[Guest]

As supportive and helpful as these boards are--why do I feel so alone in living/dealing with IBS?Do most of you expereince symptoms EVERYDAY?I never go into any "good" times or "systom-free" times.I no longer seem to be able to keep a job.And why is it no matter what time I get up to get to work (or anywhere) I am in the bathroom about 10 times and I am never sure if I am done.Than I spend several hours bloated, crampy and misearble hoping no one will talk to me at work. Wondering if I can sneak to the bathroom AGAIN without anyone noticing. When I was working -If I got through the day....guess what....it starts all over again the next day.What a TERRIBLE way to live

I also have I.C (bladder disease)that causes urinary frequency (as If I'm not in the bathroom enough already).I guess I am just desperate and you guys are the only people that "I know" understand.I am starting a new job on Thursday and I must say I am not looking forward to it. The prep work before hand, dealing throughout the day and then coming home and hoping that you can make it through just one more day..............(I probably won't last long)Why is it even when I'm not working I have the same problems? When I barely eat anything-same problems.Just so you know I have tried just about every medication. Tried my own version of diet.O.K. I will shut up now-THANKS for letting me vent!

Diane

 

[Marriah]

Diane, please dont feel alone. I know how you feel. I had to quit my last job as a teacher in the 3-year old room at a daycare. I loved it. But I was getting sick with my episodes every single week. Right now, I am employed by my mom (thank god!), but havent been able to work any lately. I feel completely worthless.What does your new job consist of? Do you think you'd be able to have a little 'ibs talk' with your boss? You never know, maybe he/she has ibs too!I hope everything goes well on thursday, please be sure to give us an update!I'm rootin' for ya!!Marriah

 

[lbtweetie]

I have been in my company for 10 years and I have been sick all ten of them. This has been the worst year. I was a jury on a high profile murder case here In which I was to decide wheter the man should live our die in San Diego for 4 1/2 months which totally stressed me out. Oh yeah and I got sick during the trial and they talked about me and my Bowels all over court TV and every other station that would listen. After the trial my father got deathly ill. Dealing with him for two months, he passed away the week before Thanksgiving. After all of that I am excepted to just come back to work emotionally okay and physically okay. Of course that is not workinging. I have been completely ill. I started on remicade and it isn't working and I a have been hospitalized twice since the middle of November. What do you do when the doctor said we have given you every medication that we have? That sure gives me a lot of hope.

 

[Guest]

Marriah,Can I come work for your Mom

My new position is Administrative Assistant. So basically I will be working in most departments helping others. Which is going to make it more difficult because I will mostly be with other people as they explain etc....I have thought about telling my boss, however, I am afraid that since I will be working with ALL women, including my boss (Controller)that word will get out to EVERYONE. Now I know that may seem childish but my past experience has led me to be concerned about this. I am scared-I have no money and no other means of support-no pressure there

Ibtweetie-Sorry about your rough times. Why did they tell everyone about your IBS to everyone?

 

[CeCe]

You shouldn't have to serve on jury duty if you have uncontrollable B.M.s. I live in southern California and was able to get a written excuse from my gastroenterologist with no problem whatsoever. The judge accepted it immediately and I was excused.

 

[SunnyOne]

I have problems at work with bathroom runs too. The best thing I have found is to take Advanced Imodium before work and at lunch every day. Then take it anytime during the day if I feel that familiar cramp in my colon. If there is still trouble coming, I take a Lomotil.

 

[Dane3]

Diane,No one without IBS could ever understand the true torture an IBS victim faces everyday. And to explain IBS to people who do not suffer with it is beyond humiliation. You literally have to abandon any sense of self-dignity to be able to withstand the embarrassment you feel while explaining your problem.I am now 46 years old and have been living with IBS for 18 years. The majority of my adult life has been spent keeping myself work-reliable. Because my IBS was worse during my period, I went through a total Hysterectomy so I would miss less time from work. I don�t vacation or travel, I only go out to dinner once in a great while and only close to home. I even have to make my shopping trips on days that I feel OK. I quit a full time job, which I had for 8 years because of IBS. Now I'm working part time because that's all I handle right now. I don't have to be at work until 11am, which works great for me cause most of my problems are in the early morning. Have you tried Immodium? It works great for me except I can't go for a week after. Diane, I know exactly how you feel and I'll be thinking of you tomorrow. Good Luck!

 

[hiprise]

My family never understood why I couldnt keep a job or have a "real" career. I try to explain to them it's like having food poisoning or the stomach flu all the time. But no one understands unless they have IBS too.I got jury duty once and had a doctor write a note so they don't bother me with that anymore. Can you imagine having to get up early and sit there while they go blah, blah, blah?. I mean, thats all you would hear because you would be having visions of a toilet. Not a good juror, I would think.No one understands how much life Ibs robs from you. It takes away your dreams. I really wanted to travel and go out and have fun but I can only do that if I'm willing to do it with pain. I really have no life before 11am.Diane, you have come to the right place to vent. Sometimes we just have to get this off our chests and tell people who know what it REALLY is like to live with IBS.

 

[briland23]

It's so terrible that we all have to go through this. I love my job, teaching, as well. I have had 2 weeks off and during that time I had pretty normal bm's (I'm a C type). I didn't have to take the magnesium or anything. I did stick to my diet though. Since yesterday, the day before I had to go back to work, the cramping and C started up all over again! This morning I am in great fear that I won't be able to go this morning and have to live in bloated pain all day. This life stinks!I know I have to change my job but I love it so much and I paid so much in college tuition that it seems dumb to quit. But I can't live like this. I am making my husband's life and mine miserable. I just don't know how we'll make it if I take such a pay cut and work somewhere part time. We just bought a house. At least we are all together in this. We are not worthless because we can't work like other people. Ufortunately, our bodies are dictating our lives right now. But I am determined to change that somehow.Good Luck to Everyone.

 

[newlearner]

I will be going back to my teaching job on monday and have no sick days left. I take 3 immodium at breakfast 2-3 before lunch and 2 with dinner. That makes my bm's easier to regulate. The only problem I have is when I get severe gas pains and have to run to the restroom to release it. Also many days I am totally exhausted from ibs, diabetes and other problems. I think my urinary problems are the worst now..even with detrol la I have to go every hour and 2-3 times during the night. Now that my husband is unemployed I must go to work every single day because being docked a days pay is really alot of money. I pity all of us who suffer from this disease...it makes all aspects of life much harder. I can't get in to see the gastro doctor until February 20th and he won't prescribe lotronex over the phone (although he knows I took it before and it helped enormously.)

 

[valtaya]

I am sooooo glad that i have found this site. i just wish it was for different circumstances... i have felt so alone for ages now.. ive been a sufferer for 3 years but its felt like a lifetime. i thought i was being silly and a coward for giving up my job but now i see thst quite alot of other people did it too... i just cudnt cope with it at work... for 2 years i had a attack eveyday.. about 7 times a day.. nothing i did worked to stop it, even not eating anything - infact that made it worse!!! i had lots of blood tests for all kinds of things at the doctors but they was quite useless... in the end i found a product called colpermin which is just peppermint with pain killer and within a week i was fine.. now i just have attacks every so often but is getting more frequent again. Im so glad there r people who understand. now i just dont feel quite so alone...

 

[valtaya]

oh i forgot to say.. just b4 a attact do any of u get really hot and have slight tingly feeling in ur skin for a few seconds? usuallyy wen u r out of thhe house? or is that just me?

 

[vogue777]

Yea, I have similar sensations... I think it's panic. Not sure though...ben

 

[vogue777]

Valtaya,I forgot to ask.. have you tried fiber?

ben

 

[SLBEL3]

I had to quit my job as an EMT on an ambulance. It's near impossible to get to a bathroom when you are saving a life, or transporting a patient to the hospital, or out at the scene of an accident, or on the way to get a patient, etc, etc,etc. There are no bathrooms to run to at an accident site, there are also no bathrooms in the ambulance, and you cannot stop for a bathroom on the way to or from picking up a patient.So there was no way I could continue to work. I have gotten to the point that I am lucky if I can leave my house, the bumps in the road (I live on a private road that I own part of and it's dirt) cause me to have an attack. I am the second house on the road and lots of times I have to pull into my neighbors driveway and turn around to come back to my driveway and run into the house for the toilet. It's really aggrivating to own a house at a lake and own a boat and while your hubby and children are out living it up zooming around the lake or fishing and here I am sitting home feeling sorry for myself sitting on the toilet. We actually put our camping portable toilet on the boat for attacks but the days that I am doubled over in pain are not fun to be driving on the lake going about 50mph in the boat over waves from other boats or even from just fact that you are zooming around bumping around in the boat causes more and more pain. If it weren't for the extreme pain I am always in from the IBS in my abdomen I could really have a lot of fun, all I need is a toilet, and that we have, but the pain is too much to bear.So yes, I can relate to no work, no life, no fun.

 

[alongtin]

Come February, I will have been out of a job for a year. I had to quit a great job (my first REAL job) in the marketing and public relations department for a hospital. It was absolutely devastating to come to that conclusion, but I could no longer function as a normal human being. And yes, I used to have symptoms EVERY DAY, ALL DAY LONG. Only a combination of fiber, anti-anxiety medication and daily exercise have lessened my symptoms. I now have symptoms 2 or 3 times a week instead.And yes, I feel alone. I feel as if I'm the only human being in the whole world like this. It makes me feel like an absolute failure. I feel utterly useless. But things are getting slightly better. Exercise has helped me stave off depression, which is wonderful.Good luck to all!Amy

 

[Brendy]

I too had to quit a few jobs until I quit my last job almost 7 years ago. I am almost 57 years old come March. The IBS is bad enough without the politics and pressure that people go out of their way to put on you in the workplace. This week I had an especially bad week as I was in a bit of an car accident last Sunday, a young kid backed into my drivers door. Now I need the whole driver's door replaced. I think it put me in shock somewhat as I started shaking really bad afterwards, though I have a tremor of my L-hand anyway. Anyway, with going for estimates on the door and letting the kids father figure out if he could just pay for the damages outright for his son, but it was too costly, so now his insurance is going to pay for it, etc, etc. On top of that I had every appointment know to man this week, doctors for my feet, vets for my pets. Then my husbands uncle passed away and I was going to go to the wake this afternoon but I couldn't get off the toilet! Also, heartburn really bad this week. I am trying to sort out my diet again but I couldn't sort it out in time so I stayed home and cooked a low-fat meal and just played my piano or went on the internet and called a friend and I am starting to feel much better now. But, we all know it isn't gone for good, it always returns. But I had to have time out to get relief from my D and bad cramping. Everybody missed me. Don't know if my husband said it was my stomach problems again. So I know how you all feel too. I wish we could break out of this type of jail.Brenda

 

[Marriah]

Diane, sorry, I would have posted this sooner, but as usual, I forgot I even posted on this thread the first time.

I just wanted to know hows work going? How was your first day?Someone else asked this, but have you tried fiber yet? Would you be a candidate for Lotronex?Sure you can come work for my mom! Maybe between the both of us we could at least add up to a full time employee, lol.please let me know how youre doing, thinking of you, marriah