Wouldn't it be wonderful to be like people who don't have IBS and never have to give a second thought to your intestinal tract?

I'm sure that most of what I have experienced has been experienced by someone on this site.

My IBS began with constipation from Calan, a drug for a cardiac arrythmia. To counteract that I had to rely on laxatives and glycerine suppositories. Finally that turned my IBS into one of almost constant diarrhea with cramping and pain so intense that I was sure I was dying of stomach cancer or some similar disease. My family doctor wanted to do a barium x-ray series on me. I decided at that time if I was going to go through that test I would rather have a colonoscopy so they could actually see what was going on.
I began to search for a good gastroenterologist and was lucky enough to find on who was also an internal medicine doctor. He was only the third MD in the country to find a rectal melanoma in a woman who was a friend of a friend. By the time Doctor Eckrich, now retired, found the melanoma it was too late for her. She had been to several other doctors before doctor Eckrich for passing blood. Unfortunately she did not find out soon enough.

I suppose the first thing I want to say is it is so hard to find a doctor who cares enough to learn about IBS. That is the key to living with this disease. Doctor Eckrich retired three years ago and I am still looking for a GI doctor. I'm going to one now that Dr. Eckrich recommended but he and his office don't seem to care about their IBS patients. I'm now looking again for a new doctor.

Learning what works for you and what doesn't is the key. At first I gave up coffee and Cokes. Then I learned I couldn't tolerate vegetables or fruits that were undercooked. Specific vegetables then became an area where I learned what I could and couldn't eat. Broccoli, cauliflower and any cabbage family member entered my "do not eat list."

The first medication I was on was Kinised, a chewable form of Donnatol with other ingredients that worked really well. One year later I learned the drug company had stopped making it. I then proceeded through a series of drugs until the right combination turned out to be Librax and Miltown with some use of prescription immodium. I would sometimes take up to 8 immodiums per day.

Once I learned what worked with my diet and somehow survived a divorce I learned to add aloe vera liquid or now capsules to my daily regimen.

I still have flareups that include constipation and bloating and am hopefully near the end of one as I write this. Fiber tablets or dissolved fiber will end my constipation but feels like it is going to kill me with the pain and bloating. If I must use fiber I chew a tiny corner off of a benefiber tablet.

One of the other recent stories on here mentions being symptom free after the "cleanout" for a colonoscopy using Golyte. I have experienced this as well and as much as I hate the day before and day of the test, I find that my bowel is much better for a few weeks after.

I now live much better with IBS and want to encourage other readers that it is possible to do so. Unfortunately we have to do a lot of the research and learning on our own. I'm sorry to say that most GI doctors don't take the time to learn about IBS and don't really care about their IBS patients. I'm still looking for a replacement doctor.

Maybe the solution is to find a GI physician who has IBS.

The medical community has failed us all in studying and researching IBS. I know there are researchers who are making breakthroughs but it seems that most GIs don't take the time to read the studies in their medical periodicals.

In the end, and certainly no pun intended, we are left to research on our own to find out what works for us. Do your homework and do not hesistate to ask your doctor about things you have read or heard about. If your doctor doesn't listen then find a different doctor!

I have also noticed seasonal flareups of IBS, especially in the spring and the fall and wonder why that is.

My hope is that someday, somewhere someone famous will have IBS and make it a cause that will stir the medical community to pay more attention to IBS.

I still fail to understand why IBS hasn't gotten more attention since it is the most common stomach ailment. I suppose since none of us have died from IBS, nor ever will that it has not gotten enough attention.

In my search for a new GI doctor I am looking for one who does the breath testing and is willing to work with me on hypsnosis. I hope that doctor or someone close to him has IBS and he or she will really care about this disease.

Good luck to all on this site and let's all push the medical community to care about us.

By: phef