[sallysami]

Hi im a 17 year old girl and i have had IBS for about a year its just recently gotten very bad. i thank God its summer so ive literally been sitting inside all day which im okay with because the first week i became sick to my stomach and dizzy with headache but also the usual IBS symptoms of diarrhea or constipation with a LOT of gas i also suffer from minor anxiety attacks.

Anyways it will be my senior year next year and i would really like to just take online classes if by the end of this summer i dont feel any better. I would never take them if i wasn't sick all the time, and i dont think my mom gets it. she really thinks im exaggerating things because she has some minor stomach problems herself. when i feel good on the limited days that i do, i think that maybe i AM being dramatic but then i have a flare up for no reason and i realize i really am sick and i shouldn't go out like that. we fight constantly and i cry almost everyday except when my stomach feels better. im just not sure what to say back when she replies "you have the brain of a childish 17 year old and you cant go around manipulating people so you can get what you want" to me asking about online school. i just cant stand the thought of me sitting in school another year feeling sick and not just that but having to run out every five minutes to the bathroom or having gas. its so embarrassing because if i get gas its very hard to keep inside and the bloating is so uncomfortable i cant focus on anything. i missed about 30 days of school last year it was ridiculous. i also pay for my medical expenses because my mom is poor but continues to push me into a private school that costs 8K a year. school comes first apparently

as for my friends they never understand why i need to use the bathroom so much or why i say i cant hang out so much. what do i say to these people?

[susie35]

People think i just worried about my weight They don't believe me either.Try not to get to stress about it.Which must be hard i know if people don't believe you. Have you spoken to a docter or a teacher about this ?They might be able to help

[journ3]

You or others dealing with family and friends might be interested in the articles on this page. They were written especially for the IBS Impact Family and Friends section by each of the authors.

http://www.ibsimpact...yandfriends.htm

Good luck.

[munira]

journ3, on 07 June 2011 - 08:13 AM, said:

You or others dealing with family and friends might be interested in the articles on this page. They were written especially for the IBS Impact Family and Friends section by each of the authors.

http://www.ibsimpact...yandfriends.htm

Good luck.

[s.m.]

dear sally sami,

im also suffern frm d same prblem snce 5 yrs and no one understnds.. hve lost all my fnds cz i nt hng out wd them s im sick 90% of the time....my bf left me
cz he cldnt understnd wht im gng thru.. my dad says to my mom that our daughter has gone mad ..she cries for nthng....
AM I A FOOL WHO WILLL CRY WITOUT ANY SUFFERING????

i tried cmmiting suicide twice, but was saved...i see darkness in my life..im 26 and cnt get married bcz i know no one willl undrsntd wht im gng thru and dnt wnt to get divorced..

god plz either cure me or gve me deth cz this life is toooo miserable to lead...

[tanger32au]

I feel so sorry for you having to deal with your family like that. Have you seen a doctor about it? Maybe if your mother knows how serious it is and how much it is effecting your life she might be more understanding?

As for the friends, I have lost most of mine in part due to IBS, all I will say is if they won't at least understand that you are sick and can't always do what they want then what sort of friends are they?

Paul

[s.m.]

tanger32au, on 04 September 2011 - 11:41 PM, said:

I feel so sorry for you having to deal with your family like that. Have you seen a doctor about it? Maybe if your mother knows how serious it is and how much it is effecting your life she might be more understanding?

As for the friends, I have lost most of mine in part due to IBS, all I will say is if they won't at least understand that you are sick and can't always do what they want then what sort of friends are they?

Paul

Thnx Paul,

But life is really miserable.. I feel ill and fatigued all the time...dnt enjoy hanging out and shopping and all this i used to enjoy in the past....
dnt know if ill get married , have kids sume day or not...

[BridgetG]

sallysami, on 07 June 2011 - 12:45 AM, said:

Hi im a 17 year old girl and i have had IBS for about a year its just recently gotten very bad. i thank God its summer so ive literally been sitting inside all day which im okay with because the first week i became sick to my stomach and dizzy with headache but also the usual IBS symptoms of diarrhea or constipation with a LOT of gas i also suffer from minor anxiety attacks.

Anyways it will be my senior year next year and i would really like to just take online classes if by the end of this summer i dont feel any better. I would never take them if i wasn't sick all the time, and i dont think my mom gets it. she really thinks im exaggerating things because she has some minor stomach problems herself. when i feel good on the limited days that i do, i think that maybe i AM being dramatic but then i have a flare up for no reason and i realize i really am sick and i shouldn't go out like that. we fight constantly and i cry almost everyday except when my stomach feels better. im just not sure what to say back when she replies "you have the brain of a childish 17 year old and you cant go around manipulating people so you can get what you want" to me asking about online school. i just cant stand the thought of me sitting in school another year feeling sick and not just that but having to run out every five minutes to the bathroom or having gas. its so embarrassing because if i get gas its very hard to keep inside and the bloating is so uncomfortable i cant focus on anything. i missed about 30 days of school last year it was ridiculous. i also pay for my medical expenses because my mom is poor but continues to push me into a private school that costs 8K a year. school comes first apparently

as for my friends they never understand why i need to use the bathroom so much or why i say i cant hang out so much. what do i say to these people?

Sally, I joined this forum, well about an hour ago and I caught your comment as I was looking through the wealth of various forums that exist here. I feel your pain as I have been dealing with IBS since I was ten-years old and it was not until I was 18 that I was FINALLY TOLD I have IBS. Prior to that I was told I had everything from a dairy allergy to I was faking because I was trying to get out of having to go to school. As I got older, I am almost 40 now, I developed GERD, had my gall bladder quit on me and I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia (sp) about 5 years ago as well.

I am aware that school has already started for you and I only hope you are handling it ok. Given that this is new for you, allow me to tell you how I dealt with it when I was in school. Imodium AD or any anti diarrheal medication will hopefully still work for you, in small doses. In addition, Gas-X is a wonderful product; try taking a couple before you go to school in the morning. Also carry an OTC nausea medication with you, I use the wal-mart equivalent to Dramamine, it is inexpensive, I get 100 pills for less than 5 bucks. Also try an over the counter pain reliever for pain, personally, I use Excedrin. This is still new to you so you may be able to get away with using this stuff at least until the end of the school year .

As for relationships, unfortunately, that is a difficult part. My father refused to believe I have so much wrong with me until he was able to come to terms with his own aliments and believe it or not, one of my marriages ended because my husband was tired of having a “sick wife” amongst other things. For the longest time, I swore the only one who understood was my son, because he was home with me all day and saw how often I was in the bathroom vomiting and so on, he is a empathetic child who always felt my pain and supported me, he is an amazing kid. You will meet others who suffer as well and you will meet people who may not suffer but actually care. I met my current boy friend on line and unbelievably, the reason I found this forum is because he spent close to three hours tonight, after working all day, driving to every store he could find between Fort Worth and Dallas trying to find me Imodium. He never was able to find any, hence the reason I found this forum, but if that is not love, than I do not know what is.

You need to worry only about your condition and getting yourself whatever care you may need, never mind what friends or others think. Keep in mind, at your age, you will soon be able to leave home and help for people in your situation does exist, you just need to reach out to others, doctors and maybe school counselors who can offer both advice and guide in the right direction towards caring for your needs.

[danell]

I totally understand. I started noticing symptoms in high school (some junior year, but really bad senior year). I wouldn't feel good, so I wouldn't want to eat, so I'd have one of those Instant Breakfast shakes. The dairy just made me sooo sick I couldn't got to school, it was almost unbearable. My dad was the one who gave me a ride to school and after a few months he would get sooo mad and say I was overreacting to stress or whatever and I needed to get it together. He thought I was just trying to get out of school (private school too, all girls, pretty competitive, teachers just thought I was being lazy), but I really couldn't do anything but lay in bed and have horrible stomach cramps and that whole diarrhea and digestive problems deal. It was terrible, I was so sick and no one thought it was real. Finally a doctor told me to cut out dairy, which made my symptoms better, but not even close to gone. I kinda just gave up and accepted that I would be sick most of the time... Its not until now that I'm a junior in college that I got told I had IBS, and those years I've hated not knowing why I was always having so much trouble and not being able to do things without having a crazy loud stomach, gas, and having to go to the bathroom all the time. Its so frustrating, I don't see how anyone can not end up crying about it. I mean who really wants to talk about that stuff with friends? Even close friends don't really want to hear about it....

It can get better though, you're a little bit lucky knowing younger what it is, that way you have something to help explain it. I just found out about the low fodmap way of eating and have been trying it for the past month and it seems to help. It doesn't make all symptoms go away, but it makes them more manageable. Being in college I need all the improvement I can get and if that means eating "weird" so be it. It really isn't that hard once you get into it, I mean for me the best way to follow the guidelines was to eat less processed and restaurant food. My doctor recommended a book called "The First Year: Irritable Bowel Syndrome" by Heather Van Vorous... I found it pretty helpful... Also, I found it helpful to meet with a nutritionist that knew about IBS.

Good luck! ♥

[Peppermint15]

I'm so sorry, honey, that you don't get the empathy you need from your family, but don't let that convince you that *no one* understands! And I bet your family will come around, it's just hard for some people to accept that a loved one may be ill.

My last boyfriend, whom I dated for a year, had this difficulty. He was a great guy and cared for me a lot, but he was also a HEALTHY guy who hadn't seen a lot of illness, and only thought of it as something that was "fatal" and "terrible," or otherwise not real. At first he did not understand when I disappeared on dates because I was unwell, when I would skip meals or avoid certain foods, or tell him I wasn't up for sex. I also have food allergies, and at one point he had the gall to tell me I was "weird" because "no one" has so many allergies. He was under the mistaken impression that peanut allergies are uncommon, and that food sensitivities are even more so. It wasn't until I confronted him about this, educated him with links to credible medical journals and informational pages, and (unfortunately) cried to show him just how much it affected me that he understood. However, this just pushed him to the other extreme, where he began to think I was "too sick" and it stressed him out. I ultimately ended things because he was too obviously uncomfortable with illness.

That said, not all people have this difficulty. I have had the good fortune to make some amazing friends. I've also noticed a pattern to the people who are most accepting of IBS:
- Many of my friends have illnesses themselves; one has Lactose Intolerance, one Tourette's, one depression and anxiety, and one fibromyalgia.
- Many of my friends have had other hardships such as family trouble, bullying, etc.
- My current boyfriend suffered a lot from asthma as a child (to the point of frequent hospitalization) and thus he's very attuned to pain and disruptive illness


You will meet these people; just give it time, and try to get out of the house whenever you're feeling well enough. Also, that's what these boards are for We're here for ya, girl!

[mimi2m]

I'm sorry nobody understands your problems. But they are real and stress makes them worse. You can't cry ever day and let everything get to you or it makes it worse. You must eliminate stress and worrying. Try hypnosis on DVD found on ...com and yoga. It's really helping me. Also try eating black quinoa.

[leeniepie]

hey, just to add some sympathy. my mum has ibs too so gets it a bit, but she thinks food intollerances are rubbish and thinks the FODMAP diet is rubbish, even though its helped me. she insists all the advice she was given in the 80's when she was diagnosed is 100% correct, and nothing that says otherwise (even if backed by new research)can be correct. it really gets me