# Visting IBSgroup



## ZPE (Mar 3, 2009)

Hopefully this is in the right section. This isn't meant to cause any offense to the hard work Jeff and co have done but rather just something I want to see is the norm.I just wanted to know how others feel when they visit this website? I came here today for some info on probiotics and other stuff but I've ended up with another one of those gloom-and-doom outlook. This seems to happen to me a lot when I visit self-help IBS websites even though I initially desire the opposite affect. Is this somehow related to seeing others try things I tried already and just remember how it failed for me?When I'm on a hobby site like Lifehacker or Joystiq, I'm in a spirited mood and try to be positive about life but is it the very nature of this site that is easily overwhelming me...I'm sure I'm not the only user experiencing this.Please discuss this with an open mind (and heart).


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I don't think you are alone in having issues when reading a support group or other health problem related material.A lot depends on your own psychological quirks and how you process or feel about certain kinds of information.It can be useful, sometimes, to look at what brings us down and what brings us joy to see if there is a way to make the things that bother us more neutral. I also don't think anyone should be judging themselves harshly if something tends to set off their depressive or anxious thoughts rather than get them all reved up and ready to try something else.I don't know how to make it so everyone always feels hopeful and positive when they leave here. Some people need a place to vent, some are looking for info, some to share success stories and some to just find out that they are not alone with this disease. Some or any of those can be something that gets someone else down.Anyway, this was mostly a, you are not alone, type of post. I don't tend to have that reaction, but I've seen people have these sorts of issues before.Some people need to take frequent breaks, or have to find a way to use the search to find the info they want without getting too much overload they don't want.


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## soundie (Jan 29, 2004)

This is my first time back in years, and it did raise my anxiety a little being reminded of all those horrible times I once had. But reading about others who KNOW what it is to have IBS is a good thing too. Plus keeping up to date with the research and learning about your body to better understand it, has to be a good thing.


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