Here’s some of my March favorites! I got into some different genres and I think I like the mellow tones!!
Until next time!
-Noosha
Sorry for the Delay!
Until next month!
-Noosha
Sorry for the lack of updates recently, I had finals!
Having IBS already sucks on it’s own, so imagine how difficult it must be to deal with at school. As a high school student, I do find it overwhelming to experience IBS symptoms while in class.
I think my IBS may have a lot to do with the fact that I’m just overstressing about school. I tend to have the worst flare ups in the mornings, coincidentally before school.
Whether it be subconscious or conscious, I’m constantly worrying for some reason. School is something that is very stressful, but it shouldn’t be to the point where your own body can’t even keep up. . .right?
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat in class, completely fine when all of a sudden a spasm alerts me that I need to go now.
My teachers didn’t understand why I kept getting up during lectures and activities to run to the restroom when I just went literally 5 minutes ago.
Some even thought I was leaving the classroom to go off and do other things!
Over the years I’ve gathered a survival guide to managing IBS at school or even for those at work.
IBS School Survival Guide:
I understand how embarrassing it is to open up about IBS to other, but you shouldn’t feel ashamed of your health. It’s important to not let something as little as IBS affect your school or work day.
Until next time,
Noosha
Here’s some of my favorite songs from January! Happy New Year Everyone!!
Give them a listen and tell me what you think!
Until next time,
Noosha❤️
My safe food growing up was always bread and butter; so going from eating bread to not even being able to consume it shocked me.
Nobody in my family has celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, it never existed. So the fact that I show some sensitivity was a huge shock to not only myself, but my parents.
Gluten is something that seems to be in almost everything these days, so it’s important to do your research before completely pushing it aside.
I have tried over tons of different gluten free products. Some were absolutely disgusting and hard to digest, but others were almost identical intaste to regular bread.
Here’s some of my favorite gluten-free products:
Here’s some of my favorite gluten-free restaurants and eateries:
Now that I’ve followed a gluten free diet for the past 8 months, I can confidently tell you, I’M SO MUCH BETTER!!
It’s almost crazy to think that taking out one component of my diet could change my life so much.
I now feel clean, unbloated, and overall much healthier! Sure it’s a little hard when I go out with friends or family, but it’s nice to know many restaurants and eateries post their menus online, so I can be prepared before heading out.
I know what many are thinking; don’t you miss eating bread? Or pizza?
To be honest, not really. I’ve found everything that I use to eat as a gluten free version, so I never feel as if I’ve missed out on anything.
I’ll try to keep you updated on more of my favorite foods and restaurants that are super gluten-free friendly!
-Noosha♥️
Through my journey with IBS, I’ve tried a few different medications that have either really helped me, or haven’t been so effective.
Keep in mind this is my experience, everyone is different so always consult with a physician before trying new medications!
About two years ago my general physician thought my symptoms were due to anxiety, so he put me on Sertraline to see if it would help.
Now keep in mind, this is a very strong med, but I was willing to try it since I was really suffering at the time. I was a bit reluctant to try it out at first, but at that point, I ‘d try almost anything to get rid of the symptoms I was experiencing.
I took the med for about a month, the perfect amount of time for it to kick into the blood stream, and really show results.
I started to notice I wasn’t acting myself. I found myself becoming more agitated than normal, almost angry, and my symptoms were still the same. I decided to stop the medication since I wasn’t seeing any results.
The next medication I tried was Lomotil. This pill became an absolute life saver for me. Imagine living in a world where Imodium couldn’t control your IBS-D!
I continued using this med on and off for about a year, until I was able to control my IBS.
Around this time is when I also was introduced to Librax. It’s basically an anti-spastic medication combined with an anti-anxiety, so it gives the stomach a calming effect. This medication also became a huge life saver for me, as it’s the only thing that’s able to control my consistent spasms. I still continue to use the med as needed.
I also have used Bentyl to relieve spasms of the stomach and the intestines. I personally have not found this medication to be as effective as Librax, but it is more trusted, since it doesn’t have the Librium compound in it.
I know, it seems like a lot, but when you are suffering you’ll want to try everything to find some kind of relief.
I find that these medications are all trial and error. You need to find which one works the best for your body. But never stop searching! You’ll find something that will work for you!
-Noosha♥️
Returning back to school after the holidays are always “super” fun right?
Especially when the abdominal pains, nausea, and “I gotta go” feels hit not even 2 hours after you’ve left your house.
My IBS always seems to haunt me in the early hours, when I’m barely awake.
Maybe it’s the back-to-school nerves, maybe I’m just tired, but one thing for sure is that IT’S TOO EARLY FOR THIS TO BEGIN!
So how does one handle an IBS “attack” while they are sitting in their first period class?
Not very well to say the least.
I hate talking about my IBS to other people, I’m more the suffer in silence type. It just seems too gross to even think about, but it’s my reality.
I end up having to pretend that I’m just grabbing something from my locker or something random to be able to leave class without any suspicions from my teacher or other students in order to save myself from embarrassment.
Oh the joys of being a teenager, amiright?
So here I am, 9:30 in the morning, trying to keep myself from exploding in my seat, while I laugh along with those around me, trying to ignore the fact that I’m not fine.
I’ll answer a few questions, say a few jokes, try to get my mind off of the fact that I wanna cry until my spastic stomach feels like it’ll kablooey any second, and I finally gather the courage to exit the class for the restroom.
….And then probably make the decision to take a Librax and Imodium to get some relief.
I wonder how people would react if they really knew what was going on.
I hate having to be so distant to my friends and miss out on hangouts and parties because there’s no restroom.
How am I suppose to tell them I constantly have an upset stomach without being too revolting?
Until then, stay alive!
-Noosha♥️
Stress is something that’s apart of everyone’s life, not just mine. I tend to get stressed over many things but that’s just me. So if it happens to everyone, how come it’s so hard for me to deal with?
I feel like I’m constantly stressed out, and no not like the hit Twenty One Pilots song.
Continually worrying over test scores, friend drama, sports, school, and IBS calls for an unhappy Noosha.
A constant whirlwind of ‘what ifs’ and ‘why nots’ rumble in my stomach with the shaking of my hands, feeling ungrounded, and being agitated frequently.
So how does one cope with this anxiety?
I always have found it difficult to really calm myself when I find myself becoming agitated. Sometimes I get bothered to the point where I make myself sick and that is never fun.
The only thing I have found to be truly effective is listening to music. Music has a unique link to our emotions, making it have a relaxing effect on our minds and bodies.
Everywhere I go I’m sure to pack a pair of headphones so I can easily listen to music no matter where I am!
Another thing I’ve found super helpful is exercising. Whether it’s walking on the treadmill while watching my favorite show, going to the gym, dancing, or golfing; exercising is a big factor when dealing with stress.
Exercising produces endorphins – chemicals in the brain that act as natural painkillers – which also improve the ability to sleep, which in turn reduces stress.
I’ve noticed that exercising not only relieves my stress, but also allows me to get a good night’s sleep!
Baking is also one of my favorite ways to wind down. Whether I’m baking from scratch or a baking mix, I find it as a therapeutic method to get my mind off of stressful thoughts.
Baking is very good for focusing the mind since it relies on very exact measurements. You have to add ingredients in the correct order or your cupcakes won’t rise, or your cookies will be soggy. Having complete focus on a recipe and not allowing yourself to be distracted by your thoughts can have a calming effect.
Let me know if you have any other helpful coping mechanisms!
-Noosha
After my proper diagnosis of IBS-D followed by the trial and error of the low-FODMAP diet, I was sure of what I was able to tolerate.
Knowing that I have to be almost 100% lactose free, as well as gluten-free, I decided to take the bold leap to going vegan.
I know what you’re thinking – going vegan? seriously?
It wasn’t as scary as you’d think, actually.
When jumping to a diet that is way out of your comfort zone, it may be scary. And since you lose many main nutrients and proteins that we consume through animal based products. In order to keep up the correct balance of vitamins, proteins, and nutrients, you need to substitute those products with plant-based options.
The transition to vegan wasn’t difficult for me at all since I was already used to eating rice cheese products and I was sick and tired of only consuming chicken and fish for the past couple of months.
The products I’ve sworn by throughout this shift would probably be Go Veggie cheese alternative products, Blue Diamond Almond Breeze almond milk, and So Delicious Dairy Free ice cream, as well as vitamin B12 supplements.
Some of my favorite foods whilst being on this diet would probably have to be guacamole and chips, vegetable soup, and grilled cheese with gluten free bread and vegan sliced cheese.
I was able to stay on the diet for a good four months before I started noticing how difficult it was for me to keep up with all the nutrients I lost. I lost a lot of weight and was very fatigued. It was clear to see I wasn’t supplying my body with the proper amount of minerals and such.
It had nothing to do with the vegan diet itself, it was more of a flop on my end. I slowly began to lose the capability of keeping up with various vitamins and supplements, and I barely had any intake of calcium, causing my bones to be very weak.
Due to these reasons, I decided to stop the diet and transition back to eating more of as I would. Though still being sick of eating chicken, I decided to stick to more of a pescatarian route.
In the future I’d definitely love to revisit the vegan diet and hopefully stick with it for a longer time period. I felt very clean and unbloated on this journey and it also reduced my acne a ton!
-Noosha
Here are some of December favorites! enjoy!
– Plus tons of my Christmas favs:
+ many more!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
Guttitude 