# At a loss



## DL43 (Aug 6, 2009)

Hi I just joined this site today. I've read lots of similar stories and so glad I'm not alone. I'm a 16yr old girl and IBS has really affected my first two years of high school. My freshman year around August '07 I played soccer and a month later I could barely run (I've played soccer for 9 years so I was really confused as to why). As the year went on I constantly had to visit the nurses office or get sent home because I couldn't focus and had incredible stomach pain. I went to a GI and they did everything from putting me on pills to doing an endoscopy and many blood tests. They diagnosed me with GERD and IBS. My sophmore year I had to stay out of running in PE because it made the stomach problems appear. I went almost all year without serious problems while on Prevacid until April of this year. It was that time of the month and cramps brought on the worst IBS-D. Then suddenly my GERD symptoms came back too. It was the worst way to end my year because when it came time to take finals I could barely sit for 5 minutes. And the test scores didn't come out good. I absolutely hate getting bad grades when I know I can do better. This summer my GERD hasn't been terrible, but my IBS keeps going away and coming back ESPECIALLY during my period. I get so angry and honestly, depressed everytime my symptoms come up because it prevents me from doing sports and other activities. I have school starting Monday and I love going but I hate when I always have to go to the bathroom and feeling so uncomfortable during class. I *wish* I could be homeschooled but I think I'd be even more sad without my friends. I've taken tons of medications like Imodium, tums, mylanta, and even generic brands of acid blockers. I'm just fed up and don't want to do anything anymore which is not how it should be. Will they ever find a cure?


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## DL43 (Aug 6, 2009)

Oh and truly, I think IBS should count as disabled/handicap in some sort of way... Whenever I have to leave somewhere because of an attack I hate the long walks to my car. I always think I won't make it.


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## LittleOne89 (Aug 7, 2009)

I second the disability comment. Just today, I had to leave work early because I got my period and my period is always SOOOOOO much worse because of my IBS. I didn't realize I had started since it was my first day, so I spent the whole day trying to calm myself down, trying to keep my mind off my stomach, trying to think about 1) what I could have eaten that would upset my stomach. 2) any changes or stresses that would make my IBS perk up. and any excuses I came up with were poor to none. Then when I was able to leave early, I went to the bathroom and realized why my stomach was acting up. I'm hoping I don't have to call out of work tomorrow...I really wish IBS could be counted as a disability. I love working, so I would always still work for as long as I can, but if I was living on my own, or had more financial responsibilities like a child or house or something, I honestly wouldn't be able to survive unless I get a VERY well paying job lol I mean, who wants to hire someone who needs extra sick days? or extra 'breaks' to go to the bathroom? So far, it hasn't been too bad for me on my current job, but I can't even imagine how things would be if my IBS was as bad now as it was years ago when I was still in school. I do hope your symptoms let up a little on you, especially once you get closer to graduating. Who knows, maybe someone will find the perfect cure and we'll all be saved







Anything's possible.


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## DL43 (Aug 6, 2009)

Yeah that's exactly how I felt once I started. And I love going to school. I mean at this age school work isn't exactly the favorite part of my life, but I couldn't see my life any other way without it! Skipping school days is horrible because of having to make up missed assignments/tests. And thanks, I hope we find a cure that let's all of us continue with our normal lives without these complications. But for now, thanks to all of the other users too;a lot of your posts help with ways to at least improve my symptoms and give me comfort knowing we all support eachother


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## M&M (Jan 20, 2002)

If your IBS seems mainly to be triggered by the hormone changes surrounding your period, trying to control your hormones might end up helping your IBS. Just a thought, and could be something to bring up with your doctor. Sometimes, a birth control pill will help women with their symptoms, and sometimes they do nothing, or make symptoms worse. Just an idea - you could discuss the pros and cons of it with your doctor.


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## DL43 (Aug 6, 2009)

I had one more question to throw out there, I don't know if it's even related but...Do any of you that have IBS or GERD get depressed? It just seems like sometimes I have a simple bad day that turns into a terrible one and I get extremely angry and/or sad and feel really down.Sometimes it's random little things that cause it and sometimes it's over having bad days related to IBS problems. So I was just wondering if it's normal or not.


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## Geethika (Nov 13, 2009)

I have never faced the symptoms of IBS, but I know its pain. It is really a horrible and worse condition. In my option it is better to go with naturo theraphy, rather then other medicines.


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