# I've had it with this mothaf***ing IBS in my mothaf***ing body!



## nerdygal (Jul 14, 2013)

Hello everyone,

My name is Kate. I'm 24, nearly 25, and I am pretty sure I've had IBS since I was about 12 or so. I remember having "attacks" at school and being afraid to get on the bus in the morning because I was scared I wouldn't be able to get to a bathroom until I got to school. I remember the very first "horrific attack" I had was in the 7th grade. I went on a class trip to Costa Rica, and became so horribly sick the first day I was there that I had to stay in my hotel room for an entire two days, just having terrible diarrhea & cramps. I was sure it was "traveler's diarrhea" but might have been something else. But the pain I was in (squeezy feeling in my lower stomach/intestines) revisited me a year later and generally whenever I traveled somewhere (still to this day) I have TERRIBLE anxiety about having to use the toilet and not being able to access one. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety a few years ago too. Whenever I have to fly somewhere, I am usually in the bathroom beforehand with terrible abdominal pain and loose, squeezy, stools. It's really horrible. Sometimes I worry about missing my flight because I am in the toilet. I have heard IBS is linked to the brain, so I guess that makes sense. But even when my body feels relaxed, I still have spasms and subsequently pain and loose stools. Sometimes (rarely) it is diarrhea and not just loose stools.

The attacks come and go. Mostly loose stools, but also constipation sometimes. It gets REALLY bad right before my period is about to start. And also, I have always had REALLY terrible period cramps. As a teenager, I had to miss school and eventually college classes/work due to such extreme cramps. This made me think I might have endometriosis, but lately the pain hasn't been so bad after switching my BCPs from Loestrin back to Trinessa. I kept telling my doctor that's what was causing the spike in pains in the beginning of 2013 and she didn't believe me. ~___~ but now I feel a bit better so that's good. She did diagnose me with vulvodynia, though, which is why I was thinking I might have endo because of the pain...down there...but it's more of an external pain which is what led her to vulvodynia. I haven't sought treatment for it yet, because getting my IBS under control was a priority for me. I think I have it "under control" but I still have to be VERY careful about what I eat. Even a tiny bit of spicy food or greasy food can cause me to be in pain the next day even if I take my meds. I hate it when servers at restaurants say "it's not really spicy" when I ask if a dish is spicy or not. That would be like telling someone with gluten "it doesn't REALLY have gluten in it!" Well jeez.... I guess they don't know the terrible and horrific effects of IBS, huh? LOL. Back to the period stuff...I am generally more constipated than having D during PMS, which is odd. I am assuming hormones play some role in IBS and its effects. And sometimes when I have an attack and the stool moves so quickly through my GI tract (and so much of it!) I end up being constipated for the next few days because of it.

My mother likely has IBS. My cousin definitely has it, she was diagnosed with it... but my mom has never been diagnosed. And growing up, I always just assumed it was totally "normal" for a person to have to go to the bathroom up to 6 times per day! Because my mom went that much depending on what she ate, so I figured it was probably just normal or maybe my family just had sensitive bowels. Little did I know there was a name for this awful crap that haunted me growing up! And treatments for it! And people just like me who suffer in the same ways.... Doctors always told me as I was a kid growing up--literally--that it was "All in your head." Well that sucked for me, because I never got treatment, though it appears as though little is known about IBS compared to other things....but it seems like scientific studies are increasing in number, which is good to see.

Also I am debating telling my boss at work because I have been in situations where I have to skip the first hour of work due to bowel attacks, and once I have a BM, I am feeling better and am able to go into work, but then he questions if I am really "healthy" enough to work and if I am "contagious" or not....well the thing is, if he knew about my IBS, he would understand I can't get anyone else at work sick. It's not transmittable. And as long as I have emptied out for the day, I generally won't have another attack! It's very rare, actually. So yeah...he seems to be pretty understanding and actually concerned for my health, which is nice. Not all bosses are like that, I suppose.

It did make me so paranoid that I'd be sick during a meeting at work (always the morning meetings too, ugh) so I stopped eat breakfast AND lunch which sucks because now I am grouchy and hungry at work. Ugh. I think IBS is causing me to have an eating disorder. I went from about 155lbs to around 134lb now, and I actually like being slimmer. (I'm 5'5" for reference.) My blood pressure and cholesterol are much more improved, but I had to effectively eat 800 - 1200 calories per day to get down to this weight, and it was mostly because I was avoiding food due to IBS but now I am worried I am "addicted" to weight loss. It happened to me two summers ago, and I ended up in the hospital. I don't want to repeat that, that's for sure. But eating freaks me out knowing that it may be the cause of an attack later....though peppermint oil has been helping me lately, so I have had way less attacks, whew!

In summation....

*Symptoms:*

- attacks usually occur during the morning

- gets way worse right before period starts along with VERY painful PMS (dysmenorrhea)

- spasms cause stool to move through my tract SO fast that it comes out loose/wet/sticky, and lots of it too even if I didn't eat much days prior

- during an attack, I have to get up to go to the bathroom and have anywhere from 4 - 6 BM's that entire day

- worst case scenario is severe abdominal pain along with "squeezy" feeling

- sometimes attacks are so bad I begin to sweat/break a fever

- pain is 95% of the time relieved by having a BM

- still feels like I need to have a BM though even after relieving myself a ton

*Treatment so far:*

- 1 peppermint oil in the morning when I wake up, 30 mins prior to eating

- 1 prilosec OTC in the morning

- 1 Levsin SL (Hyoscyamine) as needed

- ginger drop samples from my doc to try, works great

- avoiding spicy and greasy foods

- going to do a SIBO kit soon and send it in to my GI doc to see if I have it or not

- planning a colonoscopy soon, though I am TERRIFIED because my dad told me he 'woke up' during his and felt pain.

*My goals:*

- Eat more healthy, small, meals throughout the day

- Drink WAY more water

- Eat more fiber!

Anyway.... I am glad to have found a community like this. It makes me feel less alone when dealing with my symptoms!

When I'm not worrying about IBS and dealing with the effects, I enjoy gardening (trying to eat more veggies/fiber in general), playing tons of videogames, board games, fashion, crazy shoes, photography, and my sport car that I finally got a few months ago--2005 Lotus Elise. Truly a beauty. My boyfriend and I like to go cruising in the evenings when it cools down a bit. He has been very supportive of my IBS which is nice. We live together.


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## storyofmylife (Jan 26, 2013)

good luck and don't give up...


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## IvyWinter (Jun 1, 2013)

I relate in a lot of ways...loose stools, not so much straight D, anxiety traveling, etc. I'm getting a colonoscopy this week and im scared as well, but it has to be done! I'm 26 myself and its tough to be in your mid 20s, trying to have a life, and dealing with this. Im supposed to leave my apartment in 10 minutes to meet my dad and boyfriend for brunch and ive been having an attack the past hour... such is life, i guess.

Welcome to the boards and i hope you find answers and if anything, a bit of comfort


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## nerdygal (Jul 14, 2013)

IvyWinter said:


> I relate in a lot of ways...loose stools, not so much straight D, anxiety traveling, etc. I'm getting a colonoscopy this week and im scared as well, but it has to be done! I'm 26 myself and its tough to be in your mid 20s, trying to have a life, and dealing with this. Im supposed to leave my apartment in 10 minutes to meet my dad and boyfriend for brunch and ive been having an attack the past hour... such is life, i guess.
> 
> Welcome to the boards and i hope you find answers and if anything, a bit of comfort


Thanks for your support, and best wishes for you too. It really is frustrating.


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## Miraa (Aug 23, 2013)

Hi Kate. I have done about every test in the book before they decided I had IBS and FAP (Functional abdominal pain).I've done two endoscopes and one colonoscopy. Out the three scopes I've never woken up. That is very rare so please don't be afraid. The hardest part is the day before with laxatives and clear liquid diet only. Good luck!


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## Feathers_McGraw (Aug 28, 2013)

I've had two colonoscopies and one endoscope and nothing bad happened. The laxatives they use to clear you out are a lot milder than they were 10 years ago when I had my first one. I did stay home all day just to be safe, but it really wasn't bad at all. As to the procedure itself, I wouldn't worry one bit about waking up during it. All of my procedures have happened without any problems and I've felt good enough to enjoy the rest of my day afterwards.


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