# New Person- How long does this last???



## Samick84 (Jan 31, 2002)

Hey everyone-im pretty upset as i've just figured out this is probably what I have..my dr. wont know until monday though, when my test results get back. all the symptoms match so im pretty sure i have IBS. does anyone know how long it lasts? will i have it forever??


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## RRBreak (Oct 26, 2001)

No, not forever. Only until you die.


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## *Luna* (Nov 19, 2001)

There is a small percentage of people who do achieve remission.But many of us are able to find ways to manage our symptoms better, and to reduce their impact on our lives.







If you let us know what your symptoms are, we may be able to give you some helpful suggestions. And you can find lots of helpful info in other forums on this board, too!My primary problem is lots of diarrhea (D) and Lotronex helped me a lot. The medication was recalled 14 months ago. But there has been a campaign to bring it back...and I still have some hope. That basically put me in remission.For people with constipations © there is a lot of talk about Zelnorm being very helpful.


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## bethy_3 (Jan 22, 2002)

Hi.I am new on this site also but I have a lot of experience with this problem. You seem very worried about what your doctor might tell you but all I can say is that this is definitely a managable thing and that you should not worry. I have had IBS since I was 9 years old. I am now 23 and live a pretty normal life. I don't know what else to tell you except this site is very helpful with information and people who are eager to listen.Hope everything turns out okay though.


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## Blackcat (Sep 1, 2001)

I just ordered and recieved that book IBS the first years, I have had IBS for 8 years and reciently diganosed. So far I have just gotten into the book and it seems really informative. It talks about IBS and how to control attacks etc. It also talks about how long you have it etc. I also got the cook book and some of the recipies seem wonderful. I would suggest it


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## agent99 (Feb 1, 2002)

I cried when my doctor told me IBS was for life. She said not to think of it as something chronic but as something I'm prone to, the way some people get headaches easily. It helped a little.


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## Nikki (Jul 11, 2000)

RRBreak! Thats cracked me up! Well, unfortunately yes, you'll probably have it "until you die" as is was so sensitively put!YOu can find ways of managing it though. So don't give up hope! It'll make you a srtinger person in the end!Have you thought of trying Hypnotherapy? Its not something you need to leave til a last resort! Its not scary or weird. A LOT of people on this BB have been helped a lot not "cured" because there isno cure. But a huge reduction in symptoms.www.ibsaudioprogram.comwww.ibshealth.comor look on the Hypno and CBT forum on the BB.Good luck!


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## babydoll (Nov 14, 2001)

stronger person in the END is right! ( literally)


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## matthovany (Feb 6, 2002)

babydoll,bwahahaha, funny cause its true.


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## Nikki (Jul 11, 2000)

Don't all be so negetive! Look on the bright side! You can learn to deal with it which will make you a srtonger person.


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## RRBreak (Oct 26, 2001)

Yea right...


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## Aeeda (Nov 27, 2001)

Actually I have read that 33 percent of people with IBS recover.







But you shouldn't count on that. For all you know, it could happen at age 75 or never at all. You shouldn't spend your life waiting. You see how many people are on this website? We all have IBS and are living with it. I know it seems impossible, but there are ways to deal with it. I got a book today. It's called "The Art of Happiness." It is a book on the teachings of the Dalai Lama written by a psychiatrist. So it's sort of a mix of East and West. In the introduction the author talks about the nature of human happiness and our tendency toward the middle ground. You get a promotion -- you are happy for a couple of days and then you return back to normal. You lose your job -- you are upset for a while but sooner or later you get used to it. He talks about his friend who had found out he is HIV positive and as a result of trying to cope with it became more spiritual, more appreciative of his life and excited about what each day might bring. I could really relate to that. When you've had IBS for a while and you get a day or even a moment when you feel relatively normal, you thank God for it! Speaking of moments, moments are what I live for now. My symtoms have become virtually unpredictable. So even if I feel fine one minute I could start having symtoms the next. That's why I just concentrate on the present. I think that concentrating on the present is the only way to be happy even if you don't have IBS. People spend too much time agonizing over the future and waiting for future events. And then the next thing you know, you wake up and you are fifty and you wonder what happened to all those years.If I sound like an optimist -- I'm not. I'm just trying to be. There are days when I sincerely wish to die, but there are too many things worth living for. I know this is too much to swallow when you are new to this desease, but hopefully this will be of some help.-JuliaPS Keep in mind that IBS is a particular kind of problem, but pain is universal. Everyone has to deal with some kind of pain, physical or emotional, at least at some point in life.


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