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’d like to prefix these comments by saying that I know Irritable Bowel Syndrome may be caused by a variety of different factors and that treatments that work for one person, may not work for another. Also, my analysis of what works for me and why is what I have deduced from the effects and results of various treatments and events that occurred during the period I was afflicted with this disease. Since I am an “n” of one and the controls on my experience are limited, my description of what I think is going on may be entirely wrong; however, even if that is the case what I have done to ameliorate my symptoms worked for me. So it stands to reason that it may work for some other individuals afflicted with this condition. Finally, before trying any of this you should discuss it with your doctor. If he/she is agreeable, it might be worth a try.

"Don't eat too much Mandy." "Ugh, You wet the bed again!" These were common phrases that my little 6 year old ears heard on a daily bases. Fed up with my habits of puking after meals and constantly wetting the bed at night, my parents decided it was time to go to the doctor. The doctor didn't have a name for it then, but I knew it was something more than just wetting the bed when I felt a grown man's finger go up my rear door.

I recall drinking a large glass of metamucil, eating grape nut cereal, marking every poopy on the calendar, and daily tauntings from my sisters. The doctor did a procedure using a catheter and all was assume well.

I was regular for a short time and heard, "Eww Mandy poop," constantly from my sisters. That is where something so natural became embedded in my head as nothing more than embarrassment.

Time went on and gas, cramping, bloating, and lack of bowel movements became the norm.

Hello, I have just joined the support group today,I have had ibs for many years the past 5years diagnosed as severe and this year got to the stage it is ruining my life. My symptoms which i suffer from every day are: Indigestion,nausea,stomach and pelvic pain, bloatedness, piles, flatulence,I chronically strain every day on the toilet,even when I have Diahorrea,my BM is always soft,but difficult to pass,its a nightmare!I have tried every alternative therapies on the market and my GP has prescribed a lot of meds as well but nothing has helped.At the moment I have just been prescribed 20mg Amitryptiline to take at night to see if it helps my pain,so keeping fingers crossed.My GP says I am not typically constipated,but really does not know what to do to help me. Just to ty and stop straining. I can't!It's the only way to get the stools out,which is not normal! I also have chronic fatigue syndrome which I have had for 11years.

HELP!

By: Diana63

I'm fairly newly diagnosed. I'm at university, and was told I have an underactive thyroid, which I didn't think would make any difference! but then my stomach took a turn for the worst, and it hurts everytime I eat, usually making me run for the loo, but sometimes without success. I undertook many tests, including coeliac and an endoscopy, with no luck. my doctor put it down to IBS, which im not happy about! it seems to be a mixture of symptoms that are so vague, that no one knows how to help them.

Well I had an episode over the weekend and it was so painful. Does this sound familiar to anyone....

The first stage is going to the toilet feeling absolutely normal.

After the first round of "matter release" about 2.lbs of it, I know by this point that it's going to get worse.
The second round is the killer.

I have to take all my cloths off as the sweating is profuse from all over my body apart from legs and hyper ventilating makes me dizzy. I then have another matter release of another 2.lbs+ and the vomiting then kicks in as my body is trying to get rid of the causes of abdominal pain. It's not so much as Diarrhoea but more of a mud consistency which sinks and piles out the top of the water. (I know this isn't pleasant to read but we've all been there).

My condition started about five years ago. My stomach had swollen up and it was very painful, but my torso had a very warm temperature without and increase in temperature taken with a thermometer. With this I had a terrible body odor. I had a peptic ulcer some years before. Endoscopy revealed chronic gastritis with peptic ulcer disease. The doctor gave me Nexium. I was also treated for H. pylori.

For five years I suffered. What had happened was yeast had entered through the ulceration and had thrived undetected. After treatment with fluconazole this condition was remedied.

Hope this helps someone.

By: doug78340

Ok here you go!

I am new to this blog and I am going out with someone tonight and I don't know if reading all these stories will make be better or worst !!!

I am a 23 year old male.

So it all began 2 and a half years ago! I was with this girl driving her home after eating a "melting hot chocolate cake (fondant)" and i was stuck in traffic, and suddenly i felt my stomack popping.I fainted !! So she kept asking what's wrong and I was like " nothing " telling myself if she asks one more time I am gonna throw her out of the car. ( I am not a mean person but you guys would understand : ) )

And literally I was "standing up and driving" ...
I had 3 choices :
1 either throw her out of the car
2 throw myself out of the car
3 or let it go

So miraculously enough we arrived at her place, and she was willing to talk more before i shut her up and I drove like crazy to a close mall.. I spent 2 hours in the bathroom, meanwhile i was thanking god that I resisted...

I've read a lot of stories in this section and mine is very similar but I think the more everyone reads about sharing symptoms, the less we feel alone.

At 16 I acquired Crohns Disease, became totally obstructed, and had surgery to remove 4 feet of my small intestine. I suffered with diarrhea and blood in my stools everyday for almost 30 years.

My skin has become ultra sensitive, so I can wear almost no clothes without breaking out and having my skin burning. I have to take a multiple enzyme pill everyday or my skin burns all over no matter what clothes I wear. I have to use special shampoo or my head breaks out with sores and massive dandruff.

Then I acquired IBS constipation, which turns my life upside down further. It ends up I also have a rectal prolapse from straining, and can't seem to make a bowel movement without taking an enema everyday. I'm on Medicaid, and have to travel a 165 miles just to see a GI doctor that tells me he can't do anything for me. (My next appointment with him in in January in the middle of winter)