21 and losing my life to IBS
#367898 - 07/24/12 10:45 AM
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I started having symptoms a year and a half ago. It began, actually, with severe stomach pain and burning. For months I was told it was heart burn. In July 2011 I was admitted to the ER and found to have two large peptic ulcers and gastritis in my stomach. I was put on PPI to heal the ulcers and for a few months I was fine.
However the same pain and symptoms returned in December 2011, and I received another endoscopy, but everything was normal. I have since been on 20+ different medications to help with the pain and burning, but as of April 2012 I developed lower abdominal symptoms including cramping, diarrhea, accompanied by severe nausea (no vomiting).
I have seen 4 different doctors at this point and be diagnosed with IBS. I have taken up yoga, mediation, Heather's IBS diet, counseling for depression and stress, and I have tried everything. For the past two months however I have been stuck in my apartment. I can't leave, I can barely eat. I have lost 30 lbs and most of my muscle. I used to love eating a healthy clean diet, weight lifting, running, and being active. Now I have lost my friends and my life. I have failed college classes and had to drop to a part time student, but now may drop out completely.
I am at wits end. I see no light at the end of the tunnel. Most days I wish I was dying because then there WOULD be an end to this. I am a burden to my family and my boyfriend. I feel completely alone. I don't know where else to go from here.
I have a strong family history of Ulcerative Colitis on my Dad's side (he had his entire colon removed at 25 and 3 of his cousins have had parts of their colons removed) and a strong family history of peptic ulcers on my mother's side (her father, and mother, and several cousins). Sometimes I am in disbelief that this pain is due to IBS... that there is nothing to do to stop it. But four doctors have told me that it is IBS and to simply change my diet and I will be fine.
I am not fine.
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Welcome to the board,
Your experience is not unlike from many of us on the board. Here is another approach you might try. Over the past decade there has been clinical research done on the use of dietary approaches to manage IBS symptoms with good results. The FODMAP dietary approach has been clinically tested in the UK and Australia and large trials are about to begin the in the US. The clinical results show an improvement of 70-80% in IBS symptoms. You can read more about this approach in the first two links in my signature. The first link is to an overview article written by a dietitian and the second article is the original research article. Many of us on the board us Heather's diet in combination with the FODMAP diet to manage our symptoms with good results.
You might find that you will get more responses if you post your questions on the diet board. There is relatively little traffic on this board. 
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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This might be implied in your post, but I couldn't tell: Have you had a colonoscopy to check for inflammatory bowel disease such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's? From what I understand, Heather's diet and other dietary restrictions might help those conditions, but often medication is required to bring flares under control.
I'm sorry to hear you are having so much trouble, and hope you can get some better answers and relief soon!
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When you say counselling, do you mean a councillor, or did you see a psychologist or psychiatrist?
If not, I would recommend seeing either a psychologist or psychiatrist. While councillors are trained in aspects of mental health, they aren't necessarily the best equipped to help someone outside of immediate crisis (such as domestic violence, abuse or threats of self-harm/suicide). I had been seeing councillors on and off since I was 15, and had only minor improvements with my health. Now that I'm seeing a psychologist, I have quite literally made leaps and bounds with my anxiety issues, which in turn has reduced the severity and frequency of my attacks.
Regardless of if you have IBS or not, I do hope that you continue, at the very least, to see a counsellor, if not a psychologist or psychiatrist, to help you through everything.
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"Diagnosed" IBS since mid-2011; in the process of finding a GP that will order tests to get a correct diagnosis.
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