# IBS - Having trouble coping.



## 22375 (Aug 12, 2006)

Hello,Basically, I'm posting here because I really just need to turn to somebody. I don't know what to do. The councellor at my college wouldn't listen to me after I mentioned that I had IBS-D Type, because she seemed to think that I should be talking to a doctor about it. Believe me, I've done that about five hundred times. He just tells me the same thing every time - take the Lomotil I was prescribed, and take painkillers for the gut spasms.I just... feel really hopeless. I got IBS as a complication from a gut infection I acquired from a public pool at the beginning of this year, and it hasn't really improved much. I went through two courses of antibiotics, then an upper/lower endoscopy to rule out serious issues, and then I was just told it's IBS, D-Type.I've been trying to live with it ever since, but it's impossible. Just about every morning I suffer an attack. No foods seem to make it easier either, I cut out saturated fats, cauliflower, dairy... nothing seems to work. Some days I can eat a whole McDonalds meal (consisting of a McChicken, fries and coke) and not suffer a single symptom, but on other days I can't even eat something like vegetables such as corn.Does anybody have any coping advice? Any foods to avoid or things to try? I use Lomotil (but not very often because I hear it is addictive), and Immodium more frequently because it's fast acting. So yeah, just need coping advice. How to deal with it? How to not dwell on the fact that I may suffer an attack when I am away from the house?Please help. I am just... miserable and depressed. Thanks- Kat


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## 17977 (Jul 9, 2006)

Kat, I completely understand and feel your pain. I'm 21 and have suffered IBS for exactly three years and still have trouble coping. There are days where I get very depressed and can't stand it anymore. However, at the beginning I was incredibly devastated and miserable because I wasn't sure what was happening and if it would ever go away. I had a death in the family and my mom went through a bad divorce and I left for college early for summer school all within a two month period, and that stress and grief is what set mine off. I remember at the beginning I was so depressed that at one point I stayed in bed for two weeks and missed classes. It was awful. However, the longer I've dealt with it, the more coping mechanisms I've developed. I too have the same issue, where one day I can eat something and feel totally fine, and the next day will eat the same thing and feel terribly sick! That I unfortunately can't help with, but here is some of the ways I have survived my IBS...1. Go to a good psychologist. I started seeing a wonderful woman at my university's counseling center and she has given me so much advice on how to deal with it and understand it. It also feels really good to have an objective person to vent to and get advice from. She's really into calming techniques like meditation and yoga, which can help with symptoms.2. Get it off your chest. I spent years not telling anyone except my family what I was going through. Any time I cancelled on someone or skipped an activity or didn't eat, I always made up an excuse..."I'm not hungry", "I already ate", "I'm really tired." I felt guilty, like I was harboring this huge, horrible secret. Finally I told some of my closest friends (and finally my boyfriend, after like 6 months of dating plus a year of good friendship!). Much to my surprise, they were all so cool and sympathetic about it and didn't judge. Just getting that off my chest felt amazing, and now if I can't do something and tell them it's because of my stomach, they totally understand. 3. Have a good supply of immodium. It can be your best friend. You can take some before you go out, and that will ease some anxiety about getting an attack. Or keep some in your purse incase you're out and do start feeling bad.4. Get a doctor's note and tell your professor/TA you have IBS. I once had a class where attendance was a big part of the grade, and I knew that I would likely miss a few more days than allowed and thus get an awful grade. I got a note from my doctor explaining my condition, then went to my TA to give her the note an ask her if I could have special permission to miss a day without penalty if I felt too sick. Sure enough she said OK, so if I woke up one morning and felt way too ill to go to class, I would e-mail her and let her know, and everything was all right. I got an A instead of a C or D I would have gotten because of attendance. I'll post more if I think of anything else....I hope that helps! Chin up...finding these boards have been a huge relief for me to learn that I am not the only one going through this. It's encouraging to know that so many other people are struggling with this too. Emily


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## 14646 (Aug 23, 2006)

I'm a 22 year old college student and medical assistant. I've only been dealing with IBS for about 4 months. I'm trying to get my symptoms under control. I see a great psychologist. I'm working on the deep breathing, self talk, medication, meditation, exercise, basically the whole nine yards. My problem now is that even when I'm having a good day, I'm afraid to leave the house. I'm petrified about work. I'm so afraid of being stuck in a room with a patient and having an incident. School starts up again in 2 weeks. I'm dreading that too. How do you all cope with the anxiety? Even thinking about work, school, or hanging out with my friends sends me into a panic which in turn brings on symptoms. I'm also naturally prone to anxiety as I have OCD (for which I stopped taking my medication last year). Any advise would be appreciated.


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## 14849 (Aug 25, 2006)

> quote:Originally posted by Kat_Aclysm:Hello,Basically, I'm posting here because I really just need to turn to somebody. I don't know what to do. The councellor at my college wouldn't listen to me after I mentioned that I had IBS-D Type, because she seemed to think that I should be talking to a doctor about it. Believe me, I've done that about five hundred times. He just tells me the same thing every time - take the Lomotil I was prescribed, and take painkillers for the gut spasms.I just... feel really hopeless. I got IBS as a complication from a gut infection I acquired from a public pool at the beginning of this year, and it hasn't really improved much. I went through two courses of antibiotics, then an upper/lower endoscopy to rule out serious issues, and then I was just told it's IBS, D-Type.I've been trying to live with it ever since, but it's impossible. Just about every morning I suffer an attack. No foods seem to make it easier either, I cut out saturated fats, cauliflower, dairy... nothing seems to work. Some days I can eat a whole McDonalds meal (consisting of a McChicken, fries and coke) and not suffer a single symptom, but on other days I can't even eat something like vegetables such as corn.Does anybody have any coping advice? Any foods to avoid or things to try? I use Lomotil (but not very often because I hear it is addictive), and Immodium more frequently because it's fast acting. So yeah, just need coping advice. How to deal with it? How to not dwell on the fact that I may suffer an attack when I am away from the house?Please help. I am just... miserable and depressed. Thanks- Kat


My IBS is horrible in the morning. I've been in your exact situation, and it makes life very difficult.As for my advice, deal with it. There's nothing else you can do. If you have to be somewhere at 7am, you'll need to get up at 4am to give you time to "empty out." Hell, you still may not be "empty" by 7am. I took some night courses because in the evening my stomach wouldn't feel as sick, but I also basically starved myself. This is NOT something I recommend. I wouldn't eat all day until I got home from wherever I was.About my job? I told them I wanted to work 2nd shift. I hate 2nd shift, and it sucks. However, sometimes I get stuck on first, and have to get up at 4am to poop. It sucks. Just the other day I did that and had to be to work at 7am. I spent the better part of the morning running back and forth to the bathroom.Job interviews? Always schedule for afternoon.Anyway, I had just started a new job about 1 month ago to the day, and I've lost nearly 15 lbs because I eat very little in the morning before work, or not at all until I get home from work at 10:30pm. Not good, and I know it.I really don't have any good advice for you. Just learn to live with it.


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