# new to this



## WorriedWish (Mar 17, 2015)

I started showing symptoms of IBS my junior year in high school, but I didn't know what it was at the time. I wasn't diagnosed until my sophomore year in college. That was the most frustrating and embarrassing years of my life. While I was in high school I would have these stomach pains, excessive gas and everything I ate would make everything worst. I ended up getting a really bad case of anxiety. I started getting made fun of by the other students because of my gas problem. Fast forward a few years, I'm now in college and my anxiety has gotten a little better, but I feel like its the reason for my gas and IBS. It's really difficult making friends at school because of my gas and anxiety. People avoid me and gossip about me and I wish I could just explain what was going on. However, I know not everyone would understand and it would just cause more gossip. Even though my gas problem has gotten better some people still treat me like a leper. My anxiety is preventing me from hanging out with people I get along with because I'm worried something might embarrass myself.

I am grateful for the friends I currently have and I have not told all of them about my ibs. I only told one of my friends and she was surprisingly accepting of it. I have told most of my family members and only a few have accepted it. The rest just tell me to not talk or think about it. I feel like I some of my family members don't believe its a real problem. I'm glad I found this forum because I was really beginning to feel like the only person in the world with IBS, Oh by the way I have IBS-A.


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## Robert117 (Feb 5, 2015)

Hello, I just read your story, hope you get better . I don't know if the gas is kind of concious that could give you time to go bathrooms or somewhere else so they don't notice or is it unconscious?

In my opinion I'd only tell my close friends that I have IBS, good thing if they accept, if not still ok... Keep your true friends close, and I'd stop worrying about going out with friends, anxiety always make it worse. if you can go, if not don't.

Btw have you went to the Dr. or something, any treatment, diet? Maybe it gets better with meds


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## WorriedWish (Mar 17, 2015)

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## WorriedWish (Mar 17, 2015)

Robert117 said:


> Hello, I just read your story, hope you get better . I don't know if the gas is kind of concious that could give you time to go bathrooms or somewhere else so they don't notice or is it unconscious?
> 
> In my opinion I'd only tell my close friends that I have IBS, good thing if they accept, if not still ok... Keep your true friends close, and I'd stop worrying about going out with friends, anxiety always make it worse. if you can go, if not don't.
> 
> Btw have you went to the Dr. or something, any treatment, diet? Maybe it gets better with meds


Hello and thank you for your comment.

I'm not taking any medications but I have been to a gastroenterologist. All he did was go through a checklist of my symptoms, diagnose with IBS, and prescribe me Metamucil fiber. Then he told me if I continue to feel symptoms, I should return for a colonoscopy, but I never went back. I've tried the fodmap diet and that helped eliminate foods that worsened my IBS. When it comes to the gas, it can happen unexpectedly so I don't always have time to go to the bathroom before it happens.


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