# Living with my IBS



## JaiZo (Mar 1, 2012)

Hello everybody,I just joined this community in the hope that I could speak with other people like myself who suffer from IBS.I read a few other posts and I have a similar case of this horrible disorder and like many people are aware, it can be extremely life-restricting.I was diagnosed with IBS about three years ago when I was in my senior year of high school. The onset of the symptoms was very acute; it was after eating at a Japanese restaurant(on my birthday as well, to make it worse), and I had diarrhea, which I thought was just another regular case of a virus or some sort of bad reaction to greasy food. Little did I know that almost every day after that I was going to be in pain, having diarrhea after even having 2 pieces of toast in the morning, or being constipated for days at a time.The first year was terrible for me because I would wake up, eat, and attempt to go to school as I normally would but I would reach the train station or even be already on the train and get the urge that I needed to use the bathroom. This was very often for me, and going through this has left a pretty bad scar on me.More recently, I have a control over the diarrhea, with the help of Imodium. Several doctors that I have been to have told me that taking Imodium regularly was my best shot for controlling symptoms of diarrhea that I might get, so now I'm somewhat dependent on it to get around. Before I leave the house for the first time in the morning to go anywhere I will take half a dose or so, even if I haven't had diarrhea yet. Sometimes, the fear of having diarrhea when I'm out somewhere is terrible.I can't take trains or buses anymore because I now get panic attacks. No matter how great I feel before I get on a bus or train, a few stops into my ride I will start to panic, and start thinking "what happens if I suddenly need to go to a bathroom and I am in the middle of a stop?" The thought of this makes me panic, and I will trick myself into thinking that I need to go to the bathroom. Although this could be all in my head due to pure fear, the feeling is definitely something I do not wish to put myself through ever again.I'm still able to go to the store, hang out with my friends (sometimes, not always), and simply do things that I need to get done to live, but I no longer have the ability to physically go to college without a car, or go out to eat. A girl that I like and would like to start dating soon lives somewhat far (far enough that I would need to borrow a car, which isn't always available to me). I'm lucky enough that I have a job that doesn't require much physical activity and stress, and what's even luckier is that it is a 30 second walk from my home, and I also belong to a gym that is around the corner from me, so I don't have to travel. Although I would LOVE to travel.I spend a lot of time imagining what my life would be like if I had never got this syndrome, but I am still grateful for what I can still do and enjoy. I'm _not_ a depressed person, or suicidal. I am indeed happy with my life (although it could be better), and I'm always working on ways to try to make myself feel better. Right now I'm trying a more fruits and vegetables, generally healthier diet and all that and taking Imodium daily, which, by the way, I HIGHLY recommend if anyone needs relief for diarrhea. It is a great product. It makes me feel better within a half hour of taking it. I'm also going on a daily probiotic pretty soon, which I'm hoping will have a positive effect on me.Best of luck to you all and I hope I can continue to read your stories and try to talk to and help you all out, and vice-versa.--JaiZo


----------



## kmkimball88 (Feb 23, 2012)

JaiZo said:


> Hello everybody,I just joined this community in the hope that I could speak with other people like myself who suffer from IBS.I read a few other posts and I have a similar case of this horrible disorder and like many people are aware, it can be extremely life-restricting.I was diagnosed with IBS about three years ago when I was in my senior year of high school. The onset of the symptoms was very acute; it was after eating at a Japanese restaurant(on my birthday as well, to make it worse), and I had diarrhea, which I thought was just another regular case of a virus or some sort of bad reaction to greasy food. Little did I know that almost every day after that I was going to be in pain, having diarrhea after even having 2 pieces of toast in the morning, or being constipated for days at a time.The first year was terrible for me because I would wake up, eat, and attempt to go to school as I normally would but I would reach the train station or even be already on the train and get the urge that I needed to use the bathroom. This was very often for me, and going through this has left a pretty bad scar on me.More recently, I have a control over the diarrhea, with the help of Imodium. Several doctors that I have been to have told me that taking Imodium regularly was my best shot for controlling symptoms of diarrhea that I might get, so now I'm somewhat dependent on it to get around. Before I leave the house for the first time in the morning to go anywhere I will take half a dose or so, even if I haven't had diarrhea yet. Sometimes, the fear of having diarrhea when I'm out somewhere is terrible.I can't take trains or buses anymore because I now get panic attacks. No matter how great I feel before I get on a bus or train, a few stops into my ride I will start to panic, and start thinking "what happens if I suddenly need to go to a bathroom and I am in the middle of a stop?" The thought of this makes me panic, and I will trick myself into thinking that I need to go to the bathroom. Although this could be all in my head due to pure fear, the feeling is definitely something I do not wish to put myself through ever again.I'm still able to go to the store, hang out with my friends (sometimes, not always), and simply do things that I need to get done to live, but I no longer have the ability to physically go to college without a car, or go out to eat. A girl that I like and would like to start dating soon lives somewhat far (far enough that I would need to borrow a car, which isn't always available to me). I'm lucky enough that I have a job that doesn't require much physical activity and stress, and what's even luckier is that it is a 30 second walk from my home, and I also belong to a gym that is around the corner from me, so I don't have to travel. Although I would LOVE to travel.I spend a lot of time imagining what my life would be like if I had never got this syndrome, but I am still grateful for what I can still do and enjoy. I'm _not_ a depressed person, or suicidal. I am indeed happy with my life (although it could be better), and I'm always working on ways to try to make myself feel better. Right now I'm trying a more fruits and vegetables, generally healthier diet and all that and taking Imodium daily, which, by the way, I HIGHLY recommend if anyone needs relief for diarrhea. It is a great product. It makes me feel better within a half hour of taking it. I'm also going on a daily probiotic pretty soon, which I'm hoping will have a positive effect on me.Best of luck to you all and I hope I can continue to read your stories and try to talk to and help you all out, and vice-versa.--JaiZo


sorry to hear about your suffering. i have a similar story. my ibs-d began after a bad salad in new york city back in november. i too had the same symptoms and thought it would go away. now, here i am almost 4 months later with diarrhea all day, every day. went to numerous doctors and have tried medications that haven't helped. i am now searching for more natural treatments and finding useful information on this site. like you, i have a history or anxiety and panic attacks. prior to the ibs, i had been able to control my anxiety for the past few years through exercise. i know anxiety makes ibs worse, and after not knowing what was wrong with me, i decided to try lexapro. though the anxiety is down, i still suffer. its impacted my life with my family and friends. i used to be very social and now i find that i'd rather stay home. i have a 2yr old son, and find it difficult sometimes to be out with him in public, because i always need to find a bathroom. i started to go to a naturalopath this these past few weeks to help with nutrition and acupuncture. not sure if it will help, but i feel more comfortable with him than any other of the doctors i have meet. i also just started taking apple cider vinegar this week. it has helped with some of the bloating and has added more bulk to my stool. i have recently had to take imodium more. it doesn't seem to really help me that much, but maybe i should take it twice a day. now i just need to have the number of bathroom visits decrease. i am trying soluble fiber and aloe vera gel too. hopefully some of these natural remedies will help. maybe you can check into them to see if it can help you.


----------

