I realized that I come to this forum to try and help people, since my IBS is pretty much a slam dunk with medications, but that I have focused primarily on our friend Volatile. He seemed to need so much help, while at the same time offering up so many opportunities for a bit of humor. Or, as one person said about a friend "the man is smoother than a bowling ball, and the jokes just roll right off him".I want Volatile to get well, but know that if he does go to a therapist, I will miss the dear fellow and his stomach, that is evidently bloated to the size of a small killer whale. Gay Guys in his dorm don't play spin the bottle, they just spin Volatile on his tummy!Volatile has brought out the wonderful giving of this forum. People truly try to help each other if they can. THere is something special about Volatile that has brought out a lot of responses, perhaps because his problem isn't horrifying (I really have no answer to someone who is defecating blood, worms, and mucus that bites!). Good luck to you Volatile. Thanks for being a rallying point for people. I suspect you did a lot of good by being here, since there are probably a lot of lurkers who learned a great deal from all the suggestions given to you. I hope everyone contemplates that thought. Say "Hey" to your new therapist from me. If you actually have the new Aspergum disease, I hope you get resolution. Now I must cough myself to sleep. The common cold is one of those maladies that must simply be lived through, sort of like IBS in a sense.