# My battle with IBS



## chantelala (Sep 6, 2011)

I'm chante i'm 18 and a college student. My roommate thinks I have an eating disorder and more than likely thinks i'm nuts. I was diagnosed with IBS almost four years ago after seeing five doctors who told my mother I was attention-seeking and that seeing a therapist is what I need. I suffer from constipation most of the time with bouts of diarrhea I also have abdominal pain, i'm also very tired all the time. I've always had tummy troubles even as a little kid in elementary school. It got really bad in my sophomore year of high school, it got better last year but not its back and wanting revenge. I frequently wake up with the worst sharp pain in my lower stomach. Sometimes the pain is so bad I vomit. This morning the pain were so bad I couldn't get out of bed and missed my morning lecture. I passed out from pain last week in my dorm bathroom and a suite mate found me I tried to explain to her that I have this problem but she thought I passed out from drinking or something. I follow a strict morning routine so I can make it to all my classes; I do not eat before a morning lecture. I stay away from dairy and orange juice. I don't eat after eight pm because I've had a bad experience with being in pain at night. I never finish a whole meal, I pick at my food eating some of it and eating very slowly. I've lost ten pounds with my new "diet" I've given up on certain foods. My roommate is extremely unsympathetic she has commented many times on how I she thinks I stave myself, I was laying in bed this morning curled up in a ball crying and she made it a point to tell me that I could never make it through college laying in the bed crying all the time. I don't have any friends because of this no one seems to understand how bad this is. My mom has crohn's disease so she is sympathetic and tries to help. My other family members think i'm making this up and have alienated me from their events and they make it a point to say "if you going to be sick then don't come." The only relief i've found is peppermint oil capsules and those work sometimes. I can't deny that IBS has depressed me because it has, the things I used to love I don't do anymore. I wish I was normal. That's my battle with IBS its ruining my life.


----------



## Sas85 (Sep 5, 2011)

hey  Have you tried Buscopan or Mebervine tablets to help ease the sysmptoms both can be obtained through a doc (or buscopan over the counter at pharmacy)? they help a lot with my sysmptoms and if the pain is that bad that you pass out i would go back to the doctors and hound them until they assist....at the end of the day you understand how your own body works and feels better then them.I am 26 and have IBS for most of my life when i was little i was told it was all in my head and that is what most people believed it was only when i was 19 that a doc told me i had this and even then i was given no help







its only now where its got to a point where its getting extremley hard to cope with that i am researching every where for help!i am currently with a therapist as i stuggle with my thoughts around IBS and have realised my thoughts have a huge impact







try to look forward and never behind........these incidents and bad times have happened but they may not happen tomorrow or for the next few hours







i have started writing down my good days or good events to remind me that its not all bad all the time as i only see the bad times! Also for myself i also avoided foods before events but found it made me worse when i did eat and made me poorly, even if you eat something small like toast its better then nothing and one last thing.....we are normal! everyone else is just werid lol


----------



## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Go see your Resident Assistant for your Dorm. Tell her/him the problems you are having with your roomate. Seek help from a MH professional on campus if you need it. Nothing to be ashamed about.Tell your RA this as well:


> I was laying in bed this morning curled up in a ball crying and she made it a point to tell me that I could never make it through college laying in the bed crying all the time.


In a way she is right... you _can't_ lay in bed all of the time you must attend class! And crying will only make you feel worse. It certainly sounds like you _are_ depressed. Seek help hon... and the sooner the better.


----------



## lee45 (Sep 19, 2011)

hi i been diagonsed with ibs ibd for the last two years im 45 and life is constantly a challenge i would defitnely go and speak to someone about your other room buddy. I think there a lot of people who dont understand our situation or what it is like to live with this crippling illness. some days i can barely get out of bed i have threatened to live permanently in the bathroom but hey we are all in this together and thank god for this site. Take care and ever if ever need to talk im here


----------

