Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

I have been, by 3 GI specialists, diagnosed with IBS. I have serious doubts that IBS is actually my problem and need some feedback. I have been to, at this point, 4 doctors: one general doctor and three GI specialists. Originally, everyone thought I had gallbladder disease and/or an ulcer. However, when the tests (full ultrasound of stomach/blood tests of liver, thyroid, h.pylori, blood sugar) showed that apparently I was in the prime of health, with no chance of an ulcer and little chance of anything at all being wrong with my gallbladder, liver, pancreas, thyroid, colon, stomach, or anything else in the digestive world, so this coupled with the fact that there are no such diseases running in my family, I was told "well, it must be IBS" and sent home. I am 23, the symptoms have been going on for three years, during which time I have very slowly but very surely gained weight, in spite of eating a very healthy diet (low sugar, low refined foods, little meat, low lactose, etc) and getting a good amount of exercise in each day. My symptoms are many and varied (another reason I was told I have IBS) but the main symptoms are: a burning pain between my ribcage; pain high on my right side and on my back, usually under or between the shoulder blades; chronic nausea, sometimes even when my stomach doesn't hurt; lightheadedness; fatigue; headaches; and an insane amount of gas. It is this last symptom that the doctors most often cite when labeling me with IBS. However, I have had NO diarrhea. Neither have I had constipation, or cramping. Although my stool does alter between soft stools and hard, rocky ones (another reason they say I actually am constipated, and thus have IBS) I have regular bowel movements, usually twice a day, though sometimes three or four. I do not have to strain, nor am I left feeling like I still need to go to the bathroom. I bought heather's books in the hopes that I would find something to alleviate my symptoms. Unfortunately, after following her diet religiously for a week, I have not noticed any major change, except that I do not seem to be hungry as often. I still had "attacks" four of the seven days, and have still fought boughts of nausea throughout the week. Obviously, I'm very frustrated over my situation, and I'm wondering if anyone else out there who has been diagnosed with IBS has my symptoms, and if so, what they do to alleviate them. I have noticed that trigger foods include melted cheese, whey (I don't drink milk, only whey, and developed this allergy recently), chicken (especially dark meat), red meats, and any fast food item, especially pizza and ice cream. I do not, however, notice that veggies make me sick, though I do have a rather weird reaction to them: if I eat to many, my "gag" reflex kicks in. I don't feel sick or in pain, I simply have to immediately quit eating or risk throwing up. I have tried, multiple times, to follow a completely lactose-free diet, but this does not seem to make the slightest difference. I do find that mint tea helps alleviate the pain--I've been using mint for years, even when they told me not to because if I had an ulcer, it would upset it. After reading Heather's books, I've started eating french bread and white rice again, and although I have noticed that it helps me not to get hungry so often (yes, I've been checked for hypoglycemia and diabetes multiple times, and my blood sugar levels seem to be perfect) I haven't noticed any other changes. In fact, I feel "washed out" on top of everything else more often now. What do I eat, then? I don't really know. Typically, I try to eat healthy, so I was already following most of Heather's guidelines. Sometimes, everything I eat--even drinking water--seems to be a trigger, while other days, it seems I am just fine, even on the rare occasion that I eat "on the edge." And as a side, I do not use and never have used any alcohol, drugs, or tobacco, and I would never dream of smoking; I do not drink any coffee, tea (except herbal), or caffeine. I also have never been a chocoholic, strange as that seems--never liked chocolate much as a kid, unless it was combined with peanut butter or mint.
So there you have the basics. Any suggestions?

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