[Industrial]

Hey,First time poster. I'm a 31 year old male with IBS for at least the last 15 years (wow). Anyways, I'm down because IBS is more common in females and most of the members here seem to be females so I can't really relate. I'm just wondering how many guys are members here. Please let me know if you're out there and what do you do to cope, especially with work and new relationships (with females of course). I'm pretty much just a regular dude with a good career, friends, and family. I've been told easy on the eyes as well and I seem to have alot going for me and I'm very appreciative of my life however this IBS is the absolute most horrible part of my life. So fellow guys...what's up?

 

[FrozenYogurt]

I have not been officially diagnosed but my DR suspects I have IBS and I am a guy.From my understanding it seems there is a hormone with women that can cause it to flare up. But there are guys out there with it too.I think in general women are more prone to circling around a table and talking about their problems, but at this point I am just trying to get some answers!!

 

[Martin21]

Yep. I'm a dude in the same situation. Everything else seems to be going well except for this pain in the *** !Not used to having to deal with stuff like this, but looking for answers too!

 

[Industrial]

Thanks....anyone else?

 

[overitnow]

My D didn't begin until I was in my 40s and then it was constant for 10 years. This seems to be another gift from the tobacco companies. 12 years ago I began taking a supplement for my cardio health which had unexpected anti-inflammatory effects. After a year of recovery, the D improved such that it has been little more than an inconvenience and that is pretty randomized. At this point, I am close enough to normal to consider myself cured, although I know if I stop the supplement for 3-4 weeks, the D will come back.Mark

 

[iknowtheproblem]

Male checking in...18 years old.

 

[Industrial]

Cool. Thanks for the replies. How do you guys deal with it best? Especially with girls or every social situation? Malls? Parks? Road trips? etc...

 

[FrozenYogurt]

Everyones IBS is different. Mine is mild (If I even have it, again, at this point, DR suspects but I have yet to get a colonoscopy to confirm)Mine hits when im stressed or in the mornings. Usually in the morning I awake with pretty intense pain then have to take a huge ###### and the pain is gone, then I am fine the rest of the day. Ive never been out and had to run off to the bathroom. I cant imagine what that would be like =\

 

[iknowtheproblem]

My stomach is really bad in the morning (4-5 bowel movements) so I have to wake up extra early everyday so I can be okay for the remainder of the day. Once the morning is out of the way, everything is usually okay but sometimes I will have a sudden urge to go once more. Luckily I am still able to hold it for a good 10 minutes if I really have to so I haven't had any accidents but it does suck sometimes.

 

[jmc09]

I've had my IBS for abot 20 years,it started at about 23 years of age and Ive still got it now. I had it well managed for about 12 years but the last 6 have been a real problem.I'm a male in his forties with kids. I blame IBS for robbing me of having more kids and not being as involved in their growing up as I should have been.

 

[Endzone]

I'm a 53-year-old male. I've been batteling for about 3 months. There are times when I get really bad D. I've only got about 10 minutes before I know I have to get to a bathroom somewhere. The thing is there are some days when I don't have D at all, but I can feel my bowels churning in my stomach and lower abdomen. I want to give it a couple more months before I even think about seeing a doctor. I know a lot of people wont believe this, but in my case there are attacking demonic spirits that are also involved. I've been under severe attack for the past couple of months. So, I want to give it some time to see what is really going on.

 

[iknowtheproblem]

I'm a 53-year-old male. I've been batteling for about 3 months. There are times when I get really bad D. I've only got about 10 minutes before I know I have to get to a bathroom somewhere. The thing is there are some days when I don't have D at all, but I can feel my bowels churning in my stomach and lower abdomen. I want to give it a couple more months before I even think about seeing a doctor. I know a lot of people wont believe this, but in my case there are attacking demonic spirits that are also involved. I've been under severe attack for the past couple of months. So, I want to give it some time to see what is really going on.

Look I'm not the guy to go around the internet picking fights, but just stop it with that stupid demonic spirits ####. You have a physical problem and no demonic spirits are involved. You're trying to convince yourself that this is caused by some evil spirits to make yourself feel better and deter yourself from that fact that it is in fact the cause of your body not some evil spirits. Just stop..

 

[GoblinBee]

I can sort of see why you attribute your abdominal pains to demonic spirits - with no medical explanation to hand, what else can it be but the devil's handiwork?!I'm another guy with what could be IBS. I've suffered from vague, inconsistent abdominal pains mostly in my right side for about six months now. My mental state was not good during this period, as the first symptoms made me slightly hysterical and fearful, which in turn exacerbated the symptoms. Now that I've had several medical tests, I'm coming round to the idea that no serious disease is present, and this is calming me down somewhat. This forum is also comforting, with its assortment of hypochondriacs and neurotics (I realise I'm not alone).

 

[IPPO]

Another male here, 28 years old.

 

[Slade]

I can sort of see why you attribute your abdominal pains to demonic spirits - with no medical explanation to hand, what else can it be but the devil's handiwork?!I'm another guy with what could be IBS. I've suffered from vague, inconsistent abdominal pains mostly in my right side for about six months now. My mental state was not good during this period, as the first symptoms made me slightly hysterical and fearful, which in turn exacerbated the symptoms. Now that I've had several medical tests, I'm coming round to the idea that no serious disease is present, and this is calming me down somewhat. This forum is also comforting, with its assortment of hypochondriacs and neurotics (I realise I'm not alone).

Yep you're definitely not alone here. I'm 29 y old male and after my first severe out-of-the-blue attack some 3 yrs ago I thought I got Crohn's. I was depressed for more than 6 months and my psychological problems made the bowel problems much worse. Now it settled down a bit but I still get very anxious when I get a sudden bout of D or pain in the lower right side. My GP now suggests colonoscopy but blood tests and body weight are OK and my wife convinced me not to go through it. She said that if the test comes back ok it will only have temporary effect on my anxiety. I believe she's right - for me it's never over till it's over... I'm always in obsession with some kind of unsolvable problem.

 

[On Edge]

53-year-old male here with this problem since 1986. I am not kidding. It has stunted my life in some ways, but I have accomplished a lot in spite of my guts basically being an enemy all these years. Mornings are the worst, but if I give myself time I am usually OK the rest of the day. Travel and stuff like house guests etc. are scary, but I still cope. I am able to run 10-12K a day most days and live a more or less normal life I you ignore the morning sh!tstorms. As for love life, I have been attached the whole time so I have no real concerns, it does not affect my sex life, but I think it would be tough to be dating and so on with this condition.

 

[onyx]

I'm a male, turning 44 in a few weeks, had IBS-D 7 yrs. now. Quite honestly it has rather devastated my social life. I used to be very involved in life. Went out with my friends, dated some lovely women, took classes, traveled, etc. But I have pretty much dropped out of all that since I just couldn't control the urgent D. I have recovered somewhat in recent years in that I don't have the D as often or as bad, but it's still there and I've got all this psychological scarring to deal with now too.It's really different for different people. Some can cope fairly well with it, some like me really struggle. However recently I've kind of decided I just have to go out and live since time is just whizzing by and I can't afford to wait till I get "healed" as that just may never happen. I may not ever be able to live "the life" I wanted to lead before, but perhaps I can live "a life" which is still worth living.

 

[Industrial]

Dude I was the same as you. dropped out of most things. I have been on amitriptyline for 7 years and while it didn't cure me it has helped around 50%. And that amount allowed me to feel good enough to enjoy social situations, dating, and other regular occuring activities. Talk to your doctor...it's worth it.

 

[One Fine Day]

Another male here. aged 37 and I've suffered IBS since my early 20's.It's definitely a big issue for me. In my 20s I was able to pretty much live a 'normal' life including travel, dating and sports and looking back I've done quite a lot with my life. However, in my 30's it has definitely restricted me. For 3 or 4 years I also suffered lower back pain - and it was a difficult period because the suggested cure for the back pain (strengthen your abdominal muscles) would simply trigger a week of IBS pain. Anyway, I have managed to (self) cure my back problems through insoles in my shoes (adjusting for different leg lengths) which was a big break through.The IBS however remains and it is definitely affecting my life. I'm not sure if my symptoms are any worse than they used to be but a bit like it gets more difficult to cope with a hangover as you get older so I sometimes find it more difficult to cope with my IBS symptoms as I'm getting older (my symptoms are often quite similar to being hungover - tiredness, irritated stomach, dehydration etc).It has definitely slowed me down and it has also affected my social life. I am always reluctant to make plans because I don't know whether I will feel well or ill on any particular day + the problems of being unable to eat/drink most things in a social environment. Basically it has knocked my confidence in terms of dating etc - not so much any worry about a date in itself but what in effect I can offer someone in the long term and what they would have to put up with to live with me (very restricted diet, frequent tiredness, frequent ill days, unlikely to be able to cope with both children and a full time job etc).Anyway, I feel at a bit of a crossroads at the moment. Having sorted my back I am simultaneously making a big effort to see if I can work out my IBS symptoms/triggers etc (i.e. the looking for a cure route - I am back at the doctors next week) but also starting to consider how I might go about living with my symptoms for the rest of my life and what kind of life I could lead and enjoy whilst suffering from them.Reading the other posts - it looks like I share similar issues to Onyx. Having to maybe adjust to the fact that the 'normal' life (or pace of life) that I used to live and that I would ideally like to live may not be possible for me. And all the while my Mum is waiting for some grandchildren!

 

[aphex]

Im male. 25.I've had IBS since I was 16. At first it was bad, then it got a bit better, but still heavily effected my social life. For the last 9 years I've just put up with it when it was bad, and then been too busy getting the most out of the good times to continue trying to help myself. I'm at the stage now where I need to sort it out. It's affecting too many things to ignore it anymore. I'm an incredibly adventurous person, or rather I have an extremely adventurous mind, but my body stops me doing a lot. I recently moved to Japan to teach English, and although I wouldn't allow IBS to stop me from doing things like that, it was probably a little naive to start up here before at least getting IBS under control at home in England. I'm just at the start of trying to sort it out. Fingers crossed.