# Hello new friends! Feeling I'm about to just give up here.



## SomeGirl (Jun 30, 2011)

Hi Everyone,My name is Laura and I am 35 years old. For the last year I have had frequent diarrhea. It started last summer when I think I had some sort of bowel infection. The cramping was crippling and the diarrhea lasted for over two weeks. I went to the doctor and they did the normal tests for parasites but found nothing. The doctor gave me a prescription for Cipro, Donnatal for cramping, and Lomotil to slow things down. I was feeling better by the next week but developed a bad case of constipation with led to internal hemorrhoids and something else that I can't recall the name of- basically an inflammation of the skin around "there." That eventually went away, too. Since then I go through spells of diarrhea, bloating, and rarely constipation. I will be the first to admit that my diet is not the healthiest, mostly because fruits and veggies aggravate the D and gas. If i eat a salad 20 minutes later my pants are too tight, and soon after that I need a bathroom. I've been self medicating with Immodium, Kaopectate, the leftover Lomotil and Donnatal, and poppy tea. (Yes, poppy tea is illegal in the USA but it is the only thing that truly works to stop the D, gas, and rumbling. So sue me! I only take it when things are the most severe because I know it is an addictive substance.) Quite honestly, I do not take any medication each time I have D, I do not want my body to get used to it and for it to become ineffective. I am so sick of losing my days to my guts and to anxiety about my guts. If my husband asks me if I want to go on a date, my first thought is "How are my guts acting today?" I feel like I have wasted so much of my life being on guard for rumblings, pressure, or other signs that I will need a toilet soon. I rarely go out because of the fear of not making it to the bathroom in time or the fear that I will be expected to eat something aggravating. After reading about IBS-D, I learned that a lot of other patients are women who deal with depression and anxiety. Well, that's me! The anxiety and the D play off of each other. When I have a lot of anxiety I get D, when I get D I get anxiety. I always thought I just had a nervous stomach. I have been seeing a psychiatrist for many years for depression and anxiety and a psychologist for about 6 months now. I take Lexapro daily, Buspar twice daily, and Klonopin as needed. I have an appointment with my family doctor on 7/22 to get a referral to a gastroenterology clinic. I'm pretty sure I have IBS-D. I don't know what else it could be? Any thoughts? I'm VERY scared about the first appointment with the gastro. What happens on the first appointment? I've been keeping track for the last week of what I eat, how my bowels react, and what meds I take. I'm worried that he will think I'm a hypochondriac. I'm sick of living like this. I'm a very control oriented person and I can't stand being out of control with my body. It's affecting my friendships, my family, my job, my free time. Last night I broke down and cried thinking that this is going to be the rest of my life and that it does not seem worth it. I'm such a mess in so many ways and they all seem related. Depression-anxiety-stomach problems-isolation. I hate it. I really need to know that this will get better.Thanks for listening. I've never told anyone all this before.


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## getfitwithbrett (Jun 29, 2011)

SomeGirl said:


> Hi Everyone,My name is Laura and I am 35 years old. For the last year I have had frequent diarrhea. It started last summer when I think I had some sort of bowel infection. The cramping was crippling and the diarrhea lasted for over two weeks. I went to the doctor and they did the normal tests for parasites but found nothing. The doctor gave me a prescription for Cipro, Donnatal for cramping, and Lomotil to slow things down. I was feeling better by the next week but developed a bad case of constipation with led to internal hemorrhoids and something else that I can't recall the name of- basically an inflammation of the skin around "there." That eventually went away, too. Since then I go through spells of diarrhea, bloating, and rarely constipation. I will be the first to admit that my diet is not the healthiest, mostly because fruits and veggies aggravate the D and gas. If i eat a salad 20 minutes later my pants are too tight, and soon after that I need a bathroom. I've been self medicating with Immodium, Kaopectate, the leftover Lomotil and Donnatal, and poppy tea. (Yes, poppy tea is illegal in the USA but it is the only thing that truly works to stop the D, gas, and rumbling. So sue me! I only take it when things are the most severe because I know it is an addictive substance.) Quite honestly, I do not take any medication each time I have D, I do not want my body to get used to it and for it to become ineffective. I am so sick of losing my days to my guts and to anxiety about my guts. If my husband asks me if I want to go on a date, my first thought is "How are my guts acting today?" I feel like I have wasted so much of my life being on guard for rumblings, pressure, or other signs that I will need a toilet soon. I rarely go out because of the fear of not making it to the bathroom in time or the fear that I will be expected to eat something aggravating. After reading about IBS-D, I learned that a lot of other patients are women who deal with depression and anxiety. Well, that's me! The anxiety and the D play off of each other. When I have a lot of anxiety I get D, when I get D I get anxiety. I always thought I just had a nervous stomach. I have been seeing a psychiatrist for many years for depression and anxiety and a psychologist for about 6 months now. I take Lexapro daily, Buspar twice daily, and Klonopin as needed. I have an appointment with my family doctor on 7/22 to get a referral to a gastroenterology clinic. I'm pretty sure I have IBS-D. I don't know what else it could be? Any thoughts? I'm VERY scared about the first appointment with the gastro. What happens on the first appointment? I've been keeping track for the last week of what I eat, how my bowels react, and what meds I take. I'm worried that he will think I'm a hypochondriac. I'm sick of living like this. I'm a very control oriented person and I can't stand being out of control with my body. It's affecting my friendships, my family, my job, my free time. Last night I broke down and cried thinking that this is going to be the rest of my life and that it does not seem worth it. I'm such a mess in so many ways and they all seem related. Depression-anxiety-stomach problems-isolation. I hate it. I really need to know that this will get better.Thanks for listening. I've never told anyone all this before.


I feel your pain. I have lived with IBS since college. And it can be crippling to deal with. Last year I started a journey of health and fitness and I finally found relief. You might ask your doctor about a supplement that really helped me more than anything. It is called Shakeology. It is an all natural supplement. It can be used for weight management, recovery for athletes and all around wellness. It has goodies in there that helps promote digestion. I took the information to my family doctor and the ingredients first. I gave it a try and just clicked for me. Here is my website for Shakeology. I now help people as a coach for health and fitness. It is something you can forward to your family doc. It also has information on ingredients you can print out. And even a doctor video with doctors talking about the success. Great infowww.myshakeology.com/corsair86I am not a doctor or a nutritionist. I am just a guy that has IBS and found something that worked and I am sharing info with others who want to check it out and try itall my best!Brett


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