[feelsbad]

I am a 23 year old female that developed severe IBS-D in May of 2011. I have a history of IBS that started when I began going to college. Back then, IBS only flared up before I had to take a test or give a speech. I would use the bathroom once and that would be the end of it. Fast forward to about 5 years later and I am now in graduate school about to graduate and become a pharmacist. I kept ignoring my IBS at first just thinking it was just a case of nervous tummy, but this time it was very, very different. I started having diarrhea a couple times a week and it became worse after certain types of food. I began eliminating those foods from my diet and felt somewhat relieved for a while, but the diarrhea came back and progressively got worse. I began to have attacks multiple times a day. I started losing weight (I am now 110 lbs and 5'5, I used to be 120 lbs) and became extremely depressed. I have tried everything: peppermint tea, calcium supplements, probiotics, tricyclic antidepressants. Imodium helps control my attacks and get me through the day, but I often experience constipation as a result and it can be extremely painful.

In pharmacy school, IBS is barely talked about which is saddening because not many practitioners take it seriously. My doctor tried to put me on an SSRI like Prozac, but I had to inform her that SSRI's only exacerbate diarrhea. It was disheartening when I felt like I knew more than my doctor when she was the person I was going to for answers. Instead, she continues to allude to the idea that this is all in my head. She does not explicitly say it, but I know it is what she is thinking because it is what we are taught in school.

I no longer expect to find the magic cure to this debilitating condition. I know it does not exist or else this forum would not exist. Healthcare costs are unrealistic in this country and I cannot afford to pay more doctors who have no knowledge of this condition just to tell me I need to learn how to control my stress. I am convinced there are other factors at play in my body and I am devastated that myself, along with millions of others, have to suffer because no one takes this condition seriously.

Before IBS, I was a different person. I was invincible and could take on any challenge. But now, IBS has changed me from the inside-out. I'm not that girl anymore. Now I am just scared, depressed, and broken. I am constantly asking myself "Why me? What did I do that was so terrible to deserve this punishment?".

I am sorry this is not an uplifting motivational story. It's my reality and I want more than anything to escape it.

[maitland]

hi feelsbad, yes it's very hard to stay upbeat i must admit,in simple terms life is not easy with ibs, i found things improved with 10mg of paxil, it takes a while to kick in but it calmed my intestines enough to slow down my daily routine of small breakfast with hot water or tea to get things going....and by going i mean 3 or 4 times over the next hour or two more or less.... a total system drain and then i am good for the day, except for cramps, gas and bloating, if i am not near a toilet i take immodium for security and like you, enjoy the consequences of constipation for a day or two. i eat very little outside the house except for safe food and any criticism i might get about it i don't care anymore; i take care of me first.....anyway now it's one paxil a day and i take it early evening because they do cause drowsiness which you must fight off from time to time. i eat little to no fruit i monitor my sugar intake i can't drink anymore but i try hard to stay happy because if you want to depress yourself it's very easy to slide into despair and so i spend my energy trying to be optimistic and positive, i am not in a wheelchair, i am not blind, people still love me..... this site is a godsend because yes ibs is difficult and it's hard to find support from people with the same problem so....here we are...but i must admit i talk about it now (8 years later)and twice in the last little while, two people with whom i was speaking to casually said...."i have ibs too"....you said you could take on any challenge well this ibs is the biggest challenge i have faced and so you must become a fighter and stay strong....maitland

[AIRPLANE]

Yes, this is a very disappointing, life-altering condition. It is amazing that there are so many of us with differing combinations of symptoms that get lumped together under one label. It seems like it is an easy way to deny patients the respect and proper investigation that might lead to improvement which, when you think of it, should almost be illegal. I'm thinking of myself when I was given CT scan after CT scan which revealed nothing of importance, and I begged for an MRI instead but was flatly refused until several years ago when a chiropractor was nice enough to order one. It revealed a large lipoma on my right abdomen which was where I used to have the worst pain for years. Who knows, had it been diagnosed and removed earlier I might not have had the surgeries I ended up having which have resulted in some pretty bad adhesions which I know contribute to my 'IBS'. I figure that one day this period of time will be looked back at with shock, horror and even amusement at the incredible amount of suffering and the grossly inadequate medical help for it (biggest factor is the attitude, of course). Much like with ulcers having a real cause- later found to be H Pylori, and heart disease- which were viewed as conditions caused by the person's mental state, such as being type As, rather than having genuine medical causes. Even when the causes were discovered, the medical community was slow and loathe to accept them. Guess it's hard to admit you were wrong!

I too was put on Paxil- I took it reluctantly for a year or two. Even at the low dosage it caused me even more fatigue than I already had as well as weight gain and of course doctors downplayed these side-effects. The weight gain certainly didn't help the lower abdominal/pelvic pain- if anything, losing weight is usually recommended to reduce pressure. I don't blame you for not wanting to take it.

I don't blame you for not wanting to go from doctor to doctor either. Besides the cost, going to appointments is the last thing you feel like doing, especially knowing that the chance of getting taken seriously is so low. I've found that the more doctors I go to, the less likely I am to get help because they look at the reports from previous doctors (one doctor actually wrote that he suspected my real issue was psychological) and you're pretty well done before you even arrive. Plus, I imagine that these constant, unproductive appointments with doctor after doctor that so many of us go through probably only serves to drive the cost of health insurance up which doesn't help either.

The best thing I have right now is a medically-oriented massage therapist who is very open-minded and well-educated. She gives me ideas and listens to mine. I go once every 5-6 weeks and even though I have to pay for it myself, I figure it is less than I would be spending constantly going to fruitless doctor appointments. Plus she is able to detect things by mere examination which doctors apparently aren't very well trained to do- they rely on their expensive tests which probably miss as much if not more than they detect. I am going to be seeing a gastro for the first time in many years this week but know not to get my hopes up, even though the patient ratings I saw for him were good. I believe my main issue is adhesions and that topic is typically not open for discussion though I won't have any choice but to mention it if he wants to do any scope tests.

[Maffy786]

Yh... my one is just like yours.

I seriously also ask the same question to myself too. I have been told that i have IBS when was 15 and now i am 16 yr female, I just simply feeling painful, sick, and also depressed.

[skip1000]

hi all,
I know how you feel since I've had IBS-D since birth (had hirshsprung disease as a child and had part of colon removed) and I'm in my forties now. A few times in my life I had it so bad that I couldn't even handle drinking water for over 3 months straight (was on liquid diet only). Anyway, most of my life I did not have a normal life even though people who don't know me well can't tell. It is pure suffering and often I wonder about life. I've spent most of my life looking for answers and solutions and I think I finally found it, without medications! To put a long story short, this is my answer: Alkaline.

1. Keep to an alkaline diet. Alkaline diet is not what most people think so do a bit a research to see the different food groups. For example, citrus fruits, despite being acidic is actually alkaline when digested (burnt up). But that's in an ideal world so it depends on how much you actually digested. Personally I can't handle more than 1 fresh orange these days. I also eat lots cooked leafy greens (still don't digest raw greens well). Lactose-free milk and 1 apple every day. Most foods are overly acidic after being digested (eg. uric acid from meats) so it's important to balance with those food that are more alkaline (after digestion).
2. Eat healthy, which means less processed and preserved foods (eg. nitrates, pesticides, etc.). Avoid foods high in fat or anything that is difficult to digest. I noticed that I can't handle hard fats well (eg. butter, animal fat and palm oil). I don't eat packaged junkfood or drink soda (super acidic).
3. Use food enzymes before every meal and choose your enzymes wisely. For example, use lactase enzymes for milk products and lypase for high fat and oil foods. Personally, I prefer Enzymedica bc it has no fillers. Enzymes are alkaline which not only digest foods, but will neutralize the stomach acids when it gets there. If you don't have enough enzymes, the stomach acids will irritate the small intestines, causing indigestion and diarrhea.
4. Take probiotics (not just acidophiles) daily.
5. Take calcium supplements after each meal - it will firm up the stool. Most people don't get enough calciums daily anyway. If the body needs alkaline minerals to neutralize the acidic wastes in the body and there isn't enough alkaline minerals in the body, guess where it will draw from? The bones!
6. Drink alkaline water from a trusted source. I've used alkalife drops and it did wonders for me (I wrote a review on it in Amazon so you can get more details there). It is not too expensive like water ionizers (which I also own now). Bottle water like Iceland Springs which claim high ph is a lie. I tested the water and it fared no better than tap (about 6 ph). My warning is to not use alkaline water during a meal since it can be counter-productive. I always drink it on an empty stomach in the mornings and afternoon. I have to say, despite all the naysayers, drinking alkaline water is the latest and greatest event that happened to me. Since using it about 2 months ago, I've had the best BM of my life and had only 1 D in that time. For me this BM is truly surreal, which I never thought was possible.

Anyway, I really should write a life story with all the details and instructions and just put a link to the threads. I am really happy that for once in my life, I can lead a normal life, do normal things, and not have to worry about the nearest loo everywhere I go. I now eat quite a broad healthy diet, foods I never thought it was possible to eat before. Don't get me wrong, I don't run down to the nearest KFC or MC'D for some greasy foods. I do watch what I eat.

Hope this helps and good luck.