I had so many great entries for the free membership to the IBS Insider Club.
The decision was too difficult for me to make since I had already had contact with several of you. So I chose an impartial judge and gave him a set of criteria for making the decision.
The Winners are:
Caitlyn
Louise Rohrkemper
It would be great if you could congratulate them in the comments.
BUT, I feel bad for those who didn’t win because you poured your hearts out.
So, before I show you the winning entries, I would like to offer all the other contestants the chance to get into the club for the same price of $20 monthly as the founding members. They have done all the hard work of notifying me of the glitches and everything is working smoothly now. Early this coming week, the club will be officially open so this $20 offer won’t ever happen again.
Oh, and the $20 price won’t go up no matter how big the club grows.
So, could the winners and the other contestants please get in touch with me on lowfodmapcoach@gmail.com
Meanwhile, here are the winning entries:
Winning Entry #1 – Caitlyn wrote:
I envision membership in the IBS Insider Club helping me get back to the life I want to live. Starting about 7 months ago I began experience crippling, debilitating nausea. As a healthy 29-year-old female who had just gotten married and adopted the world’s most gorgeous and loving golden retriever (!), I thought it would just “go away.”
Alas, 7 months later, after a colonoscopy, endoscopy, several blood/stool/urine tests, multiple ultrasounds and CT scans, I’m now on daily anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medication, and anti-nausea medication. My GI seems to have deserted me; my primary care physician keeps reminding me that all of my tests have come back negative; and my nutritionist doesn’t seem to be very knowledgeable about the low FODMAP diet that she recommended.
So, for the past 7 months, I’ve been worrying about losing my job (which I LOVE!), disappointing my husband, isolating myself from friends and family, and not being able to adequately care for my new and amazing dog. Every couple weeks I have a nausea “flare-up,” wherein my constant level of nausea is amplified to the point that I don’t sleep a wink, and spend the next day anxious about “working from home,” for fear that it’ll be interpreted as irresponsible and non-committal. I haven’t been out to dinner or happy hour in 7 months; my husband and I had to cancel our honeymoon, and I fear I’m missing out on my life. I’m currently doing my best to stop voluntarily isolating myself, and have been searching for a support group, to no avail.
I think the IBS Insider Club will help me on all fronts. The Chat Room and Live Get Togethers seem like a wonderful place to find a support group of people who have fought this terrible disease for longer than I have. I long to discuss with experienced sufferers questions like, “How do you go to work after a night of zero sleep, when you know you’re going to have symptoms all day, are exhausted, and can only manage to eat GF cereal all day? How do you make plans with friends when you fear you’ll need to cancel them? How do you make new friends when discussing your GI symptoms is so uncomfortable? How in the world do I maintain this job that I love!?” It would also be nice (although I hate that anyone else is experiencing this!) to be reminded that I’m not the only one experiencing all of this – strength in numbers, they say!
The Resource Center and News Room sound like a dream to me – I’ve asked my GI for literature on IBS, IBS-nausea, and low FODMAP diets, but her response has been disappointing. The Resource Center /News Room would likely be a daily stop for me in my quest to better understand this disease that has taken over my life.
The Meal Plans and Low FODMAP course are what I’m most interested in. I’ve basically been on an elimination diet for the past 5 months, and started my low FODMAP journey several weeks ago. This weekend I had such a yearning for some high FODMAP food, just to get some flavor in my life. I know low FODMAP does not need to preclude flavorful meals, but I truly need help understanding my options, proportions, and how to best start adding potential trigger foods into my diet to test my tolerance. After 5 months of such a limited diet, I’m legitimately afraid of food and could use a support system/guidance in overcoming this fear.
I envision the Weekly Challenges really helping me to move past some of the emotional hurdles this disease has caused me. If they include activities like challenging oneself to exercise, despite feeling awful, I could use the motivation and incentive to make myself exercise – before this disease struck me, I was extremely active. Now, I’m exhausted and nauseous all the time and fear exercise. I’ve begun to feel sedentary and lazy, and could use challenges to push through this. I also hope these challenges include recommended alternative activities to try and have more in my life than my nausea/IBS and my job. It seems that the two are all I have, and I yearn for more, but am paralyzed by the fear of feeling ill.
I hope to be able to join the Insider Club and learn how to move past my IBS-nausea and get back to the life I want to live. I’m desperate to be a better wife, better dog-mom, friend, daughter, and employee. I want to feel like my life is my own, and not fear that important life choices, like whether or not to have children, have been taken away from me by my IBS-nausea. I want to take my dog on walks, exercise, and not worry every second of every day. I truly believe that the Insider Club will give me the tools to achieve all of these things, and more, and look forward to the opportunity to participate!
Winning Entry #2 – Louise wrote:
At 63, I am still a life long learner. It’s a good thing, as it’s taken a long time to sort out this IBS stuff and to finally realize, I no longer need to suffer through my leaky gut issues. Since June 2014, I became 100 % gluten free and casein free (no cow products), but from reading information from the STRANDS of My Life and the Low FODMAP diet, I am beginning to feel a bit more empowered and in control. I am sure I could benefit from the INSIDER CLUB because the low fodmap diet has really sorted out the gut busters. Until I found this information, I was playing roulette with foods, mixing and changing up combinations of foodstuffs only to discover still wrong combinations which irritated my bowel and produced the undesirable gut issues.
I believe using the low fodmap diet, the recipes, and the guided experience will propel me to the next stage in that I’ll be less focused on daily bowel habits and irritants and become focused on just making tasty foods using the outlined or guided food choices. I can immediately eliminate the troublesome foods, avoid buying and wasting money on those foods, and focus my efforts on foods that compliment my healthy living goal.
I believe the benefits from the Insider Club will be numerous. I would look forward to
+ The sharing of information
+ Using the tested recipes
+ Answers to my questions or personal issues
+ Positive feedback
+ Support and guidance that lays the foundation for a IBS free lifestyle.
Prior to discovering the low FODMAP choices, I was on a roller coaster and eliminating foods only after my gut told me to do so which is also why I’d like to remain informed with the latest information regarding IBS issues and the corresponding Low FODMAP diet.
Hollyzana says
congrats ladies!
Louise says
Suzanne, I am contacting you via this email as the other email address was not recognized and so my email to you was rejected.
WOW!
I was truly surprised. Thank you Suzanne.
I am so excited to begin to use your guidelines for the snacks and the menu items.
I know that just in the last few weeks, I printed out the low FODMAP guidelines and have been consulting the list prior to heading out to the grocery store and then, prior to preparing my meals.
Regards,
Louise
Suzanne Perazzini says
Congratulations, Louise. I suspect you picked up the full stop at the end of the email address – that will invalidate it. I have received your email and will respond.
Shawn Stevens says
Congratulations!
Martine says
Congratulations ladies, I had read all the entries before the winners were chosen and I definitely would have picked Caitlyn. I didn’t put one in myself as I did not think I could have put it so eloquently as everyone else.
Suzanne Perazzini says
I would have chosen it too so I thought the two choices were great ones.
Actually sometimes the least eloquent writing if it is written with passion is what wins over the heart.
Barb Daane says
congratulations ladies. I think this site is fantastic and even though I have a great nutritionist I find extra help right here. This club will work wonders for everyone! Suzanne what a great idea you had when you thought this up
Suzanne Perazzini says
Thank you so much for your encouragement, Barb.
Christine Skinner says
congratulations ladies. I hope you will both soon be symptom free too
Jill says
Congratulations! Like Martine, I intended to enter the competition, but when I read some of the entries I was in tears and could totally empathise – I’ve already done the Combat Your IBS Symptoms course and that helped a lot (though I still have what I call critical incidents). I will wish you good luck, but I know your lives will improve with Suzanne’s help.
Suzanne Perazzini says
Jill, that’s why I had to turn the job of choosing a winner over to a third party. It was too hard not to pick them all.
It is the critical incidents that help keep us on track by reminding us what it used to be like.
Lois Donnelly says
congratulations ladies. we are all winners with people like Suzanne out there helping us.
I have been on this journey most of my life .. 60 yrs….just didn’t know it.
going low FODMAP some years ago when almost nobody had heard of it, was so much more difficult than now. hang in there everyone……it is SO worth it. xx
Suzanne Perazzini says
I am pleased to help, Lois. Yes, it really is worth the effort.
Florence says
Phew, my sister has had serious road accident, hit by an van whilst crossing thenroad on her motability scooter. So no time, except for this very moment, to be in touch.
You have been an amazing help to me, thank you,
Just now my sister’s life is in the hands of the Gods.
I will log in from time to time, when I can.
Thx again.
Florence
Suzanne Perazzini says
Florence, I am so sorry to hear about your sister. What a horrible shock! My heart goes out to you and her. Do keep in touch.
Susanne says
Congratulations ladies! Suzanne has made such a difference in my life, and I know she will make a difference in yours too.
Suzanne Perazzini says
Susanne you were a star client and the results you have achieved have been due to your dedication to getting well.
Camille says
I read Caitlyn’s entry before I entered last week and i was so moved by it -my own entry became quite half hearted because i thought, “this girl needs this so much more than I do!!”. I know we all probably need it in our own way but Caitlyn is a very very worthy winner of this good luck. Wishing her well in her journey.
Suzanne Perazzini says
You all did deserve it, Camille. I was quite moved by the heart-felt entries.
Hotly Spiced says
Congratulations to the winners xx
Caitlyn says
Thanks, Suzanne, and everyone, for being so supportive – I already feel better knowing that I’ll be a part of such a compassionate community! I
Suzanne Perazzini says
I am looking forward to seeing you in the club, Caitlyn.