# New Here...



## rinn (Aug 9, 2011)

Hi everyone. I am new to the boards. I'm 22, married, and I have a 2 year old but I'm a full-time college student as well. I have had IBS(d) symptoms for almost 4 years now. I have never been clinically diagnosed because of lack of insurance. At my most recent doctor's appointment, I was given a referral to a gastroenterologist, but obviously that bill is just something that I couldn't take on so.. I came across this board researching the difference between Metamucil and Benefiber (husband came home with a bottle of Benefiber instead of Metamucil today). I have been reading through a few posts and I honestly feel like I'm reading my own story. In the past four years, my life has been a roller coaster in relation to the IBS. When I was pregnant with my daughter, my symptoms slowed but have recently become so much worse. If I go ANYWHERE, I have to take a maximum dose of Imodium. I started off 4 years ago taking the minimum and now my body has built up such a tolerance to it that no less than four pills will work. My symptoms are usually worse in the mornings so for the past 4 years I have avoided any type of early morning activities, however this Fall my daughter will be starting day care so I can finish out my degree (which will be in secondary education English) and she has to be at school by 8:30am. She starts on Monday and honestly, I'm scared to death. My IBS symptoms have given me awful anxiety. It is pretty much all that I think about and my entire life revolves around it. The school is about 25 minutes away and my symptoms seem to always worsen in the car (plus I'll be driving in the morning... fun, eh?) and if I all of a sudden have to go, I'm not sure that I could get my daughter out of her car seat fast enough to make it to the bathroom. Plus, next semester I will be beginning my student teaching which is a whole new kind of worry. Nothing worse than having to clench your cheeks while teaching 7th graders grammar... I joined the boards for support and to hopefully try a few things out to manage my symptoms because in all seriousness, I'm not sure that I can take much more of it. I look forward to talking to all of you soon.-Rinn


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## ClaireGuest17 (Aug 7, 2011)

*Hello Rinn,I'm sorry that you have had such a terrible time of things, I've had IBS since I was 5 years old and it has been very hard for me to cope with, I admire you for not letting IBS stop you doing from what you want to do in life. I'm 17 now and I've just finished a year at college but because of my IBS I was hardly there so instead of going onto the level two course I'm going to take a year off and try to overcome IBS once and for all !!Mornings are always a struggle for me as well so like you I try to avoid any morning activities but I know at some point I have to start getting up early for work which I know will be a struggle but I'm sure I'll get there. When I had to get up for college I would always get up and hour or two before I really had to so that my body could adjust to being up early and if I felt unwell and had to use the loo then I had plenty of time to do so and I didn't need to worry about being late so that took the stress out of that situation. Unfortunately I don't drive yet so I can't help you with the driving situation, it's bad enough when I'm unwell on a bus but I guess before you leave the house you could take some travel sickness tablets and some Imodium's, I take travel sickness tablets 20 minutes before I leave the house and its seems to help so maybe you could try that and hopefully it will work.I wish you all the luck in the world and hope your teaching goes well next semester, if you need any other advice feel free to message me on here







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## rinn (Aug 9, 2011)

ClaireGuest17 said:


> *Hello Rinn,I'm sorry that you have had such a terrible time of things, I've had IBS since I was 5 years old and it has been very hard for me to cope with, I admire you for not letting IBS stop you doing from what you want to do in life. I'm 17 now and I've just finished a year at college but because of my IBS I was hardly there so instead of going onto the level two course I'm going to take a year off and try to overcome IBS once and for all !!Mornings are always a struggle for me as well so like you I try to avoid any morning activities but I know at some point I have to start getting up early for work which I know will be a struggle but I'm sure I'll get there. When I had to get up for college I would always get up and hour or two before I really had to so that my body could adjust to being up early and if I felt unwell and had to use the loo then I had plenty of time to do so and I didn't need to worry about being late so that took the stress out of that situation. Unfortunately I don't drive yet so I can't help you with the driving situation, it's bad enough when I'm unwell on a bus but I guess before you leave the house you could take some travel sickness tablets and some Imodium's, I take travel sickness tablets 20 minutes before I leave the house and its seems to help so maybe you could try that and hopefully it will work.I wish you all the luck in the world and hope your teaching goes well next semester, if you need any other advice feel free to message me on here
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Thank you so much! That really means the world to me! I'm so sorry that you have been battling this since you were 5. It is awful and having at such a young age must have been the worst. I just called my doctor today and she prescribed Levsin. I am going to try it. I really hope that it works. Today my daughter was supposed to be in school but I called her in sick because I was. It's really just getting to be too much. As awful as this sounds, I have kept a bucket in the car just in case I can't hold it. Yesterday I did have some issues, but just barely made it to her school. And I do the exact same thing that you do; wake up extra early. Unfortunately, I'm still usually crippled over on the toilet right before I was out of the door. I really hope that you won't give up school. Have you looked into taking online classes? They seemed to be great for me. There just comes a point when you'll probably have to enter the classroom, but it could keep you from taking a break. It's very hard to readjust once you take a break. Good luck to you and please keep in touch!


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