Possible IBS but I'm more and more uncertain...
#328006 - 04/08/08 10:04 PM
|
|
|
|
|
Shayne
Reged: 04/08/08
Posts: 3
|
|
|
Hello, I've been reading this forum and Heather's two books over the last 4 weeks after being "diagnosed" with IBS and the more I read the more I wonder if I actually have IBS.
Back story isnt really that interesting. September or so I was on a road trip and stopped off for some dinner. Minutes after that dinner I started to have real bad diarrhea and an overall unpleasent evening. Something wasn't right. Things passed and a week or so later I had the same unpleasentness and it hung around for a week before I decided to contact a doctor thinking I might have a parasite or infection. Stool test came back negative which lead to a barium meal with follow through to check for Crohns or Colitis which again came back negative. Finally I went in for a colonoscopy which came back once again negative. Exhausting all the usual tests my doctor said it was likely IBS.
That being said my current symptoms have evolved since then. My biggest and most prominent symptom is the "need to go" but not "having to go". So basically I can be out shopping and desperately need to find a washroom but once I get there I got nothin. Lately its gotten to the point where simply the thought of going outside gives me that feeling making me stay inside. Anxiety seems to be the biggest trigger. Adjusting my diet to what Heather has suggested has had little to no effect on this one symptom.
So I wonder, perhaps is it in my head? Is it even IBS? I'm not sure I read about that particular symptom in the "First Year" book. It seems that you either have diarrhea or your constipated.
Thanks for any incite you can provide.
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
Been there, done that. I too (along with my doctor and my husband) thought a lot of my trouble was in my head. Well turns out that is true but not totally in the way you think. Read on and look at some of the head/gut connection stuff. It is true that the anxiety develops because of urgency and D and you develop a sort of phobia. However, there is a true nervous system connection to IBS. The information contained on this website is designed to calm down your gut and allow you to live a normal life. I have worked very very hard to follow the suggestions on these boards and in Heather's books and website for the last six months and while I am certainly not cured, I am now in control instead of my bowel. I don't get panicky now in situations where I can't rush off to the bathroom. I also started taking beginner Hatha yoga classes to help me learn to control the stress. IBS is a syndrome not a disease. You focus on controlling it and not on curing it. Good luck to you.
--------------------
IBS-D, Gas & Bloating
Barbara50
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
Thanks for the quick reply. I guess I will have to learn to deal with it. My once active lifestyle that included a few rounds of golf and a lot of water sports has been reduced to sitting on the patio  Its a lonely life.
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
That will change. I am a golf nut and when I was at my worst last summer my husband got so frustrated because I would simply not go onto a golf course except for the range. Hang in there and follow the guidelines. It will get better. I can now play golf without fear--even a course without bathrooms every three holes!!
--------------------
IBS-D, Gas & Bloating
Barbara50
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
Well I know that resurrecting a thread is typically frowned upon but I have some rather encouraging news that might be helpful to others.
Having realized that a vast majority of my issues were caused by anxiety I began passive treatment (drugs taken daily as opposed to per instance) with the drug known as Elavil (Amitriptyline) and after about 2 months finding the point of which I get the best results (75mg) I am basically functioning as normal. I feel no real side effects emotionally or intellectually which is positive and with Elavil being nonaddictive I can take it for maintenance and slowly decrease the dose in the next few months to see how the chips land. Its been a miracle for me. Safely flew all over the country on business, play golf weekly and in general life has been fantastic.
So there you have it. Watching what and when I eat combined with a bit of affordable medication (at least in Canada) I can now function as a "normal" member of society.
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
|
That is absolutely awesome. Congrats on solving your problems.
--------------------
IBS-D, Gas & Bloating
Barbara50
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
Posts
