[Daniel Quijano]

Hi everybody,

This is my first post ever. I've always come to this blog to see what could possibly help me but I've never shared anything. I guess it's my duty to share my story because sometimes I feel like I'm alone in this, specially because my symptoms seem rare and most people around me don't seem to have any problems.

I'm 21 and my "diagnosed" IBS (I've never had an endoscopy, colonoscopy, or a food allergies test. I live in South America and the process to get this tests is annoying and expensive) is C-predominant. However, if I have a job interview or something that could stress me out my intestines would start rumbling and then I would really have to use the restroom when I get to the place. It's still not diarrhea but the consistency it's ... yuck.

I'm on a gluten-free, lactose-free, alcohol-free, low-sugar and low fodmap diet, which SEEMS to help. But I get frustrated very easily because even though I'm restraining myself from so many food groups, and getting judgment from everybody for not eating "normal" (people here don't even know what gluten is, and I haven't met anybody else with my same problem), if I do the smallest mistake such as eating a bit more fiber than I usually have I would suffer all day long.

I guess for people with IBS D I'm a bit "lucky" in the way my bowel movements are <normal> for the most part, but when constipation strikes is awful. The feeling of it "building up" it's the most obnoxious feeling ever, and if I don't keep my diet I won't go to the bathroom in over 3 days. But for me, the worst symptom is the gas. The smell is TERRIBLE, even though I'm on a low FODMAP diet. I do not feel comfortable sharing room with anybody because sometimes I can't even tolerate it. Like, seriously, it's like something died inside of me. This usually happens when I have more fiber than I should, or more sugar than usual or if I fall asleep one hour after eating, or sometimes there's gas for no apparent reason.

When I feel pain is always because gas is coming. And it's the worst symptom for me. I've been with this condition for over a year and it makes me really depressed to remember how it was before this, when I didn't even think about whether or not I've been to the toilet and it didn't matter what I ate - there was no gas, constipation or diarrhea involved. Even though I've always been an introvert, it was nice when I didn't have to worry about how my gut was feeling and cancel plans because I didn't feel well.

Right now I'm unnemployed but when I was doing my internship I was miserable a lot of times, because the constipation, the gas, and I got really cranky for no reason .. I guess because I had to contain it and the pain involved. My hypothesis is that my IBS was caused by having Isotretinoin (Roaccutane) for over a year because of a strong acne problem, and then a few months before the IBS started I had a viral gastroenteritis.

I wish I could stop thinking about this problem, but let's face it, we eat at least 5 times per day and eating it's always a reminder. I've tried probiotics, and I'm still on the most restrictive diet ever, but that doesn't even seem to "cure" it. I must say one time I felt better when I was on antibiotics because of a strong sinusitis, so, maybe going on rifixamin (an antibiotic I've heard specifically for IBS) might help. But this problem is SO annoying and frustrating! and other people don't seem to understand or even care. They rather give me a "look" when I say I can't eat certain foods.. like it was my fault and I just wanted to upset them. OH! and everybody who doesn't have this problem seems to have the cure for it. I just want to punch them in the face.

 

[BlueHungry]

Hey there, it's socially constipative for me too.

I've had IBS for about 3 years, it started in 2012, early March. I'm going to be 20 soon, I've had this since I was 17.

It's horrible. It began with a bout of GERDS during my A-level year after perhaps too much coffee. I had a mental breakdown and had series of alternating urgency, constipation and diarrhea. Then that stopped after 3 months. My parents were completely ridiculously not understanding about it. And still protest that I'M MAKING THINGS UP. AFTER ALL THIS TIME.
It's a lot of flatulence. Extremely disgusting for any girl. Terrible for image, horrible in any social setting. Horrid.
Horrid. I dropped out of school out of total frustration, and finally got a job after a very hard time to search for a cure.
Honestly is any?

It's like I'm cursed or, yeah, I am cursed. I hate it, Hate it. It makes people able to use me easily I have a disgusting disorder. I hate the pity, I hate the position it puts me in. I hate that I have had to have little to no social contact with people. I can't even sit alone in the movie theater. I hate it that my parents think I make it up. I hate FARTING ALL THE FREAKING TIME NO MATTER WHAT I EAT. WHETHER I EAT OR NOT. It never stops. 365 DAYS A YEAR, 24 HOURS. IS IT NORMAL?!!
NO.

I go to see DOCTORS. The BLOODY HELL SIT THERE AND LAUGH AT ME. They hardly give me anything,. Hospitals , clinic, hospitals, Chinese medics, THE NURSES, walk around YELLING ''DISGUSTING'',.

I HATE GOD, ABSOLUTELY HATE GOD.

I don't touch chocolate, cheese, butter, any excessive oil, any meat, mostly go vegan, no milk, no lactose containing substances. No cake, no pastries, no salmon, no fish egg.
This makes the odor a sort of metallic.

BUT IT DOESN'T GET OUT OF MY LIFE AND GIVE ME BACK MY FREEDOM.

I go school. I still go to school, but it's difficult. It's not uncommon to see people get vicious over time. No on will last as a friend, I'll never be able to be useful, or normal. Or get a decent job, or follow any dreams because it won't go. Any less than 8 hours of sleep and I'm done for.

Probiotics, charcoal tablets, enzymes - make no difference. I hate it.

Hate it.

 

[Kathleen M.]

Low fodmap diet is about reducing the volume, not the smell. Smell mostly comes from sulfur which mostly comes from the meat in your diet.

While it can be mildly constipating (and you can start at a low dose and see what you can tolerate) Pepto Bismol can neutralize the sulfur gases in the wet environment of the gut (activated charcoal works best when completely dry).

 

[IBS & Surviving]

I've had IBS for over 20 years, maybe closer to 30 years but was not diagnosed until about a year and a half ago. It started with a lot of airborne allergies, or at least it started at the same time. I was so irritable and developed suicidal depression. Mentally I juggled with this issue for several years until I moved to another state and with the different culture and being out of my parents house, I was eating differently. Didn't realize at the time that the change in diet was probably helping a lot.

Years later I returned to my home state and the depression set in again and constipation. I went to a doctor after about 10 years back in my home state. He rolled his eyes and said it was PMS and he would give me an antidepressant to take whenever I felt like it. I was so mad. Here I am telling him my life is great, but my body is having a physical problem that is causing depression. I wanted help fixing the problem not masking it. Shortly after this I moved again to a very hot and humid climate. I rarely as dairy due to the heat and mostly ate fruits and veggies. This was the breakthrough....when I ate any dairy I would be very, very constipated and cranky.

For years I dealt with this dairy intolerance. I was tested several times for a food allergy to dairy, but doctors said I'm not allergic to dairy. They said that my reaction to dairy is not allergic even though if I eat it now, I start to breathe like a racehorse and my thinking is very unclear, my stomach is very bloated and then I have constipation and severe mental health issues for about 7 days until I can finally poop that poison out of my body. My family thought I was making it up, but finally my parents and my son stood up for me and said they knew it was a fact. There were too many incidents when I would accidentally eat something and then be miserable for days.

Ten years after this my work was very stressful and I started to have gas, bloating, foul smelling bowel movements and then mucos with or instead of bowel movements. Not really diarrhea, but sometimes diarrhea too. I was totally freaked out as I thought I might have colon cancer. Started to read about my symptoms online and wondered if it was a new food intolerance. Cut back on gluten and had some relief, but not total relief from bowel symptoms. At this time also having anxiety attacks that would then make me run to the bathroom. I went to an emergency care facility and the doctor was rolling her eyes when I am breathing all crazy and asking for a blood pressure and heart check and worried if my brain is getting oxygen and then start crying and laughing at the same time. Went to see a GI doctor. He was a very kind man. Had upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. No cancer, but diagnosed with IBS. My doctor told me I had to "care less" about work to reduce my stress.

The doctor prescribed a low dose antidepressant that I took several times a day for about a year. I totally revamped my diet and I am religious about no dairy or gluten. Rarely I allow myself a soda, chocolate, a large apple, caffeinated coffee, and a few other triggers. I also switched jobs and the stress is much less. I am off the medication except if I accidentally ingest something I shouldn't have. No depression to speak of, and with a balancing act with my diet, no constipation or diarrhea.

If I eat a trigger food, I take my drug cocktail for a couple of days - ibuprofen, anti-depressant, and allergy meds. This really does seem to reduce my symptoms more quickly than the previous 7 days.

I usually don't tell people I have IBS as they really don't know what it is. I tell them I have food allergies and they are much more sympathetic and don't try to push food on me I can't eat. They also don't think it is all in my head if I say it is a food allergy. I still have one brother who doesn't believe I have food intolerances causing IBS. I don't worry about what he thinks because he is bipolar and won't try a food elimination test to see if food is causing his mental health issues also.

Be strong. Listen to your body and keep trying to figure it out. Don't listen to the naysayers and eye-rollers. This sh## is real and you are not crazy. A lot of doctors don't know the signs and symptoms because they vary so much from person to person. You have to be your own best medical detective. Research, keep food diaries and note your physical responses, read labels like a fanatic, don't eat anything that doesn't have a label, and learn to cook!

Good luck!