# I'm new and scared



## RnbwConnection78 (Nov 8, 2001)

Hi everyone,For the past few days I've just been lurking to try to find out some information. I am 19 and I am pretty sure that I have IBS. I've had the symptoms off and on for about 3 years and lately they've been getting worse. I always just wrote it off as stress and ignored it. Now I am spending nights up all night sometimes from the pain. I am really scared to have any of the tests done and I really don't know how they diagnose this. I could really use some people to talk to...especially if you are up late online because if I have an attack that's usually where I end up.Thanks,TeresaRnbwConnection78###aol.com


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## kinetic (Oct 19, 2001)

Hi Teresa~first off.... welcome to the buletin board =)if you've had the symptoms for 3 years and haven't seen a doctor for the tests yet, it's probably a good idea to do that asap... while it might not be the most pleasant thing... the tests aren't that bad... the only one I can't stand is all the blood tests they did on me... i HATE needles... but even so, that's not bad... the important thing is, by having those tests done, you rule out a lot of things which could require treatment, and could actually endanger you by not knowing... or even other complications to IBS that might be able to be taken care of and give you some relief... for example, I had gall stones as well, and had surgery to have my gall bladder removed... that got rid of some of the extreme pain i was having, and I probably had had that problem for a year or 2 before they diagnosed it... also they told me I might have chronic appendicitis (which hasn't been confirmed) because there was scar tissue on my appendix, which was indicative of possible appendicitis attacks... with chronic appendicitis it doesn't have to be removed, but it's another source of pain... basically you need to find out if there are any other reasons besides IBS for your pain and discomfort, and whatever other symptoms you have.it is also important to not stress out or get depressed because the tests all come back "normal"... yes that means they can't tell you exactly for sure what's causing your problems, but if you already assume it's IBS... don't worry about not having anything they're checking for... in some cases you REALLY don't want to have what they're looking for







basically IBS is diagnosed by doing extensive thorough testing to rule out any other possibility... if all the tests come back normal... you have IBS =P (fun stuff huh?) you could have some come back with minor results... I think gall stones are somewhat common with people who have IBS... as well as forms of malabsorbtion, where your body doesn't digest certain things like fat (which mine doesn't)... I'm not sure what other problems are common... by common i don't mean a ton of people, but there seem to be more than a few anyway...as for people being up late... well i sometimes am... I used to be up all night all the time, but I started a new job and work mornings, so I sleep more at night... but still have a tendency to wake up at 2:45am practically every day... which means if I wanna sleep i gotta go to bed by like 7 or 8... oh well... but post any questions or concerns you have on here, and you usually get a response fairly quickly... anyway, I hope that helps you out some, and hope you feel better soon!


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## lindsay* (Jul 23, 2000)

hi theresa,like kinetic said.. the tests arent too bad. i think the prep for them is the worse part. i think i've had about all of them so if you have any questions about testing post them and someone will respond. my tests kept coming back either showing inflamation or nothing at all. eventually we figured out that it wasnt crohn's. ibs was the diagnosis they gave me. sometimes they just dont know and ibs tends to be the catch-all.i also have aol-prajna18orshegivesspeeches


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## RnbwConnection78 (Nov 8, 2001)

I've done a lot of research and I've also kept a food diary for the past few weeks. It turns out that what I injest is completely wrong for this problem. Wednesday afternoon I went to the store and bought some high fiber foods and bottled water. I was living off of things like french fries and soda if I drank at all. I also do not eat veggies of any kind and I know that is bad. But for the past two days I have drank 8 glasses of water and got my daily dose of fiber and last night was the first night in weeks that I went through with no pain! Before I go to see a doctor, I want to see if it is my diet causing these problems. When I was younger and eating more at home I didn't have them nearly as often because my mom more or less picked our meals, but now that I am older I eat whatever I want and I think that is a problem. Teresa


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## atp (Jan 18, 2001)

Hey linds, this explains why I hadn't seen you on AIM in ages... I dropped a letter from your name when I started using a new SN and was building my new buddy list. I'll say hi next time I see you.And Rainbow I'm up late and online late a lot. I added you to my buddy list and I'll say hi when I see you. You can also check out the chat room on the chance that someone is there at that time...there are a few of us in there right now.Greasy foods are a big problem for me, and eating what is right for you will help your system in many ways. If you have IBS, diet can affect it. I had gradually worsening diarrhea attacks for years before they got really bad and I finally saw a dr about it... and the specialist kind of chastised me for waiting so long to come in, and for putting off going to the dr about the D for a few more years after I figured out that I was lactose intolerant. Reducing dairy and taking lactaid helped, but I still had IBS.


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