# Introduction



## LucyBug (Sep 18, 2010)

I'm re-posting the majority of this from the IBS-D intro I did a few days ago.Some info about me:I'm a 26 yr old female, working full time and going to school for my masters (MBA). I have a loving boyfriend and we are in the process of looking for a house together. We have been together for over 4 years and have no time together with our schedules & not living together. He also works full time and goes to school. I *used to* love to cook, but have no time for it now. My boyfriend has a little more free time than me, so he has become the master chef. I also love art and all things creative and hope to have my own small business doing something that helps others someday soon.Info about my IBS:From the beginning - I believe that my IBS was brought on by the eating disorder I had for about 6 years from the age of 16 to about 22. I was bulimic. It first started with just throwing up after ice cream, then after I felt like I ate too much, then I would binge & purge. I eventually started using laxatives & I regret that so much! I remember using up to 5 Ex-Lax after binging. I also used to do the crazy cleanses that can be beneficial, but not the way I did them. I finally got help from a really good therapist at my college and slowly recovered. My boyfriend at the time and I went through ups & downs and eventually a very drawn-out breakup which kind of sent me out of control and back into relapse & I also started drinking a lot more, which probably didn't help the digestive issues. I can't really remember when my IBS started, but my earliest memory of having an attack (D) was when I was about 21. That was when I was out of control. (On a side note, when I was with the xbf, we used to smoke MJ a lot & I haven't touched the stuff in about 5 years. I have read some research about it helping with intestinal spasms associated with IBS, s I wonder if I didn't have symptoms before because I was using MJ?)I still drink socially now (nothing like 5 yrs ago) and I try to really watch what I eat & exercise when I can. Over the past 2 years I have noted that IBS-D has been happening about 1-4 times per week, and it doesn't really seem to matter what I eat. I can tell that stress plays a role most of th time, but sometimes it seems to just happen-stressed or not! This week I have had 2 IBS-D episodes, 1 at work on a day that I had class at night, and 1 last night after going out to dinner with my boyfriend, his parents, and my parents. I recently had an abdominal ultrasound to check my gallbladder, which was normal. I also had a blood test for Celiac Disease which was normal. I guess it's good that I don't have a life-threatening problem, but I would also like an answer, I just want it fixed!I hope to get and give a lot of support from this group especially!LB


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