# I'm so frustrated!!



## MariaM (Jan 19, 2003)

I've had IBS-D for about five years and up until last winter it was pretty manageable and did not upset my life too much. However, last February I had bad reactions to several different antibiotics and discontinued taking them. Since then, my whole GI system has been in distress. I've had all sorts of tests and x-rays and the doctors have not been able to come up with a cause for my distress, other than some mild esophagitus. Now they are saying it must all be due to anxiety! I've been taking a tranquilizer and going to therapy for four months but my stomach still feels awful every day. I'm so blue about my situation because it has really altered my life and may ultimately force me to resign from my job. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm desperate! Thank you.


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## EminemsGirl6252 (Jan 27, 2003)

hi. my mom has REALLY bad anxiety. she also has D. she says it feels like she is gonna have a baby. she can't ever go. its like its just stuck up inside her. she can't drive because of her anxiety. my family also has really bad allergies. do you? sometimes at night i wake up having like a panic attack. there is just so much stress and i know thats what causes it. you just gotta have fun but u see my mom can't because she is so bad! she has been to the doctors so many times and they have no clue. right now she can barley even go to the doctors she is so bad, cause when she gets in the car she has this scary feeling. i don't know what to say about all of this stuff!


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## LittleBonJoviGirl (Nov 30, 2002)

Maria,I'm so sorry to hear that your life is in such distress! I can definitely relate to just about all of the feelings you're experiencing. And how frustrated you must feel -- not getting a complete diagnosis and having doctors prescribing you meds that don't help things. Anyways -- firstly, have you been seeing a general practitioner or a gastro specialist to voice your concerns? (A GP will be more likely to brush you off with broad-spectrum meds than a GI doctor). It's good to hear that you're in therapy for your anxiety symptoms -- "talking it out" is always healthy, and is good to coincide with the tranquilizers you're already taking. If I may ask, what is the name of the tranquilizer you're on? Sometimes different meds for anxiety work better than others, worse than others, cause side effects that only worsen IBS, etc. It could also be that your anxiety is stemming FROM the worsened IBS -- a vicious cycle, I know. You manage the IBS for so many years, then you get sick, then you worry about being sick, then your IBS gets worse, then you worry about the IBS, and it goes on and on...I just wish your doctor could help you so that your stomach could remain stable. Is the D subsiding and the nausea taking over, or are you still experiencing D frequently? I'll keep you in my prayers, Maria. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to e-mail me







Take good care, and keep the faith in yourself, your body, and your doctors!


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## MariaM (Jan 19, 2003)

Thanks for your encouragement. I think you are right - the anxiety is mainly a result of the worsening IBS symptoms and my "catastrophizing" about how they are going to ruin my life. My GP doctor has actually been more interested and persistent with my case than the two GI doctors I've seen. One of the GI doctors told me that there was nothing more he could do for me and even suggested that I had an eating disorder because of my weight loss!The tranquilizer I am taking is called Klonopin. I take 0.5 mg at night. It seems to help me to sleep but it aggravates the dyspepsia/nausea when I take it. I'm wondering if it could be contributing to the stomach discomfort?? I also feel like my behavior has been more depressed and jittery since being on the Klonopin so I don't know whether it is helping or aggravating my anxiety. I took some Ativan before a pelvic exam and that really relaxed me - it was the first day in months that I had a nice relaxed, drowsy feeling.I still have some diarrhea when I first wake in the morning but I'm mainly having trouble with the nausea and dyspepsia during the day. The second GI doctor I saw said this would eventually "burn itself out." However, he didn't give me a timetable and only suggested Peppermint Oil or NuLev as medications. I've been trying the Peppermint Plus enzymes and they do seem to have a temporary relaxing effect on my intestines. I haven't tried the NuLev yet but I may get desperate enough to give it a try. (I'm always nervous about side effects from new meds.)


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