# Any groups in the Tidewater Virginia area



## classypinky

Hi all. My name is Eboni and I am fairly new to this group. I want to know if there is an IBS support group anywhere in the Portsmouth, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, or Suffolk areas of Virginia.If so, can someone please give me any info on it.Thanks,Eboni


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## nicole82

Ebony,I live in VA Beach and there are none that I know of. Maybe we can get one started? I've been sufferring with IBS-D for a year and a half and I think I need to talk about it more, instead of holding all my emotions inside. I hate this condition, it's ruining my life!Nicole


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## RTH

Well, we've got 3 and that does constitue a group. I'm in Norfolk and I don't know of any specifc IBS support groups in Tidewater.You would think there would be more resources if (from what posted estimates say) 10-20% of the population suffer from some level of IBS. -Teresa


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## Paul Hughes

HI there, i hope I'm doing this right, and this is in reply to Eboni. Im Paul Hughes, and i live in VA Beach, and I've had IBS for many years now, probably 20 or so. I just found this website and i was looking for some sort of support group too. I've asked some docs about support groups at times, and they never know anyone. Looks like we have 4 people already in hampton roads--pretty good! I'll reply to the other people who replied to you, Eboni. Nice to meet you!Paul


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## Paul Hughes

HI Nicole--i suppose i could have replied to all 3 of you with one post, but just making sure I'm doing this correctly. LIke I said to Eboni, I've had IBS for about 20 years now, and you're right, it does suck to deal with. But there's ways to NOT let it take over your life! Glad I found a few of you to talk to--that's at times the biggest thing---the condition is embarrassing, and it's hard to get people to understand your discomfort and your anxiety. Look forward to talking more to you all!Paul


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## Paul Hughes

Hi Teresa--I totally agree with you--it's amazing there isn't already some kind of IBS group around here, since we're a pretty heavily populated area. I've lived here for about 10 years, and never actually did a seriuos net search for a site like this, so glad i did and found the few of you--better than no one! I think IBS must be the most underground medical condition known to man, just due to the embarrassment factor. There must be hundreds if not thousands of people out there in this area alone who have this, but just suffer in silence with their families, employers, etc. I bet if we four started a group and let gastroenterologists in the area know, we'd get swamped by people.altho maybe not--maybe they'd be too embarrassed? Who knows. Anyway, nice to meet you and Eboni and Nicole. Looking forward to chatting more with all of you regarding the friendly little malady we all share, IBS.Paul


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## RTH

Paul-Hi Paul and thanks for your message. I too am not a new sufferer. I just don't care what people think any longer and if someone asks my why I don't feel good I tell them. They're often curious and sympathetic and then once they know they leave me alone if it's obvious I'm having a bad gut day. I figure everybody poops and this fake need for people to act like they're too proper to discuss things of this nature leads to this illness not being reported, not being treated and not being diagnosed. It took forever for me to get the diagnosis and I knew what I had. My Mom has it too and I had the exact same symptoms. Had people been more willing to be honest with their doctors way back when they thought I.B.S. was purely psychological things may have gotten better for me sooner. God, I remember one bastard internist I had tell me I either had depression or cancer after I fainted at work from the pain and had spent most of the night in the hospital the night before I saw him. WTF? I grew up believing you should respect people in authority like doctors, but I did drop some choice cuss words on him and fired him. I realized just because you went to med school does not mean you know #### (ha! pardon the pun!) I now have a Gastro. who diagnosed me correctly and works with me. I basically tell him the meds I want to be on or not, for how long or how much, but it took lots of my own research and work to get to that point. I have no problem talking with you if need anything, Paul, or anyone else for that matter whether it's to discuss current treatment options or just if you need someone to vent to who truly knows what you're going through. -Teresa


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## Paul Hughes

HI Teresa--Thanks for responding back to me. I guess I've had serious IBS since when i was in college--that's when it became pretty severe, probably due to the stress and all. I had the same thing you talk about--doctors doing varoius tests--barium enema, etc.--trying to find out what was wrong. Finally, i just sort of found a way to live with it, in general. But you never really forget how different you are from other people--i mean, i use the bathroom 10 times a day, probably, sometimes more on a "bad" day. I have real trouble being out in the community or going to an event where there's no bathroom, or you really dont' have a bathroom option (like concerts at the beach, and all they have is portojohns--nasty!). I try to eat as healthy as i can, but that's difficult all the time. Certainly you find out foods that are no good for you, and others that run right thru you! I'm mostly constipation, by the way, with some diarrhea. What are you? Wow, that would be difficult to be all diarrhea with IBS. Talk about difficulty in leaving the house! If that's your situation, how do you make do? I guess medication woudl certainly help, and i know you said you were taking some. i have stayed away from meds, but from time to time i see they are trying new ones. Problem is tho that IBS is mostly a female thing, and lots of those meds seem to be only for women. But i would really like to not be on meds, if possible--dont' want to become attached (i guess addiction is too strong a word) for my health and well being.Since we're chatting and getting to know each other, just some info on me: I'm 47 years old, and i live in VA Beach. I live alone, divorced here, no kids. I work in social services for a state agency--i work with people with disabilities, and every now and then, some of our clients will have IBS--along with other conditions. Of course, none of my co-workers know i have IBS, but some my suspect something i guess from time to time. Do you have a family? kids? God, i would think that would be difficult, in a family with kids and all and dealing with IBS. Talk about stress! Well, gotta run. I wonder if these other two people will write us back? Write back when you can. It's nice to know there's a few people out there who deal with this big pain in the ass they way we have to. Or actually, i bet it's this--lots of people have it, they just don't want to go public with it!Paul


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## RTH

Hi Paul! I was writing a short novel on here and thought I'd just give you an email addy at the end for me so we can talk more in depth although based on the number of hits this thread has received I see there are more than 4 people interested in what we have to say so I'll respond a bit on here in case it will help someone else going through the same, but just too afraid to discuss it openly.I have the dreaded IBS-D (diarrhea). I took meds when I was first diagnosed but they didn't work so I just stopped taking them and instead modified my life. Because my IBS is bad before and after my menstrual cycle (which is a whole other issue in itself) I know I can't plan anything for literally half the month. I don't let anyone pick me up and drive me. I always drive myself in case I have to leave quickly. I live very close to work and will often leave work to go home and have an attack(s) and then come back. I recently was having probably the worst bout of it I had ever had in my life and I was missing 2-3 days of work a week. I couldn't eat anything and keep it down. I'd either have diarrhea or vomit the food up, sometimes at the same time. I know, sounds like fun, huh? I was losing weight and it was becoming noticeable to my friends and coworkers who all started to get concerned. And although my work is very understanding I didn't want anything to happen to my job in this era of recession so I had to get FMLA approved. This required me to go back to the doctor and get on some meds. I told the doc what I'd take and he gave them to me. I asked for the same stuff my Mom took for years and it's working, but I don't take it 4 times a day like I'm supposed to. I can tell you when I wake up if it's likely going to be a good day or bad day and I take it as needed. I avoid all fried foods, salt, I rarely eat red meat, I take a daily vitamin supplement, I do yoga which looks goofy, but it does help w/digestion. I think that's a myth about IBS being a chick thing. I think guys just don't go to their doctors as much as women have to do and they certainly don't report things like IBS symptoms. The meds I'm taking are not chick centered, but we can talk more about that later.So as for the personal stuff: I'm 38 years old. I currently live by myself in Norfolk and enjoy that immensely as I always lived w/a roommate or relationship before I bought this house, although, taking care of a house by yourself can suck when you don't feel well. I've never been married and I have no kids. I do love kids and would like to adopt one or two, maybe older, kids that need a home. My family is very supportive since my mom has IBS-D too (but hers got better as she got older, mine not so much). I work in insurance and, although it is a very stressful job, it is quite fulfilling. I don't know why the others aren't writing back or other people aren't commenting, but are instead simply viewing this page a good 600 times or so. I hope our discourse has helped someone. I can't remember how I even found this website, but it's nice to make the acquaintance of folks in a similar situation. So here's a little used email addy for me that once you send me an email Paul I'll send you my normal, everyday email address. My normal one has my full name in it and although I'm certainly not embarrassed about my IBS I'd prefer not to have my regularly used one out there for every lurker to have as I've given out some personal info already. Contact me at [email protected] -T


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## classypinky

Hi Guys!I apologize for not responding to any of you any sooner. I think that we should all form an ibs support group and plan to meet somewhere for dinner or something. At least I would feel as though I were amongst friends, and I'm sure you all would too.I go through periods where I think the ibs is getting better for me and then, it hits me all over again.What do you think about meeting? I so feel everyone's pain and it seems as though not too many that I know really understand what it's like to have ibs and not be able to eat normally.Eboni


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## classypinky

Hi Nichole, RTH, and Paul!It's really nice to meet all of you!!! I'm back and promise to check the site more regularly. I live in Portsmouth but wouldn't mind meeting anywhere in Tidewater.







Eboni


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## RTH

Hi Eboni. Paul and I are still buddies and I will ask him about meeting up somewhere. I think talking about it helped us a lot. Nice to hear from you.-Teresa


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## alfernino

Hello people, I'm new to the forums here. Did anything ever come of this? I'm here in portsmouth.


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## RTH

nope, not really, would like to have one, but there's not enough interest for a consistent monthly schedule


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