# Living with IBS-A



## gkay95 (Jan 16, 2015)

With every story, there is a beginning. My beginning happened to be a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder and depression when I was 13. Around that time, I began experiencing symptoms of IBS. With my anxiety came diarrhea, constipation, stomach aches, gas and nausea. When my anxiety would decrease, these symptoms would not. Eventually, they became more severe, and at the age of 18, I was diagnosed with IBS-A.

As a teenager dealing with undiagnosed IBS, I was upset, confused, depressed, and conflicted. I didn't know how to tell my friends why I was rushing to the bathroom so often, or why I was so quiet all of a sudden. It was too embarrassing for me to tell them the truth, which is understandable when the audience is a bunch of judgmental teenage girls. Teachers were the absolute worst. In class, I often had to use the bathroom two or three times per period. Eventually, the teachers just think you're skipping out on class and don't let you go.

I have never been the healthiest person. I have dealt with urge incontinence (urinary) for most of my life, and when I was 16, I began experiencing chronic migraines, which runs on my mother's side. In the past year, my anxiety and depression have improved, but my physical illnesses have not. In fact, they have gotten worse.

I am now sensitive to almost all food. I am lucky to get a good meal in without experiencing symptoms afterwards. Some days are better than others, though. Some days, I truly believe I am healthy. But then the next day, I'm back to alternating constipation and diarrhea. The next day, I am back to living in the bathroom and bedroom.

About two years ago, I started to experience abdominal migraines, which are quite literally the worst experiences ever, alongside ordinary migraines (and often the two come hand in hand). They come at night. Sometimes I wake up during them. I experience excruciating stomach pain, my body feels like it's on fire, and I feel like I have to violently throw up and go the bathroom at the same time. They usually only last about ten minutes or so, but they're the absolute worst.

I wish people wouldn't see IBS as something funny or a joke. There is nothing funny about it. It is a chronic illness that debilitates people - millions and millions of people. I'm 19 now, and I've had to quit jobs because of it. It's one of the reasons I'm going to college online and not at a physical school.

I can offer this bit of advice to IBS-sufferers: don't keep your IBS a secret. It's far too exhausting. Others often can't tell you're suffering when you have an invisible illness like this. They can't read your mind or feel how you feel. Your loved ones, whether it be your parents or partner, should know. If they truly love you, they won't laugh. They will want to help. I can promise you that much in this unfair journey.

Thank you.


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## gkay95 (Jan 16, 2015)

I think I'm going to update this story of mine. Recently, I had a horrible IBS flare-up. It wasn't so much the bathroom habits that were acting up, but I had awful cramping that started in my lower left abdomen and spread. I saw my GP and was diagnosed with gastritis after I felt pain from him pressing directly on my stomach. I was given a prescription for omeprazole and went in the next day for a pelvic ultrasound. I have had ovarian cysts in the past, so this is what I suspected it was.

However, the ultrasound came back negative, and I realized that all of this pain was being caused by IBS. Ibuprofen would not help it, nothing. I'm thinking of asking for an anti-spasmodic next time I see my GP. This was the worst my IBS has been in a while, and I was extremely frustrated by it.

I have decided to try and limit FODMAPs in my diet. It hasn't gone well so far; I'm such a foodie and want to eat yummy foods. I don't cook, either, so it's hard to find quick-to-prepare foods that still follow the FODMAP guidelines.

I'm also going to keep taking my fiber supplement and omeprazole until it runs out. I think it's been helping some. Anyways, that's all I really have to say, besides the fact that my IBS has been driving me nuts and making me miserable. I guess I just wanted to share.


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