How to cope when you're told IBS is all in your head
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Live life the best way you know how and do not concentrate on the illness. This is the best advice I have. We all have to go through this, "it is all in your head" ####, at one point in time. I think it is almost a prerequisit (sp?) to having IBS. IBS is not a disease because there is no deterioration of the intestines. IBS is a syndrome, which is just another way to say illness, sickness or affliction etc. If you do not have a Dr that will listen to you, then you need to find one. You also need to find a way to communicate your quality of life to your Dr so that you can get proper treatment or at least have a direction to go in concerning treatment. Take your life into your own hands and be proactive about your illness, this shouldn't be hard for you to do since you are already here investigating.
Live life the best way you know how and do not concentrate on the illness. This is the best advice I have. We all have to go through this, "it is all in your head" ####, at one point in time. I think it is almost a prerequisit (sp?) to having IBS. IBS is not a disease because there is no deterioration of the intestines. IBS is a syndrome, which is just another way to say illness, sickness or affliction etc. If you do not have a Dr that will listen to you, then you need to find one. You also need to find a way to communicate your quality of life to your Dr so that you can get proper treatment or at least have a direction to go in concerning treatment. Take your life into your own hands and be proactive about your illness, this shouldn't be hard for you to do since you are already here investigating.
The statement that if IBS were a disease, it would have a cure is manifestly false. Many diseases have no cure. People die every day from heart disease and cancer. In fact, the list of diseases that actually have a cure is very short. Most medicines only hopefully make you feel better while your body hopefully heals itself."All in your head" is a vague phrase that means everything and nothing at the same time. Your brain directs all activities that occur in your body, so in one sense, everything that happens to you is "all in your head." Many people report that anxiety increases their IBS symptoms. But, mental attitude is widely reported as impacting the symptoms of many diseases. Let's assume that it is true that IBS is completely caused by the mind. Where does that get us? Answer: Nowhere! That doesn't make the symptoms less troublesome or the solution easier to find.
The statement that if IBS were a disease, it would have a cure is manifestly false. Many diseases have no cure. People die every day from heart disease and cancer. In fact, the list of diseases that actually have a cure is very short. Most medicines only hopefully make you feel better while your body hopefully heals itself."All in your head" is a vague phrase that means everything and nothing at the same time. Your brain directs all activities that occur in your body, so in one sense, everything that happens to you is "all in your head." Many people report that anxiety increases their IBS symptoms. But, mental attitude is widely reported as impacting the symptoms of many diseases. Let's assume that it is true that IBS is completely caused by the mind. Where does that get us? Answer: Nowhere! That doesn't make the symptoms less troublesome or the solution easier to find.
CES, Find a new doctor! Try going to an OSTEOPATH... they are more open to nutrition and a holistic approach. There are MANY trigger foods and you need to start READING labels and keeping a food diary, so that you can keep track of what sets you off. Go to the BACTERIAL OVER GROWTH TEST subject on this boad, and scroll down to one of my later postings... I detail many of my trigger foods, one is a food preservative that is in MANY different kinds of foods. Unless you start READING labels and seeing WHAT is in your food, you will never ascertain WHAT makes you have D. Everyone is different. I am lactose intollerant, sulfides cause me D too, as does chili spice, sesame seeds. These are hidden in many foods.If you suffer from C, then take calicum citrate with magnesium supplements, if you suffer from D, then look into what I am taking. Since you are a woman, this won't hurt, as women need calcium to build up our bones.I was told by a woman doctor "your D is in your mind and you can control the bowel." At the time I was 20 and I weighed 74 lb. I'd had uncontrollable D for 2 years. I'd begged all the doctors to do allergy tests, but they all said: "It's in your head." Nine doctors told me this. That was 27 years ago. Eventually, I discovered the condition of lactose intolerance. As soon as I cut milk sugar out of my diet, the D stopped and I gained 15 lb. in a few months (back to my "normal" skinny weight). Through weigh-training I gained 21 lb. more over a number of years. IBS, D, C, are NOT in your head. And, BTW, I was not, and AM NOT, a "nervous", high-strung person. Please do NOT allow these doctors to blame you for something they're incompentent to diagnose. YOU NEED TO DIAGNOSE WHAT IS SETTING OFF YOUR SYMTOMS YOURSELF. Good luck.
CES, Find a new doctor! Try going to an OSTEOPATH... they are more open to nutrition and a holistic approach. There are MANY trigger foods and you need to start READING labels and keeping a food diary, so that you can keep track of what sets you off. Go to the BACTERIAL OVER GROWTH TEST subject on this boad, and scroll down to one of my later postings... I detail many of my trigger foods, one is a food preservative that is in MANY different kinds of foods. Unless you start READING labels and seeing WHAT is in your food, you will never ascertain WHAT makes you have D. Everyone is different. I am lactose intollerant, sulfides cause me D too, as does chili spice, sesame seeds. These are hidden in many foods.If you suffer from C, then take calicum citrate with magnesium supplements, if you suffer from D, then look into what I am taking. Since you are a woman, this won't hurt, as women need calcium to build up our bones.I was told by a woman doctor "your D is in your mind and you can control the bowel." At the time I was 20 and I weighed 74 lb. I'd had uncontrollable D for 2 years. I'd begged all the doctors to do allergy tests, but they all said: "It's in your head." Nine doctors told me this. That was 27 years ago. Eventually, I discovered the condition of lactose intolerance. As soon as I cut milk sugar out of my diet, the D stopped and I gained 15 lb. in a few months (back to my "normal" skinny weight). Through weigh-training I gained 21 lb. more over a number of years. IBS, D, C, are NOT in your head. And, BTW, I was not, and AM NOT, a "nervous", high-strung person. Please do NOT allow these doctors to blame you for something they're incompentent to diagnose. YOU NEED TO DIAGNOSE WHAT IS SETTING OFF YOUR SYMTOMS YOURSELF. Good luck.
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Guest
·did your doctor really say that? or did he say some of it is in your head? if he said it's ALL in your head he needs to get up to date or you need another doctor.to
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Guest
·did your doctor really say that? or did he say some of it is in your head? if he said it's ALL in your head he needs to get up to date or you need another doctor.to
If it is all in our heads why did LOTRONEX work? I could have a bad day with all kinds of problems in my mind but lotronex still worked. I tell people I have a dysfunction of motility in my bowels. That's why lotronex worked. Tha't's why emodium and lomotil works.
If it is all in our heads why did LOTRONEX work? I could have a bad day with all kinds of problems in my mind but lotronex still worked. I tell people I have a dysfunction of motility in my bowels. That's why lotronex worked. Tha't's why emodium and lomotil works.
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Guest
·Hi,perhaps you could give the "Brochure written by Molly that explains IBS to people who don't have IBS" to all those people that say it's all in your head. It's somewhere on this website.It worked for my friends...And do change to another doctor. If he/she is saying it's all in your head, then he/she for sure will not be able to help you. I know mine wasn't...Best regards,Peter...(C&D type)
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Guest
·Hi,perhaps you could give the "Brochure written by Molly that explains IBS to people who don't have IBS" to all those people that say it's all in your head. It's somewhere on this website.It worked for my friends...And do change to another doctor. If he/she is saying it's all in your head, then he/she for sure will not be able to help you. I know mine wasn't...Best regards,Peter...(C&D type)
There are three things to do to start.(1) Definately print out Molly's brochure to give to friends and family. Also tell them that lots of diseases are real with no cure, such as Alzheimer's, diabetes, MS, arthritis, cancer. The fact that IBS has no cure does not diminish its severity.(2) See if there is some stress or other problems in your life that could make the IBS worse (not cause it). Keep a food/stress/symptom journal for 3 months and then evaluate it. Or see a therapist for an evaluation if you think it might help. It is not "in our heads," but knowing how to properly deal with stress can make a big difference for some people.(3) Find a new doctor!
There are three things to do to start.(1) Definately print out Molly's brochure to give to friends and family. Also tell them that lots of diseases are real with no cure, such as Alzheimer's, diabetes, MS, arthritis, cancer. The fact that IBS has no cure does not diminish its severity.(2) See if there is some stress or other problems in your life that could make the IBS worse (not cause it). Keep a food/stress/symptom journal for 3 months and then evaluate it. Or see a therapist for an evaluation if you think it might help. It is not "in our heads," but knowing how to properly deal with stress can make a big difference for some people.(3) Find a new doctor!
I don't know if you read my recent post (Wanted: Compassionate Dr), but I was recently blown off by my GI specialist, which made me a wee bit upset... to say the least
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Lotronex worked wonders for me. One thing I didn't understand that my dr said was that stress reduction was the only thing I could do, since Lotronex was the only thing I'd tried that really worked well, and it seemed like he was telling me it was all in my head, while acknowledging that Lotronex worked for me. Go figure. Anyhow, I'm not seeing him again.This is not all in your head. Emotional and mental things can contribute to your problems, but it's not the source of them. I'm definitely more likely to get D if I'm really nervous about something...it's almost inevitable, in fact, if the nervousness is great. But I can be totally relaxed and happy and get D attacks.I have one food I know is always a culprit: ice cream. There are other foods that are usually bad, like anything greasy or with lots of dairy. Some things I seem to be able to tolerate some days and other days I can't. Some foods are pretty safe, but if I'm having a really bad IBS day, it'll still go straight through me. Other foods are almost always safe, like applesauce.IBS is very different for different people, adn we all have different triggers.Gotta wrap this up... try not to let them get to you!
I don't know if you read my recent post (Wanted: Compassionate Dr), but I was recently blown off by my GI specialist, which made me a wee bit upset... to say the least
![]()
Lotronex worked wonders for me. One thing I didn't understand that my dr said was that stress reduction was the only thing I could do, since Lotronex was the only thing I'd tried that really worked well, and it seemed like he was telling me it was all in my head, while acknowledging that Lotronex worked for me. Go figure. Anyhow, I'm not seeing him again.This is not all in your head. Emotional and mental things can contribute to your problems, but it's not the source of them. I'm definitely more likely to get D if I'm really nervous about something...it's almost inevitable, in fact, if the nervousness is great. But I can be totally relaxed and happy and get D attacks.I have one food I know is always a culprit: ice cream. There are other foods that are usually bad, like anything greasy or with lots of dairy. Some things I seem to be able to tolerate some days and other days I can't. Some foods are pretty safe, but if I'm having a really bad IBS day, it'll still go straight through me. Other foods are almost always safe, like applesauce.IBS is very different for different people, adn we all have different triggers.Gotta wrap this up... try not to let them get to you!
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Guest
·atp, if I were you I would ask the doc what he meant. It doesn't sound to me like he was saying it was all in your head? doctors are not always great communicators.tom
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