HiI'm 19 yrs old and have suffered from IBS for the past year and i have to say I HATE IT WITH A FIRERY PASSION OF HATE!!!! I'm trying to study at university but its hard to go to lectures when you have to go to the toilet every hour. And my stomach makes the most horrendous rumbling noises(does that happen to anyone else?). I still have a pretty good social life but i see it starting to slip away as i have constantly leave places early cos im desperate to go to the toilet, or my stomach is making horrible nosies, or i just leave because my bloated stomach is making me feel like ill never be happy again. My last boyfriend and i broke up because he thought i wasn't interested as i was always breaking off our dates and i was too embarrassed to tell him why!!!!Ok sorry for that but i feel slightly better now!!!Love for any kind of feedback even if its just to tell me to stop whinging!!!
hi guys...just need a place to vent!!!
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No. Don't stop whining. You have to let it out. I have IBS-C & I'm miserable. I can't imagine having it while in college. Hopefully, someone will come up with something soon to help all of us. Just remind yourself how much money they will make if they come up with something to help IBS. $$$$$ Money does motivate people. Good luck to you. I'm sorry i can't help.
Oh that is too young an age to have IBS. My sympathies are with you . The best advice I can give you is tell your boyfriends about it atleast when they get the wronng impression that you aren't interested in them. But I know it ois easy to get embarassed at that age. Good luck!
Sunday_girl--Hi!
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Welcome. Yes, 19 is a young age to have IBS, but a lot of people get it younger. I started dealing with it at age 14. At that age, they won't even let you leave the classroom without permission. I never went to the Dr. for diagnosis, because you didn't go to the DR. for that sort of thing back in the '60s. There wasn't any imodium then, but I took pepto bismol and still dated. I got married, raised kids, and went to college and worked in the medical field. I don't tell you this to minimize your problem. I tell you so you will know that although it's not the easiest thing to live with, it can be done. You found this bulletin board, and you have the opportunity to learn so much from so many people who are more than happy to share what has helped them cope. The main thing is don't give up. There are so many supplements, medications, and other therapies that can get you through.I hope this doesn't sound like one of those boring lectures that old people keep unloading on young people. It's meant as a pep talk. I guess as a pep talk I should end with "Go! Fight! Win!"
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hi sunday girl!im also 19, and been suffering from ibs for just under six months after having food poisoning. have you told any of your friends or family? my close friends know, and although it took a lot for me to tell them because i was embarassed and disgusted by it i told them and i feel so much better. my stomach forever goes through rumbling and gurgling, its such a wierd noise, and when i am out i get paranoid because i think others can hear it, which makes me feel nervous and so stomach does it even more! hope you are having a good week, take care xXx
heya. i'm 18 and i've been struggling with this for about 18months now. It sucks big time, the only reason i didn't get kicked out of school this year was a muddle up with classes and some fantastic teachers. and yes, i'm scared about going to uni, not sure how i'm gonna manage. but i will give it a go and see. We all need to rant, don't apologise, i do it too
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don't let the ibs rule your life but don't just ignore it, i did at first, kinda said tht's fine, i'm stuck with this thing but i won't let it affect my life, it can tag along if it wants. Big mistake. take it into account but remember it's not the be all and end all. I would also suggest that you do tell ppl. i was lucky, one of my friends has colitis which helps a lot when it comes to telling ppl and my guidance teacher was a biology teacher. I was also fairly obviously ill from all the weight i lost. But i just tell ppl i have a problem with my stomach and generally they're happy with that and are very understanding and try to help. If they aren't then they're not worth it. anyways, hope my rambling is some help!!!! any advice on surviving uni?!?
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Hi Sunday Girl! I got IBS when I was about your age and going through university as well. It sucks, to put it simply. But, you can get through it. I was stupid and only told my boyfriend and a couple of friends. I had to miss lectures at times, and rushed exams so that I could get out of there and to the bathroom!If I had to do it all again, I would say to speak to your professors or a student counsellor or advisor. It's probably a lot easier if your professors understand that you may have to miss some classes, and can be more accommodating if you have stomach problems during exams. I know it's not something you really want to share, but it's probably the best thing you can do.No matter what, try not to stress about things and know you're doing your best, even if you do have to skip the odd lecture to be near the toilet.Good Luck!
Hi Sunday Girl. I know exactly how you feel when it comes to classes. I'm 20 and in college and have been struggling with this off and on for 2 years. I've had to miss a few classes, but I'm hanging in there. It helps me to sit down and relax as much as possible between classes. It seems to calm me down enough to get through my days. Of course, everyone doesn't have the same symptoms. I don't have any problems with bowel movements, as my problems deal with severe bloating and fatigue, but I encourage you to press on and I wish you the best of luck. Hopefully, we'll be able to find something that can give us our strength again.
hay sunday girl, i know wat ur feelin, i got diagnosed when i was 16/17, it was pretty hard back then because i as really ill. in my case its def got better over the year im now 18 nearly 19 and its not that bad anymore.i understand about the bf thing as well, i went through the same thing, except i told mine after about 6 months. and he was so undertanding. all ill say is, it took me a long time to get over the embarassment, but belive me none of us have anything to be embarassed of, were ill, and im starting to just walk out the door even when i feel like im gna #### my pants lol, just to prove to myself i can do it, if i need to run to the nearest toilet who cares. everyone poos! i dno if its just me who felt/feels this embarassement but if anyone else is embarassed seriously just try and let it go.as for uni, ive emailed mine ahead of time telling them i mite not be able to go on some of the trips, this set my mind at ease because now i know they understand and the anxiety is lifted, which is the main cause of my IBS.anyways i hope that helped even a little.keep smiling x
hey 'itsjustthewayimfeeling' you are not alone with the embarassment issue, i am very embarassed about it, although you are right, everyone poos, we just do it more often! going to try and take a leaf out of your book and 'try' and let it go! lol hope you having a good day, take care xXx
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Hey Sunday girl. Come vent wheneverr you need to. I swear sometimes this board is my only salvation. At least here people can empathize with what you're going through. I hope you can find a way to cope a little easier.
Im 31 and have had ibs since 19. I used to be embarrassed about it and not tell anyone. Now I tell everyone and we just joke about it. I think it helps to do that. People can be very understanding if you open up. All my friends and family know that I get first dibs at the washrooms all the time. I think the older you get the less embarrassed you get about everything in general.
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·Sunday Girl - tell the guy - if he's worth anything, he'll hang in there!!Good luckSue, Manchester
Try Levbid (or Levsin). For me, it has 90% solved my embarrassingly noisy stomach -- and completely changed my life. I had horribly embarrassing stomach noises and dreaded meetings at work, church, etc, etc. Thank goodness a GI doc prescribed it for me. (I also cut out caffeine at the same time, so that probably has helped too, but I had tried that before to no avail.) It's worked for me for two years now. I'm actually very curious to find out if Levbid has solved this problem for anyone else. I'm pretty darn sure it's what solved my problem, and I'm not about to stop taking it to find out for certain! It gives me dry mouth, but that is a small price to pay for getting rid of the stress and trauma I experienced everyday in social situations. Unfortunately it does NOT help with my D, but solving just the noise problem alone was a huge help for my sanity.
HEY-IBS & college are a bad combo.... I started w/ IBS in the 4th grade and still have it almost 40 years later. 5 years of college w/ many embarrassing situations, canceled dates, walking out of class, missing ball games, etc. Some girlfriends understood & others didn't. Needless to say I married one of those that did & still does understand. I use lomotil and imodium and they tend to help. Hang in there & don't give up....
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