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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 8/5/2006 4:18 PM (GMT 0)
Have you ever been at your wits end?? 

 

I am not having a very good day.  I guess I have a case of the "poor me's".  First of all, I don't know what I did to deserve what is being handed tome right now.  I was married mid-December, was enjoying the beginning of my new life with my new husband, then...BAM!  I am cursed with every day diarrhea since mid-March.  I mean every single day.  WHY???  What did I do?  Did I do this to myself because I'm a "nervous person"??  I've had so many tests at so many hospitals...been through the ringer...and all I can get out of any Dr., specialist, thearapist, is "we are pretty sure iot's IBS with diarrhea." 

 

Okay, I can handle that...but I have plans for my life.  I'm 26 years old (pretty young for all of this stuff.)  I want to have children, and how can I do that if I'm on so many prescription drugs??  What happens if I go off of them??  I will be even more miserable again...more than I am even now.  I just don't know what to do. 

 

My hair is falling out and has been since May.  (Diarrhea started in March.)  I'm supposed to eat more because I"ve lost about 10 lbs (I weigh about 112lbs. now), but it makes me feel sick when I do eat most of the time.  The GI specialist found GERD (acid reflus) while doing my EGD test.  I'm just a mess.  I tried going to a homeopathic DR. and he put me on 4 different supplements and I went off of the RX for Colestid. I thought I would try the "natural way" of treating this "so called" IBS.  WHo knows, maybe it would work.

 

I have to go back teaching in about 2 weeks...I hope I feel better by then. I NEVER DREAMED that I would still be dealing with this for SOOOO long.  It just makes me want to cry.  In fact, I have cried, a lot.  Antidepressants make me feel worse so I can't take them.  (Plus, I don't want to be on them.)

 

HAs anyone ever heard of people woith IBS that have diarrhea EVERY SINGLE DAY over a long period of time??  I mostly read that people have it now and then, but NOT everyday.  If you have had to deal with this everyday or know somebody who has had this diarrhea/loose stools everyday without 1 normal bowel movement during this entire time...please let me know and maybe I will feel better about this.  I am pretty low right now.

 

Thanks all.

 

 

Posted 8/5/2006 5:58 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Shelly,

Yes, I have been at my wits end with this, too. From February til April I had it up to 10 times daily. It was awful. Couldn't eat, just the thought of food made me nauseous thinking of the lovely way it would run through me. I lost over 20 pounds. In April went into hospital had lotsa tests- I was very freaked out and put on Ativan to calm me down. It has helped the D, too. From April until June, I would only go 1-3 times a day. Always D- loose stools. Always nasty and unpleasant to wake to every morning and ruin my day. Then in June, I would occassionaly have a formed BM in the PM- still D in the AM, tho. Now, I am able to sometimes hold it in the morning and have a more normal BM later in the day. Very odd, I am guessing that I have terrible anxiety in the morning and that's why I get the D then. I have had up to 5 "good" days like this in a row and then go back to the morning D for a few days. I have, twice now, had "nearly normal" BM's in the morning.

I still don't know what to make of the whole thing. Like you, I was completely normal until seemingly out of nowhere this all started on Feb 1st. It has been a wild ride, for sure. I guess since we have had all of the tests we just need to roll with it and do our best. Easier said than done for a nervous nellie like me. My whole life has been changed by this and I just know that someday I will look back and find some good to take from this adventure.

I have other anxiety symptoms such as PVC's (skipped heart beats). I'm also losing hair. I feel like I am becoming a hypochondriac because it's like every little symptom I get now makes me think- uh-oh, what's coming next???

I have asked a psychiatrist, psychologist, and my therapist (not to mention my family doctor) if this could be anxiety and if other anxious people have these problems. They all said yes.

Shelly, I am sorry you are feeling low. I have been pretty low myself. I have also had weeks where I've coped a little better with it; and I know you have been more upbeat at times, too. I hope that you will get through this low time. Yes, it really sucks; but it's not the end of the world.
Posted 8/6/2006 2:25 AM (GMT 0)

Shelly, from your other recent posting I counted five (myself included) who deal with diarrhea on a regular and daily basis; that's only on this little board.  I was going up to 30 times a day, every day, for months and months, lost something ridiculous like 25 pounds...what a mess.  I lived on Pedialyte and chicken broth for a while.  So I know this is hard for you, as it is for everyone, and it will take time for you to adjust - but you will!  I think the hardest part for you is feeling like there is something the docs missed and you are riddled with anxiety about that.  The good news is, they haven't missed anything.  If your extensive testing has revealed no abnormalities, that should help you feel reassured. 

By the way, I am 27 and a lot of people on this board are in the same age bracket.  The 20's are a common time for gastrointestinal ridiculousness to rear its ugly head.

I would recommend visiting a nutritionist if you are concerned about losing weight and your food intake.  It could be your acid reflux causing the nausea that makes it difficult to eat, in addition to feelings of anxiety.  Have you been on the GERD forum yet?  They may have some ideas about how to decrease the nausea.  I am taking a nutrition class right now in preparation for medical school and I can't tell you how much I've learned about proper nutrition.  In the meantime, try some liquid supplements like lactose-free Ensure or even Carnation Instant Breakfast (made with soy or rice milk if you're lactose-sensitive) to get some nutrients in. 

You'll get through it.  Promise.

Posted 8/6/2006 1:46 PM (GMT 0)
Hi sami-jo and Sartia, :-)

 

Thank you for your reassurance that I will be okay.  I know that both of you have been on this "wild ride" too (what a PERFECT way to describe it.) and it is only expected to have some "bad feelings days".  Yesterday was one of those days.  Words cannot express how much your comments mean to me. 

 

I too am a "nervous Nellie"...my mom calls me that all of the time.  My GI Dr. also calls me a strong "type A" personality.  Always thinking and has to be on the go...1,000 mph, daily.

 

I just never EVER knew that I could feel this BAD.  I feel more positive about all of this at times and I feel AWFUL at others...like, I'm going to ALWAYS be like this.  Does the constant diarrhea/looose stools, stomach cramping every morning ever go away??  I just worry because I read that IBS-D comes and goes, but doesn't stay around for months straight at a time without 1 normal BM day.  I ordered the "IBS: The First Year" book last week.  It seems to be good, but it has a lot of information in it that I knew already. 

 

You 2 are dolls...thanks for helping me feel better.

Posted 8/6/2006 8:06 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Shelly-
Add me to the list of chronic diarrhea - especially in the morning. Every once in a blue moon, I'll make a normal bm, but after dealing with this for a year and two months, I've come to expect that this is here for life. It does get easier to handle once you accept that this is how you are. Have you tried a breath test? There's a book I read called The IBS Solution and it made me more 'OK' with my prognosis than anything. It is by Dr. Pimenthal and it basically states that IBS is mainly caused by bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine (we're not supposed to have bacteria in this organ). An intestinal infection screwed up your small intestine's ability to sweep out the bad bacteria, and it will take time and diet to get it working smoothly again. Try following a diet such as the Adkins Diet for a week or so and see if that helps with the diarrhea. The bad bacteria LOVE to eat carbs, but tend to ignore protein, so maybe the diet will help you kill off some of the bad bacteria. Another diet try is the SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet). You can google it and get all kinds of info. Both diets have lessened the diarrhea, but as I am pregnant now I am eating what I want and just dealing with the morning urgency.
As for trying to get pregnant, don't think you life is over because you have IBS. People with much worse illnesses have babies everyday! I am pregnant and while the IBS has made this pregnancy a little more uncomfortable than my last, it has been much better than I had thought it would be. Sometimes pregnancy even makes IBS go away! (My fingers are crossed!)
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