tonight. Robinul is an anticholinergic - it cuts down on the muscle spasm associated with IBS. It is pretty mild and it works. I try to avoid it because of my high heart rate problems - it speeds up my heart rate a tad. But it does work - most of the time.
Levsin
This is the sledgehammer. It knocks me out for a day and a half. But it works every time. I haven't had to take one in over a year. Fortunately.
Sleep
This is the best cure. Laying on my back and going to sleep - for the night - seems to work.
It takes me a couple of days to really recover from a major attack. They're very tiring and my gut is pretty sensitive for a few days.
8:49:38 PM 
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