# 16 Year Old, Living with IBS - Social Issues, etc.



## Sev. (Sep 11, 2013)

Hi, I am currently 16 years old. I've had IBS for about 2 years now. I acquired it when I was 14 years old. When I first started experiencing the symptoms of IBS, I didn't know what was going on. I was very confused. At first I believed I was hungry all the time because my stomach would make loud noises and I didn't know how to explain it. Then I began to realize that after eating certain foods (like fried foods), I had uncomfortable air-bubbles zooming through my intestines. I freaked out! ..In the middle of the night, I'd wake up because my intestines were loud and felt really uncomfortable. To make matters worst, my parents didn't know how to help or explain what was happening, so they forced me to take laxatives (to help with constipation) all the time... After a while I became fed up with settling for my parents opinions and remedies, and began doing research myself. I looked up the symptoms I was experiencing, like: diarrhea, gas, cramps, constipation, and intestinal gas. I declared that I had IBS, because everything I read was exactly what I was experiencing (despite my parents disbelief and non-support). And, trust me, they did not believe that it was IBS. They assumed I had mild gas, constipation and occasional upset stomach like regular people do. So after my persistent complaining, my father agreed to take me to the doctors to see if they would formerly diagnose me with IBS. They did. After that, my parents tried their best to buy and cook foods that wouldn't trigger my IBS symptoms... To this day, it's still hard not eating some of the most tastiest foods like chocolate, cereal, french fries, mac and cheese and other diary or oil-cooked products.

Okay, that's my little scoop on first discovering I have IBS. Now on to present-day experiences and living with it... Well, I am a student. I am an 11th grader in High School. Being a student with IBS is immensely difficult!! I use the bathroom at school at least 5 times a day, literally. I am frequently anxious and stressed at school - triggering my symptoms, resulting in urgent need to use the bathroom very erratically... Fortunately I have one person I can turn to when things get really bad. It's the school nurse. When I was formerly diagnosed by my doctor, I immediately went to the school nurse to tell her, so that she could help me in anyway she could (and what a tremendous help she is!). I told her how sometimes using the bathrooms around the school is kind of awkward, difficult, and embarrassing.. Well, because I have frequent diarrhea, which ends up being explosive diarrhea; so I'm very, very loud. You know, it is already embarrassing going #2 in school, because popular belief is that it's gross; but it's another thing to have to go and be extremely flagrant while doing it. So the nurse told me that it's okay to use her bathroom anytime I needed.









Another difficult inconvience is when I have to use the bathroom in the middle of class. The teacher is in the middle of a lesson and - bam - I have to go!! Teachers are very stubborn and get annoyed and used to tell me to wait. Now they don't do that anymore because I asked the nurse to send an email out to all of my teachers stating that I should be allowed to go to the bathroom whenever needed. 

Last major difficulty is quite rooms!!! Even when I had a chance to go to the bathroom to take care of my business - my stomach can still be upset and noisy. It is really embarrassing in class! My intestines make really loud noises and it embarrasses me... I usually get panic attacks when I'm in a crowded quiet room because I fear of my stomach making weird noises and everyone around hearing and looking at me... Believe me, it's happened before... So to deal with this, I turned to the nurse yet again to ask if she could send another email stating that I should be allowed to sit in a different location when taking a test. Of course, whenever the room's quiet when there isn't a test, I have to deal with being there, but it is an immense help to not be surrounded by people for an hour or more testing.









So, that's all I have to write so far... Um, I'm new to this website, so I haven't talked or met anyone yet. I would appreciate it if people could add me and talk to me!! I would definitely like feedback on this post too! ..I've only met two people with IBS in real life. There's definitely more out there, so I'd really like to communicate with people online to know I'm not alone with this!

Thanks!!!

- Sev.


----------



## rmiller1985 (Sep 13, 2011)

Hi Sev.,

You are definitely not alone! Estimates are that IBS affects 15% of the US population -- and many put the number much higher, because a lot of people don't want to admit having these kinds of problems.

I'm an old guy now -- just turned 50 last month -- but I had problems in high school as well. Fortunately, back then my symptoms were very, very mild, and while they'd be on my mind most every day, they actually only became problematic occasionally. Sounds like you have a great ally in the school nurse!

As you start looking for solutions, I'd suggest focusing on diet first (assuming you've had all the standard tests for infections, parasites, etc.). I'm having a lot of success on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet; many people have success on a low-FODMAP diet. Read up on those, at least, and see if the reasons underlying the approach might make sense in your case.

Most of all, don't give up hope, and remember you're not alone!

Cheers,

Rich


----------



## Mandabear (Aug 28, 2013)

Hey Sev,

Sounds like your symptoms have started around that nasty thing we like to call puberty. Which is very familiar to me, since my symptoms started at 13. During age 13, I actually almost starved to death because I felt so crappy. I figured out that processed, and precooked foods in general made me flare. The school nurse is a good friend to have! Most teens your age know nothing about illness and understanding a touchy gut, so they tend to be unintentionally judgemental about funny noises. The low-FODMAP diet does work wonders for alot of people with IBS, although you basically have to eat like a caveman, which can be hard. I suggest sticking to protiens and cutting out corn sweeteners. And if you have a problem with irregularity, try some non-lactose probiotics, they're trial and error, but you're likely to find one that does well with reducing inflammation. And inflammation is the primary problem in IBS-D (diarrhea prominant), so fiber may actually help, as long as you limit your intake of water to help bind up what's inside your intestines. Fiber can also work as a laxitive if you do drink fluids with it!

If you have any questions, everyone here who is experienced with IBS is a good help!


----------



## bandar (Sep 23, 2013)

You need to get a stool test and check for parasites. I ordered a kit and did it at home and sent it in. Turned out I had Endolimax nana, so I took Metronidazole for 10 days. I am now cured of IBS for the first time in at least decades. It is unbelievable. I had many of the symptoms you described. I signed up here just to tell you. Even if you just have the seemingly innocuous e. nana, it is worth eradicating it. This was the cure for me (knock on wood). I am free from IBS, brain fog and anxiety for the first time in decades. Good luck to you!!


----------



## Emilyy (Feb 19, 2011)

Hey Sev, it's a great start that you're using your resources such as the school nurse to help you out! The doctor who diagnosed you, did he send you through a bunch of tests (stool specimen, blood tests, breath tests, endoscopy and colonoscopy?). It's important to rule out other illnesses before diagnosing IBS. You're so young, you need all the help you can get as this point so you can develop into a healthy adult (both physically and psychologically)!


----------



## franciss (Apr 4, 2013)

Hi Sev.

I really understand you cos ive got the same problems as you, i even have almost the same age as you, the difference is that ivent met anyone with ibs and i have certanlly no one to help me at school, then i just let my sympthoms go. Ive had ibs since i was in 7th grade and ive stopped eating products with lactose composites which has helped me with the flares, although i still have loud cramps, specially at the end onf the day and i feel really stressed at that time and all i want to do is just get home.


----------



## Shade711 (Oct 4, 2013)

Sev,

I gotta agree with the others. There's a ton of issues that are very similar to IBS but can be due to bad bacteria in the gut, or absence of good bacteria, or other things. It's worth checking out because like Bandar, you might just have an intestional infection of some kind that can be treated and cure you.


----------

