# It's ruining my life



## Katarzyna Quinn (Mar 16, 2014)

My IBS first started in the middle of an exam so I had to rush out of it due to nearly having an accident. Ever since then my IBS has gotten progressively worse. I'm 18 and having IBS has stopped me from doing normal things that girls my age should be doing. In the early stages I would miss social events due to the sheer anxiety of suddenly needing to go to the toilet and being embarrassed at spending way too much time on the toilet. It's gotten even worse as now I have missed days of school due to either rushing home from the bus stop or the worry of having an accident on my hour bus journey to sixth-form. I envy the days when I never had intense stomach cramps or didn't use the school toilets because I have a fear of public loos and people hearing me on the toilet but now because of this condition I have no choice but to use it frequently. The psychological effect this condition has on me is overbearing as I can't last a whole lesson without leaving class and I am also nervous that my fellow classmates are judging me because I go off for a long period of time.

I have been to the doctors a lot in the past year and blood tests have shown nothing wrong and after various tablets and medicines nothing seems to be working. They haven't actually said it is IBS but that it could be. I'm wondering if I should seek other doctors as I am worried it could be something a lot worse. The fact that I wake up everyday feeling ill and that I constantly worry about needing the toilet is unsettling as I should be planning for university but how can I think about that when I can barely leave my house.

I have no one to talk to as people around me don't truly understand what I am going through and how I am feeling. Just hope I can find someone to talk to because this condition has isolated me so much and I really feel like I am all alone.


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## Belle142 (Mar 15, 2014)

Hi,

We sound very similar! I barely leave the house now as I am usually either running in and out of the loo all day, too uncomfortable to contemplate going out, or/and am terrified of having an accident.

Does this only happen on sixth form days? My whole family have IBS, and my brother's has always been school related. He too could barely make it to the bus stop some days, and if he did get to school, then he would usually end up coming back home because it had got worse. For my brother, the thing that changed his life was that he joined a band. They were all very nice adults, and it just served as a distraction and something to look forward to. Although I know during exam time and the busy years of sixth form, having an activity to go to every evening just would not be possible.

Probably a stupid question, but have you tried experimenting with your diet? It has made a slight difference with me, still far from enough though. But I guess it is different for everybody, and everything is worth a try.

In regards to going to University, I think that I would push your doctor to refer you for counselling to try and help the fear of being ill in public, and try and learn to relaxation techniques. My IBS only started in sixth form, and only really affected my morning's and deadline and concert weeks in Uni, so I was lucky. It is only since finishing University that it has become unbearable. I know that you have to pick Universities by their courses, but maybe if there was one close to home then that would help? Or find a halls near to your Uni, mine was only a 5 min walk away so I could easily just head back when it came on worse. I didn't know why I was unwell at the time, I always just put it down to stress, and I didn't find that anybody, students or staff really understood. But I also had friends who knew that they had IBS, and the staff were all informed, and they were really understanding. If I ever missed a lecture or had to leave early because of it, I just used to email the lecturer after, and they just sent me the rest of the notes I had missed so that I could catch up. So it is possible to work through it. There are counsellors at University too, so I am sure that they would try their best to help you.

I hope your exams go well.

Best wishes


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## Martina Gorsic (Mar 16, 2014)

Hello!

I have the same problem. I desperately need help for curing IBS. I can't do anything outdoors if there's no loo near. I can go to school normally, but on my way (i go on foot) I'm thinking about how my stomach hurts and i get a little panic attacks but I get in school without accidents (luckily.) When I'm in school, I need to go to loo often. I'm so lost in this situation and I'm losing my selfconfidence. I wanna go to college and get my drivers licence, but I won't be able to do so if I have to handle IBS all the time. I went to Doc but the only thing she said to me was "relax" and I CAN'T DO THAT by myself.

Any advice? Should I go see a psychiatrist for a talk or something?


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## vicente (Mar 17, 2014)

@Katarzyna and Martina

It seems like your IBS is induced by anxiety/panic attacks? I also have anxiety induced IB-D and it's been going on for 12 years and counting. At the time, I always thought that I ate something wrong and that's why the diarrhea. Slowly, I started realizing that worry and anxiety were triggering it. Before this IBS condition, I never viewed myself as anxious or nervous person, which is why it was incredibly puzzling to me that it was my anxiety that got my IBS-D going. In fact, at the beginning I refused to believe it was anxiety, I kept ruling out foods that I had eaten. The thing that really pointed to anxiety is having to go without eating any foods. That said, there are some foods that if combined with my anxiety exacerbate my IBS-D. In my case, dairy products, apples, raw vegetables, so I stay away from these.

After finally realizing that the root of the problem was anxiety, I started reading all these relaxation books to no avail. So now, my next step is to try hypnotherapy. I suggest seeing a hypnotherapist or cognitive behavioral therapist. I haven't started therapy but I heard it does wonders. Also, try IBS 100, I am about to buy this program as I read many in this forum say that IBS 100 by Michael Mahoney works... and it's relatively inexpensive.

Hope this helps.


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## Martina Gorsic (Mar 16, 2014)

@vicente

Hello, thanks for your advice


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## roothead1 (Feb 23, 2014)

When I was in high school I had that same exact problem. I missed the bus 3 out of 5 days a week probably. Honostly for me, nothing really worked either then. I'd take deep breaths and tell myself I'll be okay, but that didn't work really, I guess some fears are just stronger than your will to not wanna go to the bathroom, so it's not like you can magically put mind over matter. You should talk to a teacher at your school you can confide in and just have an honost conversation about it. Maybe if there is a private bathroom in like a teacher's lounge or something they'll let you use it? Good luck to you, and I hope you find something thay works.


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## Katarzyna Quinn (Mar 16, 2014)

Thank you very much for your advice


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