IBS Irritable Bowel Syndrome Help | IBS and My Experiences

IBS and My Experiences

IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome can be a challenge to live with because many doctors still do not recognize it as a bona fide illness or condition. This leaves IBS sufferers feeling lonely and hopeless. Having experienced this first hand, I can relate to that feeling very well. When I asked my gastroenterologist what was wrong with me, he replied that he didn’t know. To give you the happy ending at the beginning, I have been leading a perfectly normal life for over two years now after I put a few dietary and behavioral changes into effect. It is my intent to share the things I learned, both through the experience of trial and error, and through information I gleaned from the internet.

IBS Irritbale Bowel Syndrome - waiting for the doctor

Let me give you some background. Back when I was in my twenties I had an ulcer. This was treated successfully but when I started having IBS symptoms I attributed them to ulcers. When no ulcers were found I was confused. My symptoms were mild but often annoying and uncomfortable. I didn’t realize that I must have had IBS until years later when I had an “attack” and couldn’t eat even a teaspoon of food without getting uncomfortably bloated. I was starving but full. It was horrible. I even went to the ER because the pressure on my diaphragm was very uncomfortable and I had no idea what was going on. The attack seemed to get better on it’s own in a few days and I was fine until we went on vacation a few months later. Then I was constipated for days followed by diarrhea for a day. This went on for a month and then it clicked. I remembered someone telling me about their IBS troubles. I ravenously devoured everything I could find on the internet about it, realized those were my symptoms and then set to work fixing things.

photo: randeclip

Filed Under IBS Stories |

Tagged With ,

Comments

7 Responses to “IBS and My Experiences”

  1. IBS Diagnosis Rome III Guidelines | IBS Help Now on April 16th, 2008

    […] Irritable Bowel Syndrome can be diagnosed based on at least twelve weeks (they do not have to be consecutive) of abdominal discomfort through the course of one year and having at least two of the following symptoms: […]

  2. IBS Attack, What Now | IBS Help Now on April 16th, 2008

    […] I had my bad IBS attack this is what I did to regain some sense of normalcy. I ate soluble fiber foods for a few […]

  3. IBS and Foods to Avoid | IBS Help Now on April 16th, 2008

    […] that can trigger an IBS attack are: anything containing caffeine, any high fat foods such as nuts or fried foods, […]

  4. Fiber Supplements Are Essential For IBS Treatment | IBS Help Now on April 16th, 2008

    […] a high fiber input is essential for living comfortably with IBS. Recommendations are for a daily intake of about 22 grams of fiber in order to maintain a […]

  5. IBS in Children | IBS Help Now on April 16th, 2008

    […] children do get IBS and the treatment for them is the same as for adults. Depending on the age of the child, compliance […]

  6. IBS Tips and Tricks | IBS Help Now on April 16th, 2008

    […] a diary while you are trying to figure out what foods are giving your IBS trouble. When you see a pattern, flag the trigger foods and avoid them. You might find that once […]

  7. bloggingzoom.com on May 31st, 2008

    IBS and My Experiences | IBS Help Now…

    IBS or irritable bowel syndrome has often been brushed off by doctors as a figment of a sufferer’s imagination, yet if you do suffer from IBS this is obviously not the case. Because there are no medically measurable obvious symptoms of IBS, it can’t …

Leave a Reply