Finding a G.I. doctor

Not much if it's a functional disorder, sorry to say. It won't hurt certainly, going thru CBT sessions. It may help other areas.

Who do you go to for that ? CBT sessions ?

Rozy88 -- Have you noticed any foods that you tolerate well, others that you do not? I assume you have tried gluten-free, FODMAP (I must eat close to zero FODMAP, grain-free (yes, grain triggers episodes), low fat (even a bit of butter or coconut milk is a real problem). Sometimes it is healthy food that I cannot eat. Are you just eating once a day? That would be a problem for me. And truth be told, if I ate the wrong foods, even if healthy and in small quantities, I would be quite unwell and underweight.

CBT - the type I did, is hynosis-based. All I did was listen to a therapist once a week for 20 minutes as she read from the CBT "bible" a relaxation text that is full of imagery (beach, garden, cabin). The way I figure it, when deeply relaxed you can change your anxiety reflex -- it becomes a negative feedback loop. Seven sessions over seven weeks. Every session she'd record and my "homework" was playing it daily (not to relax for sleep though; you have listen). No talking really (which is way cool). At week 6, you are ready to do it (in your head) on your own, without listening to a recording. I have tried apps; this was so much better. I can turn off my anxiety in 10 seconds. I have food triggers and anxiety triggers for gut distress. The food I have covered -- a really limited but nourishing diet that my gut accepts (found through the Monash FODMAP app and observation); now I have the anxiety covered. The company has several psychologists and they focus on the GI. Perfect, right? GI Psychology in Burke, VA. I saw Tina. It is virtual, so you can be anywhere. I was pretty desperate and sick of getting spun up. I was ready for it, and who knew it would be so simple. Buttressing my motivation was the zillion of studies and almost all MDs saying it works. The mind can do much.

Hi Rozy288 - I thought I had replied already, but cannot find my response. A short recap is my CBT was seven sessions (over seven weeks). It retrains your brain and weakens the anxiety connection between brain and and gut-- and gives you the tools to relax anytime you wind up. Its listening with eyes closed to a therapist's reading of the CBT imagery text for relaxation. You then are emailed the recording and practice every day (once a day; the recording is about 20 minutes long) . Your job is simply to sit and listen daily. It worked great for me. Virtual appts. GI Psychology, Burke, VA. My therapist was Tina. What a life changer - no talking, no drugs.

With all due respect, you have the right to insist the clinic gives you an appt w a board certified GI

yes, i’ve had that experience numerous times. With persistence and the assistance of supervisors, i have prevailed. I have found its very important to avoid trashing the dr you want to get away from

I have functional dyspepsia (similiar to IBS, but affects upper GI pain), and I also work with a GI psychologist, and it's really made a difference. I work with a GI psychologist and also a GI-trained dietician.

With the GI dietician, she was able to help bust the myths (there are so many and it's so confusing!) about what to eat and what not to eat, and help me figure out what would work for me. I had similiar issues to you in that I would feel so uncomfortable eating and get full too quickly. Being hungry and not eating enough is a problem, and I ended up being underweight. I ended up developing disordered thoughts about eating, or food anxiety because of all the random diet information being given to me by providers. And then I learned GI conditions are a risk factor for eating disorders. Thankfully, I never got that far.

I'm not sure what you mean by eating "small and healthy," but depending on what each person can tolerate, even something that's "healthy" might not be the "best." Sounds cheesy, but it's very individual. i.e. I learned I don't tolerate sulfurous foods well, so I can eat eggs, but not on an empty stomach (like for breakfast, and I definitely couldn't do a boiled egg for a snack). I can have broccoli in small amounts, but large amounts are more difficult and cauliflower is problematic. And I definitely don't tolerate them as raw vegetables (cooking softens the texture and reduces the sulfur making them easier to digest). My dietician helped me test things out safely and gave me ideas for things that might work better.

With the GI psychologist...it is difficult to find someone, and there can be long waits. If you wanted to learn more, there's a GI psychologist, Dr. Megan Riehl, who I follow, and she recently put out a book called "Mind Your Gut" with the GI dietician, Kate Scarlata. They also have a podcast if that's easier to process. They talk about some of the concepts @researchmaven mentioned: calming the brain/gut connection.

We work on strategies to manage stress about my symptoms, which actually ended up improving my symptoms. And eventually, we're working toward gut-directed hypnotherapy, which I really want to try. It's like @resesarchmaven said, your therapist works with you to create a recording, very much like a guided meditation that addresses the things you're having trouble with, and then you listen to it. It does take about 12 weeks a few times a week of listening, based on the research anyway. The research that's out there has shown it can help up to 70% of people with IBS. There are also recordings you might be able to find on YouTube and definitely on the free app Insight Timer, but I'm not sure if they're from certified providers.

I don't tolerate medication well, so I'm really glad I had these options. Wishing you the best of luck.

I’m on my 5 th or 6 th Gastro Dr .