# Living with IBS



## pootins (Feb 10, 2012)

Waking up every day is a c-r-a-p shoot. I never know how I am going to be feeling or what my day has in store for me. Some days I wake up and I feel fine but as I get ready for my day, that fine can turn into extreme cramping and uncertainty. Uncertainty as to when and where I am going to have to release my bowels and what kind of bowel movement I am going to have. I have tried everything to rule out what my problem is. I thought I might be lactose intolerant but that wasn’t the issue. I thought I was fructose intolerant and I very well might be but even by eliminating fructose from my diet, my IBS still acts up. Approximately two years ago I had a colonoscopy that revealed I had slight radiation damage from radiation treatment for cervical cancer. I have read up on this treatment and the side effects and from what I have read most people have problems with fractures of their pelvis or sacrum, constant pain in their backs, and obstruction in their bowels. I do not have any of these things but I believe that one of the causes of my IBS might be that the damage from the radiation treatment might be getting worse. I have tried using calcium in my diet and I cannot tell if that is working on its own or in conjunction with the multiple daily doses of Imodium Advanced. I take anywhere from 2 to 4 caplets per day and if I try to go off of them then the cramping gets extreme. My bowel movements are all over the place. I can go from being constipated one day (have to use suppositories) to having complete diarrhea without any notice. I have changed my diet so often that I’m not sure what is helping and what is making my symptoms worse. As long as I am on the Imodium Advanced, I can keep things under control. Even with the Imodium, if I have fruits, vegetables, grains or anything with fake sugar in it (except aspartame) then I have reactions, usually diarhhea and cramping. I have tried eliminating all of these things from my diet and going off of the Imodium but that just had me in bed for two days because the cramping was so extreme. I have been waiting over two months now to see a gastroenterologist, the same one I saw two years ago, but that could take another 2 months or more to get in to see him. I have missed so much time off of work and my insurance company will only cover me for additional bathroom breaks. That is great if I’m having a bad day and just need to go to the bathroom more frequently but what about the days, like today, where I am on the couch in excruciating pain and I can’t get up to do anything. My biggest fear is that I am going to go back to the specialist and he is going to tell me that it’s just IBS and to continue taking probiotics (which stopped working about 8 months ago). Right now the Imodium is the only thing keeping me sane but is that something I am going to be able to take for the rest of my life or will it eventually lose its effect. I have nothing else, I have tried every over the counter drug, herbal remedy and vitamin that I can think of.


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## kelliebettyboo (Mar 13, 2012)

Ttry this get up 3 hours before you need to leave the house walk around the garden 10 mins don't have hot drinks don't eat anything with skin on it eg,apple skin potato skin eat nothing with( seeds) in all these foods have high fibre and seeds don't get digested so your gut works overtime to do this keep on with plain natural yoghurt keep hydrated small sips often. all this took me a while to figure out but helps me loads if something has been working for you and then you feel it stops don't right it off maybe your stressed so it will seem that way for a while do breathing exercises listen to calming music make the most of any sunshine listen to the birds feel the cool breeze on your face . let me know if it helps may sound mad but give it a try also peppermint tea eases trapped wind x


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