# My IBS-D and Me :)



## Rachel Anderson (Mar 23, 2016)

Hi Everyone! I'm a 28 y/o female living in MN. I was diagnosed with IBS when I was 19, and I have been put through the ringer with my digestive health.

My first hospital/ER visit was just short of my 20th birthday. I had intense pain and discomfort in my low right quadrant of my abdomen and was told I needed a CT, which of course found nothing. I was told it was likely IBS and to eat more fiber. Over the next few years it morphed into a debilitating issue. I had test after test, was misdiagnosed with Crohn's disease, and started to see a new doctor. He had a HIDA scan done and discovered my gallbladder had failed.

9 months after the removal I was right back to my old digestive upset- diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, intense abdominal pain, unrelenting urgency to go, etc. In October of 2011 I was taken to the ER by a friend after vomiting blood for several hours and found out I have Celiac disease on top of my IBS-D. From there forward it was a constant battle with my gut. For those of you who also have Celiac you know that it can take forever to figure out your new lifestyle, and even longer to feel better.

Several times I have had employers give me the, "You use the bathroom too frequently" shpiel. Thankfully I decided to become a special ed teacher and started grad school in 2010, so I new about ADA.

Within the last school year my IBS-D has started to raise its ugly head again. I have missed days of work, been back to my specialist, and even considered how to find spare $300+ to afford a medication. After another scope my doctor has determined it's all stress related. Let's just say being a SpEd teacher is not a tiptoe through the daisies.

I'm here hoping to find others who *get it*. My boyfriend is pretty fantastic, and so is my dad. However, I don't always want to tell my loved ones about what I go through when they have their own things going on. Few people are sympathetic to IBS-D and Celiac because outwardly I do not look sick. Currently I run 2-4 miles every other day and horseback ride at least twice a week to help manage the stress. I also do yoga a few times a week. Other than a baby spare tire (which was a RELIEF to finally put on some healthy weight) I appear relatively healthy. But people don't see the exhaustion, the tearing pain, or the anxiety that comes with wondering if the food I ate just fine two weeks ago will make me sick.

Hoping to make some new connections and support others as well!


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