# IBS and don't know how to deal with it



## Caitlin32 (Jan 22, 2015)

Hey everyone. I'm a 19 year old female and was diagnosed with IBS-C a few months ago but I hAve been sick for about 6 years. My attacks happen almost out of nowhere and they happen only at night time. I have the most excruciating pain you could imagine in my stomach and nothing makes it better. I'm usually doubled over in pain, it's unbearable. I get terrible headaches, the sweats, the chills, I barely sleep at night, I'm stressed, this is depressing and I don't know how to make it better. Lately it's gotten to the point where the pain makes me pass out. My parents get mad at me and think it's all in my head but I guess they just don't understand what I'm going through. I go to college and have a full basketball scholarship and now I can't even play. I sit on the toilet for hours and sometimes can't go to the bathroom, and when I do eventually go, my stool is like a rock. I am constantly throwing up sometimes I can't even keep water down. Nothing seems to help once I get the pain. I have been in and out of the ER hundreds of times, I've gotten close to a thousand IV sticks and I've gotten hundreds of tests done on me. I don't know what to do anymore because IBS has now taken over my life.


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## AlanZ (Mar 7, 2015)

I get so annoyed when people who suffer with this are told it's all in their head. I'm not as bad as I used to be but I remember well sitting on the toilet for so long that my legs fell asleep.

As frustrating and hurtful as it is to hear that nonsense Caitlin, especially coming from your parents, try to understand if you can that even as recently as the 1990's it was a commonly held belief even among medical professionals. When I was younger my parents used to say I was using it as an excuse to get out of doing work. I was a kid and Mom and Dad were making fun of my problem. Some people just don't know any better.


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## smile4lina (Mar 5, 2015)

I am so sorry to hear this. I have no answers for you. But just wanted to let you know I read your post and am sad for you. I have a 7 yr old boy who is in pain everyday and I feel like there is nothing I can do for him either. When I registered for this account, I saw over 100 different things you can try from antidepressants, to yoga, to deep breathing, and many more. Maybe one of those things will bring you some relief. Wishing you the best of doctors.


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